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

This week, steampunk mercenaries, world championships, ancient curses and some turtles.

I told you this week was a busier one after the last two quiet ones. What’s more, there are a ton of gorgeous art styles, fun ideas and decently hyped releases all rubbing shoulders.

Difficult week to pick a Game of the Week too. There are so many good candidates. Schim, Flock, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Vampire Therapist, Nobody Wants to Die and Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus all caught my attention outside my actual pick, so feel free to check any of those out.

New Releases

Magical Delicacy (PC, Xbox) is a side-scrolling platformer about a young witch learning how to improve her skills. You venture out across the town to uncover new ingredients, tools and recipes to build up your skills. It’s a cozy version of a Metroidvania, which is neat idea.

Developed by Skaule and published by Whitethorn Games (Lake, Botany Manor, We Should Talk).

Vampire Therapist (PC) is a delightfully silly concept for a visual novel that lists What We Do in the Shadows and Horrible Histories as influences, so we’re off to a good start. You play as Sam, an undead cowboy turned frontier psychiatrist who realises those vamps need therapy. Cue a lot of conversations where you attempt to help the children of the damned through their centuries-old trauma. Also, the actual therapy was drawn from actual cognitive behavioural therapy techniques and consulted on by mental health practitioners, which we love to see.

Developed by Little Bat Games.

Nobody Wants to Die (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is a cyberpunk detective story set in a world where mortality has effectively been eradicated, for the right price, of course. A serial killer is targeting the elite, and you as Detective James Karra must track them down. Clues are found by making use of time manipulation and other technology, adding a unique twist to the mystery genre. Definitely looks like it’s up my alley.

Developed by Critical Hit Games and published by Plaion.

Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus (PC) is a Metroidvania set in the world of Japanese mythology. You play as a spirit named Bo, a cross between a fox and a lotus, who battles yokai across the lands in order to gain strength to take on a horrifying skeleton monstrosity stomping through Japan. I reviewed this one and was impressed by its aesthetics and combat but less impressed by its wonky platforming.

Developed by Squid Shock Studios (Fox Phrase) and published by Humble Games (A Hat in Time, Unsighted, Wandersong).

Schim (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) is a puzzle platformer built around a simple concept – you’re a tiny shadow creature and can only travel through other shadows. You have to find your original human by hopping through an urban landscape. It’s such a cool little idea that feels like it was born out of a designer daydreaming on a park bench, ie. the best way to come up with unusual ideas.

Developed by Ewoud van der Werf and Nils Slijkerman and published by Extra Nice.

Dungeons of Hinterberg (PC, Xbox) is an action RPG set in cel-shaded Alpine village which connects to a series of complicated dungeons where you must battle, solve puzzles and generally learn to survive. You are a tourist here to explore these dungeons, while simultaneously enjoying your Alpine holiday. Think Persona but more European, basically. A really interesting concept, it has me intrigued.

Developed by Microbird Games and published by Curve Games (Patch Quest, The Ascent, For the King).

Flock (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) is a game about flying around a cosy little world, seeking out beasties to catalogue. Another game I’ve played this week, although my review is pending. It’s a super chill time with a lot of great dialogue where you can fly around with a posse of quirky animals. What’s not to love?

Developed by Hollow Ponds (Wilmot’s Warehouse, I Am Dead) and published by Annapurna Interactive (Stray, Cocoon, Flower).

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is an open world action RPG where the goal is to save the world from the destructive whims of the Old Gods. You play Nor Vanek, who uses assorted melee weapons and flintlock pistols to battle monsters. It’s a Soulslike, basically, although one that emphasises its story a little more.

Developed by A44 Games (Ashen) and published by Kepler Interactive (Pacific Drive, Scorn, Sifu).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate (Switch) is a roguelike heavily inspired by Hades, except this time it’s co-op and stars those iconic heroes in a half-shell. You have to team up to rescue Splinter while temporal portals open up all across New York.

Developed by Super Evil Mega Corp. (No, I don’t mean Viacom.)

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Switch) is a revival of the old 1980s tournament cartridges, where players could take on competitive challenges based on popular Nintendo games. That’s exactly what’s happening here too, only now with remixed elements and a wider range of activities available. Sounds like a great game for parties full of gaming nerds (which I assume is you and your friends if you’re reading this).

Developed by indieszero (NES Remix, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Sushi Striker) and published by Nintendo.

I find it incredibly difficult to explain exactly what Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) is. It’s a high fantasy game set in ancient Japan, where terrifying beasts threaten the land. You play as the guardian of the Maiden, who performs a nightly dance designed to purify the land, but she must be protected at all costs. It’s a bit tower defence and a bit action combat, and all in all a bit of a strange one. But honestly, good on Capcom for bringing us a unique big-budget game, something you don’t see much of these days.

Developed and published by Capcom.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is Gestalt: Steam & Cinder (PC, Switch), a Metroidvania with some stunning art design.

You play as Altheia, a mercenary in the Steam City of Canaan, fighting for survival and working to uncover the dark secrets of the city. It’s a fairly standard Metroidvania with solid combat mechanics, but the main draw is its intricately detailed pixel art visual style.

It’s honestly been a tough time trying to narrow this week’s releases into a single release. Flock, Schim and Nobody Wants to Die were all strong contenders as well, but a steampunk Western Metroidvania with gorgeous visuals is hard to resist. It’s clearly taken some inspiration from the “vania” part of its genre name, with a lot of animations recalling Symphony of the Night, but that makes it all the more enticing.

Developed by Metamorphosis Games and published by Fireshine Games (Shadows of Doubt, Core Keeper, KeyWe).