March 25 - 31

  Felix “Cloud City” Threepaper

Welcome folks, and happy “1,603rd Anniversary of the founding of Venice” week!

According to legend, Venice was founded on 25 March 421, with the establishment of a church on the bank of the Rialto, a small island surrounded by canals. I’m not sure why establishing a church marks the founding of a city more than the building of actual houses or anything, but you may all celebrate by playing a city-builder with bonuses for special buildings.

It’s a slow week this week, a quarter-time break from a busy start to the year.

South Park: Snow Day! is a bunch of firsts for South Park games: the first to go 3D, the first to have multiplayer co-op, and the first to be a roguelite. You and up to 3 friends (or bots) cruise around the snowed-in town, having battles in either PvE or PvP mode. On the way, you collect powerups and unlock cards that you can take into later runs, Hades-style. It’s going for ‘infinite replayability’ rather than a story-heavy game like the previous console South Park games. Strange, then, that there is no local co-op or crossplay. While the systems look OK enough, YMMV depending on where you’re at with South Park’s humour, which has been going for 27 years at this point. Also, it has the foundations of a live service game model, with season pass pricing and promises of new levels, maps, cards, and skins down the road.

STASIS: BONE TOTEM is a point’n’click adventure game that involves exploring an abandoned oil rig in the middle of the ocean. It’s got a Thing-like storyline, so there’s horror and suspense mixed in with the puzzles and exploration.

Felix the Cat is a port of 2 Felix the Cat games that appeared on the NES and Game Boy. They’re Mario-knockoff platformers. If you thought South Park was an ageing IP, Felix the Cat has been around since 1919. If you want a “vintage cartoon’ feel, play Cuphead instead.

Planet Zoo is the console release of this classic zoo tycoon game from 2019.

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is a 4X city-builder that wants to keep things high-level and fun without bogging you down in the micromanagement that besets most big strategy games. Designed with a controller in mind, the 3D city-building aspect is very intuitive and flexible. For example, you can build anywhere you like (that doesn’t already have someone on it), and the controls help you snap things quickly into place—you use the controls to draw lines to mark out your buildings and join things up, then the game builds the rest of it out for you in impressively lovely detail. Once a building is built, you don’t have to do much to manage the people in it, keeping you focused on building the next thing.

Bulwark’s world is a bunch of islands, and you can build up quite high, but eventually you will have to find new islands to explore and build on. This is where other factions and encounters come in. You can choose between being diplomatic and trade-focused with your neighbours, or straight-up fighting them. In freeplay mode, these choices are largely up to you; rarely will you be forced to play one way or another. If you want a more directed experience, there’s also some campaigns with objectives that will require more focus on combat or diplomacy.

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles gets the GOTW. It looks like a tranquil podcast game that doesn't demand that you learn a bunch of crunchy strategic rules and economic systems, but instead invites you to enjoy building your structures up to the sky. On top of that, the soundtrack is by Mark Morgan, who did the scores for the original Fallout, Wasteland 3, and a bunch of games in between EDIT: Benedict Nichols, an award-winning composer who did the soundtrack for the previous Falconeer game.

GWJ Word of the Week

4X: Short for “Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate”, 4X is one of the few game descriptors that describes both a genre of game and the strategy you use to win it. 4X games are a sub-set of strategy games where the goal is total domination of the map. Civilization is a classic series in this regard, where you start by founding one city and can end up taking over the entire planet. 4X can be used in turn-based games, like Civilization, or real-time games, like StarCraft. Leaving aside the colonial story narratives that are created by this style of game, gameplay-wise, 4X games often get bogged down as your empire grows ever larger. In the mid to late game, players can become fatigued by all the administration and micromanagement that goes along with having large armies, heaps of resources and lots of production nodes. In recent decades, strategy game designers have tried to address this. One way is by including win conditions that don’t require complete annihilation of all other players. For example, I don’t think you can conquer the whole map in Crusader Kings 3 *puts finger to earpiece* of course, unless you play as the Mongols.

Here's the list, in release-date AND alphabetical order!

