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

This week, storybook adventure, extreme winter and 50 “classic” games.

Okay, before we begin our latest round of games release, I have a duty to inform you all that the second Birmingham Anime Film Festival is in full swing. Geeky Brummie is a major partner in the festival, and we require all of you reading this to come along to any of our screenings over the next three weekends.

You can get the full schedule over on baff.uk, but if you want something specifically video game related, we are showing Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on Sunday night! I may have had a hand in it being on the schedule at all. Shocker, I know.

Now let’s get back on track and talk about video games. It’s a weird week mostly dominated by re-releases. But we did have three games fighting for Game of the Week, including retro compilation of games that never previously existed UFO 50 and sequel to harrowing city builder Frostpunk. But ultimately, a game about a magical storybook won out, mostly because I have actually played it.

Re-Releases and Ports

Point-and-click classic Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is back with new visuals and audio for PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Broken Sword Reforged features all the classic gameplay with general modern improvements. I bet the goat is still a pain in the ass though.

Two former PlayStation exclusives are now on PC. Final Fantasy XVI brings the adventures of Clive and his Eikon friends to PC, where you too can hear Ben Starr compare sword sizes with Ralph Ineson and also have epic summon battles, I guess. From Sony themselves there’s God of War Ragnarok, which brings the second half of Kratos and Boy’s Norse Adventures to a wider audience.

And finally, there’s the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, which gives the old zombie mall classic a fresh overhaul. Also you can dress up like MegaMan.EXE and Leon Kennedy if you so wish. That’s also on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. (Also, a bonus for you)

Early Access

Releasing in Early Access this week, Fera: The Sundered Tribes is a survival game with a monster hunting twist. You get to explore a vast open world full of beasts that you can take down with a range of exciting moves, including aerial abilities. Bit of a mixed reception to this one though, so be warned.

New Releases

Following Stray and Little Kitty Big City as games where you play as cats, Copycat (PC) aims to be the tear-jerker, but without robots this time. You play as Dawn, a cat that gets adopted by a sweet old lady. However, a stray cat hatches a plan to replace you, and you end up forced out onto the street. You have to survive out in the wild in a story that touches on family and the feelings of abandonment.

Developed by Spoonful of Wonder.

Keylocker (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X/S) is a cyberpunk turn-based RPG about a world where music is outlawed. You play as Bobo, a rebel who regularly commits the heinous crime of being a musician. Inspired by Mario & Luigi and Chrono Trigger, you fight in turn-based battles against a quirky cast of cyberpunk weirdos as you seek to take down the system and bring music back to the world.

Developed by Moonana (Virgo Versus the Zodiac) and published by Serenity Forge (Lisa The Painful, Slay the Princess, Paratopic).

Because we apparently don’t have enough soulslikes out there, Enotria: The Last Song (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is inspired by Italian folklore in a bright sunlit world. You play as the Maskless One who sets out to take down the Authors that have trapped this world’s residents into an endless grim play.

Developed by Jyamma Games.

UFO 50 (PC) is a collection of 50 games from Ufosoft created in the 80s, and if you’re wondering why this is in New Releases and not Re-Releases, it’s because Ufosoft is not a real company. All 50 of these games are lovingly crafted recreations of the kinds of games made in the 1980s, all created by the developers of Spelunky and Downwell. This is an ambitious and surprisingly authentic collection, made out of love for a bygone age.

Developed by Mossmouth (Spelunky).

Frostpunk 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the sequel to Frostpunk, the alternate history city builder where a crippling winter has seized the world and you must build a generator city that ensures the survival of humanity. As with the first game, you are forced to make tough decisions, such as whether children should be made to work or if religious orders will patrol the streets to prevent uprisings. However, this time you can craft much greater cities and there’s a much stronger focus on different factions who threaten your leadership.

Developed by 11 bit Studios (This War is Mine, Frostpunk).

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is The Plucky Squire (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X/S), an adventure set in (and out) of a storybook.

You play as Jot, the Plucky Squire of the title, who sets out to defeat the evil wizard Humgrump. Except Humgrump has discovered the power of metamagic, and flings Jot out of the child’s storybook in which they live. What follows is an adventure to save Jot’s home of Mojo with the power of items found on a child’s desk.

I played this one for review and found it to be incredibly full of whimsy and imagination. The contrast between the flat 2D sprites of the book and the 3D world of a child’s room is a delightful clash of styles that works extremely well. There are some great characters, inventive puzzles and a rough crafted aesthetic that is exactly my jam. My only complaint is that I wish I could explore it all more than the game lets me. Absolutely a Game of the Week if ever there was one.

Developed by All Possible Futures and published by Devolver Digital.