DigitallyDownloaded.net Newsletter - May 28, 2022

Before there was Bubble Bobble, there was Snow Bros., and the original remains the best. I should explain. Bubble Bobble did actually come first chronologically, but Snow Bros. (the “clone”) was the first single-screen platformer I personally played.

If you think of a Corsair HS55 as a general-purpose, all-day working and gaming tool, it’s hard to be disappointed by it. It’s certainly not a premium headset, but I can see so many uses for this, and indeed I find myself reaching for it more than any of the other headsets I have floating around, thanks to its focus on lightweight comfort and being an all-round quality product.

I’m a big fan of itch.io for the freedom and open platform that it allows for developers to be creative, experimental, and directly canvas the audience for feedback for games that are not yet ready for primetime on Steam and its ilk. In addition, itch.io allows you to be transgressive, subversive, and downright dangerous. It’s a true “art gallery” for game ideas and creative developers, and it should be celebrated for that.

We’ve seen China grow rapidly as an international game development hub, and one of the most exciting things about that nations’ game development scene is that they seem to be every bit as enamoured with the RPG format as their neighbours in Japan. Codename: Wandering Sword is basically “what if Octopath Traveler was made in China,” and I am so here for it.

Warriors games are a great excuse to get a bunch of characters together and have them kick the snot out of the bad guys. Here’s 4 we’d love to see.

Salt and Sacrifice is a fantastic title with an infectious gameplay loop that makes it hard to put down, but easy to recommend.

With a handful of guest characters with wildly different mechanics, Cotton Fantasy takes the cute-‘em-up classic in wonderful new directions.

Every year, a few titles in the genre provide a breezy experience that takes me back to my childhood, and the subgenre of ‘3D mascot’ throwbacks is one that means the world to me. I’ve reviewed plenty, from major franchises to new faces, and all of them have one thing in common — they’re trying to recapture the magic of the era when this style was king, and Kao the Kangaroo is the latest.

With a lot of new birds, including a solid selection of owls, the Wingspan European Expansion is quite a hoot. There aren’t any sweeping transformations, but a few additions inject a bit more strategy into every game.

The Ultima series is often cited as being highly influential on both western and Asian-style RPGs. So let’s take a closer look!