PC

• 03-26

• Animal Kart Racer 2
• Bridge Maker
• Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
• Climb Challenge - Find Items 4
• Climb Challenge - Find Items 5
• Colony City 27
• Contraptions Collection
• DORONKO WANKO
• Go Fight Fantastic!
• Hydroplane: Riptide Racers
• Intergalactic Pawn Shop: Prologue
• Millennia
• NOTTOLOT
• Outpost: Infinity Siege
• Potato Arena
• Purelove Monologue: Xiaoxiao
• Roll the Ball
• South Park: Snow Day!
• Sultan Jumps
• Weed Harvest
• Wrestling Cardboard Championship
• Zerko

• 03-27

• Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn
• Bot Patrol
• Cabbage Crop
• Cannot Contain
• Casual Mahjong
• Color Splash: Dinosaurs
• Distant Bloom
• Hebereke Enjoy Edition
• Horror School Story
• Hulzuyot: Horror Game
• I brought the noble girl home
• Jack
• Jet Skiing Race
• Keys And Kastles
• Necrosmith 2
• Piecing It Together
• Psychometric Personality Profiler
• River Town Factory: Prologue
• Save and Survive
• Save from Bobr Curve
• Shade Hunters
• Terra Memoria
• The Last Explorer
• War Tortoise 2
• We Are Not Alone
• Worst Coach in the World
• Yatzi

• 03-28

• Adventure of Rikka - The Cursed Kingdom
• Argyle Manor, Book 1: Away From The Sun
• Ario
• Avoid Falls!
• Backgammon + Muhle + Dame
• Bar Breaker
• Clue For Your Thoughts
• Copz N Zombies
• DOG
• Dungeons of the Obelisk
• Evil Sinister
• Femdom Game World: Stepsister
• FURTIVE
• Galactic Ruler Enlightenment
• goHELLgo: Tsukiotosh*teko
• Heroes and Overlord :Prologue
• I KNOW YOUR ADDRESS
• Just Another Night Shift
• KanjiMemory
• King Island
• King Towers
• Maniac
• Missile Dancer 2
• My Life: Farm Vet
• Old Market Simulator: Prologue
• One Last Breath
• Open Roads
• POE
• The Journalist
• The Stalked
• Uncle's Basement
• Unstrayed
• VALIANT TACTICS EX
• Winnie-The-Pooh Taste Test
• Zombies!!!
• Zoo Simulator: Prologue

• 03-29

• 8AM
• Back in Prehistory
• BallCore
• Booeys: Rip in the Rift
• Carpathian Night
• ComicBACHICoooN!!
• D-Day Invasions
• Depths of Insanity 2
• Drop Mahjong tiles
• Escape the Traps
• Fallacy Quiz
• Felvidek
• Giant Hornet
• Goshujinsama wa Imouto Daga?
• Hitodzuma no Aneto no Kin Jirareta Yuuwaku W Furin
• Icha x2 Study Yuno ~Dear Future~
• Inline: Out of Time
• Koibana Renai - Mini Fandisk - After Festival
• Mannequin House
• Meet The Animals
• Megasuki! ~Memorial Stories~ Inami Otoha - Complete Pack
• Mini Zen Garden
• Moon's Creed: Prologue
• Mujina
• Mushrush
• My COUSIN is a FEMBOY
• My Grandpa's Haunted House
• Nukikore vol.55 Kikai Shikake no Eve ~ DeaExMachina ~
• PHOSPHENIA
• Pro Bus Driver 2
• Project TERRA
• Pure x Holic ~Junketsu Otome to Konin Kankei!?~
• Purpose 1951
• Route8
• Ruins Escape
• Sealed in Wax
• SEARCH ALL - CANDLES
• Shi to Kanojo to Mawaru Sekai -THE END OF THE EVENT-
• Sister's Curriculum
• Slime Climber
• Spring Dash
• The Legend of Wuji Heroes: Sifu's Quest
• The Princess Knight Janne 2 RE:BORN
• The World's Egg - For Those Who Dream
• Tsuitachi Yoru-sama wa Mite Hoshii
• Turbo Champ
• Unravel Trigger
• Vacant's Mine

• 03-30

• How Little We Wait

• 03-31

• Age of Rust
• An Everyday Story
• Art of Stunt
• Aurelia
• Backrooms VS
• Battle for the Void
• Boardquest: Tales of Liria
• Casebook 1899 - The Leipzig Murders
• COMMUNION
• Corlero
• Cyndaria
• Domynyo
• Dungeon Dot Ruby
• Exodus (Peleg Harel)
• Gori: Cuddly Carnage
• Gridiron
• Grief like a stray dog
• Heath: The Unchosen Path
• Hired - Assassin Simulator
• Honeycomb
• Lost Isle
• Magic Boutique of Royal Blue
• MORTARMEN
• Nascence
• Noun Town Language Learning
• ODR HOCKEY HEROES
• Overboss
• Rising Sun - Iron Aces
• Sneaky Seekers
• Tankettes
• The Beauty Cult's NECTARMANCER
• The Crust
• Tiles
• UniDuni
• Unrelaxing Quacks
• Warpflux
• Wormventures - Barrier 51

Xbox Series X

• 03-26

• Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
• Planet Zoo
• South Park: Snow Day!

