New Releases: August 24th-30th 2023

This week, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (pictured) jump-jets toward release, Karateka gets a revival almost 40 years after its debut, while Blasphemous 2 provides players with another dose of bit-mapped artistry. Venture on, Penitent One!

PlayStation 4
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case (digital, $35.99)
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (physical & digital, $59.99)
Ashina: The Red Witch (digital, $9.99)
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle (physical & digital, $39.99)
Goodbye Volcano High (digital, $TBA)
LogiKing (digital, $14.99)
Sea of Stars (digital, $34.99)
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (digital, $12.49)
The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 3 (digital, included in season pass)
The Making of Karateka (digital, $19.99)
Under the Waves (physical & digital, $39.99)

PlayStation 5
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (physical & digital, $39.99)
Blasphemous 2 (digital, $26.99)
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle (physical & digital, $39.99)
Firewall Ultra (digital, $39.99, PS VR2)
Ride 5 (physical & digital $59.99)

Switch
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case (digital, $35.99)
Alice Escaped! (digital, $19.99)
Ashina: The Red Witch (digital, $9.99)
Blasphemous 2 (digital, $26.99)
Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils (digital, $15.00)
Giant Wishes (digital, $4.99)
Ginsha (digital, $17.80)
Golf: Hole in One (digital, $2.00)
Heart Chain Kitty: All Screwed Up (digital, $4.99)
Hidden Paws Bundle (digital, $8.99)
Hyperforma Lost Archives – Fragment I (DLC, $4.99)
Hyperforma Lost Archives – Fragment II (DLC, $4.99)
Johnny Trigger: Johnnybee Edition (digital, $12.99)
Little Devil: Foster Mayhem (digital, $13.49)
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope: Rayman in the Phantom Show (DLC, $14.99)
Pinball FX – Marvel Pinball Collection 1 (DLC, $23.99)
Pinball FX – Williams Pinball: Star Trek: The Next Generation (DLC, $9.99)
Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles (digital, $49.99)
Rocket Car: Ultimate Ball League Machines (digital, $11.99)
Samba de Amigo: Party Central (physical & digital, $39.99)
Sea of Stars (digital, $34.99)
Sphereout (digital, $4.99)
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (digital, $12.49)
Sweet Bakery Tycoon Couch Co-op Edition (digital, $6.49)
The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation (digital, $29.99)
Virgo Versus the Zodiac (digital, $19.99)
Wildagotchi: Virtual Pet (digital, $12.99)
Word Search Puzzle: Find the Words! (digital, $9.99)

Xbox One
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case (digital, $35.99)
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (physical & digital, $59.99)
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle (physical & digital, $39.99)
Overdriven Evolution (digital, $14.99)
Saints Row: A Song of Ice and Dust (DLC, $14.99)
Sea of Stars (digital, $34.99)
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (digital, $12.49)
Tanky Tanks 2 (digital, $9.99)
The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 3 (digital, included in season pass)
The Making of Karateka (digital, $19.99)
Under the Waves (physical & digital, $39.99)

PC
Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case ($35.99)
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon ($59.99)
Blasphemous 2 ($29.99)
Blue Wednesday ($TBA)
Ginsha ($14.49)
Goodbye Volcano High ($TBA)
Pinball FX – Williams Pinball: Star Trek: The Next Generation (DLC, $9.99)
Prison City ($TBA)
Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess ($TBA)
Rhapsody III: Memories of Marl Kingdom ($TBA)
Ride 5 ($59.99)
Saints Row ($19.79)
Sea of Choices ($6.99)
Sea of Stars ($TBA)
Sprawl ($13.49)
Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty ($TBA)
War and Peace ($27.99)
X Invader ($4.49)

Rob’s pick: Sequels can be tricky, often feeling like retreads of the original title. Smartly, Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess (bundled with Rhapsody III on Switch or available as a standalone title on PC) picks up twelve years after the original, with Cornett and Ferdinand married and with a daughter. I always appreciate this kind of time jump, where we get to see characters in different phases of life. (wild tangent- who knew that Hokage status was so thankless?)

The original Rhapsody was notable for its musical interludes and lightweight grid-based battles. The follow-up’s soundtrack is more ambitious, with some solid number musical numbers, and combat is conducted through a more traditional menu-based system. I just wish Rhapsody III didn’t feel like a fan disk, with its collection of five character-focused chapters. Sure, we get to see Kururu grown-up trying to convince Ferdinand that she found a worthy suitor. And I know that mahjong remains niche is most of the West, but I would have loved to have seen Marl Jong included in this package. Continuing my appreciation of games where soundtracks steal the spotlight, I’m also looking forward to Blue Wednesday. There aren’t enough games where the lead character is a jazz pianist.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): There are some heavy hitters this week (Armored Core VI, Marl Kingdom), but the game that stands out to me the most is Blasphemous 2. Even within the busy arena of games inspired by Dark Souls and/or Metroid, the original Blasphemous stood out thanks to its captivating setting and visual theme: a grotesque blend of Gothic horror, the darkest corners of a pseudo-Christian theology, and gladiatorial combat that made for a particularly nightmarish delve into the unknown.

Blasphemous 2 kind of looks like more of the same but with some of the dials turned up. Such is often the case with sequels, and it’s not always for the best, but this is one case where that’s exactly what I want: another horrific labyrinth to get lost in as I drown in the macabre presentation and suffocating atmosphere.

There’s also something strangely familiar about Rocket Car: Ultimate Ball League Machines, although I’m not sure if morbid curiosity will be enough to make me drop whatever that 99c price tag converts to in New Zealand dollars…

Ryan’s pick: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon has been a topic amongst my friends for a while now as we have been eagerly awaiting another FromSoftware game since we have finished Elden Ring. To call me a late adopter of the series would be an understatement, as I unfortunately missed all of the previous titles. However, after seeing some of the gigantic bosses and visual effects, I can easily see myself enjoying this one while still balancing out trying to finish Remnant 2. I recently completed the 100 belly flops in the heaviest armor to unlock another item, the game is great.

It’s been about three years since the first Blasphemous game was released on Steam so I think that Blasphemous 2 is equally worth a look if you like metroidvanias. I can definitely see some influence in the art and animations from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but there’s just something about some of the animation frames and the way the attacks look that really captures the look of the 16-bit era for me. Specifically, it looks like a game that would have been on the Genesis to me. If horror or gore aren’t your thing then you may want to pass, but the main character’s iconic helmet also reminds my referential brain of Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill series, so that alone makes it worth a look for me.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Armored Core is spelled incorrectly. It should be Armoured Core. Still. If Armoured Core VI can do for that series what Dark Souls did to King’s Field (and I have no reason to believe it won’t) then we’re in for a really good time with that one. Can’t wait to give it a spin for myself.

Putting that aside, I’m also very much looking forward to Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case. The Poirot games are never perfect or game-of-the-year contenders, but they are reliable point-and-clickers that usually do the source material justice. I’m a big fan of Christie’s work and, particularly, Poirot as a character, so I’m looking forward to stepping into the shoes of the quirky Belgian one more time.