August 2023 New Games Thread

[Violentvixen]

Thread concept:
The basic idea is to list new games that you are interested in, as well as games you are potentially curious about or want to give wider attention to. You can briefly describe them or ask other people to help fill you in. The hope is that regular threads like these can act as a collective filter/discovery mechanism to help people decide what is worth checking out.

"New games" means any new title that is being released or ported this month in any capacity (not "backlogs/what you are playing this month"). The angle here is sharing your anticipation and promoting game discovery (as opposed to sharing comments about a first playthrough in progress - that belongs elsewhere).

• If you want a handy list that covers most of the major upcoming games of the month, here's a few text lists of upcoming games:
  • Giant Bomb
  • Game Informer
  • Wikipedia

Here are the subscription service lists for this month:

Games with Gold

• When the Past was Around July 16-Aug 15
• Blue Fire Aug 1-31
• Inertial Drift Aug 1-31

Gamepass

• Celeste Aug 1
• Everspace 2 - August 15
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - August 18
• Sea of Stars - August 29

PS+

• PGA Tour 2K23 (PS5, PS4)
• Death's Door (PS5, PS4)
• Dreams (PS4)

Feel free to post other lists or list videos that you find useful.
If there is already a thread on TT about a game, please add a link to it.

Final request: If you are the first person to mention a game please provide (at minimum) a short sentence description. (If it is a very big AAA release though, then don't worry about it.) This is a good convention that makes the thread more useful as a discovery mechanism, and especially helps out anyone who doesn't follow the news as closely as you.

 

[Violentvixen]

I'm excited for Sea of Stars as I loved The Messenger and am curious to see a game set in the past in the same world. I didn't realize it was going to be on Gamepass until I made this thread so that's neat. Also I forgot there's a demo, although since it's on Gamepass I'll probably skip the demo and

Stray Gods is a roleplaying musical that comes out August 10th, someone on here mentioned it and I played the demo a while ago. Lots of Broadway/musical theatre names, neat animation and seemed well-written from the demo. The plot is a murder mystery but also there's some Old Gods stuff going on that wasn't really revealed in the demo but is clearly there.

Paper Trail is an interesting puzzle game where you fold the screen the move forward. It looked really neat and I think people here might like it, just not in a puzzle game mood myself.

Firebird is a narrative game about being a Slavic truck driver. Demo was great although it seems pretty clear Bad Things might happen, or there will be Tough Choices.

Flutter Away is a photography game that comes out August 3rd. Another demo I liked and this is a genre I want to check out more.

The cat game Stray that's been out on Playstation for a while comes to Xbox this month too and I'm hoping it gets added to Gamepass although that's not announced yet.

 

[q 3]

This isn't intended as a callout or anything, but I feel it's worth pointing out that the Sea of Stars developers have made some questionable decisions like lauding noted transphobe and alt-right influencer Jordan Peterson (discussed previously here). Like, I wish someone had told me about that before I bought and played The Messenger and got to that part and was like, uh... Especially for a fully fledged RPG, I just have zero confidence in the writing of creators who are, in the most charitable interpretation, gullible enough to fall for that man's brilliant insights like "clean your room" and "nearly die from a 100% meat diet."

 

[Bongo]

I'm kind of curious about 30XX. I thought 20XX was just okay, but with lots of avenues for improvement, and I've broken through my roguelike block as well in recent months. Perhaps getting in on the ground floor will work out for me.

 

[WildcatJF]

This isn't intended as a callout or anything, but I feel it's worth pointing out that the Sea of Stars developers have made some questionable decisions like lauding noted transphobe and alt-right influencer Jordan Peterson (discussed previously here). Like, I wish someone had told me about that before I bought and played The Messenger and got to that part and was like, uh... Especially for a fully fledged RPG, I just have zero confidence in the writing of creators who are, in the most charitable interpretation, gullible enough to fall for that man's brilliant insights like "clean your room" and "nearly die from a 100% meat diet."

That's where I'm at with Sea of Stars. Looks great, but fuck this philosophy. No hate to anyone interested who can look past that, but I can't.

I'm probably holding off from anything this month.

 

[Violentvixen]

I do not know why The Messenger stuff doesn't stick in my brain. Thanks for the reminder, all.

 

[MetManMas]

They come near the end of it but this month has both a new Armored Core and a new Samba De Amigo and odds are good I will pre-order one of 'em.

 

[Peklo]

HoloCure is coming to Steam on the 17th. It coincides with update 0.6--customarily extensive for the game and its development context--and saves will be transferrable from the Itch release. It is a free game and one of the best in its genre. Thread here.

Also late in the month, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will release. As glad as I am for From remembering other parts of their past and reviving them, I am in a position of a newly-introduced player to the series, having played the first four games earlier in the year and planning to play more. From that recent experience, the specific tonalities reached for in VI's preview material put me off and make me skeptical whether this will be the Armored Core I've recently known--dry and clinical about its politics and aesthetic, but also funny and brightly creative in how to express them--rather than a nominal comeback more interested in continuing the From house style of the preceding decade of stuffy fatalism and gloomy sights and sounds. Thread here.

