Hello! Welcome to the latest Geeky Brummie Games Release Roundup!

This week, killing cults, vrooming taxis and surviving Australia.

Another week dominated by indies, but oh boy there is some really good stuff this week. I actually struggled a little to narrow down exactly which game should be considered Game of the Week.

Most games this week have something interesting going on. It’s Early Access, but Laysara: Summit Kingdom is a unique take on a city builder, Botany Manor was a surprise mystery game and Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom is a delightfully silly experience. And of course, there’s my Game of the Week pick, but you’ll have to read on to find out what it is.

New Releases

Two Early Access releases on Steam this week. The Devil Within: Satgat is a samurai Metroidvania with stylish combat. Meanwhile, Laysara: Summit Kingdom is a city builder set where you build a mountain community inspired by Tibet, which got a surprise release during this week’s Triple-I Initiative Showcase.

The Devil Within: Satgat is developed by Newcore Games and Laysara: Summit Kingdom is developed by Quite OK Games and published by Future Friends.

On first glance, Botany Manor (PC, Switch, Xbox) appears to be a farming game, where you have to build up a beautiful garden of flowers. But wait! It’s actually a mystery game, as you solve how to make each of the manor’s various seeds grow. They all require specific conditions to blossom, and each seed presents its own little puzzle to solve. I played the demo and I have to admit it sucked me in just because of how much I love a good mystery.

Developed by new British studio Balloon Studios and published by Whitethorn Games (Lake, Evan’s Remains, Calico)

Broken Roads (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) is a story-driven RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Australian Outback. You and your party must survive in the wilderness, but your choices are heavily based around a complex morality system that constantly changes.

Developed by Australian studio Drop Bear Bytes and published by Versus Evil (First Class Trouble, Eville, Almighty: Kill Your Gods)

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom (PC) is what happens when you put an N64 platformer in a blender with Crazy Taxi. You play as a tiny windup taxi, pootling about the place and trying to solve platforming challenges while being incapable of jumping. Plus there are parts where you must deliver passengers to their destinations or risk losing your power. The demo for this was a fun, chaotic time, with the game demonstrating a goofy sense of humour and a bouncy aesthetic.

Developed by Panik Arcade and published by Those Awesome Guys (Monster Prom).

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is Children of the Sun (PC), a sniper puzzle game. As weird as that sounds.

You play as The Girl, who is on a one-woman mission to take down a mysterious cult that have seemingly ruined her life. To do so, you travel through a series of small maps populated by cult members and must use a single bullet to kill them all. Every target you hit allows you to steer the bullet to a new target.

I played the demo of this and absolutely loved it. A bit of a surprise release as I only heard about this game for the first time a few weeks ago, but its vibes are immaculate. It features a minimalist style and a grainy aesthetic that evokes a grindhouse feel. But the gameplay is also superb, with each level presenting unique challenges in achieving mass murder.

It’s moody, unique and addictive, so it has to be Game of the Week.

Developed by German solo developer Rene Rother and published by Devolver Digital (Hotline Miami, Cult of the Lamb, Terra Nil)