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

This week, moody Scandinavian stealth, apes going ape and Pac-Man’s goth phase.

Re-Releases and Ports

Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition (PC, PS5, NS1, Xbox X/S) is a remaster of Obsidian’s D&D inspired RPG from 2006, where you traverse the Forgotten Realms in search of the Silver Shards and their connection to the King of Shadows. Also includes the expansions Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir and Mysteries of Westgate, as Aspyr give this the same remaster treatment as the Tomb Raider series and many Star Wars games.

Patapon 1+2 Replay sees Sony licensing out their PSP classics to Bandai Namco to create a new remaster, not just for PS5, but for PC and the original Switch too. If you’re unaware of Patapon, you control an army of one-eyed lil guys who are adventuring to find the promised land, all using rhythmic commands played out on a drum. It’s very cute, and very surprising to see on the Switch.

After the success of the previous remake in 2020, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) brings the next couple of classic Tony Hawk games to modern systems. The fourth game has seen significant changes to fit better with the third game’s goal structure, and there are new skaters who hadn’t even been born during the original game’s release (feel old yet?) but otherwise, this is the classic Tony Hawk you know and love.

Early Access

If you wished Cult of the Lamb was more like Pikmin, Worship from Chasing Rats Games may be suitable for you. You build up a cult in service of the Old Ones, and use your mindless followers to do your bidding, mainly by chucking them around. Looks extremely silly, in a dark kind of way.

In 2020, Veewo Games released Neon Abyss, a run-and-gun roguelike about infiltrating the underworld to defeat the New Gods. For Neon Abyss 2, the team have made more of the same, only now you can battle through hell with up to three friends.

New Releases

Becoming Saint (PC) is a roguelike RTS where you play as a religious preacher in medieval Italy, spreading your doctrine to the masses. It’s an unusual take on the strategy genre, where your influence is spread through religious followers rather than winning battles. Developed by Open Lab Games and published by Firesquid.

Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson (PC) is a turn-based RPG where your goal is to bring literal harmony back to the world, after an evil record exec has trapped musicians in dastardly contracts. You play as Rob, a musician who believes in the pure power of rock and uses it for justice. I’m a big fan of cheesy rock opera nonsense like this, so this has my approval. Developed by Ritual Studios and published by Playdigious (Linkito, The Almost Gone).

Kaizen: A Factory Story (PC) is a new game from Coincidence, a studio featuring the original Zachtronics team. They were previously known for making games about automated logic machines like Opus Magnum, SpaceChem and Infinifactory. Kaizen follows in this style, as you set up machines to build things in a factory. Published by Astra Logical.

It’s Pac-Man’s 45th anniversary this year, so why not celebrate with a new game? However, Shadow Labyrinth (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X/S) may not be quite what you’re expecting from Bandai Namco’s hungry mascot. If you’ve seen the Pac-Man episode of Amazon’s Secret Level, then you already have some idea where this is going. Imagine if you will, a Metroidvania set in a dark world, where a mysterious Chosen must escape a terrible maze with the assistance of Puck, a strange and hungry entity.

Donkey Kong Bananza (NS2) is the next big Switch 2 first-party exclusive. From the team behind Super Mario Odyssey, this new game sees Donkey Kong venturing through a strange underground world with a young Pauline. Expect a lot of scenery smashing and some wacky animal bosses. Reviews are aggressively positive for this one.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S), a stealth action game.

The debut game from River End Games, a Swedish studio full of industry veterans from EA and Sony, Eriksholm has intrigued me from the moment I first saw a trailer for it. Set in a town inspired by early 20th century Scandinavia, you play as Hanna, a girl who’s caught up in serious political intrigue. After her brother disappears and the police furiously seek him out, Hanna must sneak through the city to find her brother and figure out the dark secrets bubbling within the city.

This is an isometric stealth game, where you must move strategically through a series of maps, keeping out of sight of your enemies. I’m already on board with a stealth puzzle game, but the reviews have been very positive too, which strengthened by decision to make this Game of the Week. There’s a strange Plague Tale vibe coming from this one too, which is always a plus.