Steam Hype Weekly - Issue #4

We're still gearing up for our full debut, which means there's been more happening behind the scenes and less news-posting. Here's where we pay our debts and catch up on another ridiculously packed week of game releases and news on Steam, right here, right now. As ever, keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We aim to showcase and spotlight everything worth featuring each week. Even with dozens of games in the spotlight, that means hundreds more that didn't make the cut.

Troubled as the industry is, if videogames are your chosen hobby - and especially on PC - this is an absurd golden age. Exciting new stuff around every corner, under every stone, and I'm pretty sure there's a horror game standing RIGHT BEHIND YOU OH GOD IT HAS A CHAINSAW.

Oh, it's just a lumberjacking sim. Okay, on with the games, in no particular order:

Out Now: Beast of Reincarnation - Post-apocalyptic Samurai Adventure

One of the higher-profile releases this week - a post-apocalyptic samurai hack n' slash action RPG from Game Freak, developers of the Pokémon series. Gorgeous graphics and solid art direction are obvious enough here, but the game has been met with middling reviews. Not bad, but held back by a litany of little issues (including miniscule menu text on consoles), so perhaps wait for a few patches on this one.

Out Now: Flow of War - Warcraft meets horde defence

There's been a real retro RTS revival recently. Earlier this week, Liquidation made a solid debut among the notoriously hard-to-please competitive Starcraft scene, and now Flow Of War is here to add some modern twists and horde defense elements to the Warcraft 1/2 format. Well received so far, too! Pure single-player defensive strategy here, with no multiplayer to speak of, but there's a map editor at least.

Out Now: Cyberpunk Inquisitor - Procedural sci-fi whodunnit

Looking like a 2D, more neon version of Shadows of Doubt. Aspiring sleuths who are upset that they only get to solve a mystery game once might find exactly what they need here. Rather than scripted mysteries, Cyberpunk Inquisitor procedurally generates short crime thriller scenarios for you to unravel, scattering clues and red herrings around and asking you to piece it all together on your not-so-high-tech pin-board. Yes, there is red string. No, we do not know where Pepe Silvia is.

Out Now: NET.CRAWL - Tactical net-hacking deckbuilding

And another interesting cyberpunk roguelike that's flying under the radar, with a demo, too! This one's a hex-based strategic deckbuilder set in the hazy realms of cyberspace. You're controlling the White Rabbit program here, hopping around a map of nodes that you've customized with perks and advantages, gathering resources while dodging attacks from an assortment of boss-like enemy Cores, each with their own gimmicks. This one's been in early access for a while, making its full debut this week. As ever, it's nice to see a game about futuristic AI without being made with the janky current-day variety.

Out Now: Space Tail: Definitive Edition - Good dog, good platformer

Originally released back in 2022, this heartstring-tugging, very pretty 2D platform-puzzler received a tune-up and a re-release under new publisher Bohemia Interactive. You're playing as a space-suited dog, sent off on a one-way exploration mission only to survive and stumble into sapient (and not always friendly) alien life. Adventures ensue, as the pup seeks to return home. I'd been meaning to try this ever since the original release - now seems as good a time as any.

Out now: HELLSPRINT - Low-fi, high-speed first-person platformer

Twitchy Quake-style first-person speed-platforming with N64-style graphics. Fortunately, the framerate's a bit higher than you'd get on Nintendo's quirky console, and thanks to mouse and keyboard, the controls are definitely more responsive. There are a lot of games like this out now, but so far Hellsprint has been well received, with initial user reviews praising the game's accessibility and soundtrack. Also the $6.66 price tag. Curiously, this one's published by the European Speedrunner Assembly, a Games Done Quick-like collective that hosts big live speedrunning events.

Out Now: Hellslave II: Judgment of the Archon - Grim gothic dungeon crawl

The original Hellslave, while not very well known, was a well-regarded dungeon crawler RPG, a bit like Darkest Dungeon but minus the roguelike elements and plus HUGE character customization options. The sequel looks to be more of the same, with the same cool gothic comic aesthetic as its predecessor, but more detailed in its art. Initial reviews suggest that it's mostly hitting the mark, but some of those many perks and skills you can unlock as your character grows aren't behaving quite right. Maybe best to wait for some patches.

