AER Memories of Old
Steam Page
Released: October 25
Developer: Forgotten Key
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Price: $14.99 / £13.49
With its crisp, minimalist art style, AER Memories of Old bears a striking resemblance to Zelda: Wind Waker, though this game has a neat twist. The playable character – a human – can shapeshift into a bird at will. A whole lot of AER’s appeal is the speed and fluidity with which you can navigate these sky island environments, though puzzles, “mysteries” and temples are strewn throughout, so it’s not just about exploration. Austin wrote a piece about this game last week, so you can read his thoughts at length over here.
High Hell
Steam Page
Released: October 24
Developer: Terri Vellmann, Doseone
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Price: $9.99 / £8.99
An irreverent first-person shooter which shares the pace of Hotline Miami as well as its criminal leanings. With a focus on precision and movement, you’ll “pop brainwashed chimps, deface corporate effigies, and dismantle the business dealings of [an] unrepentant cartel”, but in essence you’ll be doing just two things: shooting and moving. Oh, and another thing: literally burning piles of cash. I’ve played a little bit of this and it’s enjoyable, albeit a little shallow, but at this price it’s worth a look. Developed by some of the talent behind Heavy Bullets, Enter the Gungeon and Gang Beasts.
Golden Krone Hotel
Steam Page
Released: October 27
Developer: Vulgat
Publisher: Vulgat
Price: $9.99 / £5.59
This is a “gothic horror” roguelike with an emphasis on – bear with me – being an actual roguelike and not a “rogue-lite” or a “rogue-sort-of”. So don’t come into Golden Krone Hotel expecting something readily accessible, but do come into it if you a) love roguelikes or b) have the patience to start liking them. There’s a lot of the usual trappings, but interestingly, each run requires playing as both a human and vampire, with each of these having their own strengths and weaknesses. If you love Rogue, Bathory and Halloween, this is probably a must have game, to be honest.
Inflatality
Steam Page
Released: October 26
Developer: Hojo Studio
Publisher: Hojo Studio
Price: $9.99 / £7.49
It’s a local multiplayer fighting game, but instead of playing as a buffed or scantily clad fantasy hero you’re one of those annoying-as-crap inflatable waving… things. I don’t know: do these things even exist outside of Australia? Anyway, you’ll need to watch the video to see what I mean. This game is actually really fun though: I’ve played it at game conventions before and it’s all about mastering “wind and your own momentum”, but there are special attacks and weaponry as well. This would be good for a laugh, but make sure you have friends because there’s not much in the way of single-player content here.
Grace of Zordan
Steam Page
Released: October 26
Developer: Cybergrotex
Publisher: Cybergrotex
Price: Free
This free-to-play card game has its work cut out for it in a world full of Hearthstones and Gwents, but it’s probably worth checking out. According to studio Cybergrotex “strategy and tactics turn-based card game mostly focused on player’s ability to assess the situation and control the battlefield.” Inspired by Hearthstone, Total War, Dawn of War and Diablo – among others – the art style is neat and the price is right.
