Somehow we’ve made it halfway through the weird Twilight Zone that 2020 has become. Man has the real-world been depressing but on the digital scape in that sweet escape of gaming, things have been flying high. We’ve had no shortage of amazing game releases, we’ve got the PlayStation 5 coming out and of course, there’s always the gift that keeps on giving – Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This month’s games are leaning on the cutesy indie side, with the exception of Ghost of Tsushima – July’s resident triple-A.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town by Marvelous Inc – July 15th
I’ve been looking forward to the release of this game since last year when I realised only the Japanese version would be available. But now we’re getting not only the wonderful remaster of Friends of Mineral Town on the Nintendo Switch. But we’re getting it for the PC as well! I don’t want to be “that guy” but have you seen the price difference for both those consoles, yikes. Still probably going to get it on Switch though.
If you haven’t played this game before think of it as the OG farming sim. Originally called Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town your main concerns in this game are farming, looking after your crops, fishing and getting married. In that order. If you enjoyed Stardew Valley or My Time at Portia, you’ll want to get on Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam
Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch Productions – July 17th
It’s been a long time since we last saw Ghost of Tsushima at Paris Games Week in 2017. But 3 years later and we’re finally getting a brand new game from the developers of the inFamous series. Set in 1274 feudal Japan, you play as the legendary defender of the Kingdom – the samurai. Rise from the ashes as the last surviving samurai to protect the island of Tsushima from the Mongol Empire. You must move beyond your samurai traditions to forge a new way of fighting—the way of the Ghost—as you wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Japan.
Platform: PlayStation 4
Paper Mario: The Origami King by Intelligent Systems – July 17th
The first Paper Mario series came out way back in 2001 as a kind of spin-off to the beloved Super Mario series. Nintendo wanted to see if we would buy any game featuring Mario and his posse in it and it turns out we will. The newest game Paper Mario: The Origami King features the iconic world of paper and a brand new folded menace. Olly, the Origami King has taken over Princess Peach’s Castle and our hero plumber will be saving his lady fair once again. Expect brand new battle mechanics with “a ring-based battle system” as well as new stationary supply enemies. I too struggle with rubber bands Mario.
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Drake Hollow by The Molasses Flood – July 17th
Drake Hollow has a whole tower defence/management, WWZ thing going for it. But instead of zombies, there’s The Feral. Welcome to The Hollow, a place you and your friends have stumbled upon. In this world live the Drakes, vegetable looking type creatures that need your help. Pikmin style you’ll need to make sure they’re fed, watered and entertained. Because all vegetables need entertainment! So I’ve been told. I don’t know, I don’t go out much. Protect your vegetable babies by harvesting resources, building traps and just swinging at the Feral with a good ole tennis racket. This game looks hella fun and I am here for it! If you haven’t played the developer’s previous survival game The Flame in the Flood, check it out while we wait for this one to launch.
Platform: Xbox One, PC – Steam
Röki by Polygon Treehouse – July 24th
A charming looking point and click adventure that hides a chilling tale beneath. Following the tale of a young Scandanavian girl, Tove is searching for her younger brother, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious monster named Röki. It’s a dark contemporary fairy tale with frozen forests, snow-topped mountains and all sorts of mythical creatures. Nothing is quite as it seems and each creature you meet isn’t entirely good. But are they evil? Delve into a beautiful world ripe with Swedish mythology, gorgeous landscapes and just enough of a creep factor to make your hair stand up.
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam, PC – GOG, Mac
Destroy All Humans! by Black Forest Games, Pandemic Studios – July 28th
The 2005 cult-classic Destroy All Humans! returns in this modern-day remake. In this game, you get to play as an evil terrorizing alien on 1950s Earth. Your job is to harvest the DNA and annihilate the puny humans to bring down the US government. Amazing. You’ve got an arsenal of high-tech alien weaponry, psychic abilities as well as a flying saucer to wreak havoc on mankind. Destroy All Humans! is hella fun. One small step for mankind, one giant alien step that squashes all the humans!
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC – Steam
Ageless by One More Dream Studios – July 28th
We first saw this game way back in 2018 at the Southeast Asian Game Awards. Bala Vicknesh had barely any information online about the game at that time but by 2019 the game was in good shape and we even got to play a demo at Level Up KL. Ageless is a narrative pixel platformer where you can alter the age of any living creature. The game tells the personal story of Kiara, who heads out on a magical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious bow that can age and de-age the plants and animals. It’s a pretty cool concept that has an old-school platformer vibe mixed in with puzzle solving. You can check out their demo on their Steam page.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam
Othercide by Lightbulb Crew – July 29th
Summon the Daughters! A beautiful, fluid army with flowing scarves and a lot of Instaready poses. Othercide is set in a horror style post-apocalyptic world with ritual sacrifices, blood magic and suffering. You wouldn’t expect such a gorgeous game to be associated with turn-based tactics, but this one is. Be the ultimate daddy to your army of Daughters, leading them in battle, evolving their abilities and even sacrificing them when you need to. Spare the rod, spoil the child as they say. I’ve been waiting for Othercide to launch since we last saw it at Pax East.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC – Steam
Fairy Tail by Koei Tecmo – July 30th
The long-running fantasy adventure series Fairy Tail is finally getting it’s very own video game adaptation. Yay. If you haven’t seen Fairy Tail, where have you been? It’s been out since 2011, get on it! In the books and anime series, we follow Natsu a Dragon Slayer of the rowdy Fairy Tail magician guild. In the colourful world of Earth Land, we’re met with Dragon Slayers, shapeshifters, summoners and all sorts of mages and beings. It’s a lot of fun bright comedy adventure and the wide amount of abilities will translate very well into the realm of videogames. imo.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam
