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

This week, newspaper management, Kirby at high speed and a demonic threat.

Re-Releases and Ports

Outlaws + Handful of Missions Remaster (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) brings a lesser known 1997 LucasArts game to modern systems. Built on the Dark Forces engine, this is a Western-themed FPS where an ex-Marshal goes on a mission to take down the outlaws who murdered your family. The remaster, developed by Nightdive, also includes all the expansion content.

R-Type Delta: HD Boosted (PC, PlayStation, Switch 1, Xbox) brings the PS1 outing of the classic R-Type series to modern systems. The first game in the shmup series that used 3D visuals, this made full use of its third dimension with impressive set pieces and huge bosses bearing down on you.

Early Access

Three Early Access games to highlight this week. The first of these is Long Drive North, a game about traversing the harsh winter wilderness in a humble RV. As well as navigating the mountain roads, you also need to maintain your engine, scavenge for parts and hunt for food. Developed by Mindflair Games and published by Excalibur Games (Tracks, Jalopy).

Cleared Hot is a throwback to the Strike series of helicopter games from the 90s. You fly around shooting at targets, collecting and dropping off supplies and troops and find interesting ways to control the battlefield. Developed by Not Knowing Corporation and published by MicroProse.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is a roguelike RPG about managing a shop filled with goods scavenged on adventures into strange and deadly dimensions. Developed by Digital Sun (Cataclismo, The Mageseeker, Moonlighter) and published by 11bit Studios (This War of Mine, Frostpunk, The Alters).

New Releases

A Pinball Game That Makes You Mad (PC) tells you everything you need to know in its title. Imagine if Bennett Foddy’s Getting Over It was crammed into a pinball machine and you’d basically have this game. You are a helpless man trapped in a pinball in the most fiendishly large pinball machine in existence, and your job is to climb the whole thing. Expect a lot of frustration. Which I suppose you already are with a title like that. Developed by Azimuth Studios.

Sliding Hero (PC) is a puzzle adventure with Venetian Carnival vibes, with the central gimmick being that your hero will perpetually move in one direction until stopped by an obstacle. You must navigate a labyrinthian villa while navigating your way around your major limitation. Developed by Silent Chicken.

Neon Inferno (PC, PlayStation, Switch 1, Xbox) is an incredibly fun and bastard hard retro run and gun shooter. Set in a moody cyberpunk world, you play as an assassin for an underground crime syndicate looking to take down your rivals and the police. Features a mechanic involving shooting into the background. Developed by Zenovia Interactive and published by Retroware.

Morsels (PC, PS5, Switch 1, Xbox X/S) is a roguelike creature collector starring a tiny mouse who gains the ability to swap into different forms thanks to the power of a magical fatberg. Developed by Furcula and published by Annapurna Interactive (To a T, Skin Deep, Lego Voyagers).

Deadpool VR (Meta Quest 3) is an action adventure VR title starring the wise-cracking superhero. Your interest in this will entirely depend on how much you can tolerate Neil Patrick Harris constantly yelling reference humour into your ears. Developed by Twisted Pixel Games (Splosion Man, LocoCycle, The Gunstringer) and published by Oculus Studios.

Spongebob Squarepants: Titans of the Tide (PC, PS5, Switch 2, Xbox X/S) is a 3D platformer based on the enduringly popular cartoon series. You play as Spongebob and Patrick as they work to protect Bikini Bottom from a ghostly invasion. Developed by Purple Lamp (Spongebob Squarepants: Cosmic Shake, Epic Mickey Rebrushed) and published by THQ Nordic (Alone in the Dark 2024, South Park: Snow Day, Wreckreation).

Demonschool (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) is a game where a group of teens get together on a mysterious island to take down some demons. The Persona comparisons are obvious, but this its own beast, with a more tactical battle system and a greater emphasis on horror. Game of the Week contender. Developed by Necrosoft Games and published by Ysbryd Games (VA-11 Hall-A, World of Horror).

Smash Bros director Masahiro Sakurai returns to his roots with Kirby Air Riders (Switch 2), a sequel to Kirby Air Ride, the weird little Gamecube racing game from 2003. Regrettably, while the first game was controlled largely with one button, he was forced to use a second one here, to his great shame. It’s nice to see Nintendo let him out of the Smash mines, so hopefully he’s enjoying himself until he’s inevitably dragged into making Smash Ultimate DX Plus Turbo.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is News Tower (PC), a newspaper management game that left Early Access this week.

It’s the 1930s. America in the grips of Depression and fascism is on the rise in Europe. You are in charge of a newspaper in New York City, and must decide on its direction. Hire your staff, keep the lights on and decide whether you want to be a hard-hitting outlet for truth or a sensationalist gossip rag. On top of this, you must contend with political pressure and threats from organised crime.

I played this in Early Access last year and had a great time with it. I even mentioned it here, and said that it would have been Game of the Week if it was the full release. Well, problem solved! I’ve been looking forward to this full release for a while since the content was limited at the time, so it suddenly sneaking up on me this week was a pleasant surprise. Developed by Sparrow Night and published by Twin Sails Interactive.