a lot of video games come out every month, even during quieter months like August. If you see the game release calendar a thwap with the old broom a few huge AAA games would probably fall to the floor like anvils. Games like Madden NFL 24the reissue of Red Dead Redemption, Immortals of AveumAnd Armored Core 6: Burning Rubicon raising a cloud overshadowing the arrival of smaller games – potentially great ones even from developers you may have heard of and new indie creators. Like some that might end up on your GOTY list.
We don’t want to pass up these games (and you’d probably like to know more about them, wouldn’t you?), so each month we’ll be rounding up a handful of notable game launches that you should know about. Stay tuned towards the end of each month for our next series of video game deep cuts.
Gord
Gord is an isometric adventure strategy game set in a dark fantasy realm. The main objective is to survive, and to do that your community must build (and fortify) a home base and then scavenge for materials. However, it’s not as strange as that. As you travel through the darkness surrounding your fortress, you invoke gods to make your life easier, or clash with them, making things much more difficult.
Gord launched on PlayStation5Windows PC via Steamand Xbox Series X on August 17 for $34.99.
blasphemous 2
While many of the mechanics are borrowed from Dark Souls and Metroidvania titles, 2019’s Blasphemous brought more than enough originality to the table with its grotesque, gory art style and memorable boss fights. Almost four years later, there is a sequel to us. blasphemous 2 seems to be packing more weapons, combos and difficult platforming. In other words, more of the good stuff it delivered the first time around.
blasphemous 2 launches on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC via Steam, Xbox Series X on August 24. It costs $34.99 for all platforms except PC where it costs $29.99.
Sea of stars
If you take a look Sea of starsart style and catch a whiff Chrono trigger, you are not alone. And if the soundtrack sounds the same, well, that’s no coincidence. The composer of that game, Yasunori Mitsuda, graced Sea of starssoundtrack as a guest composer. This new title is developed by the same team that made it The messenger, and it’s clear that these developers love putting their own modern twist on popular games from decades ago. Even without some all-star musicians joining the project, the graphics are charming, and I’m particularly impressed with the game’s smooth transition between exploration and turn-based combat.
Sea of stars launches on Nintendo switch, Playstation 4, PlayStation5Windows PC via SteamXbox One and Xbox Series X and on August 29 for $34.99.
Bomb Rush Cyber Funk
Here’s another game that is very reminiscent of its inspiration. Bomb Rush Cyber Funk is Jetset radio under a different name, with an overall atmosphere befitting the Sega Dreamcast cult favorite. Catchy music (also songs composed by none other than Jetset radio‘s Hideki Naganuma) supports the gameplay, which consists of grinding on rails, doing tricks, seemingly collecting paint cans, and fighting rival gangs. The game makes some attempts to differentiate itself, not that it has to be for fans Jetset radio. To get some graffiti spots, you have to wall run or run on foot. And there seems to be a social hub where you’ll be spending time too, so there should be more to do than in Jetset radio.
Bomb Rush Cyber Funk launched on Nintendo switch and Windows PC via Steam on August 18 for $39.99, per the YouTube video description above. Developer Team Reptile has confirmed that it will be coming to PlayStation and Xbox on September 1.
Moving 2
Featured recently on our Polygonathon 2023 Twitch stream, Moving 2 is a cooperative game that can feel very sometimes competitive. You’ll have to work together to move stuff through houses built to feel like escape rooms. If you want a family-friendly multiplayer game that will make you laugh and test your patience in equal measure, you should keep an eye on this one.
Moving 2 launched on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC via Steam and Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on August 15. It costs $34.99 on all platforms except Switch and Steam, where it costs $44.99 and $29.99 respectively.
Hammer guard 2
Dungeon crawlers are making a comeback. The spotlight is on Hammer guard 2, a top-down adventure game that you can play alone or with up to 3 players online. The pixelated look of the game is charming, but seeing the game in motion looks stunning. This seems like a game that would be a treat to plow through with some good friends.
Hammer guard 2 launched on Windows PC via Steam on August 15 for $24.99. It’s coming Xbox, Play stationAnd Nintendo switch at a later date, and preorders because those platforms are now live.
Goodbye Volcano High
The latest from KO_OP, a developer with a wide range of games to its credit Goodbye Volcano High, which is a difficult game to describe. Even the developers can’t seem to land on one genre. In the description of the YouTube video above, it is described as “a hybrid cinematic storytelling/rhythm play/coming of age/interactive movie experience.” Oh, and all the characters are the most fashionable dinosaurs I’ve ever seen.
Goodbye Volcano High launches on Playstation 4PlayStation 5 and Windows PC via Steam on August 29.
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
The current generation of consoles, including the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, have been treated to native versions of Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition. The creepy, ambitious, and gorgeous five-part narrative series has been available on most consoles (not to mention playable on the aforementioned PS5 and Series X) for a while now, but now you don’t have to play a backwards-compatible version, just in case. that is important to you.
The newer version of the game launched on August 17 on PS5 and Xbox Series X.