Monday was a public holiday, but that doesn’t mean the world of video games comes to a grinding halt. There’s still plenty of releases this week, including a new episodic series with the Bat, card action on the 3DS and a new Mario & Luigi game to boot.
Oh and the Switch gets a ton of top indies this week: Stardew Valley, Inversus Deluxe, Axiom Verge and Oxenfree. It’s a solid week to be a Switch owner.
Batman: The Enemy Within (PC, PS4, XBO)
What is it? Telltale’s latest episodic series featuring the Bat kicks off.
Should you care? As was the case with the last Batman game from Telltale: wait to see how buggy the engine is first.
Stardew Valley (Switch)
What is it? Harvest Moon but better.
Should you care? Yeah. Yeah you really should.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/06/very-good-boyfriend-mods-his-fiancee-into-stardew-valley/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/atsxeiccnxgty3xswkuf.png” title=”Very Good Boyfriend Mods His Fiancée Into Stardew Valley” excerpt=”In Stardew Valley, you can date in-game characters and get married. In a move that critics (me) are already calling The Sweetest Gosh-Darn Thing, one guy modded the game so that his real-life fiancee was a marriage option.”]
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions (3DS)
What is it? Rather than just ordering a shipment of Strepsils, the two Italian not-plumbers go on an adventure to restore Peach’s voice.
Should you care? Seriously, can’t someone just make a run to the chemist? This is a remake of the 2003 game, although there’s been some tweaks to the original gameplay if you have a lot of nostalgia for the original.
Oxenfree (Switch)
What is it? A supernatural narrative adventure about a bunch of teens who go to a nearby island for a weekend.
Should you care? Provided you don’t mind adventures on the slightly slower side, Oxenfree is good fun. Don’t play on the train without sound, though.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/01/oxenfree-is-a-creepy-beautiful-teen-horror/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/01/maxresdefault3-410×231.jpg” title=”Oxenfree Is A Creepy, Beautiful Teen Horror” excerpt=”Oxenfree won’t make you scream. It’s not that type of horror game, if it’s even a horror game at all. It’s not the sort of game that Let’s Players and Twitch streamers will milk for entertaining jump scares. Instead, Oxenfree will stick in your mind and leave you unsettled when you’re trying to sleep. It’ll make you care about seeing its characters safely through its trials. More than anything, Oxenfree will have you coming back for more.”]
Culdcept Revolt (3DS)
What is it? It’s a cross between a strategic card game on a board game.
Should you care? If you’re still playing your 3DS regularly, this would be the game I’d grab this week.
Axiom Verge (Switch)
What is it? One of the best indie Metroidvania-style games of the last few years comes to the Switch.
Should you care? 1000%.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/03/axiom-verge-the-kotaku-review/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/xlfu8giy5atqv57idxnv.gif” title=”Axiom Verge: The Kotaku Review” excerpt=”Yes, I gained a new ability! Now where the hell do I use it?”]
Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy (3DS)
What is it? A new Layton game, finally on the 3DS after launching on mobiles earlier this year.
Should you care? Definitely if you’re a Layton enthusiast, but Katrielle is still finding her feet as the new protagonist.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar (PC, PS4, XBO, Switch)
What is it? A dungeon crawler that harks back to classic JRPGs.
Should you care? Reception has been pretty good so far.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (PS4, XBO)
What is it? You get to climb on a hydra and cut their heads off.
Should you care? The consoles are getting the improved version of Dragon’s Dogma that launched on PC last year. The performance is way better, so if you were keen but passed it up the first time around, it’s time to come back.
Reverie (PC)
What is it? A relaxed pseudo-puzzle game, where you alter a dreamscape world through chains of interactions.
Should you care? It looks nice, but the developer literally describes it as “barely a game” and “more like an interactive wallpaper”. I’m … I’m almost curious because of that?
Expand (PS4)
What is it? One of Australia’s most criminally underplayed games gets a PS4 release.
Should you care? Yes. More people should.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/12/the-prince-and-the-pauper/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/12/mbeyZN7-410×231.jpg” title=”When Two Best Friends Make Games (And Only One Sells)” excerpt=”Australian Game Developers Matt Trobbiani and Chris Johnson are best friends. They do everything together.”]
Divided We Fall (PC)
What is it? A top-down close-combat tactics/strategy game.
Should you care? The game leaves Early Access this week, but the servers are as dry as bone apparently. Signs don’t look good.
Raiden V: Director’s Cut (PC, PS4, XBO)
What is it? A new Raiden game, finally translated for the West.
Should you care? It looked really neat last year.
Mystik Belle (PS4, XBO)
What is it? A cute platformer with a witch that slaps things around with brooms, magic and fireballs.
Should you care? You’d either love music like this or really hate it after a while.
I know, I know: that’s not everything that’s out this week. It’s actually a monster week for third party games on Nintendo. Major multi-platform releases are taking a backseat for a bit, ramping up again after Shadow of War launches next week.
But that’s next week. For everything above, see anything you like? Or are you still working through your Pile of Shame? Let us know in the comments!
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