The first week of June could be the quietest week for video game releases we’ve had in a while. The only game shown on the EB Games website this week is SnowRunner for PS5. That’s how calm things are. The space that used to fill E3 is now halfway across. A window that would normally stay clear while the industry held its breath remains quite dry even without the distraction of the game’s biggest circus.
So what are we looking at here? Of course, it’s Diablo Immortal release week, which becomes the biggest release of the week by default. However, there is a small and clever package of indies that are being released around it. Let’s get into what you’ll be playing this week.
May 31st
Dwerve (computer)
Dwerve is, by its very definition, an adventure of building turrets and destroying trolls. It’s basically a dungeon crawler combined with tower defense mechanics and frankly I’m down. It’s a simple hook and looks great to boot. You caught my eye. You can find it on Steam right here.
Polychromy
You will spend most of your time in Polychromia drawing colored lines. Using your color lines, you’ll need to mix and match new colors as you go. Your color combinations are used to grow small flower pots on each corner of the board. Simple, effective, but over time it will become a misleading challenge. It will drive me crazy. I can’t wait to play it.
SnowRunner (PS5)
SnowRunner is out on PS5 and will receive a new retail version on Birds. It’s great, but if you’ve already played it, I doubt there’s much to come back to.
June 2
Shark Card (NS, PC)
A game about courtesans, decency and the subtle art of cheating on poker. A bright tone, look at this art direction. I can’t wait to play it. Find it on Switch here and on Steam here.
Immortal Devil (I, iOS, PC)
Yes, the hated automatic, much to the chagrin of ARPG fans after its announcement, Diablo Immortal is finally launching this week on mobile and computer. This seems like the kind of game that will make everyone who plays it feel somehow. The prey will be spicy. Twitter will go back and forth. The loot box speech will raise its head again. Of course, it is up to you to make a determination.
It says a lot about the time of year we are in that this is the most important release of the week.
Gravity: Recharged (PS5, XSX, NS, PC, PS4, XBO)
An arcade classic, back from the dead. Gravitar Recharged is launching all of them in Atari VCS if you have one. It’s a classic top-down arcade space shooting game with a new minimalist look. And this soundtrack? Pretty flawless vibrations, tbh. I could see that this is a good “podcast game,” something you can play as you get closer to the music or catch up with your delay.