It’s finally the weekend! In this particular case, you’re probably not looking for something new as heavyweights like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, or Silent Hill 2 have just been released. However, if you’re in need of more options on PC, you’ll be glad to know that the week of October 7-13 is full of new releases, betas, and promotions to keep you entertained.
Personal recommendation? Take advantage of the limited time PowerWash Simulator offers, even if it’s just to try something different, and check out the more powerful ones. Starship Troopers and Off the Grid look promising, and if you’re lucky, you might get into a FragPunk and an Infinity Nikki which also look great.
New games
Starship Troopers: Extermination
We all love the military sci-fi satire that Verhoeven signed in 1997, and lately, it’s more popular than ever: after the undisputed success of Helldivers 2, we dive back into the original IP with a chaotic 16-player multiplayer cooperative game where players defend custom forts against aliens. The development has been long, but finally, version 1.0 is available to anyone interested in the game.
Simulakros
If you enjoy Warframe-style action, you might want to keep an eye on this sci-fi third-person shooter with roguelite progression elements. The combat looks promising, and if you’re curious, there’s a demo available on Steam for you to try before purchasing the full version. Initial reviews mention average performance, but patches may improve the experience over time.
Off the Grid
A military third-person shooter has just been released in early access that might interest you if you like games in the style of CoD or Tarkov. It’s only available through the Epic Games Store, which has received mixed reviews, but with an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, it seems to be decent. What does it offer? Among other things, soldiers with cybernetic implants: you can swap out legs on the fly, for example, and each of these parts has its own mechanics and features.
Events, betas, and updates
FragPunk
A new first-person hero shooter for 5 vs. 5 players with a super striking and colorful art style. Does it have what it takes to overthrow Overwatch 2, Valorant, and the like? Well, who knows. For now, it looks good, and the trailers showcase some interesting mechanics (e.g. you can have a turtle shell on your back to reflect shots from behind), but if you want to try it out, you’ll have to take your chances with the closed beta. You can access it on Steam by clicking the “request access” button. It runs until October 21.
Infinity Nikki
From October 6 to 22, there’s a beta for this relaxing and charming open-world game. A paradise of adorable creatures, exciting music, and plenty to explore and discover. The final game of Infinity Nikki is set to arrive on PC, PS5, and also Android/iOS, but for now, the reach is quite limited. If you want a chance to play, you’ll need to visit the official website and register your email.
Free weekend
PowerWash Simulator
You have until Monday, October 14, to play this popular power washing simulator for free. It may sound niche, but it has collaborated with various IPs like Warhammer 40,000 or Tomb Raider. The latest collaboration is a Shrek DLC (who would’ve thought the green ogre from DreamWorks would end up sharing a game with the Adeptus Mechanicus, right?) where you can clean Shrek’s iconic swamp. Or Lord Farquaad’s citadel. If you enjoy it, the base game has a 30% discount as part of the promotion.
Kingdom: Two Crowns
A well-established minimalist tower-defense game that you can now own forever (or not) with an 80% discount: it’s only 3.99 euros. The discount is due to the recent release of a DLC called Call of Olympus, which has a Greco-Roman setting. User reviews are currently at 72% positive, so it might be a good time to try it out if it catches your interest.
Free forever
Castle Break
Remember the shmup? It’s back (kind of) with bullet-hell physics and mechanics. It’s a unique experiment, for sure, but take a look, and you’ll see that its arcade action is quite good. We need more 80s games, too. Overall reviews are at 89% positive, indicating that it turned out quite well in some way.
Minimalism
It’s a minimalist platformer game, as the name suggests. It stars a cube and has a 72% positive review rating: don’t expect much more. Its true purpose lies in the achievements: it has 165 of them, and the achievement showcase images are letters and kanji characters, so people buy it to decorate their profile with the achievement showcase box. But now you can have it for free instead of for one euro.
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