New Releases: Sept. 19-25th, 2024

This week, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed attempts to touch-up the 2010 Wii game for a new generation of players, while The Karate Kid: Street Rumble brings its side-scrolling, sprite-based fisticuffs to consoles. For those seeking a bit of mystery, the release of Ginka (pictured) tells of the tale of a childhood friend who went missing during a summer festival.

PlayStation 4

Beyond Galaxyland (digital, $17.99)
Bloomtown: A Different Story (digital, $24.99)
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game (digital, $24.99)
Arcade Archives – Crime City (digital, $7.99)
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed (digital, $59.99)
Home Safety Hotline (digital, $19.99)
Matchbox Driving Adventures (digital, $39.99)
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble (digital, $39.99)
Welcome to Empyreum (digital, $TBA)
ZombFarm (digital, $4.99)

Switch

Anarkade (digital, $14.99)
Aura of Worlds (digital, $14.99)
Between Horizons (digital, $15.99)
Beyond Galaxyland (digital, $17.99)
Blokdoku (digital, $2.99)
Bloomtown: A Different Story (digital, $24.99)
Booom-Slang! (digital, $14.99)
Byte The Bullet (digital, $19.99)
BZZZT (digital, $11.99)
City Driver: Police Parking Simulator (digital, $4.99)
Coloring Pixels: Collection 4 (digital, $7.95)
Classic Racing Pack: Moto Roader MC + Rider’s Spirits (digital, $10.99)
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game (digital, $24.99)
Desktop Dodgeball 2 (digital, $9.80)
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed (digital, $59.99)
EGGCONSOLE STAR CRUISER PC-8801mkIISR (digital, $6.49)
Farm It (digital, $4.99)
Food Boy (digital, $11.99)
Ginka (digital, $20.00)
Golfing in Aether (digital, $9.99)
Heavy Hand: Pixel Tree Forest Fury (digital, $12.99)
Hidden Cats in Berlin (digital, $3.99)
Highway Legends: Traffic Speed Racer (digital, $9.99)
Home Safety Hotline (digital, $19.99)
Hunt and Fight: Action RPG (digital, $11.99)
I Got Isekai’d into a Shmup (digital, $10.99)
Ice Cream Wars (digital, $2.79)
JALECOlle Famicom Ver. Bio Warrior DAN The Increaser War (digital, $7.19)
Japanese Rail Sim: Hakone Town of Natural Beauty and Hot Springs (digital, $19.99)
Jump, Dodge, Die, Repeat (digital, $3.99)
Loddlenaut (digital, $19.99)
LUMbA: REDUX (digital, $4.99)
Matchbox Driving Adventures (digital, $39.99)
MindSeize (digital, $13.59)
Moonless Moon (digital, $8.49)
No Case Should Remain Unsolved (digital, $8.99)
Pixel Game Maker Series NYANxTECH (digital, $5.99)
Samurai Katana Rampage Stickman Saga (digital, $7.99)
Seasonspree (digital, $11.99)
Sinister Mansion (digital, $4.99)
Synth Ark (digital, $4.99)
Tamagoneko (digital, $5.99)
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble (digital, $39.99)
The Town of Nie (digital, $38.89)
They Came From the Sky 2 (digital, $9.99)
ZombFarm (digital, $4.99)

Xbox One

Anarkade (digital, $14.99)
Beyond Galaxyland (digital, $17.99)
Bloomtown: A Different Story (digital, $24.99)
Byte The Bullet (digital, $19.99)
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game (digital, $24.99)
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed (digital, $59.99)
DROS (digital, $24.99)
Home Safety Hotline (digital, $19.99)
MindSeize (digital, $13.59)
Paper Plane Arena – Lost Places (digital, $9.99)
Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 (digital, $9.99)
Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 (digital, $9.99)
The House of Da Vinci 3 (digital, $24.99)
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble (digital, $39.99)
Welcome to Empyreum (digital, $TBA)
ZombFarm (digital, $4.99)

PC

Beyond Shadowgate ($16.19)
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged ($29.99)
Copycat ($13.49)
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game ($24.99)
Faaast Penguin (free)
God of War Ragnarok ($59.99)
Lorn’s Lure ($TBA)
Parking Garage Rally Circuit ($TBA)
Project: AHNO’s Ark ($11.04)
Rainbow Sea ($13.49)
Spiral ($TBA)
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble ($39.99)

Rob’s pick: Years ago, Chibi-Robo taught me that cleaning could be turned into a gratifying game mechanic, preparing audiences for titles like PowerWash Simulator. In concept, plucking bottles and cans out of the ocean might seem like an unappreciated task. But this week, Loddlenaut lures you into its aquatic depths in pursuit of greater efficiency. Yes, leveling up your dive suit and bubble gun is a predictable formula, but it works well here as populated underwater habitats are made pristine once again.

Speaking of polygons without many texture maps, Parking Garage Rally Circuit is quirky, old-school racing at its best. As the name implies, you’re careening through mall and airport garages instead of European countrysides, drifting across corners to gain a bit of boost. If you’re into retro racers like Virtua Racing or SEGA Rally Championship, you’ll want to give it a look.

Ryan’s pick: Let’s just say that I’m very late to the train simulation game scene. I was just watching some videos on the train simulation controllers, and it was there I realized that I know nothing about this genre, but it was clear that they may just be the zen I need in my life. This said, I am going to go with Japanese Rail Sim: Hakone Town of Natural Beauty and Hot Springs. My hope is that I’ll get some nuanced light challenges interspersed with serene countryside visuals of Japan. This is the low-stakes contrast I need after continuing to grind out Season 5 of D4 in hardcore mode.

I have no shortage of honorable mentions this week, the first being the beat em’up The Karate Kid: Street Rumble. I think the sidecrolling beat em’ up works for this series, and this absolutely would have been in the arcades back in the day if the series had hit theaters a few years later. Part of me is wondering if Mr. Miyagi would really have approved of this level of intense street fighting, but in this game, he joins the fights as a playable character, so I guess he’s okay with it. One other quick nod goes to I Got Isekai’d Into a Shmup. Being isekai’d is becoming more and more common in anime, so it does make sense we’d start seeing the genre appear in games. I recently surprised myself and a friend at PAX West with my bullet hell prowess, so I think this one could be worth a quick look if you like shmups.