Weekend Gaming Playlist (4-29-22)

Who doesn’t love Spring? Well, me, apparently. This year’s pollen has struck me with such severity that I am continuing to wear a mask outside just to try to avoid breathing clear air. So instead of enjoying the fresh flowers and clearer weather, I guess I’ll just have to stay indoors and play some video games instead. Oh boy.

Here’s what I’m playing this weekend:

Roguebook

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This unique take on the roguelike card battler comes from Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: the Gathering, which means it is right up my alley. The game’s out-of-combat structure doesn’t really lend itself to quick sessions, as you’ll be filling in the blank hexes of the eponymous Roguebook with ink in order to explore for items and circumvent dangers, but the deck-building and combat mechanics are a unique twist on the formula that rose to prominence with games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train. With plenty of opportunities to diversify your build across a team of two characters that constantly switch positioning, Roguebook has clever twists of its own to offer one who may have tapped out of the aforementioned titles.

Transiruby

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I’ve always had a keen eye on the works from Developer Skipmore, as their earlier Fairune titles were simplistic, but enjoyable sendups of the Ys series. Some might recognize the art and design stylings of this developer from their extremely strategic, first-year release of Kamiko on the Nintendo Switch. Their latest release is Transiruby, a metroidvania jam-packed with Skipmore’s resource management-focused gameplay and a colorful cast of characters. From what I’ve played of the game so far, it hits all the right notes, standing out as an incredibly efficient and competent game from a developer advancing their craft in many ways. That might not sound like high praise, but watching this developer continue to integrate complex elements into their games from their humble beginnings with Drancia Saga on mobile devices and the 3DS eShop to Transiruby has been extremely exciting.

Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King

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This release from Redlock Studio is a reality-warping Soulslike Action RPG featuring beautiful art and unexpected platforming elements. While it certainly does seem to be cutting some corners in order to perform on Switch, the typical Soulslike elements are present: dodge rolling, slow combat animations, and an early-game encounter that will kick your teeth in. I’ll be covering Shattered for the website, so stay tuned for footage and impressions in the near future.

That’s what I have on my playlist this weekend. Are you a deck-building fan? Want to see what a small-scale indie Metroidvania looks like? Are you still waiting for the other Dark Souls games to make their way to Switch? Let us know your thoughts on these games and what you’ll be playing on Twitter, our Discord, or in the comments below!