Hello! Welcome to the latest Geeky Brummie Games Release Roundup!
This week, fighting pottery, vampires (maybe?) and shifting landscapes.
Masters of Albion is out in Early Access this week, the latest game from Peter Molyneux’s 22cans studio. It proclaims itself to be a reimagining of the God game genre “from the creator who defined it” but Molyneux said that about Godus too so here we are. Take this with a healthy amount of scepticism based on Molyneux’s track record, basically. Also, despite the name, it has literally nothing to do with Fable.
It was only a matter of time before some enterprising Danganronpa fan made their own legally distinct version of it. Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter (PC) released its first chapter this week. It’s 1989. A bunch of schoolkids have been locked in a bunker together and must solve mysteries as part of a kill-or-be-killed game delivered by a creepy mascot. In other words, yes, it’s Danganronpa. Developed by Mango Factory and published by Akupara Games.
Causal Loop (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is a puzzle game about an intergalactic archaeologist who accidentally activates an alien time device and causes his colleague to disappear. Now he must correct what he has done, using his newfound abilities to create time loops of himself that can help him solve the challenges ahead. Developed by Mirebound Interactive and published by Headup.
Bylina (PC) is a top-down action adventure set in a world of Slavic myth with a dose of punk rock aesthetic thrown in for good measure. The trailer is full of goofy pop culture references entirely unlike, say, The Witcher. Developed by Far Far Games and published by Digital Vortex Entertainment.
The View Askewniverse gets a side-scrolling beat-em-up this week. Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch (PC, PS5, Switch 1, Xbox X/S) takes the titular stoners and drops them into a Streets of Rage style brawler. A mystical mall is unleashing minions across the city, so the duo take it upon themselves to sort it out. Developed by Interabang Entertainment and published by Digital Eclipse.
Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes (PC, PS5, Meta Quest) is a VR game set in the world of the Little Nightmares franchise. You play as Dark Six, attempting to return to her other self, evading the horrible creatures of the world. Only now they’re all up in your face at a huge scale. Enjoy! Developed by Iconik and published by Bandai Namco.
Tides of Tomorrow (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is fascinating experiment in narrative game design, and a solid contender for Game of the Week. You play as a Tidewalker, a light of hope in a flooded world. It’s an immersive sim where your choices not only affect your playthrough, but the playthrough of anyone who chooses to follow in your footsteps. Using a unique Story-Link feature, you can enter the story in the wake of someone else’s playthrough, and the world will change in response to their actions, changing your playthrough depending on who you choose to follow. Developed by Digixart and published by THQ Nordic.
Titanium Court (PC) is a bizarre genre hybrid strategy and puzzle game. Use match-3 mechanics to turn the board to your advantage, and then let battles play out in the resulting maps you create. It’s a deliberately baffling game with a silly narrative that’s winning a lot of critical acclaim right now. Developed by AP Thomson and published by Fellow Traveller.
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (PC, PS5, Switch 1, Xbox X/S) is a deckbuilder roguelike set in the world of Vampire Survivors (in case the long name didn’t give that away). This is a dungeon crawler where you explore, fight monsters with card abilities and loot tons of treasure. Developed by Nosebleed Interactive and published by Poncle.
Game of the Week this week is Kiln (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S), a pottery battler from Double Fine.
Now you might be asking, what the heck is a pottery battler? Well, you and your team of adorable pottery spirits are trying to extinguish the rival team’s kiln. To protect yourself from enemy attacks, you must meticulously craft beautiful ceramic armour.
I have a lot of time for Double Fine, who not only developed Psychonauts, but also tend to put out bonkers ideas that celebrate what games can be. This is the same studio that put out a puzzle game about stacking dolls, an RTS set in the world of metal album covers (starring Jack Black, obviously) and a game where you play a sentient lighthouse, so a pottery battler is entirely in their wheelhouse. It looks incredibly silly, I find the pottery spirits adorable, and the sheer weirdness of the launch trailer music choice mean I have to give this Game of the Week.
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