Remember when everyone had their fill of platformers in the SNES era and we went almost an entire generation with no platformers at all? Then they sort of came back with Braid/Limbo/Fez. Now you can’t move for them.
Seriously, this week. There are so many of them. The crazy thing: they actually all look really interesting.
Aaru’s Awakening (PC)
What is it? A 2D platformer (brace yourself, there are a lot of these this week). Distinguishes itself with a hand-drawn art style and unique teleportation mechanics.
Should you care? I’m torn on this one. When static, this looks a little low budget. In motion it has the potential to look glorious.
A Druid’s Duel (PC)
What is it? A puzzle/strategy game about territory control. Kinda a bit like chess featuring Celtic lore.
Should you care? A lot of people seem to like this. Has a lot of positive buzz.
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build (PC)
What is it? A puzzle game about a monster that wants to build snowmen
Should you care? This looks really, really cool. Nice art style, great music, great puzzles. A lot of proven people worked on this project. You should check it out.
BLACKHOLE (PC)
What is it? A puzzle/platformer. Man, so many this week. This one looks quite mental though. It’s about blackholes and stuff.
Should you care? I think it’s worth a look. Has high production values and innovative puzzles.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse (Xbox One/PS4/Xbox 360/PS3)
What is it? The first Dragon Ball game on current gen consoles. It’s a fighter with extensive character creation stuff.
Should you care? Sure, why not. These games tend to cater well to fans of the series.
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires (Xbox One/PS4)
What is it? It feels like one of these games come out every week
Should you care? Sure, if you’re into that kinda thing. I know a lot of people are.
Oblitus (PC)
What is it? A procedurally-generated platformer with cool visuals and what looks like great combat.
Should you care? I love the look of this. Watch the trailer on the steam link above.
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty (PC)
What is it? The original Abe’s Oddysee rebuilt from the ground-up.
Should you care? I think this is for people who loved the original, or those who missed out and want to see what the fuss is about.
Oscura: Lost Light (PC)
What is it? An Australian platformer with gorgeous visuals and lighting. And puzzles.
Should you care? Puzzle/platformers are ten-a-penny these days, but the visuals, and the mechanics of this seem quit innovative. Well worth investigating.
There Came an Echo (PC)
What is it? It’s a strategy game that uses voice commands. Man, remember EndWar?
Should you care? This seems interesting. Wil Wheaton is on the voice cast as well.
Trash TV (PC)
What is it? It’s a puzzle/platformer about a TV and a remote control. It’s sort of like a bizarre love story where they have to return to one another to be complete.
Should you care? Man, I love the look of this game above all else, it attempts to replicate the visual look of old TVs with fuzzy backgrounds and static transitions. Really clever stuff.
Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late (PS3)
What is it? One of those japanese games with mental titles that I don’t understand. This one is a 2D fighter and a visual novel.
Should you care? I don’t know enough to recommend this or slam it. Sorry!
Comments
20 responses to “This Week In Games: A Lot Of Puzzle Platformers. A Lot.”
New’n’Tasty is great, finished it on the weekend on PS4. Great example of a remaster done right.
I may be getting DB Xenoverse but I’m hearing really mixed things so far.
I’m still waiting for the devs to release the remaster on PS3. It’s been many torturous months so far!
You forgot Resident Evil: Revelations 2.
Also, Dying Light finally gets its physical release this week.
People are giving Under Night In blah blah good reviews, saying it’s a solid fighter, though lacking in common modes and doesn’t have a strong online presence yet.
Other releases this week:
Hyperdevotion Noire – PS Vita
Htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary – PS Vita
‘Htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary’
…… What the hell kind of game title is that.
It’s one of those obscure Japanese/English crossover word plays that seem to be becoming popular. The original title is “Hotaru no Nikki” (Firefly’s Diary) and the only part I can figure out is the # representing “No.”, our shorthand for number… The rest seems to be just vague representations of Japanese syllables.
Under Noire’s patient and tsundere guidance I’m sure I will enjoy and become skillful at her game!
I’ve got (figurative) Dragon-blue-balls for that game…
Cute.
Forgot Homeworld Remastered which comes out on the 25th
+1 I can’t wait for this to come out. I haven’t played Homeworld 2 before and I haven’t played the first one for about 16 years
PC get all the games sob*
I don’t necessarily disagree, but my backlog is big enough without the certain ruin that having a decent PC and a Steam account would bring!
Yep, agreed. Plenty if games I already bought sitting around only half finished
I want to give Dragonball Xenoverse a shot but the digital price sucks. Almost $130 with the season pass.
Most certainly is a big Ouch reaction – Same boat here 🙂
I now have $128.70 less dollars and a copy of Dragonball Xenoverse on my XBOX. I disgust myself sometimes.
Trine/Trine 2, Braid and Limbo notwithstanding, I’m not a big fan of puzzle/physics based platform games. I can’t put my finger on the reason why, but they just don’t hold my interest. Freedom Planet is where it’s at 🙂
Mark, your lack of hype for Dragonball Xenoverse is disturbing.
Puzzle platformers, huh? Incidentally, when the check is Ori and the Blind Forest coming out?