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

This week, thieves, turtles and slayers.

Took a week off last week due to a limited selection of games, and nothing I felt confident calling Game of the Week. This week’s a bit more exciting with some really interesting ideas, plus two games that released last week but I feel are too big to skip over entirely.

This is a genuinely great week though. I’ve gotten exceptionally picky with my game choices each week, as I feel I only want to cover stuff with a solid hook, and not just whatever indie fantasy roguelike deckbuilder has been thrown together this week. But you wouldn’t think I was picky by what’s on show this week. I can safely say that everything has something going for it. Some of these games are putting an interesting spin on their genre, some are doing something unexpected with an established franchise (a TMNT tactics game?) and others are just dripping in style.

Of course, only one of these games could be Game of the Week, and it’s the one I’ve had my eye on for a while, and was pleasantly surprised to get the Steam alert about its release.

Re-Releases and Ports

Released last week, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) brings together another selection of classic Capcom fighting games. The main draws here are re-releases of the Power Stone and Capcom vs SNK games, but there’s also appearances from Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Project Justice and Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein.

Speaking of Capcom, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) got a remaster this week. The classic PS2 samurai slash-em-up returns with improved visuals, new difficulty modes and modernised controls. Perfect time to look into the first two games before the new Onimusha releases next year. Maybe before then they might also remaster the third game, bringing virtual Jean Reno into HD at long last.

Early Access

From ACE Entertainment and published by Fireshine Games (Shadows of Doubt, Core Keeper), Tales of Seikyu is a Japanese-inspired farm sim. In this one, as well as managing your farm, you’ll also get to explore the mysterious island of Seikyu, where yokai roam in secret.

New Releases

Nitro Express (PC) is best described as a cross between Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug. This run-and-gun shooter sees you playing as the cute anime-style pixel art girls from the Atypical Vehicle Disposal Squad. Their job is to take down aggressive robots that threaten Nitro City. One for those who want some classic arcade action with meticulous pixel art. From Japanese indie dev Grayfax Software and published by Playism (Momodora series, Exit 8, Blade Chimera).

Out of Sight (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is an unconventional horror game where you play a blind girl named Sophie with a teddy bear. However, the twist here is that you see through the bear’s eyes, while controlling Sophie. You are in a dark world full of terrifying adults and must evade capture, all from a second person perspective. From The Gang and published by Starbreeze (Payday series).

JDM: Japanese Drift Master (PC) is a racing game from Gaming Factory all about rising through the ranks of a Japanese street drifting league. With licensed cars from Nissan, Subaru and Mazda and a story told through manga-style cutscenes, this game seems laser-focused for anyone who wishes to live out their Initial D fantasies.

Sedap! A Culinary Adventure (PC) is the debut game from Singaporean developer kopiforge, and it imagines what if Overcooked was also a grand adventure. Combining culinary challenges with a Zelda-style adventure, you and a friend must explore a new Southeast Asia inspired world and create new and exciting dishes.

Monster Train 2 (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X/S) is the sequel to developer Shiny Shoe’s 2020 deck builder Monster Train. Taking place on a train to Hell, you must defend the multi-level maps from an assortment of strange threats. Published by Devolver’s Big Fan Games label (John Wick Hex, Hellboy: Web of Wyrd).

Clifftop Games and publisher Raw Fury (Blue Prince, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, Sable) finally released a sequel to their beloved detective point and click game. Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer (PC) sees the titular private detective in pursuit of a dangerous serial killer. This sequel has been a long time coming, but as someone who loved the first game, this is incredibly exciting.

Speaking of point and click mystery sequels, Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping (PC, Switch) is the second Duck Detective game from Happy Broccoli Games after last year’s Secret Salami. Our depressed master of de-duck-tion returns to investigate spooky happenings at a campsite.

Worshippers of Cthulhu (PC) leaves Early Access this week, and this city builder has one big twist: you’re part of a Cthulhu-worshipping cult. Not only must you manage the usual city concerns, but you also have to ensure your cult is suitably in awe of the Great Old One you are set to summon. From Crazy Goat Games (Republic of Pirates) and published by Crytivo (Weaving Tides, Above Snakes).

Deliver at All Costs (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is a chaotic driving game about a courier in the 1950s. You must complete a series of increasingly bizarre missions while uncovering the dark secrets in protagonist Winston’s history. From new Swedish indie developer Studio Far Out Games and published by Konami (yes, really).

After two Metroid games for Nintendo, MercurySteam has turned its attention to a completely different kind of game. Blades of Fire (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is a loose Soulslike game set in a dark fantasy world. You play as Aran (no, not Samus), a warrior blacksmith who must forge weapons to take down a dark queen and her army.

Roadcraft (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the latest of Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment’s series of rugged vehicle sims. After Mudrunner and Snowrunner saw you handling all-terrain vehicles in all terrains, Roadcraft takes that philosophy and asks you to repair roads with those skills.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox) is the sequel to Level-5’s 3DS life sim Fantasy Life. This RPG hybrid sees you picking one of twelve life classes, which are mostly mundane jobs, while also venturing out into the world. This second game adds time travel to the mix, allowing you to restore a ruined island through actions in the past.

Strange Scaffold is a developer that simply never knows when to stop. After releasing no less than three games last year (I Am Your Beast, Clickolding, Life Eater), Xalavier Nelson Jr has now managed to convince Nickelodeon to give him the TMNT license. The result is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown (PC), which in typical Strange Scaffold fashion has avoided standard expectations. And now we have a TMNT tactics game, where Splinter and Shredder are dead, levels mutate over time and, according to Nelson, “Sexy Mikey can and will hurt you”.

Doom: The Dark Ages (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is the latest in the Bethesda run of Doom games after the 2016 reboot and Eternal. This is a prequel, telling the legend of the Doomslayer in a violent medieval inspired world. Hopefully id Software have made this one more in the spirit of the 2016 game and not Eternal, which I personally struggled to finish for many reasons.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is The Siege and the Sandfox (PC), a Metroidvania that has been a long time coming.

You play as The Sandfox, a protector to the crown who has been betrayed by the Queen and thrown into the Traitor’s Fall pit, leaving him stranded deep in the sandy caves beneath the city. Now he must escape using his wits, stealth tactics and parkour to return to the palace and take down the Queen.

The Siege and the Sandfox was announced years ago by developer Cardboard Sword, and instantly I knew I was interested due to its emphasis on stealth and its gorgeously detailed pixel art. And now, out of nowhere, it’s out and that is very exciting. It’s very Prince of Persia coded and as someone who loved last year’s actual Prince of Persia Metroidvania, I feel this is an easy recommendation too.