New Releases: June 20th-26th, 2024

This week, the visual novel that helped catapult the term “uguu” into internet popularity finally arrives on Steam. Beyond Key’s Kanon (pictured), the follow-up to Molegato’s indie hit arrives, with Frogun Encore asking you to pick up your amphibian-powered grappling hook once more. Here’s the complete list of what’s arriving across the next six days:

PlayStation 4
Everafter Falls (digital, $17.99)
Frogun Encore (digital, $12.99)
Go Go Jump!!! (digital, $9.99)

PlayStation 5
Graven (digital, $24.99)
Rusted Moss (digital, $19.99)
Times & Galaxy (digital, $17.99)
Until Then (digital, $TBA)

Switch
Cave Digger 2 (digital, $14.99)
Clasherball (digital, $6.99)
DarkStar One – Nintendo Switch Edition (digital, $26.99)
Dicefolk (digital, $11.99)
Eggconsole Tritorn PC-8801 (digital, $6.49)
Everafter Falls (digital, $17.99)
Faces of Illusion: The Twin Phantoms (digital, $14.99)
Frogun Encore (digital, $12.99)
Garten of Banban (digital, $1.99)
Garten of Banban 2 (digital, $4.99)
Garten of Banban 3 (digital, $4.99)
Garten of Banban 4 (digital, $9.99)
Grass Cutting Simulator: Lawn Mowing Care (digital, $12.99)
Greedy Snake (digital, $1.99)
Lost Pixel (digital, $4.99)
Love Elysium: Secret of the Goddess (digital, $19.99)
Mouse & Crane (digital, $13.49)
Operation STEEL (digital, $9.99)
Pixel World: Unity-Chan! (digital, $4.99)
Pogo Stick Champion (digital, $4.99)
Puzzle World: Funny Dogs (digital, $2.79)
Rainbow Ascend: Anime Girls Go Up (digital, $7.99)
Speedway Turbo: Car Racing Challenge (digital, $9.99)
Spring Time (digital, $0.99)
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble (physical & digital, $49.99)
Supermarket Simulation Grocery Empire 3D (digital, $9.99)
Tavern Talk (digital, $21.99)
The Ouroboros King (digital, $9.99)
Times & Galaxy (digital, $17.99)
Tiny Watermelon Match (digital, $1.99)
Toilet Hero (digital, $2.79)
Train Your Brain! Spot the Difference with Cat Photos (digital, $2.99)
Vera Blanc Supernatural Mysteries (digital, $7.99)
Ylands: Nintendo Switch Edition (digital, $24.99)

Xbox One
Everafter Falls (digital, $17.99)
Frogun Encore (digital, $12.99)
Go Go Jump!!! (digital, $9.99)
Grand Prix Story (digital, $10.79)
Graven (digital, $24.99)
Pocket Arcade Story (digital, $10.79)
Times & Galaxy (digital, $17.99)

Xbox Series S/X
Rusted Moss (digital, $19.99)

PC
Aska ($22.49)
Bloodlight ($TBA)
Bureau of Contacts ($5.99)
City Transport Simulator: Tram ($29.99)
College Bowl ($21.24)
Crab God ($17.99)
Descending the Woods ($TBA)
Dice & Fold ($TBA)
Drug Dealer Simulator 2 ($19.58)
Dystopika ($TBA)
Everafter Falls ($17.99)
Frogun Encore ($12.99)
Histera (free)
Kanon ($26.99)
Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess ($TBA)
Natsuno-Kanata: Beyond Summer ($9.89)
NYO-NIN-JIMA -My New Life in Charge of a Tropical Island- ($TBA)
Screw Drivers (free)
Songs of Death ($TBA)
Southfield ($TBA)
Tavern Talk ($21.99)
This Grand Life ($11.99)
Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic ($25.99)

Rob’s pick: Lately, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying modern titles that feel like retro games. Unsurprisingly, my pair of picks fall under this category. This first Frogun was a fun romp that felt right out of the 16/32-bit era, blending grappling-hook enhanced platforming and 3D navigation, as Renata scoured each stage for collectables. Save for a slightly uncooperative camera and some tedious boss battles the game was a winner and I’m hoping the sequel mends these blemishes.

Referencing an even older era, Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess builds on the premise of Electronic Art’s Strike games, as you use your helicopter to attack legions of ground-based forces. While the isometric view feels familiar, the drip feed of new weapons and variety of different mission types helps keep the action from growing stale. Edit: Looks like Kanon got a stealth release. As Key’s inaugural outing, this is worth a look.

Ryan’s pick: Desert Strike was my absolute favorite game on the Sega Genesis save for Decap Attack. I think it was the isometric view and variety of the missions that made it a really fun and pretty intense helicopter game. I still to this day recall those forsaken rapier missiles and how much they ruined my day. Someone out there is my new best friend because Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess captures the same feel of this helicopter series and adds a bit of blood and gore to everything.

I’m not quite sure what it is lately but I’m continuously being drawn in by FPS horror games. That said, BloodLight looks absolutely frightening because the main antagonist is a demon that changes forms. It seems like the gameplay is quest-based and also features the ability to spit and burp? Seems interesting enough for a try, and there is also a demo on Steam.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): I can never get enough of Monkey Ball. I’ve been playing from the very first, way back on the GameCube, and have never missed one, so Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a big deal for me this week. Especially after I was less than thrilled with the way the remake of that original was handled on the Switch. Fingers crossed they get the minigames down just right so we can enjoy some wild multiplayer fun again. That’s all I need.

I’m also looking forward to giving Dice & Fold a whirl. There are entirely too many of these “dungeon crawlers” that use dice and cards to replace mechanics usually handled by standard RPG systems from indies these days. Of course, a lot of them also turn out to be a lot of fun, and Dice & Fold does look like it’ll be one of these.