The first week of June might be the quietest week for video game releases we’ve had in a while. The only game listed for launch on the EB Games website this week is SnowRunner for PS5. That’s how quiet things are. The space that E3 used to fill now looms in the middle distance. A window that typically remained clear as the industry held its breath remains rather dry even without the distraction of gaming’s biggest circus.
So what are we looking at here? It is, of course, launch week for Diablo Immortal, which becomes the biggest launch of the week by default. However, there is a small, clever pack of indies releasing around it. Let’s get into what you’ll be playing this week.
May 31
Dwerve (PC)
Dwerve is, by its own definition, a turret-building, troll-smashing adventure. It’s basically a dungeon crawler combined with tower defence mechanics and, frankly, I’m down. That’s a simple hook, and it has a great look to boot. You’ve got my attention. You can find it on Steam right here.
Polychromia
You’ll spend most of your time in Polychromia drawing coloured lines. Using your coloured lines, you’ll need to blend and create new colours as you go. Your colour combinations are used to make small pots of flowers grow in each corner of the board. Simple, effective, but will become deceptively challenging over time. It’s going to drive me crazy. Can’t wait to play it.
SnowRunner (PS5)
SnowRunner is dropping on PS5 and it’s getting a retail re-release in Aus. It’s great, but if you’ve already played it, I doubt there’ll be much to go back for.
June 2
Card Shark (NS, PC)
A game about courtesans, propriety, and the subtle art of cheating at poker. Brilliant pitch, look at that art direction. Cannot wait to play it. Find it on Switch here, and on Steam here.
Diablo Immortal (And, iOS, PC)
Yes, the automatically hated one, the subject of much ARPG fan ire upon its announcement, Diablo Immortal finally launches on mobile and PC this week. This feels like the kind of game that’s going to make everyone who plays it feel Some Type Of Way. The takes will be spicy. Twitter will go back and forth. The loot box discourse will rear its head once more. It is, of course, up to you to make a determination on it.
It says a lot about the time of year we’re in that this is the biggest launch of the week.
Gravitar: Recharged (PS5, XSX, NS, PC, PS4, XBO)
An arcade classic, back from the dead. Gravitar Recharged is launching on everything AND the Atari VCS if you have one of those. It’s a classic top-down arcade space shooter, with a minimalist new look. And that soundtrack? Fairly immaculate vibes, tbh. I could see this being a good “podcast game,” something you can play while you zone out to music or catch up on your pod backlog.
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