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

This week, islands in the sky, deadly puppets and spinal trauma.

Right. Games industry. We need to talk. You know how I write this to cover the releases of the past week? Cool. Well, I would really appreciate it if you could stop butchering the meaning of “Early Access” to give games multiple release dates depending on how much you’re willing to pay for them. Both Mortal Kombat and Lies of P got their wider releases this week, but technically some people had those games last week because they paid for an expensive pre-order. This needs to stop. It makes my life harder writing these things. Also it’s just kind of scummy. Thanks.

Also, readers, please stop pre-ordering video games, especially digitally. It’s a lesson we haven’t learned yet and we really need to.

Anyway, this week may I also recommend Spirited Thief and Party Animals along with my usual Game of the Week. I would love to recommend Lies of P too, but I played the demo after Summer Game Fest and it killed any interest I may have had in the game. Still, it’s getting good reviews so who knows?

New Releases

In Early Access on PC, Witchfire is a magical FPS set in a world of Christian warriors fighting witches, Warhaven allows you to take part in large-scale medieval battles, and HumanitZ FINALLY provides us with a survival game set during a zombie apocalypse.

In smaller releases, Spirited Thief (PC) is a stealth tactics game where you have a ghost buddy that acts as a scout, Airship: Kingdoms Adrift (PC) is a management game set in a world of airships, Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles (PC) is the week’s mandatory indie card battler and Super Adventure Hand (PC, Switch) is essentially Thing off of The Addams Family: The 3D Platformer.

Party Animals (PC, Xbox) is Gang Beasts but with adorable animals. If the idea of flopping around as a crocodile in sunglasses and swinging a hammer at an otter sounds good to you, then get on this.

Payday 3 (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the latest in everyone’s favourite co-op heist game series. Get together and rob some banks while causing mayhem, and then help Ice-T get his Amazon orders or something.

Lies of P (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) is what happens when someone casts Timothee Chalamet in a gritty Pinocchio adaptation and then that adaptation somehow conceives a child with Bloodborne. Yes, it’s a steampunk Soulslike with puppets. Pinocchio can also upgrade himself by tinkering with his P-Organ. No really.

The absurdly popular fighting game about ripping out spines is back with Mortal Kombat 1 (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox), yet another reboot of its konvoluted storyline. It features celebrity kameos from the likes of Megan Fox and Jean Klaude Van Damme, and a new fighting system where you’re aided by sekondary kharacters. Never really gotten into Mortal Kombat myself, but I’m sure hardkore fans are enjoying themselves.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week this week is Moonstone Island (PC), a life sim combined with a card battler, a monster collector and an exploration-based adventure.

In Moonstone Island, you play as an apprentice alchemist who sets off to a set of islands in the sky to hone their craft. You set up a little homestead where you can farm and craft to your heart’s content, before heading out to the rest of the islands to uncover mysterious secrets hidden in the clouds. All while training up Spirits in the same manner as Pokémon.

I played through this for a review, and while I found it be a flawed experience, I can see fans of the cozy life sim finding a lot to enjoy here. Might seem weird to award Game of the Week to a game I also gave 6/10 elsewhere, but here’s the thing. Game of the Week is always given to the game that’s caught my interest the most, even if it is flawed in its execution. And Moonstone Island’s cute and cosy vibe, coupled with the almost Ghibli-esque sky island concept, is definitely worth paying attention to.