This Week In Games: January Got Real Busy

I wrote how January became super stacked with video games out of nowhere, and this is the week where it finally happens. Let the deluge begin.

If you’re not doing much over the public holiday this week, or you need to fill your weekend somehow, this week has got you properly sorted. There’s a ton of cracking new games to pay attention to, including Bloober Team’s The Medium.

Xbox Game Pass fans have the Yakuza Remastered Collection, Donut County and Desperados 3 to look forward to. JRPG fans have Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy dropping on all platforms. And if you like indies and slightly quirkier games, there’s Snowtopia for all your snow resort management needs, Gods Will Fall for some Celtic action-RPG bashing, and Cyber Shadow and Olija for some classic 2D platforming.

Here’s the leaderboard for the week:

• The Medium | PC, Xbox, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass
• Olija | PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
• Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy | PS5, PS4, Switch, PC
• Cyber Shadow | PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
• King Arthur: Knight’s Tale | PC
• Snowtopia: Ski Resort Tycoon | PC
• Gods Will Fall | Switch
• The Yakuza Remastered Collection | Xbox Game Pass
• Donut County | Xbox Game Pass
• Desperados 3 | Xbox Game Pass
• SOLAS 128 | Switch
• Project Starship X | Switch
• Colossus Down | Switch
• Heaven’s Vault | Switch
• Disjunction | Switch
• Monstrum 2 | PC
• Citizens Unite!: Earth X Space | Switch
• Journey To The Savage Planet | PC (Steam)
• The Pedestrian | PS5, PS4
• SushiParty | Switch
• Tohu | Switch
• Sword of the Necromancer | PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Really great mix of games across the week. Let’s start with Olija, a platformer with one of the best crossbow/bolt sticking into an enemy’s chest sound I’ve heard in a game since … maybe Painkiller?

Really great mix of games and genres this week. I’m super keen to see how The Medium pans out — the idea of any new technology in video games is always intriguing. But the indies this week are cracking too, even if you’re just getting them the second time around on the Switch. Even if you’re not getting new games, Xbox Game Pass has plenty to keep you occupied.

No matter how you slice it, it’s a good week for games. Which ones will you spend your time with?