Out Now: Rogue Point - Co-op FPS tactics from the Black Mesa team

A muted launch out of early access for Rogue Point, the Rainbow Six-inspired co-op tactical shooter from Crowbar Collective, developers of excellent Half-Life remake Black Mesa. Rather than do another setpiece-heavy solo campaign, Rogue Point is built to be replayed and explored every which way by a team of four. It seems like the game didn't build the audience it had hoped over the course of early access, leaping from version 0.6 to release this week, and with middling user reviews to match. Hopefully the worst of the kinks will get buffed out, and Crowbar Collective can keep on doing what they love.

Out Now: Korea. IL-2 Series - Serious flight sim with early-era jets

A gritty, serious military flight sim covering a seldom-explored era. That awkward period where the first mass-produced jet fighters tussled with WW2-era propeller aircraft. While it certainly looks the part, early reviews complain about a poor tutorial, thin content, and slim player counts for online play. All of this is further exacerbated by an eye-watering £71/$80 base price tag and a Deluxe Edition that costs double that! Even more regrettably, despite charging high premium prices, the game comes with a big AI Disclosure notice on the store page, detailing all the parts they didn't want to pay artists and voice actors for.

Out Now: It Consumes - Abyssal arena FPS.

Another twitchy arena survival FPS heavily inspired by the classic Devil Daggers. This one's not quite as hardcore and breakneck in its pacing, but retains that minimalist structure. There's some fun new twists here, like an assortment of game modifiers and a dwindling light level, leaving enemies functionally invisible unless pinged with a sonar-like emission or just located by listening carefully and shooting into the darkness to highlight them.

Demo: Dungeon Lurker - Arcade brawler meets dungeon crawler

I am a huge fan of old-school arcade beat-em-ups. For all their reputation as mindless button mashing, they're a shockingly hard genre to get right, with few modern attempts nailing the formula. The latest to try is Dungeon Lurker, a very old-school looking fusion of arcade dungeon crawl and juggle-combo showcase. This one looks like it wouldn't be out of place on the PS1 or an early arcade machine of the era. The demo makes a good first impression, with plenty of room for smart tactical movement and aerial combos.

Out Now: Akatori - Martial arts metroidvania

Exploration platformers are one of the most overstuffed genres out there. Akatori stands out with its small sprites, big environments, and combo-heavy staff melee combat. Initial user reviews highlight the game's short length (not always a bad thing in a metroidvania - especially if you're aiming to speedrun it) and some overly tough fights. Generally positive reception though, and it's obviously rather pleasant to look at.

Out Now: The Division Resurgence - Urban mobile looter-shooter

A curious release - despite cuts across many of their studios, Ubisoft are banking hard on keeping The Division in people's minds, with fresh expansions still coming for the seven-year-old Division 2. Resurgence is the mobile spinoff. Same numbers-heavy buildcrafting and Gears Of War-esque cover shooting mechanics, but built for free-to-play engagement and with a business model to match. The good news is that it runs great even on low-spec systems. The bad news is that it seems like a strictly lesser version of The Division 2, which is still one of the better games in its field and still growing.

Out Now: Gunstoppable - Roguelite sci-fi movement shooter

High agility akimbo gunslinging silliness. Gunstoppable is a promising-looking game about moving fast, grinding rails, running along walls (because the floor isn't cool enough), and shooting many robots. Then being given three choices for perks and upgrades and doing it again in procedural environments, one weapon in each hand. Oh, and being any kind of semi-retro FPS, of course Gianni Matragrano (Ultrakill, Fallen Aces, that upcoming PEAK expansion) does voice-work here, fitting the game's tongue-in-cheek tone.

Out Now: My Fav Chill Streamer Dies a Million Times - Internet mishap adventure

An oddball mystery adventure about watching a peppy VTuber who seems to be stuck in a Final Destination-esque (although not nearly as gory) grudge match with death. As her top viewer and childhood friend, you can travel back in time and give advice in chat to help her avoid each inevitable demise, while puzzling out what exactly is happening. It's a fun goofy concept, even if the streamer herself seems to be made of paper and prone to dying to even minor mishaps. There's a demo, too!

Out Now: Kill The Shadow - Chinese noir detective mystery

There have been some really good detective mystery adventures these past few weeks, and Kill The Shadow looks to be joining that list - a grimy Chinese-inspired setting here, albeit set in a fictional country. As with many investigative mysteries, you've got some interesting powers, letting you look back into the past to reveal details otherwise hidden. But what sets this one apart is a branching timeline, where your decisions lead the story down some dramatically different paths, all revealing the greater mystery.

