PCs, handhelds, mobile, console, indies, triple A, free-to-play — the gaming scene gets more diverse and difficult to follow by the day, but thankfully I’m here every week to guide you through what’s happening with games.
As always, I’ll rattle off five games I think you might want to check out this week. Keep in mind, these articles aren’t meant to be comprehensive lists of everything coming out that week so much as a nice rounded tasting menu. So, let’s get to it…
This Week’s Tower Defense Game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mGzO-QYSc
Toy Soldiers: War Chest (PC, Xbox One & PS4 Aug. 11)
What if the inhabitants in your childhood toy box came to life at night and engaged in fraught battles for bedroom domination? That’s the world imagined by Toy Soldiers: War Chest. You can fight with generic World War I-based or Barbie-like armies, or you can download armies based on actual licenses like He-Man, Assassin’s Creed or GI Joe. Basically, Toy Soldiers is Toy Story with more explosions, which sounds alright to me.
This Week’s Fuzzy Puzzle Game
The Cat Machine (PC, Mac & Linux, Aug. 12)
The Cat Machine is a puzzle game in which you guide multicolored cats around on train tracks, so they can be “processed” by the machine that generates the gravity that keeps Earth in orbit around the sun. No, really. You read that sentence correctly. Give this one points for adding some unique twists to the color-matching puzzle genre. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Hacking Sim
Hacknet (PC, Aug. 12)
Always wanted to be a cool Hollywood hacker? Well, then Hacknet may not be for you, as this game seeks to be a more realistic hacking simulation. Obviously Hacknet is easier, and much less illegal, than the real thing, but the game expects you to toil away with Unix commands and do all sorts of other unglamorous things to surmount its challenges. This one’s going to raise a few eyebrows. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Sightless Adventure
Beyond Eyes (PC & Xbox One, Aug. 11)
In Beyond Eyes you play as a young blind girl, who decides to venture into the frightening outside world to find her lost cat. At first the world will be invisible to you, but slowly you can build a mental map using other senses like touch, sound and scent. Be prepared, this one might make you feel some feels.
Pick of the Week
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (PS4, Aug. 11)
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is the latest exploration-based adventure game from the makers of Dear Esther. Unlike Esther, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture promises more interactive environments, and the opportunity for players to influence the environment and story. If you’re looking for that next, great indie chill out game, this looks to be it.
Well, you can’t argue with this week in terms of innovation. Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let the world know.