Now in its third week, October has finally decided to get the lead out. As the deluge bears down on us, Australia braces for a huge week in games. On the horizon: Gotham Knights, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Ghostbusters, New Tales from the Borderlands, Vampire Survivors goes 1.0, and much, much more.
Let’s dive into what you’ll be playing this week.
October 17
Potionomics (PC)
I’ll be honest, I love the art design at work here. I think Potionomics‘ artists and animators are going above and beyond for a game that does not need this level of presentation. It’s a cute pitch — potion brewing for fun and profit. I’ll be interested to check it out.
October 18
A Plague Tale: Requiem (PS5, XSX)
Who’s ready for more bleak, period drama? I am. It’s me. I really loved the A Plague Tale: Innocence, so I am very excited to sink my teeth into this one. I take my linear narrative games the way I take getting out of bed in the morning: slowly and with a lot of drama.
Marvel Snap (iOS, Android, PC)
This one’s been available on mobile in early access for a little while now, but this week marks its actual launch. Hearthstone‘s Ben Brode leads the way on this tactical card game. Yes, there’s monetisation. Yes, you could view it as predatory (and the game has already had its share of monetisation drama pre-launch). But the card game at the centre of it is pure, classic Brode. It tickles the brain, and you feel like a genius when you execute a strategy that wins the round.
October 19
Nitro Kid (PC)
Vapourwave tunes, a martial arts mechanic and turn-based Into the Breach style strategy? Yes, thank you.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PC)
There is a subsection of you PC Master Race people reading this column that have never played an Uncharted game before, because you’ve rebuked the console hardware it called home. This week, you’ll get the chance to play not one but two of the better games in the series when the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection drops for PC. I hope you like ’em.
October 20
Matchpoint Tennis Championships (NS)
It’s tennis. It’s on the Switch. Go get it.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (NS)
My personal game of the week. I have waited all damned year for this. I was such a huge fan of the original Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle that the news it would be getting a sequel put it at the top of my most anticipated games of the year list in a heartbeat. This week, I finally get my grubby mitts on it. I cannot wait to play it.
Norco (PS5, PS4)
Where I grew up, on the far north coast of NSW, Norco is the name of a dairy company based out of Byron Shire. This, however, is a Southern Gothic point-and-click adventure video game about tracking down your missing brother amid the swamps of Louisiana.
Vampire Survivors (PC)
After a whole year of insisting that “this is definitely the last update before we hit 1.0, guys, we swear” with every new patch, Vampire Survivors, presumptive Game of the Year winner 2022, is finally, actually hitting 1.0 this week. A perfect excuse to hop back in and blow another 100 hours.
World Boss (PC)
World Boss is an old school, multiplayer arena FPS made by Melbourne studio PlaySide. It’s free to play and currently in early access, so if you are feeling the urge for a bit of Quake 3 style fast-and-furious deathmatch in a world of battle royales, look no further.
October 21
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark (NS, PS4)
This one actually came out a while ago, but is getting a full retail release in Australia. For those who love a boxed copy, here’s a chance to add a rare one to collection.
Gotham Knights (PS5, XSX, PC)
It’s been a while between drinks for Batman games, but Gotham Knights breaks the drought with an open-world multiplayer take on the genre. A little bit Arkham, a little bit Avengers, it looks to be trying to find a middle ground between single-player and squad-based multiplayer. An interesting experiment, we’ll see how it pans out when the Belfry opens its doors later this week.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO)
There’s a new Ghostbusters game out this week. With that information alone, you will know immediately if this is a game you intend to play or not. Rahul Kohli’s in it though. I like that guy.
New Tales From The Borderlands (PS5, XSX, NS, PC, PS4, XBO)
I’ll be honest, I am deeply sus on the idea of a new Tales from the Borderlands game produced by anyone other than the Telltale team that made the original. I am doubly sus on a Tales from the Borderlands game made by Gearbox itself, given how bad it has proven itself to be at storytelling in the past. If you can look at the plot of Borderlands 3 and tell me the idea of a narrative game from that team has you excited, I think you might need to see a doctor.
I actually do want this to be good. I think the original Tales From The Borderlands is the best storytelling in the Borderlands universe by a wide margin. But that was Telltale (rip), and Gearbox has a habit of letting me down, so my faith in the product is at an all-time low.
Paper Nebula (PC)
Another Aussie! A lovely little roguelike shmup by Melbourne developer Pixel Bakery. This looks cute and has a clear genre mashup idea it’s trying to execute on. Keen to give it a go. You can find it on Steam later this week.
Persona 5 Royal (PS5, XSX)
In the same way I’m excited for PC players to finally enjoy Uncharted, I’m excited for Xbox players to enjoy Persona 5. P5 Royal comes to Series X|S and PS5 consoles this week and, if you’ve never played it before, what a perfect moment to get around it. One of the best JRPGs in recent memory, and I say that as someone with a reputation for hating most JRPGs.
That’s it for this week! A busy one ahead to be sure, and it’s busier again next week. Seems the end of year deluge has finally begun. What are you going to be picking up? Let us know in the comments below.
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