The month of August is usually one of the quieter months of the year in terms of significant video game releases. It might seem ideal to release an ambitious project where you have little to no competition, but there is a reason that plays a huge role.
It’s back to school season, so many people who play video games under the age of 25 are probably gearing up to prepare for school more than checking what new games are coming out in August. The summer season is slowly winding down to an end, so perhaps people are also coming back from their vacations and such. It doesn’t mean that this month is completely barren in terms of releases, and this week proves just that. Here are this week’s (Aug. 16 – 20) releases.
August 16
Road 96 – PC, Nintendo Switch
This procedurally generated, narrative, road trip game is building up to be the better of this month’s indie titles. Road 96 is inspired by the likes of Tarantino, the Coen Brothers, and Bong Joon-ho. The team at DigixArt Entertainment take pride in this game’s ability to tell a unique story for every person who plays their game, while taking in the stunning visuals and soundtrack filled with 90s hits.
August 17
Humankind – Windows, Mac, Stadia
Humankind may be just what the players of Civilization are looking for as a means of healthy competition in the 4X game genre. Amplitude Studios has a solid repertoire of these types of games under their belts like Endless Space, so this game is looking up to be quite possibly better than their previous works. Given the many eras of human civilization the player can play in, this will definitely provide a huge bang for the players’ bucks.
August 19
12 Minutes – PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
12 Minutes is building itself up to be this really intense, narrative-driven, trial-and-error, type of game. According to the game’s website, you play through a top-down perspective of the husband who is having a nice romantic night with his wife. However, events take a grim turn with your wife being accused of murder and a police detective taking your life.
You will relive those 12 minutes prior to your death, over and over, while taking different actions and finding out new things to break the cycle. It feels like the premise of Happy Death Day, only without the humor and a much more grim tone.
Recompile – PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X
This indie game is looking to satiate the palettes of those who like metroidvania games. Its colorful, digitized art style makes this stand out compared to other games. The dashing, shooting, and overall movement of the game looks like it’ll add to the possibility of really sick speed runs.
RiMS Racing – PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, PC
It feels like the motorbiking part of racing simulation games usually isn’t the greatest. Popularity of the subgenre isn’t the problem, but it’s more so the quality that can take a hit. RiMS Racing seems to double down on the realism of the physics and nitty-gritty of bike customization. Players will also be able to take their rides to some of the most iconic circuits in the world from Silverstone to the Nurburgring.
Yuoni – PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, PC
Yuoni is a survival horror game where you play as a 10-year-old girl named Ai. It takes place in the 1990s in Japan. This game will test more of the players ability to hide and run as opposed to having combative means of survival. It’s turning out to be a narrative-driven game incentivizing players for multiple playthroughs for different endings.
August 20
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut – PlayStation 4 and 5
The critically acclaimed Samurai open-world game is getting its proper release onto the PlayStation 5. Ghost of Tsushima was originally released last year before the PS5 was released, so it never got the next-gen optimizations many were hoping for. But this goes beyond that.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is the complete package. It comes with all previously released content like the Legends multiplayer mode, some exclusive items, and the Iki Island expansion. The PS5 version does have extra bonuses over the PS4 like 4k 60FPS and 3D audio. It’ll also add lip syncing for Japanese voices.
There are some controversial topics discussed in terms of the game’s pricing differences between the PS4 and PS5. Most other games on the PS4 can be upgraded to the PS5 versions with no additional cost and with free save file conversion from last-gen to current gen.
Madden NFL 22 – PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X, PC, Stadia
The yearly American Football game with the most up-to-date rosters and visuals is coming out this week. It seems that the team at EA are really addressing some of the previous games’ shortcomings and improving the game more for the current gen systems. There were also talks about a “home field advantage” system among other things to keep the game having many features for player retention. The like-to-dislike ratio for the game’s reveal trailer will definitely have people thinking twice before buying the game on day one.
