This week’s release includes headline RPGs, stylish indies, and a surprising number of revivals across every major platform. The clear headliner is Octopath Traveler 0 (pictured) bringing yet another dose of Square Enix’s HD-2D magic. Nintendo fans also get a major moment with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, finally bringing Samus back into the spotlight. Meanwhile, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut and the remastered Yakuza Kiwami duo invite players to dive into the series’ origin story once more. Rounding things out on a lighter note, Milano’s Odd Job Collection delivers a bundle of quirky mini-games brimming with personality. Here’s the full rundown of titles arriving this week:
PlayStation 4
Blood: Refreshed Supply (digital, $29.99)
Juufuutei Raden’s Guide for Pixel Museum (digital, $19.99)
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition (digital, $14.99)
Octopath Traveler 0 (digital, $49.99+)
Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered International (physical, $44.99)
Toxic Crusaders (digital, $24.99)
PlayStation 5
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes Edition (physical & digital, $39.99)
C.A.R.D.S. RPG: The Misty Battlefield – Total Warfare Edition (physical & digital, $39.99)
DETECTIVE – Rainy Night (digital, $9.44)
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (physical & digital, $69.99+)
Mutant Football League 2 (digital, $29.99)
Skate Story (digital, free with PS+)
The Axis Unseen (digital, $24.99)
Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow (digital, $29.99, PSVR2)
Ultimate Zombie Defense (digital, $9.99)
UNBEATABLE (digital, $TBA)
Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut (digital, $49.99)
Yakuza Kiwami (digital, $19.99)
Yakuza Kiwami 2 (digital, $19.99)
Switch
A Game About Digging A Hole (digital, $4.99)
Anime School Love: Her Teacher’s Secret Lesson (digital, $29.99)
Blood: Refreshed Supply (digital, $29.99)
BROK: Natal Tail, A New Christmas Special (digital, $2.99)
Cats Ritual (digital, $4.06)
Cozy Tiny Home (digital, $14.99)
DETECTIVE – Rainy Night (digital, $10.99)
Dino Dawn Doom (digital, $9.99)
Dirt Racing Bundle Rally & Truck (digital, $14.99)
EGGCONSOLE Lizard PC-8801 (digital, $6.49)
Just a Little Purr Suit (digital, $4.99)
Keep The Heroes Out (digital, $19.99)
KIBORG (digital, $24.99)
Korean Monorail Panorama Line Hwagaesan (digital, $14.99)
Little Rocket Lab (digital, $19.99)
LOK Digital (digital, $14.99)
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (digital, $59.99)
Milano’s Odd Job Collection (digital, $14.99)
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition (digital, $14.99)
Nightmare: The Lunatic (digital, $16.99)
OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 (digital, $49.99)
Old School Rally (digital, $19.99)
Pad Quad (digital, $4.99)
Pharmacy Store Simulator (digital, $9.99)
Sacrifice For Sale (digital, $9.99)
Santa’s Christmas Story 2 The Frozen Gift War (digital, $6.99)
Speed Factor (digital, $4.99)
Spot the Cat (digital, $6.99)
Ultimate Sheep Raccoon (digital, $19.99)
Switch 2
Farming Simulator: Signature Edition (digital, $59.99)
Little Rocket Lab – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (digital, $19.99)
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (digital, $69.99)
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny (digital, $49.99)
OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 (digital, $49.99)
Skate Story (digital, $19.99)
Ultimate Sheep Raccoon (digital, $19.99)
Xbox One
Blood: Refreshed Supply (digital, $29.99)
BROK: Natal Tail, A New Christmas Special (digital, $2.99)
M.A.U.S (digital, $3.49)
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition (digital, $14.99)
ROUTINE (digital, $24.99)
Sacrifice for Sale (digital, $7.99)
Xbox Series S/X
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes Edition (physical & digital, $39.99)
DETECTIVE – Rainy Night (digital, $9.44)
Dome Keeper (digital, $TBA)
Mist: Evolution (digital, $9.99)
Mutant Football League 2 (digital, $29.99)
Octopath Traveler 0 (digital, $49.99+)
Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut (digital, $49.99)
Yakuza Kiwami (digital, $19.99)
Yakuza Kiwami 2 (digital, $19.99)
PC
Away from Home ($TBA)
Baseless ($9.74)
Blood: Refreshed Supply ($10.29)
Cloudheim ($26.99)
Deadly Delivery ($6.99)
DETECTIVE – Rainy Night ($10.99)
Dungeon Rampage ($TBA)
Eufloria Classic ($5.99)
FEROCIOUS ($TBA)
Flotsam ($11.24)
High Fructose ($TBA)
Log Away ($8.99)
Milano’s Odd Job Collection ($TBA)
MineMogul ($12.74)
OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 ($49.99)
ROUTINE ($20.24)
Skate Story ($TBA)
UNBEATABLE ($TBA)
Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut ($49.99)
Rob’s pick: One thing that I’ve appreciated about the first two OCTOPATH TRAVELER entries is that you interact with the world from each character’s perspective. From pilfering, persuading, purchasing, to provoking you see the full gamut of the human experience. Intriguingly, OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 has you creating your own hero, who hopefully is able to follow their own PATH as you restore your ravaged hometown. Now, if only I could undue the damage the techbros did to San Francisco…
As much as I like the escapism offered by RPGs, I love basking in retro creativity. Four years before the original WarioWare entry was released, Milano’s Odd Job Collection received a Japan-only PlayStation release. While the eight minigames found here aren’t as plentiful as Nintendo’s effort, a structure that has you playing as an eleven-year old doing odd jobs to earn extra cash provides justification. There’s even some light role-playing as you determine how to spend your evening hours, revealing some adorable ‘90s animations.
Ryan’s pick: This week brings forth a lot of nostalgia-fueled picks from me. The Blood series is one of my absolute favorites, and the clear winner this week is Blood: Refreshed Supply. Like other FPS games from this era, the gameplay is straightforward as you blast through cultists and fanatics, but the use of explosives and heightened gore was what made it so memorable..The original version of the game is also included with this remaster, so if you are a FPS or PC retro fan, it comes highly recommended.
I’m usually really selective with my VR games, but Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is an easy pick up for me. I must have played the original shareware demo for the game when it launched in the late 90s a hundred times. I remember how hard it was to see things with a monitor in certain lighting in my room, and that’s where I think being able to play the game in VR really would be helpful and engaging. I played it stealthily pretty much right up until the very end of the game (after plenty of reloads), so I can easily see myself picking this up again to play.
Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Octopath Traveler has grown to become one of Square Enix’s most heartwarming properties. Gorgeous heart, heartfelt and even powerful stories, masterful score and the best take on Braverly Default’s combat system. This new one – Octopath Traveler 0 – is a sprawling, massive game with a lot going for it, as you look to first rebuild and then gain revenge for a sleepy little village that was razed by some cruel warriors. Just prepare to spend a lot of time with it.
Of course, it would be pointless to suggest that I wasn’t looking forward to giving Metroid Prime 4 a whirl, too. While I’m not quite as enamoured with this series as others – exploration and backtracking really aren’t my jive – this game has been in development for so long now and you can just see that everyone involved has thrown everything into this. The next six months for the Switch 2 lean heavily into this game, and I fully expect that I’ll like, if not love, it.
