Another week arrives, and we once again look ahead to see what’s happening this week in games. It’s a bit of a quiet one on the AAA front, but that just means we get to dig into some fun and fascinating indies. Also, GTA 5 is releasing AGAIN.
April 11
Touch Some Grass (PC)
“Touch grass” has recently become one of Twitter’s favourite put-downs for anyone with a take deemed excessively, perhaps terminally, online. Enterprising developer jpm_games will now allow you to do just that without actually having to go outside. Touch some grass today.
April 12
B.I.O.T.A. (PC)
A 2D Metroidvania-inspired shooter with an aesthetic straight out of the GameBoy era. Absolutely love the energy of this one.
Grand Theft Auto V (PS5, XSX) (Retail)
This is the boxed retail version of GTA V‘s next-gen update. Moving on.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (NS)
A JPRG/mecha tactics game that’s had a long life on the PS4 arrives on the Switch. This one seems like a perfect match for Nintendo’s hardware, from visuals to gameplay. Yes, it’s a creative ouroboros, shamelessly cribbing from Pacific Rim, which itself shamelessly cribbed from mecha anime of the 90s. But also stompy bot go brrr and that’s really all I need to hear.
Sephonie (PC)
Sephonie is a 3D character platformer reminiscent of similar titles from the PS2 era. Sure it’s pretty simple, but I would argue that the vibes are immaculate and that counts for a lot. Watch this trailer and tell me you aren’t happy that someone is still thinking about games like this.
Uragun (PC)
You had me at Stompy Bot Twin Stick Shooter. Sign me up.
April 14
Cat Cafe Manager (NS, PC)
I can already hear Ruby screaming and I haven’t even shown her the trailer yet. Cat Cafe Manager is a blend of business management sim, visual novel, and cozy game heartwarmer. We’re excited to check this one out.
eFootball 2022 (PS5, XSX, PC, NS, PS4, XBO)
After an absolute disaster last year, Konami’s recalibrated eFootball 2022 is back to try again. The current iteration of the Pro Evolution Football series has had a long road to walk after launching last year in dire condition. Will 2022 fare any better? We’ll find out this week.
Nobody Saves The World (PS5, NS, PS4)
One of the year’s best platformers finishes out its Xbox exclusivity window and arrives on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms this week. If you haven’t had a chance to play Nobody Saves The World just yet, please get involved. It’s brilliant, we promise.
PopSlinger (PC)
A 2D side-scrolling beat-em-up built around pulsing pop music and a retro aesthetic, PopSlinger looks like a bit of a sugar rush.
Road 96 (PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO) (Retail)
A procedurally generated narrative experience about escaping a totalitarian dictatorship, Road 96 has been out for a little while. Now it gets a retail release in Australia, so if you’re after a boxed copy, now you can get one.
Run: The World In-Between (NS, PC)
To watch this trailer, I’m sure a great many would say “David, this is just Celeste.” And you wouldn’t be wrong: Run: The World In-Between is heavily inspired by Celeste, but there are a lot of other inspirations going on here too. Dead Cells. Super Meat Boy. Scourge Bringer. There’s a lot of strong DNA here, and I’m interested to see how it all blends together.
April 15
Mario Golf (NS)
Mario Golf for the N64 arrives on Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack this week. If you blasted through Mario Golf: Super Rush and are ready for more, this should keep you more than happy. We live in hope that GameCube titles find their way to the Expansion Pack so we can add Toadstool Tour to the collection.
Taito Milestones (NS)
Taito Milestones features ten classic titles from the Taito vault, all produced in the 1980s. The games included are Qix, Space Seeker, Alpine Ski, Front Line, Wild Western, Chack’n Pop, Elevator Action, The Fairyland Story, Halley’s Comet, and The Ninjawarriors. This collection charts Taito’s rise from 1981 through to 1986, and the leap in technology in those five years is profound. From vector shooters to full side-scrolling beat-em-ups.
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