The Maw: what’s new in PC games this week?
This week’s least insufferable releases, plus our news liveblog
Live
Image credit: Internet Archive Book Images
Happy Monday all! Yes, I wrote that with total sincerity. We all deserve a happy Monday – perhaps video games can help with that. As you’d expect, Elden Ring’s recently released Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC remains this week’s Big Kahuna, with no obvious mega releases in the offing to break its chokehold on the discourse, but I have dipped my latex-gloved hand into the gestation pools and fished out a few promising oddities.
Monday 24th June kicks off with bone-throwing dungeon solitaire Dice & Fold. On Tuesday 25th June, we’ve got the remake of mystical 90s point-and-clicker Riven – now with real-time 3D environments, shock – together with magic realist high school visual novel Until Then and Argentinian folk horror Pomberito, in which a farmer must survive five nights while investigating a local beastie. Skipping forward to Thursday 27th June, there’s some Orpheus DLC for RPG musical Stray Gods, and the early access launch of 30 player last-person-stand ’em up Battle Crush. On Friday 28th June, there’s the early access release of tornado-chasing simulation OUTBRK, which has you monitoring rogue weather on a 625 square kilometre map.
Here at the RPS Treehouse we’ll be spending a fair bit of the week feeding the Maw freshly-hewn pieces of Erdtree, but we’ll also be running our mitts over a co-op anime shooter I won’t spoil, dredging up long-forgotten Aliens games, and possibly finding time for a stylised retro FPS or two. The Maw would typically consider this spartan fare, but there’s so much molten Elden Ring DLC running through its cyclopean veins I think we’ll get away with it. Even the Maw needs time to digest.
Key points
09:50 am
June 24 2024
IT IS MONDAY
13:55 pm
UTC
Klei’s Invisible Inc turns 10 this week. To celebrate, you can get the full game plus the soundtrack and Contingency Plan DLC for the practically invisible price of £2.30, $3, or 3€.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
13:12 pm
UTC
A modder has turned a Hard Drive joke, about a Stardew Valley ‘Hardcore Mode’ that deletes your save if you look up guides, into a reality, via GamesRadar.
– Nic Reuben
13:08 pm
UTC
UK retail chain GAME have denied a report that suggested they were planning to stop selling physical games, whatever they are, via VG247. Admittedly, I too occasionally feel the spectral pangs of this widespread Mandela Effect, whenever I read a shampoo bottle on the toilet and suffer vivid hallucinations of something called an ‘instruction manual’.
– Nic Reuben
11:46 am
UTC
Erstwhile Days Gone creative director John Garvin is back on the horn with tweets about his pitch for a sequel, which game director Jeff Ross has said will “never happen”.
Dude, never say never… management at Sony could have a change of heart and bring me and @JakeRocket back into the fold to do a sequel … I’m not holding my breath … though I gotta say, I had a full outline for the sequel, and world map that expanded the game, all done https://t.co/qVLMXgxz9E
— John Garvin (@John_Garvin) June 24, 2024
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
11:28 am
UTC
Maw enthusiasts may have noticed that this week’s liveblog article is differently styled, with what I hope is a slightly more engaging and transparent headline. The Maw is in a state of evolution – a terrifying time. As such, we especially welcome any thoughts you have about its future in the comments.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
10:56 am
UTC
SGDQ 2024 kicks off this Sunday, 30th of June, through to the 6th of July. Cheers for the heads up, valued RPS community member 6506!
– Nic Reuben
10:14 am
UTC
A tucked-away item found early in Shadow Of The Erdtree effectively adds Sekiro’s parrying, adding a whole new dimension to combat. Cheers, PC Gamer!
– Nic Reuben
10:14 am
UTC
Via PCGamer – yes, there are actually two dudes wearing that horrible lion costume in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree.
Divine Beast Dancing Lion – Closer Look
Watch on YouTube
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
10:12 am
UTC
A former Creative Assembly developer that worked on Rome 2 and Atilla before leaving the studio has posted a lengthy account on Medium, detailing his negative experiences with both the leadership structure and being blamed by fans for Rome 2’s rocky release.
– Nic Reuben
10:09 am
UTC
Post-apoc city-builder New Cycle, which Sin wasn’t wholly convinced by, hath a new early access roadmap. “Cormac McCarthy’s The Roadmap”, they should call roadmaps for post-apoc games. Planned additions include *squints* “luxury consumer goods”? Apocalyptic indeed.
Image credit: Daedalic Entertainment
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
10:01 am
UTC
I played a bit of knightly platformer Renaine’s demo over the weekend and enjoyed it. While Shovel Knight is the obvious comparison, I also get a very faint Mystery Dungeon vibe from it.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
09:59 am
UTC
Slay The Princess devs Black Tabby Games have said they’re OK with you pirating their game if you can’t afford it. The game is currently enjoying a boost thanks to a Markiplier video over the weekend.
Or if you can’t afford the game in general, pirate it! No skin off our back, and you can always buy a copy later if you think the game was worth your money.
And then watch Mr. Plier. 🙂
— Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut Era (@blacktabbygames) June 22, 2024
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
09:53 am
UTC
From Game Informer via VGC, Obsidian’s Avowed is apparently roundabouts as long as their previous sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
09:51 am
UTC
Bamco have some advice for struggling Shadow Of The Erdtree players.
This is a suggestion to level up your Scadutree Blessing
— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) June 22, 2024
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
09:50 am
UTC
IT IS MONDAY
Time to draw our breath in pain and distribute the news. FEED THE MAW.
– Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
