Welcome back to This Week In Games Australia! This week: rollerdrome leads another week of exceptional indies. We’ve got Animal Crossing likes in catizensstyle makeovers in Fashion Police Squad, Fall Guys antics in Kirby’s Dream Buffet, and much more! What are you playing this week? Let us know in the comments below.
August 16
catizens (PC)
If you played Animal Crossing and thought, this is great, but it would be better if everyone was a catthen good news. catizens is here to give that. Sort of. There’s more of a city-builder element going on here than there in AC, and I don’t remember my villagers having to defend against raids from rat people trying to take their stuff. Check out the trailer. You’ll know right away if this is up your alley or not.
Fashion Police Squad (PC)
One of my favorite demos from this year’s Steam Next Fest moves into full release this week. Fashion Police Squad combines the Build engine aesthetic of Duke Nuke and the camp drama of drag racing. You’re not shooting to kill, you’re shooting to slay. Every enemy you shoot with your weapons of high fashion takes their outfits from drab to fab, improving their lives and saving them from the menace of boring wardrobe. A fantastic idea, brilliantly executed. Get around it.
Monster Tribe (PC)
Monster Tribe is a hybrid of creature collector with a classic, SNES-era RPG. But also, there’s crafting and an element of dungeon crawling as well? This one is doing a lot, and I’m keen to check it out. With all these ingredients in the pot, can it carve out an identity for itself? I’m excited to see.
Way of the Hunter (PS5, XSX, Xbox)
I don’t like the idea of killing animals for sport. I think it’s a fucked up thing to embrace as a hobby, so I was never going to play this. If games like Call of the Hunter are your thing, no judgment, I’d rather you shoot digital animals rather than real ones.
August 17
rollerdrome (PS5, PC, PS4)
I think this one’s gonna be our game of the week. The latest title from Roll7, the creators of the excellent Olli-Olli series, is a game about skating around and shooting guys. I know people are going to make comparisons to Normal Jewison’s rollerball, and that’s fine. I’m keen to see if rollerdrome can stand on its own.
August 18
Kirby’s Dream Buffet (NS)
Ruby’s personal game of the week, and let me tell you: she cannot believe Nintendo is giving her two kirby games in the same year. It’s kirby meets Fall Guys, which is a very Nintendo way to approach the brawler royale space. This will be a digital-only release so unless Limited Run wants to get involved down the line, you’ll only be able to get it from the Switch eShop.
Robo Revenge Squad (PC, NS, PS4, XBO)
This looks like a combination of Robot Wars and tower defence. Should make for an interesting multiplayer experience, I think, but the trailers aren’t doing a great job of conveying what the game es. Keen to check it out and see what’s going on here.
August 19
The Ascent: Cyber Heist DLC (PS5, XSX, PC, PS4, XBO)
Throwing this one on the list because The Ascent is great, and I will take any excuse to reinstall and play more of it.
Cursed to Golf (PS5, XSX, PC, NS, PS4, XBO)
I know, for many people, myself included, golf can feel indistinguishable from being trapped in hell. The team at Chuhai Labs may feel similarly because their new game Cursed to Golf is all about golfing your way out of purgatory. Upgrade your little guy with abilities that let him defy physics, like adjusting the ball’s trajectory mid-flight, and get the hell out of hell.
Expedition Agartha (PC)
Expedition Agartha is a first-person dungeon crawler with Chivalry‘s sense of swordplay. There’s also a kind of Borderlands-like soft cel-shaded look to the visuals going on? I don’t know what that’s about in the context of its world, but it certainly looks cool. If you’ve been done with Kingdom Come: Deliverance for a while and craving more, maybe this will scratch that itch for you.
Madden 23 (PS5, XSX, PC, PS4, XBO)
Wait, wait, wait. I know we’re Australians and most of us don’t give a shit about American football, but don’t scroll past. Years of reviewing any game I could get my hands on taught me that sometimes, trying a game you don’t think you’ll enjoy can be beneficial. the Madden series was one of those games I found really enlightening. It taught me a lot about American football and how the game actually works, and it’s actually very, very good at this. Moreover? Getting to grips with this bizarre, mutant form of football was super fun. I’m just saying, if you’re partial to a sports sim, consider it. I think it’s generally a lot better than most Aussies give it credit for.
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright (NS)
Imagine being back in primary school and your friend drawing a kind of ad-hoc D&D campaign for you in their notebooks. That’s the thrust of RPG Time: The Legend of Wright. This one’s cute, and will be fun to play with your kids.
We Are OFK (PS5, PC, NS, PS4)
We Are OFK is an interactive narrative adventure game about a band putting an album together. You’ll have to bicker over lyrics, argue in texts, get to know each bandmate, and step through interactive music videos on your way to musical stardom.
August 20
Figment 2: Creed Valley (PC, NS)
This is one of the better trailers I’ve seen in a little bit. figure 2 is a very self-aware, puzzle-adventure game about imagination and musical boss fights. I really like the vibe of this one, I’m gonna be checking it out. There’s a demo on the Switch eShop if you want to get a taste before diving in.