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

This week, alternate lives, shooty men and sandworms.

This past weekend was Summer Game Fest, which means a ton of showcases back-to-back. This led to my release list expanding to an absurd number, which includes this week due to a large number of shadow drops. That said, I haven’t included all of them here, just a small selection of the more interesting concepts. The Wholesome Direct, especially, had a bunch more, so feel free to check that out if you like cosy stuff.

That said, it’s also been a big week for non-SGF releases too. We have a new Dune game! A new Five Nights at Freddy’s! A new game from established indie darlings 11 bit! An ex-GTA producer did…something. Ah. Well. Never mind that one, maybe.

Re-Releases and Ports

Final Fantasy XVI got shadow dropped onto Xbox during their showcase at Summer Game Fest. This means Xbox owners can now experience the adventures of Clive Rosfield, as he fights against the Dominants that threaten Rosaria and the surrounding lands. It’s a pretty great game, and has Ralph Ineson as the greatest Cid in the series, which is a bonus.

Early Access

Launched during the Future Games Show as part of Summer Game Fest, The Explorator is a first-person shooter set on an island said to connect to the ruins of Atlantis. Features cel-shaded environments and fully animated enemies, it’s a curious debut from Remnant Games Studio.

Another Early Access game which launched during Summer Game Fest (the Wholesome Direct, specifically), Vending Dokan! Kozy Kiosk from Aftabi Games (SunnySide) is about running a Japanese vending machine business. Keep your machines stocked, customise the visuals and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

New Releases

Camper Van: Make It Home (PC) is a cosy little game about decorating a camper van. Plenty of customisation options and organisational Tetris to vibe out with. The debut game from Malapata Studio and published by Wings.

After releasing their Ghibli-inspired adventure game Forgotton Anne in 2018, Throughline Games are back with a new game set in the same world. Forgotlings (PC) is a more ambitious game, with stealth, RPG elements and a branching narrative. Set in a world of lost things, you play as an abandoned posing doll named Fig, as he gathers a crew for his ship and explores the lands in search of adventure.

After making so much money on Vampire Survivors, it’s perhaps inevitable that Poncle has funded someone else’s indie game. Developed by Nao Games, Berserk or Die (PC) involves mashing buttons to cause chaos and fight off enemies. Be careful not to break your keyboard in the process.

Continuing the seemingly never-ending mascot horror series, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic (PC, PS5) is a new first-person exploration game where you’re stalked by animatronics. Set in Murray’s Costume Manor, you investigate the secrets left behind by a reclusive inventor, where a machine known as The Mimic lies in wait.

The debut game from Build a Rocket Boy, the new studio from former Rockstar producer Leslie Benzies, MindsEye (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is a sci-fi shooter set in a desert city. Despite how much the studio’s been trying to hype this one up, it does look a bit generic and hasn’t been attracting the best reception so far. Oh…43% on Metacritic I hear. Unfortunate.

After the recent success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune duology of movies, it was inevitable the world would make its way back to video games. Developed by Funcom (Conan: Exiles, Metal Hellsinger), Dune: Awakening (PC) is a survival game set on Arrakis, where you and a whole server of other players can embed yourselves in the politics and dangers of Frank Herbert’s universe.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is The Alters (PC), the latest complex narrative survival game from 11 bit Studios.

The Alters stars Jan Dolski, the sole survivor of a tragic space expedition that has crashed on a harsh planet. Left alone, he needs to form a new crew to help you escape, and the only solution is to clone himself using alternate versions that formed from taking different choices in his life.

11 bit Studios are already an impressive studio. This War of Mine is an absolutely harrowing survival game while Frostpunk is a brutal city management game. The Alters is a little weirder than these previous games but it almost certainly is asking similar big questions. The concept of a man living with clones of himself formed from different life choices asks us to contemplate concepts of fate and what it means to be human. A genuinely interesting take on the base builder concept.