Out Now: MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls - Marvel tag-team fighting returns

One of this week's biggest, most eagerly awaited releases - a superhero tag-team fighter from the developers of Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball FighterZ and many more. Despite the game itself being well-regarded, the PC version currently has no Linux compatibility, which means that Steam Deck/Machine players are out of luck for the moment. Other networking issues abound, and players are still salty about it requiring a PlayStation Network login (but not subscription, thankfully) to play. Nothing that can't be patched out in time, but a shame to see the release overshadowed by tech & corporate issues.

Out Now: IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator - Dieselpunk mech-artillery sim

One of my most anticipated games this week, and based on what players have been saying, it's every bit as good as hoped. You are the sole crew-member of a colossal four-legged artillery mech. You receive coded orders from high command, and it's up to you to pilot the wildly complex machine - spinning every wheel, pulling every lever - to get it into place, locked onto the target, and firing. Or not, if you decide that the orders coming in are morally objectionable. A great concept well executed, and the demo (sadly now unavailable) was top notch. This one's high on my weekend to-play list.

Out Now: ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs - Cozy electronics repair sim

The latest in a growing sub-genre of cozy little tinkering games, with Trash Goblin and Wyrmhall being great early examples. This one's about running a little repair store in Japan, clients rolling up to your window, sharing their woes and handing you their busted gadgets to tear down and piece back together. Sadly, everything has the real brand names filed off, but it's otherwise real-life tech. As someone who's taken apart a PSP before, it's nice to see the process shown in a game, albeit in somewhat less realistic, less stressful form.

Out Now: Doloc Town - Post-apocalyptic easygoing farming

Another one emerging from early access to high praise. I've had Doloc Town on my radar for a while, and this seems as good a time to start as any. A side-scrolling farming game where instead of expanding your fields outwards, you build your ramshackle hydroponics bays and planters vertically, supplying food for a recovering wasteland civilization. Plus the occasional bit of questing out into the wilds, fighting roaming robots in lightweight bullet hell combat. The sharp, cubist pixel art is deeply charming, and the vertical, platforming-focused building stands out from the crowd.

Out Now: Connie and the Essence of Chaos - Rayman's spiritual successor

Not many people hold a torch for the 1995 original Rayman. Ryemanni (developer of the excellent fan-made remake Rayman Redemption) might be its greatest fan, and the person best equipped to capture that oddball spark that made the first so fun. Connie might not have the official license and has a more low-fi aesthetic, but this is pure old-school Rayman otherwise, with the first handful of user reviews being all positive. One to play. Also don't skip on Rayman Redemption - it's a good'un.

Out Now: Ambrosia Sky - Powerwashing tragedy in space

The curse of the immersive sim still holds strong. First released as just one of three planned episodes last November, Ambrosia Sky is an excellent, tragic sci-fi FPS without traditional guns. Instead, you're cleaning up a fungal infestation aboard a series of spaceships and stations while putting the dead to rest. Like Powerwash Sim meets System Shock 2. Sadly, the first episode didn't sell well, so the studio reworked plans to wrap up the story within just two acts. The final part of the game dropped this week, and while very good, I wish we could have seen what they had planned.

Out Now: Sovereign Tower - Knight-shift management RPG

Another of my most wanted games this week. Sovereign Tower is the latest from underrated indie studio Wild Wits - I'm a big fan of their previous games, the roguelite tactics game Aetheris and the card-based narrative adventure Crown Gambit. Sovereign Tower is a wildly different game to its predecessors. An Arthurian management game, with you sitting at the head of the Round Table, hearing petitions from the townsfolk and sending your loyal (if quirky) knights out on quests to keep things in order. There's as much focus on the writing, branching narratives, and characters as the numbers, and tons of GORGEOUS art. Try the demo!

Out Now: Echobreaker - Isometric speedrunning platformer

The second speedrunning platformer in this week's roundup, although it definitely stands apart from Hellsprint. With twin-stick shooter controls and a locked isometric perspective, you're chasing optimized times and hunting for shortcuts, shooting and slashing at enemies and smashing through breakable walls where you can. Your biggest resource here is a limited pool of Echo charges, used for either slow-mo bullet time or bursts of speed, so ration their use carefully. Slick cyberpunk style, too. If that sounds like your jam, try out the demo at least.

