Hello everyone! I am writing this one a little earlier this week because my Friday is going to be jam packed at work as we wrap up submission for Xbox. I forgot just how intense final days of submission prep can be. Please, make sure you send some good thoughts my way (or at least some coffee energy) so I can power through.

In the few moments of down time between builds, and on my lunch breaks, my life has been absolutely consumed by Queen's Domain. I mentioned this one in last week's dispatch. It's both a love letter, and an evolution of FROM Software's King's Field series, which has rightfully earned its cult status. I for one have never played Kings Field, so I can't exactly confirm what makes up a King's Field-like. But I can definitely see the early DNA of Dark Souls on full display. The Metroidvania style exploration, shortcut, backtracking, and secret finding. The circle-strafing and frame-timed attacks that you need to study and learn how to deal with. It feels like Queen's Domain is a living and breathing world, that is teeming with secrets for you to find. Oh, and it's hard AF too, which is scratching a particular itch for me right now.

I'll get a review up on Pixels for Breakfast next week, but just know that I am almost 10 hours in, and I cannot see myself abandoning this gem anytime soon. If you have also been bonking weird bugs and skeletons on the head, let me know if the comments how you feel about the game.

Anyways, let's get to what you came here for. What games should you be checking out this week?

What came out this week?

Funeral for the Sun

Developer: Nicolás G. Cid Delgado Steam rating: Very Positive Store link

Kicking things off with a super unique deduction game called Funeral for the Sun. I heard about this last week on the Remap Radio podcast, and immediately checked out the demo. The premise is wild! You are a student writing a thesis about this abandoned Latin American town that is famous because all but one of the 724 residents perished in a fire that took the entire village. That story however is simply a coverup for what actually happened there all those years ago. As you start exploring this town filled with supernatural mysteries, you start to build profiles of the characters that make up the rich history, tracking their movements through time, all with the motivation to uncover the truth of what actually happened to those 723 people who vanished.

The art is incredible, a real painterly style that looks more like a beautiful illustration book than a video game. If games like Return of the Obra DInn or The Golden Idol series are your jam, I am confident in saying this is a must play. If you're on the fence, check out the demo. It's great!

DREADMOOR (Early Access)

Developer: Dream Dock Steam rating: Very Positive Store link

Chances are you already know about DREADMOOR. It surpassed over 400,000 wishlists on Steam after a healthy Next Fest outing, and the developers have smartly decided to launch this janky little boat into the uncharted waters of Early Access this week. You are a lone fishing adventurer who is exploring the murky waters of a rotting world. As you would expect, these fish ain't your normal trout - think terrors from the deep that want to eat your face and destroy your boat. You're not only going to have to defend yourself and your ship, but try and catch them too.

The art direction is absolutely stellar on this one. The way that the world feels like everything is held together by rusted bolts and duct tape really goes a long way to create a super unique world. I will admit, I initially wrote this off as a ripoff of DREDGE (a game I adore), but after watching some streams I can definitely see that these folks are doing something a little unique. Imagine mixing HUNT: Showdown with DREDGE, and you have have a pretty unique world on your hands.

Anyways, well worth checking out if you want to test your survival skills and head out into the haunted water.

Hillthorn

Developer: Fool Moon, Finnegan Motors Steam rating: Very Positive Store link

I spotted this one by pure chance, and I am so glad I did. Hillthorn is a card-based investigation game where you fill the role of a silent detective. You are investigating a missing person, last seen to be heading towards the secluded mountain village of Hillthorn. Rather than using standard point-and-click mechanics, Hillthorn has you applying verbs to a series of cards, and as you unravel more information, you combine cards to get access to new areas and to solve the case.

I will give you an example. I use the Explore action on the Inn location card. Then I get given cards for a drunken patron, a cabinet, for a vacant room, and one for the Inn Keeper. I use the Talk action to speak to the Inn Keeper and the drunken patron to get some basic information. I use the search action on the cabinet which reveals some coins. I use the coins on the Inn Keeper to get a beer for the Drunken Patron so I can have them pass out which allows me to lift an item I need to solve a blockage in the case.

