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

This week, haunted theme parks, sexy gods and cute cats.

What a week this is. Very few big releases but quite a lot of high-profile indie releases that are getting rave reviews, tons of press and streamer attention and generally improving a week where two of the big platform holders have been trying as hard as possible to ruin their reputations. The future is clearly indie, based on this week.

Honestly, pick any game this week and I can recommend it in some way. We have the return of the BAFTA-winning Hades, we have a gritty driving game, a goofy text-based dungeon crawler, an intriguing sci-fi story, bizarre creatures and the chance to be an adorable menace. And my Game of the Week is something I’ve been waiting for ever since I first heard about it. Absolutely stellar week, and if there’s nothing here that interests you, then quite frankly you don’t like video games.

Early Access

The big release of the week is an Early Access one. Hades II shadow-dropped into Early Access on Steam this week, completely obliterating every other indie game’s marketing plans. It’s not surprising though, the original Hades won the BAFTA for Best Game in 2021 and its blend of horny gods and roguelike gameplay has been a proven hit. Not for me, personally, but good for fans of the original, I guess.

Developed by San Francisco based developer Supergiant Games (Bastion, Transistor, Pyre).

New Releases

Heading Out (PC) is a stylish driving game journeying across America, where you encounter a variety of complex, dark characters. Inspired by cult classic road movies, the game is all about cool cars, evading the police and discovering the underbelly of the great American highway.

Developed by Polish studio Serious Sim (Radio Commander) and published by Saber Interactive (Mudrunner, World War Z: Aftermath, Teardown).

Cryptmaster (PC) is a bizarre dungeon crawler. You are dead and have woken up in the underworld facing the titular Cryptmaster, a sarcastic ghoul who wants to make a deal. You and your party need to recover your memories of your abilities, and you do so by finding chests and answering the Cryptmaster’s guessing games. Imagine Typing of the Dead meets old British kids’ show Knightmare and you’re basically there. Played the demo of this and it’s very silly in the best way possible.

Developed by Paul Hart and Lee Williams and published by Akupara Games (Rain World, Manifold Garden, Behind the Frame).

1000xResist (PC, Switch) is a sci-fi adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic future where the remains of humanity live underground to escape a deadly pathogen. You are Watcher, fulfilling your purpose assigned by the ALLMOTHER, tracking down memories and piecing together the history of what led the world to become the way it is. There’s a surreal vibe to this one based on the demo, where a lot of questions are being asked right from the start, and almost certainly nothing is as it seems.

Developed by Canadian studio Sunset Visitor and published by Fellow Traveller (Citizen Sleeper, Genesis Noir, Paradise Killer).

Animal Well (PC, PS5, Switch) sees you playing as a tiny seed navigating a dark world of strange creatures. It’s a strange Metroidvania with nonlinear gameplay and a striking visual style. It’s been getting rave reviews and has disproven the doubters who felt that a YouTuber couldn’t set up a successful publishing company.

Developed by Chicago-based Shared Memory and published by Big Mode, a new published founded by popular YouTuber Videogamedunkey.

If you wished that Stray had less sci-fi and let you just be a cat doing cat things, Little Kitty Big City (PC, Switch, Xbox) may be the game for you. You’re a cat doing cat things, similar to how Untitled Goose Game let you be a horrible goose doing horrible goose things.

Developed by Seattle-based Double Dagger Studio, whose lead Matt Wood previously worked on Half-Life 2, Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead at Valve.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is Crow Country (PC, PlayStation, Xbox), a throwback survival horror set in a spooky theme park.

You play as Mara Forest, a woman who has ventured into the abandoned theme park Crow Country in search of its owner, Edward Crow. However, what she finds there is a lot darker than she expected.

Crow Country is heavily inspired by the survival horror games of the PS1, such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with a visual style that’s extremely reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII. I’ve been excited about this since I first heard about it a few months ago. Even played the demo as soon as it was released and was not disappointed. Crow Country is dripping in atmosphere and its puzzles are incredibly clever and satisfying. If you love classic survival horror, you need to play this.

Developed by British studio SFB Games (Tangle Tower, Snipperclips, Haunt the House).