New Releases: June 6th-12th, 2024

Between the releases of Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked and Rider’s Spirits, prepare for some 16-bit nostalgia. Since La Grande Boucle starts later this month, Tour de France 2024 makes a timely arrival on both console and PC. Additionally, Sore wa Maichiru Sakura no You ni -Re:BIRTH- (pictured) arrives on Steam this week. But sadly, revisiting your hometown won’t be presented with English-language subtitles.

PlayStation 4
Case Files: Behind Closed Doors (digital, $9.99)
Rider’s Spirits (digital, $5.99)
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked (digital, $25.49)
Rocksmith+ (free to play)
Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic (digital, $9.99)
The Smurfs – Village Party (digital, $35.99)

PlayStation 5
Pombero: The Lord of the Night (digital, $12.99)
Slime Rancher 2 (digital, $29.99)
Tour de France 2024 (digital, $39.99)
V Rising (digital, $39.99, $35.99 PS+)

Switch
Aery – Peace of Mind (digital, $13.00)
Airhead (digital, $19.99)
Cat Pipes (digital, $4.99)
Counter Force: Tactical Warfare (digital, $6.99)
Craft Archeology Simulator: Pyramid to Polar (digital, 11.99)
Delivery Drop (digital, $0.99)
Fading Afternoon (digital, $19.99)
HighScore Anomaly Underground (digital, $3.99)
Garage: Bad Dream Adventure (digital, $24.99)
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge (digital, $19.99)
Lesson Learned (digital, $9.99)
Let Me Sleep (digital, $2.99)
MyRummy (digital, $13.99)
Rainbow Diamonds (digital, $9.99)
Rider’s Spirits (digital, $5.99)
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked (digital, $25.49)
Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic (digital, $9.99)
Seven Days (digital, $34.99)
Sociable Soccer 24 (digital, $24.99)
The Smurfs – Village Party (digital, $35.99)
Zombie Derby (digital, $3.74)

Xbox One
Dash and Roll (digital, $9.99)
Grappin (digital, $11.04)
Magazine Mogul (digital, $10.79)
Pocket Stables (digital, $10.79)
Rider’s Spirits (digital, $5.99)
Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic (digital, $9.99)
The Smurfs – Village Party (digital, $35.99)
Tour de France 2024 (digital, $39.99)

PC
A Twisted Path to Renown ($26.99)
Autopsy Simulator ($24.99)
Blockbuster Inc. ($22.49)
Bodycam ($TBA)
Chornobyl Liquidators ($17.99)
Dragon is Dead ($TBA)
Fantastic Haven: Prologue (free)
Forgotten Seas ($TBA)
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge ($19.99)
Kristala ($26.99)
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked ($25.49)
Rocksmith+ (free to play)
Sore wa Maichiru Sakura no You ni -Re:BIRTH- ($TBA)
Sneak out (free to play)
Star Stuff ($TBA)
Tracks of Thought ($TBA)
Ultimate General: American Revolution ($44.99)

Rob’s pick: I never quite understood how the (non-Nintendo) mascot platformer fell out of favor. The genre habitually conveyed a likable lead, eye-pleasing visuals, and accessible action intended for mainstream appeal. If I have an hour or so of free time, I’ll play titles like Bonk, Ristar, Dynamite Headdy to alleviate some stress.

Alongside some of these forgotten heroes is Nobuya Nakazato’s (Contra: Alien Wars, Contra: Hard Corps) Sparkster, the armor-adorned opossum who never quite made it to the upper echelons of fame. Still, this week’s premium-priced collection demonstrates that a jetpack was a creative addition, propelling out protagonist around the screen at swift but not uncontrollable speeds. While the 2010 reboot is absent, Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked gathers the first three games in the franchise, providing an amble amount of pig-hunting and even a few Gradius references. I miss the sporadically clunky shooting stage in the middle of a platformer.

Ryan’s pick: I was an early adopter for the Rocksmith series because I liked the idea of being able to hook up my electric guitar into the PS3 to play along with various genres that were shipped with the game. My only qualm with the whole experience was the output lag stemming from the HDMI cable. Fast forward a decade, Rocksmith+ was released officially on PC in 2022 and then in app form about a year later. I’m making this my official pick as I’m actually pretty interested in being able to play music again on my PS5. My only hope is that there are ample settings available to counter some of the audio lag this time.

I spied some early footage of Bodycam about a half year ago and the realism of the environments are what caught my eye. The game showcases some of the depth that Unreal Engine 5 is capable of, and I think this could be one to investigate if you like multiplayer games or are an FPS enthusiast in general. For those wishing for Clorinde in Genshin Impact this week I wish you all luck. For me it’s been a tough decision, and I can’t decide yet if I’m going to push the “Save my primos” button for Natlan or if it will be the “I need a new electro main dps” button. Wish me luck.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Kristala aims to be Cat Souls, and it looks like it might have just achieved that. It even looks the part. Remember how Dark Souls looked on the original PlayStation 3? I don’t mean this in a bad way, mind you. The original Demon’s and Dark Souls are old enough now that it’s okay to be a bit nostalgic (editor: they are?) for their efficient aesthetics, and Kristala looks to tap into that nostalgia a bit. As long as it plays alright, this will be a bit of fun as we wait for the Elden Ring DLC to land.

Meanwhile, do not let yourself overlook Fading Afternoon. It’s the latest from Yeo (The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa), and it is much the same kind of brilliance within the brawler structure. Yeo is truly one of those auteurs with a very unique vision for video games, and this one is his most confident and refined yet.

And then finally I’ll be playing Sore wa Maichiru Sakura no You ni -Re:BIRTH-. It’s only getting a release in Japanese, but it’s one of those VNs with a whole lot of nudity and sex scenes so I can’t think of a better way to practice my Japanese. I’m playing it for the articles etc. etc.