It's super neat. It has a great style. I checked the demo out this morning and I am definitely going to be grabbing this one. It reminded me a little of The Horror At Highbrook which has a slightly different version of a card-based adventure, but is definitely in the same vein. I love these kinds of games, and it seems like Raw Fury is comfortable stepping into this deduction genre after the success of The Séance of Blake Manor.

TANUKI: Pon's Summer

Developer: Denkiworks Steam rating: Positive Store link

Immediate disclosure - I know some of the folks over at Denkiworks as they are also cool indie devs based in Kyoto. But that won't stop me for recommending the adorable TANUKI: Pon's Summer that has been doing the rounds in the past few months leading up to the launch this week. The local shrine is in desperate need of repairs before the Tanuki festival takes place, and everyone is doing their part. That includes the slightly lazy Pon, a Tanuki who has a part-time job at the local post office. Cruise around the town on your rad BMX delivering packages, pulling off sick tricks, and a whole series of warm and fuzzy quests to help the town come together and celebrate.

Every time I have seen this game at conventions it has been a hit with the punters, so I anticipate that this week will be a successful debut for this small team. If you're looking for a touch of Tony Hawk in your cozy weekend game, definitely give this one a look. It's also on consoles too if you want to sit back and the couch and have a chill time.

DERELIKT

Developer: Visuwyg Steam rating: N/A Store link

Rounding things out this week is DERELIKT, a sci-fi horror epic that blends the Immersive Sim trappings of [[System Shock]] with the Survival Horror elements of [[DOOM 3]]. You are a cargo hauler who is just delivering some supplies to Von Neumann Outpost, a space station located on the surface of an asteroid that is in Saturn's orbit. Things are not quite right, and you soon learn that the scientists out there found something, and then you accidentally wake it up.

I got sent a code for this one last week and I just booted it up today. It is DRIPPING with tension, and really nails the inspirations. It feels like a long-lost cousin to the original Alien movies, where it's not all jump scares, but also worrying about managing a very limited supply of bullets and items.

Also, I am starting to wane on the whole PlayStation 1 aesthetic, but it is done to such a shockingly good degree on this one. The cutscenes are heavily interlaced and run at a different frame rate than the game, the textures warp in as you are moving around these very alien environments, which only adds to the horror. Hell, when you go to save your game it literally opens up Memory Card Slot 1 or Slot 2, and you are saving in blocks. It's the little things that make all the difference.

Caution. I am only 1 hour in. But that was a very promising hour. If this trailer speaks to you, it drops on Saturday Japan time.

Virtue and a Sledgehammer is a brutal look at the messiness of being human

I went into Virtue and a Sledgehammer thinking it would be a fun "Fuck AI" kinda deal. Sure. It does have a bit of that sentiment. But by the end and some cliches aside, I honestly feel like I haven't played a game that has touched me quite like this since [[1000X Resist]]. It's a nuanced look at what it means to be human. How we discard the sick and the elderly. What we choose to do in the face of adversity. Standing up for what we believe in, no matter how much it can hurt us. Sure, it can be a little one note at times, and borderline cliche in others. But this game really touched me.

Virtue and a Sledgehammer is more than an anti-AI story. It explores concepts that you would never expect from a game that is about hitting things with a hammer. It is not exactly a fun game, but it has the courage to explore themes and ideas that hold a mirror to a lot of the fears and anxieties a lot of people are facing in the world right now. It is a cathartic expression of rage, backed up by a heavy emotional weight that we just don't see that often in games. If that sounds like something you are prepared to experience, you are in for a hauntingly beautiful time.

You can check out the full review over here.

And that's a wrap

Thanks so much for reading. If you like what you see, please share it with a friend. If you want to help support me to grab some indie games to get some reviews, please consider dropping some money in the ko-fi cup.

See you next week

Steve