New Releases: July 1st-7th, 2021

No longer a PlayStation exclusive, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox arrives on Switch and PC this week, while The Silver Case 2425 brings two of Goichi “Suda51” Suda’s pulpy mysteries to PlayStation 4 and Switch. Oddly, there’s even a Wii U release this week, with SturmFront – The Mutant War: Übel Edition making its way onto Nintendo’s legacy console.

Image: Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, PC and Switch

PlayStation 4
Arcade Archives: Raiden (digital, $7.99)
Indigo 7: Quest for Love (digital, $TBA)
The Silver Case 2425 (physical & digital, $39.99)
The Sisters – Party of the Year (digital, $29.99)
Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline (DLC, $14.99)

Switch
Alphadia Genesis 2 (digital, $13.49)
Best Day Ever (digital, $13.49)
Colossus Mission (digital, $4.99)
Discolored (digital, $9.99)
Dragon Question (digital, $3.99)
Epistory – Typing Chronicles (digital, $11.99)
Foodtruck Arena (digital, $15.99)
Hope’s Farm (digital, $19.99)
Kickerinho World (digital, $4.99)
Kirakira Stars Idol Project Reika (digital, $10.00)
My Little Fruit Juice Booth (digital, $3.00)
Mythic Ocean (digital, $11.99)
Path: Through the Forest (digital, $5.99)
Pigeon Fight (digital, $4.99)
Red White Yellow (digital, $7.00)
Revolver and Co (digital, $7.99)
Rubix Roller (digital, $3.99)
Super Archer (digital, $4.99)
Super Destronaut DX-2 (digital, $4.99)
The Procession to Calvary (digital, $14.99)
The Silver Case 2425 (physical & digital, $39.99)
The Sisters – Party of the Year (digital, $29.99)
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (physical & digital, $59.99)

Wii U
SturmFront – The Mutant War: Übel Edition (digital, $9.99)

Xbox One
Blaster Master Zero (digital, $7.99)
Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game (free to play)
The Procession to Calvary (digital, $13.49)
Treasure Hunter Simulator (digital, $7.99)
Walden, A game (digital, $9.99)
Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline (DLC, $14.99)

PC
Boomerang X ($TBA)
Chuhou Joutai 2: Paraided! ($TBA)
Foodtruck Arena ($15.99)
Nemezis: Mysterious Journey III ($TBA)
Prison Tycoon: Under New Management ($TBA)
Revolver and Co ($7.99)
Sniper Elite VR ($TBA)
Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game ($TBA)
The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time ($TBA)
Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline (DLC, $14.99)
When I Reincarnate, I’m a Cube!? ($TBA)
Wild Journey ($TBA)
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox ($59.99)

Rob’s Pick: Ys IX: Monstrum Nox isn’t my favorite Ys entry. But we’re talking about one of the more celebrated franchises in gaming, where even a middle-level ranking is still a prodigious effort. Previously released on PlayStation 4, the title made an unceremonious first impression when it repeatedly crashed on the PlayStation 5. Fortunately, that was remedied during the game’s launch week.

But my original review was written before the patching occured and was flavored by frustration. This week, I plan to play through the PC version, looking at Nihon Falcom’s title with a fresh set of eyes.  It’s easy to see why the Tachikawa-based studio has so many adamant fans. Few developers seem to truly understand the virtues of yesteryear’s games like Falcom. From writing that produces casts of likable characters and spirited villains, polished play mechanics, memorable music, the teams are able to make elements gels together exceedingly well.

Monstrum Nox understands desires for exploration and variety. Navigating through the game’s environments is persistently enjoyable with plenty of small rewards concealed in Balduq’s alcoves. Switching between characters, who have their own distinctive abilities is well done. Tired of Spider-Man style navigation? There’s another five Monstrum who move and fight is their own unique way. I just hope that Switch performance does the title justice.

Matt S’ pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): If there is one literary genre I have loved consistently my entire life, it is noir. I grew up being mesmerized by the stories of Raymond Chandler et al, and when I studied literature and film at university, I put a disproportionate amount of energy into those iconic adaptations by Humphrey Bogart, right through to the more modern classics like Chinatown and L.A. Confidential.

So, of course Goichi Suda’s genre play, The Silver Case, is my pick this week. I’ve already played these games (and loved them) but having them on my Nintendo Switch for on-the-go dark detective fantasy is appealing, and the two games in that pack are dense and deep enough that you’ll draw something new out of them each time, anyway. The Silver Case might not have the prominence and prestige of some of Suda’s other work, but for me they represent his creative zenith – he lets the punk aesthetic go for a bit to indulge a darker and more powerful kind of surrealism, and they’re unique entries into the visual novel format as a result.

It’s also a micro-scale game but I’m really intrigued by Red White Yellow. It looks like it’s a puzzler in the tradition of Lumines and… well, yes? I’m very much there for more of that.

Ryan’s Pick: There isn’t much that stands out to me this week, so the guitar solo loving part of my brain is making me lean towards Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. If you are an electric guitar fan, Ys soundtracks are an absolute must, and quite honestly are really well done. The music just really helps to compliment the fast gameplay, and how the solos flow in and out of the main melody really is smooth. Some of the tracks for the current game are a bit more chaotic, but I suppose that does go pretty well with the way some of the battles play out for this Ys. In general if you aren’t looking for a turn-based RPG and prefer a bit more action, then I suggest giving this series a try.

I am going to confess that I’ve watched the trailer for the Steam game Chuhou Joutai 2: Paraided! at least four times. There’s just a lot going on with this game, and I think I want to try it. At first glance it reminds me of River Raid on Atari plus a bit of bullethell. It appears there’s just a lot of really interesting design choices in this one, from the sounds for the character conversations, to the localization in general. As the game’s tagline suggests, the true strength of The Real Driller is his wisdom, so we certainly shall see if this is the case.