• 03-27

• Sunny Cafe
• Terra Memoria

• 03-28

• Ario
• MARS 2120
• One Last Breath
• Open Roads
• STASIS: BONE TOTEM

• 03-29

• Re:Touring
• Richman 11

• 03-31

• Death Relives
• Front Mission 1st Remake
• Gori: Cuddly Carnage
• Hero.EXE
• Octopath Traveler II
• Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland

Xbox One

• 03-26

• Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
• Grandia HD Collection

• 03-27

• Sunny Cafe

• 03-28

• MARS 2120
• One Last Breath
• Open Roads

• 03-29

• Re:Touring
• Richman 11

• 03-31

• Gori: Cuddly Carnage
• Harold Halibut
• Hero.EXE
• Octopath Traveler II
• Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland

PlayStation 5

• 03-26

• Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
• Planet Zoo
• South Park: Snow Day!

• 03-27

• Sunny Cafe
• Terra Memoria

• 03-28

• Ario
• Felix the Cat
• Fortress S
• Open Roads
• OTXO
• Radirgy 2
• STASIS: BONE TOTEM
• Winning Post 10 2024

• 03-29

• Richman 11

• 03-31

• Death Relives
• Gori: Cuddly Carnage
• Hero.EXE
• Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland

PlayStation 4

• 03-26

• Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
• Contraptions Collection
• Grandia HD Collection

• 03-27

• Sunny Cafe

• 03-28

• Felix the Cat
• goHELLgo: Tsukiotosh*teko
• MARS 2120
• Motesolo: No Girlfriend Since Birth
• Open Roads
• OTXO
• PriministAr
• Radirgy 2
• STASIS: BONE TOTEM
• Winning Post 10 2024

• 03-29

• My Time at Sandrock
• Richman 11

• 03-31

• Death Relives
• Flashback 2
• Gori: Cuddly Carnage
• Hero.EXE
• Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland

Nintendo Switch

• 03-26

• Contraptions Collection
• Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle
• Farming Simulator Kids
• South Park: Snow Day!

• 03-27

• Hebereke Enjoy Edition
• Not Tonight 2
• Sunny Cafe
• Terra Memoria

• 03-28

• 100 Doors - Escape from Prison
• Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn
• Amairo Chocolata
• Amairo Chocolate
• Blind Shot
• Cricket 24
• Escape Fear: Hide and Seek Horror
• Escape Game The Kitty School
• goHELLgo: Tsukiotosh*teko
• Junior Labyrinth
• MARS 2120
• Missile Dancer 2
• Monster Panic
• Muv-Luv 20th Odyssey Box
• Muv-Luv Alternative
• My Little Universe: Demodium
• Nyanzou & Kumakichi Bomb Cave
• Old Coin Pusher Friends 2
• One Last Breath
• Open Roads
• OTXO
• Outward: Definitive Edition
• Pepper Grinder
• PriministAr + Strawberry Nauts Set
• Radirgy 2
• Soul Dog TD
• STASIS: BONE TOTEM
• The World After
• Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files
• Umineko no Naku Koro ni Saku + Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou + Origin Special Set
• Winning Post 10 2024
• Xak: The Art of Visual Stage
• Zenkoku Shougakusei Ana ume English Quiz
• Zombiewood

• 03-29

• 3D PrintMaster Simulator
• 7 Days Heroes
• Coffee, Plis
• Forrader Hero
• Fruity Puzzler
• Go Kart Mania
• House
• Mad Experiments 2: Escape Room
• nZen
• Re:Touring

• 03-30

• Labyrinthia Nightmares: THE JOURNEY OF LITTLE FLUFFYPUFF

• 03-31

• 1000xRESIST
• Drift Force Xtreme: Ultimate Car Simulator 2024
• Flashback 2
• G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra
• Gori: Cuddly Carnage
• Hatch Tales
• Hero.EXE
• MISTROGUE: Mist and the Living Dungeons
• Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland