Hello! Welcome to the penultimate Geeky Brummie Games Release Roundup of 2025!

This week, bounty hunters, adventurers and superheroes.

Yes, you read that right up above. We are now into December, and so we’re coming to the final release weeks of the year. Next week will be the last standard roundup of the year and then no releases for three whole weeks. However, as usual, there will be one special roundup during this time. More details on that next week, though. For now, please enjoy this surprisingly high-profile week of games.

New Releases

Kingdom of Night (PC) is a pixel art action RPG set in the world of 1980s horror movies. You play as a teen in small town America on the night a cult takes over, unleashing demons on the populace. Only you and your trusty bat can save your crush (and the town, I guess) from The Horrors. Developed by Friends of Safety and published by Dangen Entertainment.

Routine (PC, Xbox) is a sci-fi horror game set on a lunar base that’s fallen silent. Explore the ship, inspired by a 1980s vision of the future, and try to avoid being killed by rampaging robots in the process. Developed by Lunar Software and published by Raw Fury.

Sleep Awake (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the newest game released through Blumhouse’s new games division and a collaboration between Spec Ops: The Line director Cory Davis and Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck. It’s a horror game set in a sci-fi world where a mysterious force known as The Hush is causing people to vanish in their sleep. Scared they might be next, the residents here go to great lengths to stay awake at all costs. You play as Katja, a young woman trying to navigate this strange reality, where nightmares bleed into reality and violent death cults patrol the streets. The demo was promising for this one, with its trippy visuals and unique premise catching my attention.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow (PC, PS5, Meta Quest) is, unsurprisingly, a VR spin-off of the Thief franchise. Maybe not the revival many classic fans were expecting, but one that does aim to remain faithful to the classic formula. You play as new thief Magpie as she investigates the history behind a mysterious artefact she’s stolen. Developed by Maze Theory and published by Vertigo Games.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion (PC, PlayStation, Switch 1, Xbox X/S) is Shredder’s Revenge for superhero fans. Developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, the game is your standard side scrolling brawler where you play as heroes from Captain America and Spider-Man to Beta Ray Bill and Nova. I got roped into reviewing this one and it is a solid brawler with a fun tag team system but it’s exclusively for the Marvel fans.

After years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Switch) is finally here. As the fourth game in the Prime sub-series, it sees Samus exploring the planet of Viewros with the assistance of the Federation. Psychic powers and motorcycle segments are the new additions to the formula this time around. Developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo.

Game of the Week

This week’s Game of the Week is Octopath Traveler 0 (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox), the third game in Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler series.

This one is an adaptation of the now defunct mobile game Champions of the Continent, drawing in plot elements from that game, removing all gacha elements and adding a bunch of extra content. Unlike previous games, you don’t play through the stories of eight heroes who come together as a single party, you play as a custom character who eventually gains the choice to explore eight jobs (similar to those seen in the previous games).

Despite bouncing off the first game about halfway through, the demo for this one grabbed me quite effectively. The shift to a single protagonist is beneficial for the story and the added town building elements are a fun addition. In fact, it won me over so much it replaced Metroid Prime 4 as my choice for Game of the Week. As long as it maintains this quality for its full 100 hours, this could shape up to be something special.