Goblins of Elderstone
Steam Page
Released: January 9
Developer: Lost Goblin
Publisher: Crytivo
Price: $24.99
This is a city-building and management game centred around goblins. Most of us unsheath our swords when we see goblins in video games, but Goblins of Elderstone provides a rare opportunity to make amends. Dubbed a “goblin tribe simulator” by studio Lost Goblin, in addition to building settlements and nurturing your clan, you’ll also need to procure food (from dungeons and villages, and with weapons, naturally). According to the studio it’ll appeal to fans of Rimworld, Banished and Anno. It’s in Early Access at the moment, and while there aren’t many reviews they’re “mostly positive” so far.
Yume Nikki
Steam Page
Released: January 10
Developer: kikiyama
Publisher: AGM PLAYISM
Price: Free
Yume Nikki is a cult surrealist adventure game originally released in 2004 and which, admittedly, you may not have missed. We’ve reported on it a bit, after all, but it’s worth mentioning again. Why? Because aside from the prosaic fact that it’s free and excellent, it’s just a damn weird experience that everyone should at least dip their toes into. “Every time Madotsuki goes to sleep, she wakes up in an twisted version of her room,” Glada Zavarise wrote in this retrospective published last year. “Everything looks the same, but the details are all wrong: the sky outside is an unnatural color, an eye blinks from the TV screen, and the door can now be opened.” Seriously, just play it.
The Disappearing of Gensokyo
Steam Page
Released: January 11
Developer: MyACG Studio
Publisher: MyACG Studio
Price: $10.99
This is a fan-made project which translates the Touhou Project universe into an action RPG (Touhou Project, for those who don’t know, is a series of loud and psychedelic bullet hell shooters). According to the description by MyACG Studio – the Chinese doujin group who created this spin-off – the game has elements of Touhou Project “danmaku” shooting (ie, the characteristics of a bullet hell game), but judging by the trailer it’s a fair less twitch-oriented affair than its inspiration. Whatever the case – and whether you’re into Touhou Project or not – the game has amassed over 400 positive reviews since last Friday, so it’s probably worth a look.
Next Up Hero
Steam Page
Released: January 11
Developer: Digital Continue
Publisher: Aspyr
Price: $19.99
Next Up Hero is a topdown 2D action game about slaying monsters and mechs. The devs at Digital Continue describe it as “tough-as-nails” and “impossibly-hard” in the Steam description, so proceed with caution if you play most games on easy. The game can be played single-player or cooperatively online, and features an interesting system where each player death leaves an “echo”, available for the next player to raise. The more playable character deaths, the stronger everyone becomes. With talent responsible for titles like Scribblenauts, Lock’s Quest and Drawn to Life, this Early Access game is probably worth a look if you’re into more-ish (and punishing) arcade action.
Westard
Steam Page
Released: January 11
Developer: SIEIDI Ltd
Publisher: SIEIDI Ltd
Price: $9.99
Westard is a VR exclusive first-person heist game with a Western twist. Played alone or online, there’s the cooperative-focused heist mode where you’ll be taking either a stealthy or volatile approach to bank robbery, or else there’s a PvP component with two modes, one of them deathmatch. The game is in Early Access and, given the positive reception so far, seems to be adequately playable right now. It’s expected to release properly in about five months.
These games were released between 01/09-01/15. The first page of this list is updated every Sunday and previous weeks are archived on the following pages. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