Out Now: COTTOn RockWithYou - ORIENTAL NIGHT DREAMS- - Cute-em-up

Not exactly flying off the (virtual) shelves, but it's great to see such a storied old shmup series like Cotton (first started in 1991!) getting another new entry, and a solid-looking one at that, developed by the team behind the Umihara Kawase series. No points for guessing this entry in the 'cute-em-up' franchise is Japanese-themed. The Cotton series has always been on the lighter and more accessible end of the shmup spectrum. Not easy (and certainly challenging to complete without continues), but you won't be drowning in bullets right off the bat. Plenty of playable characters with their own attacks in this one, too.

Out Now: Grim Axiom - Isometric Souls-like

A rare game inspired by FromSoftware's classic Souls series that eschews the over-the-shoulder perspective, in favour of an angled overhead view. Very few user reviews on this one so far, but the initial crop are positive; the game looks quite promising, with some dark and grimy-looking dungeons, familiar stamina-based combat and traps to navigate. I recall hearing some praise for the (now-removed) Next Fest demo, so I'll be circling back on this one to see how it's settling in.

Out Now: Montabi - Creature-collecting tactical deckbuilder

Another roguelike deckbuilder, this one published by big indie brand Akupara. While the creature designs aren't a patch on Pokémon, there's some interesting strategic depth here beyond the Slay The Spire-esque deckbuilding and route-picking, with monsters needing to be captured Pokemon-style to add to your party. Combat here is played out on a pair of 3x3 grids, onto which you deploy and maneuver your creatures, attacking your opponent's playfield on the opposite grid. Positioning, AoE attacks, and tagging in your reserve creatures.

Out Now: GRAIN ROT - Chaotic co-op furniture theft in puppet bodies

Just launched at the time of writing, so I can't tell you how well this one's landed, but Grain Rot was a huge hit during the last Next Fest. Similar to Lethal Company and REPO, you're going into haunted old buildings and underground complexes, scavenging everything valuable you can and investing your riches in your little outpost on the surface, giving this a bit of a roguelite edge. On top of being obviously a very pretty game, there's the fun twist of your body being an expendable wood-and-metal puppet. If you die, you can (usually) just find another to possess with its own set of abilities. But the deeper you dig, the more you get afflicted by the 'rot' that most of the enemies have picked up, manifesting as negative quirks and chaotic emote animations.

Out Now: Expeditions: Samurai - Historical tactical RPG

The fourth entry in the well-liked Expeditions series of historical RPGs (one of which made our RPG starter pack here), this one focused on feudal Japan. Set in an alternative timeline where your custom character is the first Western traveler to become a samurai and become embroiled in the politics and backstabbing (or front-stabbing) of the era. The game promises to have a heavily branching story and town management elements by the time the final version lands, but that won't be until some way in 2027 at earliest. Initial reviews are mixed, but most of the negative ones are howling about 'DEI' or women being able to do... anything, really, so take that with a fistful of salt.

News: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands receives a fresh mission alongside Future Soldier giveaway

I might be one of the few people to prefer Breakpoint (after it was overhauled, at least) over Wildlands, but it's still nice to see Ubisoft giving some extra love to their open-world tactical squad shooter. Specifically, a small free expansion, adding a new mission deep in the jungle, with you hunting down a cult and their masked leader, La Llorona. On top of all that, there's a free weekend running until August 10th, the Predator crossover event is returning for another rumble in the jungle, and they're giving away Ghost Recon Future Soldier (which was pretty good) over on the Ubisoft Store, with all of its DLC built in. Grab it before August 13th and keep it for good.

News: Moonlighter goes (temporarily) free to promote its sequel, leaving Early Access

It only feels right to wrap up this week with something that won't hurt your wallet for once. To celebrate Moonlighter 2 heading into its final stretch of Early Access development, developers Digital Sun have made the original shop management/roguelite dungeon crawl hybrid free until the end of the weekend - grab it now, keep it forever. It's a lovely game, no slouch on either the business management or the Zelda-y dungeon delving you do to collect treasure to stock your store shelves with. Doesn't come with the Between Dimensions expansion, though - you'll have to buy that.

And that concludes our first month of these roundups! Make sure you check out our first, second, and third issues to catch up on everything that's happened in the past month. It's a lot of work keeping up with all the interesting new releases, but we do it for the love of the game(s). And you, of course. If there's anything you think we missed, or just want to talk about from our lineup here, we're always thrilled to see you in the comments below!

Until next time, and remember: Be rootin', be tootin', but above all - be kind.