Welcome back to This Week In Games Australia, your local look at what you’ll be playing in the week ahead.
This week is a big one, and we have a ton of games to talk about. Headlining the AAA releases this week are Minecraft Legends, The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story, Horizon Forbidden West – Burning Shores, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp and, of course, Dead Island 2. On the indie side, we’ve got God of Rock, Coffee Talk Episode 2 and Tin Hearts all coming in hot.
If you’d like an early preview of TWIGA every week, then please feel free to check out The Kotaku Australia Podcast! You can find new episodes each and every week on your podcast platform of choice, as well as our YouTube.
April 18th
Beyond the Long Night (PC)
Beyond the Long Night is a genre-multihyphenate — a twin-stick, action, roguelike puzzle game that blends all your favourite tropes into a single, rather tricky puree.
God of Rock (PS5, XSX, PC, NS, PS4, XBO)
God of Rock might be most original fighting game I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s a fighting game built on rhythm. The player controls each fight through Guitar Hero-style note charts and the player that keeps their multiplier going will become the winner. Seriously, watch the trailer and it will all make sense. As a big fan of both genres, I’m really keen to play this one.
Disney Speedstorm (PS5, XSX, PC, NS, PS4, XBO)
You would think that, after shipping Disney Dreamlight Valley just last year, Gameloft might have taken its foot off the accelerator for a bit. Not only did it press further down on the accelerator, the accelerator is attached to an actual car. Disney Speedstorm is a kart racer starring Disney’s cast of cartoon favourites is roaring, shuddering, thrashing mini monster trucks. I don’t know why so many brands feel the need to get a kart racer out the door — there must be major cash in kart racers on platforms that can’t have Mario Kart — but this one looks suitably deranged.
Desktop Dungeons: Rewind (PC)
Desktop Dungeons Rewind is a remake of one of the greatest tactical roguelikes ever made. Your job is to build a kingdom that can stand the test of time, and the only way to heal up and gain strength is to push out and explore. Players with a good head for risk management need only apply.
April 19th
The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story (PS5, XSX, PC, NS)
The latest game from the Riot Forge program, The Mageseeker is a game set in the League of Legends universe. You play as Sylas, a spell-stealing mage freed from captivity and determined to bring the Mageseekers that held him hostage to justice. With the chains that once held you captive now your foremost weapons, it’s up to you to help Sylas bring the whole mageocracy down. Created by Digital Sun, who previously made Moonlighter. If you were big into that game, you’ll find a lot to like here.
Minecraft Legends (XSX, PC, XBO)
Minecraft Legends is the latest spin-off to Mojang’s world-beating crafting sim, this time delving into a unique take on the strategy genre. Rather than making the player a god-like entity that sees all from above, Minecraft Legends casts you as a hero in the fray, working to bring down the evil Piglin armies. You’ll need to manage your forces, defend freed townships, and build bases of your own to halt the Piglin invasion, all in the blocky, colourful style of classic Minecraft.
April 20th
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (PC, NS)
Coffee Talk: Episode 2 – Hibiscus and Butterfly, the latest and long awaited new instalment in the series. For a while, it seemed like this new instalment might not even happen, after Coffee Talk creator Mohammad Fahmi sadly passed away last year. The team persevered without its fearless leader, however, and this week you’ll get to see the fruits of their labour.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (PS5)
Time to dust off that Horizon: Forbidden West save folks, as Aloy heads into the ruins of what was once Southern California. New foes, new lands to explore, and new abilities to unlock mean this new expac will take Aloy above and beyond the climax of the base game, and it picks up right where that campaign left off. Indeed, if you want to kick off the Burning Shores campaign, you’ll need to have finished the main Forbidden West questline first. Another thing to note: this expansion is coming to the PS5 version of the game only. Sorry, PS4 owners. Looks like you’re missing out on this one.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster (PS5, NS, PS4)
For those that have been waiting to pick up the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection on Switch and PS4, this week is your week. And yes, it seems like Square Enix has made some improvements to the visuals that bugged so many players last year.
Front Mission 1st (NS) *Retail*
Front Mission 1st gets a retail release on Switch in Australia this week. I include this listing solely for the collectors because you aren’t going to want to miss this one.
Tin Hearts (NS)
A timed-exclusive for the Switch, Tin Hearts is a bit like a modern version of Lemmings all about cute little toy tin soldiers. You’ll need to create custom Rube Goldberg machines out of toybox parts to help your tin soldiers cross each level and safely reach the exit point. If you’ve been hoping someone might pick up the Lemmings design and run with it in the modern era, your long wait is finally over.
DNF Duel (NS)
Yes good more Guilty Gear likes thank you.
April 21st
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (NS)
Long time coming, this one. A reboot of Intelligent Systems’ beloved Nintendo DS classics, themselves a reboot of the Japan-only Famicom Wars games on the NES, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp‘s launch is the first new entry in the franchise in donkey’s years. As Intelligent’s Fire Emblem franchise has finally broken through in the West and begun to earn a larger audience, hope began to fade that Advance Wars would ever see the light of day again, a fear redoubled after Nintendo put this completed reboot on ice following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This week, it’s finally here, and I’m asking you all to buy it so Nintendo greenlights an actual, brand-new game in the series.
Mr Sun’s Hatbox (PC, NS)
Mr Sun’s hatbox has been stolen and it’s up to you get it back. Seriously, this looks very dumb and very fun, and I’m looking forward to playing it.
Prodeus (PS5, NS, PS4)
I have been obsessed with the early access version of Prodeus on Xbox Game Pass for some time, big boomer shooter fan that I am. This week, it comes to PlayStation and Switch platforms too. If you’re big on classic shooters, you won’t want to miss this one.
Stray Blade (PS5, XSX, PC)
Soulslike, but make it a little more stylised and cartoony. For fans of the genre passing the time until Elden Ring‘s DLC arrives, this might be for you.
Volcano Princess (PC)
Volcano Princess is a visual novel about trying to raise a good daughter in the shadow of a nation absolutely packed with volcanos. Every decision you make and every person she meets will shape who she becomes as she grows up. (Can you tell Ruby put this one on the list?)
April 22nd
Dead Island 2 (PS5, XSX, PC, PS4, XBO)
Here it is, the big boy, the week’s biggest title. Almost a decade on from its announcement, Dead Island 2 is finally out this week. The zombie action RPG is set in sunny Los Angeles this time around — notable for being a massive city in California, and not, in fact, an island. Indeed, the game looks to all the world like a big improvement on the original, which has aged rather poorly. If you’re still hungry for zombie-slaying with heavily customised weaponry, Dead Island 2 will be the game for you.
Homestead Arcana (XSX, PC, XBO)
Homestead Arcana is a farming sim in which you are witch, tending the land and building your repertoire of spells with your little cat friend. Another very Ruby title, this one is a must-play for the cozy gamers out there.
And that’s it for this week? See anything you’re keen for? Are you hyped for Dead Island 2 after such a long time in the oven? Let us know in the comments.
Leave a Reply