 

[Sarcasmorator]

I've got a code coming for Sea of Stars (paid for long before learning about the above; I suppose I'll see what's in the game goes before deciding what to do with the physical copy I'll get later), and I'm looking forward to getting Death's Door on PS5 (though may wait a bit to play it, since it shares a lot of DNA with Tunic, which I am currently playing). Otherwise I think I'm taking a break for the month. I have a backlog to work through, especially after the one-two-three punch of Jedi: Survivor, Tears of the Kingdom, and Final Fantasy XVI devoured the last few months.

 

[Lakupo]

I've got way too many games going on right now (I just picked up Arcadian Atlas and Venba), but I will drop everything for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Team Reptile's love letter to Jet Grind Radio/Jet Set Radio Future. It hits Steam and Switch on the 18th, with PS and Xbox on September 1st. They just dropped a new trailer today so my hype is at 11.

 

[Classic]

Not a new game, but Rune Factory 3 getting re-released.

Rune Factory 3 Special for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Rune Factory 3 Special

www.nintendo.com

 

[4-So]

Big Mech media bores me but something about Armored Core 6 has me intruiged. Still haven't decided if I'm going to pick it up. I may just end up chipping away at my main character in season 1 of Diablo 4 and prepping myself for September.

 

[Paul le Fou]

As a Souls stan, Armored Core VI is definitely on my radar, but I'm a little divided on getting it. Then again, I was divided on getting Sekiro and made it like a week before picking it up, and that's one of my favorites, so like, I'll probably grab it unless the reviews are bad.

Otherwise, I'm working through my backlog and not spending money. Only a From game could get me to break out the wallet right now.

 

[Fyonn]

I'm obviously consuming Armored Core 6 the second it comes out. The footage I've seen suggests the lock-on is going to be busted as heck for PvP, but that means it will likely be much easier to play PvE than prior Armored Core. Hopefully it's good, but as a long time fan, I already know that Armored Core as a franchise is synonymous with being nearly a good game.

 

[lincolnic]

I'm looking forward to getting Death's Door on PS5 (though may wait a bit to play it, since it shares a lot of DNA with Tunic, which I am currently playing).

If it helps at all, I think the only thing Death's Door and Tunic really have in common is the fact that they share a 3D isometric view. Death's Door is generally more action-y, not nearly as much of Tunic's "the whole game is a puzzle" vibe.

(To be clear, I absolutely loved Death's Door and almost got the platinum trophy when I played it. Tunic is very good too, but I clicked much harder with Death's Door.)

 

[lincolnic]

Oh yeah, Blasphemous 2 comes out later this month, if anyone's looking for more weirdo 2D Catholic Souls Metroidvania action. I'll probably get it eventually but I'm not sure if I need it at launch.

 

[MetManMas]

Browsing the upcoming releases on Xbox I learned that Stray finally hits the platform in about a week.

I am looking forward to it!

 

[Sarcasmorator]

If it helps at all, I think the only thing Death's Door and Tunic really have in common is the fact that they share a 3D isometric view. Death's Door is generally more action-y, not nearly as much of Tunic's "the whole game is a puzzle" vibe.

(To be clear, I absolutely loved Death's Door and almost got the platinum trophy when I played it. Tunic is very good too, but I clicked much harder with Death's Door.)

Oh I've played a bit of Death's Door already on PC. It's not as hard but has a similar "short-range attacks and lots of avoiding hits" flow to it, at least for me. Plus limited magic abilities, saving/resetting at doors, etc. The bird is a little more nimble is all. It is more straightforward though!

I'm enjoying Tunic a lot, though the bosses seem like an undue difficulty spike compared to the rest. Reminds me a lot of Hyper Light Drifter, except no fast dashing.

 

[Violentvixen]

Browsing the upcoming releases on Xbox I learned that Stray finally hits the platform in about a week.

I am looking forward to it!

Still hoping this comes to Gamepass but seems unlikely if they haven't announced it at this point. Oh well.

 

[MetManMas]

Given how critically acclaimed the game is I absolutely understand why Stray would forego a GamePass showing at launch. Get dem sales.

 

[Pajaro Pete]

Virgo Versus The Zodiac hits consoles later this month. It's an RPG, it feature some timed hit combat antics, it might even tide you over until another RPG with timed hit launches in November.....

The sequels to Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure are finally getting released because NISA ran out of NIS back catalogue to port. They're musical RPGs. The songs are still in Japanese because obvi they were not gonna bother recording songs for this. They do not feature Disgaea-style Number Go Up shenanigans. Also, since this is a NISA port of an old game, if you're interested it may be wise to hold off for like a week to see which platform has game breaking bugs.

 

[Octopus Prime]

Virgo vs. Zodiac went right to the top of my list once I learned of it

 

[YangusKhan]

Darkest Dungeon II is getting an update this month that, among other things, adds Steam Deck and controller support. Which means I can finally play it.

 

[Violentvixen]

The cat game Stray that's been out on Playstation for a while comes to Xbox this month too and I'm hoping it gets added to Gamepass although that's not announced yet.

This is on sale right now and I've been wanting it for quite a while (but wasn't sure my computer could handle it on Steam) so just pre-ordered. I'm excited!

 

[MetManMas]

Me waiting for the pre-ordered cat game to finally be playable on my Xbox be all like

 

[YangusKhan]

Since this has been coming up a lot around here with the imminent release of Sea of Stars, here's an article titled Sea of Stars and the Jordan Peterson Thing. It's one assessment from Astrolabe author Aidan Moher.