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

This week, the horrors of the UK.

It’s quite a busy week this week, although the majority of it is indie releases. Had to trim this one down to what I felt were the most interesting or notable releases as a result.  But there’s some good stuff here.

If I counted Early Access releases for Game of the Week, Reka would certainly be a contender. DeathSprint 66 has a cool concept, Jackbox is always a good party choice, Yars Rising is a fascinating retro revival and the Warhammer nerds are having a great time stomping around as space marines. There’s a lot to love. But ultimately, my love of classic survival horror won out, and that’s where Game of the Week went this time.

Re-Releases and Ports

What the Car? has finally been freed from its Apple Arcade prison and is now available on Steam. It’s part of the “What the” series of games which also includes What the Golf and What the Bat, an utterly bizarre series of games determined to be anything but the thing it’s supposed to be. This time it’s an arcade racer only your car has legs and other assorted weirdness.

Developed by Triband.

They said it couldn’t be done, and yet, they did it. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (PC, PS4, Switch) is here, bringing together several arcade collaborations between Marvel and Capcom. Naturally this includes the first two Marvel vs Capcom games, plus the predecessors, X-Men vs Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter. In addition, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes and The Punisher are also included. Perfect for anyone who’s into this sort of thing.

Developed and published by Capcom.

Early Access

Towerborne is a game about heroes born in a tower surrounded by a harsh, dangerous world. They must use their skills to venture out into this world to take down the monsters that threaten them and hold back the creeping terror that lurks.

Developed by Stoic (The Banner Saga) and published by Xbox Game Studios.

Reka is a survival building game with a twist: you are a witch in the woods. And no, I don’t mean in the typical cutesy cosy game way, I mean you are a witch of folklore and fairy tales, all weird potions and chicken-footed huts. If you’re tired of the cosy witch games, this is exactly the game for you, as you tame the wildlife and channel dark and strange magic. You can even badger the local villagers if you wish.

Developed by Emberstorm Entertainment and published by Fireshine Games (Core Keeper, Shadows of Doubt, Gestalt: Steam and Cinder).

New Releases

Caravan Sand Witch (PC, PS5, Switch) is post-apocalyptic van life, the video game. In a harsh desert world wilted by over-exploitation, you play as a woman looking to find her missing sister. This involves a lot of exploring a vast open world in a tiny van. This is a laidback narrative adventure for anyone looking to just go on a long drive.

Developed by Plane Toast and published by Dear Villagers (Terra Memoria, The Forgotten City, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk).

Death Sprint 66 (PC) is what happens when WipEout and The Running Man have a horrible dystopian baby. It’s a racing game where you play as contestants in a deadly game where contestants not only have to outrun each other, but they also need to beat the timer set to kill them when it runs out. It’s extreme competitive parkour and it looks neat.

Developed by Sumo Digital (Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Snake Pass) and published by Secret Mode (A Little to the Left, Little Orpheus, Eternal Threads).

Wild Bastards (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the spiritual successor to Void Bastards, only now instead of space, this arcade shooter is in the Ol’ West. It’s a roguelike FPS where you lead a band of outlaws to success in the new frontier, while trying not to die horribly in the process.

Developed by Blue Manchu (Void Bastards, Card Hunter) and published by Maximum Entertainment (SunnySide, Cris Tales, Squirrel with a Gun).

Yars Rising (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) is a revival of Atari’s Yars franchise, although spotting the similarities between this Metroidvania and the visual noise that was Yars Revenge is…difficult, to say the least. That’s not to disparage this game, of course, as this is a WayForward production, and they’re a developer that have a proven track record for retro revival titles. You play as a hacker who has been tasked with infiltrating a shadowy corporation, all while avoiding detection by their security.

Developed by WayForward (Shantae, River City Girls, Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp) and published by Atari.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the third Test Drive Unlimited game, which sets out to give Forza Horizon some competition. Solar Crown is set in a recreation of Hong Kong that you can drive around to your heart’s content.

Developed by KT Racing (WRC5-10, Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge, V-Rally 4) and published by Nacon (Robocop: Rogue City, Gangs of Sherwood, Blood Bowl 3).

If your electronic-based parties weren’t raunchy enough, Jackbox Naughty Pack (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) looks set to change that, with three party games designed for adults only. The include two variants on past Jackbox games, Fakin’ It: All Night Long and Dirty Drawful, and Let Me Finish, a new trivia game which asks questions like where a mailbox’ butt is.

Developed by Jackbox Games (you know, all the other Jackbox games).

In the latest game of the franchise that earns the UK more money than the entire fishing industry, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine II (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the sequel to 2011’s Space Marine. It’s a third-person shooter where you stomp around in your power armour blasting enemies and slashing them apart with your chainsaw blades. It’s been getting a lot of love online, so if you’re a Warhammer fan, you’re bound to have a great time here.

Developed by Saber Interactive (Mudrunner, World War Z) and published by Focus Entertainment (A Plague Tale: Innocence, Aliens: Dark Descent, Warhammer 40k: Boltgun).

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is Hollowbody (PC), a retro throwback horror set in a ruined, miserable and decaying Britain. In other words, Britain.

Set in a future version of the UK, you play as Mica, a black market smuggler whose partner has disappeared in an exclusion zone, and you are trying to find them. However, your hover car has crash landed in the zone and the area appears to be crawling with creatures. You must find your partner while figuring out how to survive the horrors that await you.

There’s a major Silent Hill 2 vibe to Hollowbody, and that’s a good thing. It’s all fixed camera angles and janky low poly models in all the best ways. But unlike some other homages to classic horror, there are plenty of unique elements to make this stand out. The British setting and the sci-fi overlays of it all suggest some interesting story beats are at the heart of all this. And all developed by one person too. Impressive.

Developed by Headware Games.