Happy Friday, Watchers, and welcome to the first weekend of Spooktober. It’s the last weekend before Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred comes out, so it’s time to get our gaming in before the yearning for the mobs begins anew.

New(er) Release One: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Having released last week, Echoes of Wisdom has you taking on the role of… wait, what? Zelda? in an adventure to save… Link?

One second, let me make sure this is correct.

Well okay then! In this title, you’re given access to the world of Hyrule as the titular Zelda, who has been given a magical object — the Tri Rod — that can take the essence of items in the world (including, but not limited to: chairs, moblins, beds, pots, and fish) to help her on her adventure. Developed by the team that did the Switch remake of Link’s Awakening, the art style is super cute and should look absolutely familiar if you played that title.

Get The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for $60 on Nintendo Switch.

New(er) Release Two: Castlevania Dominus Collection

Announced and released on the same day, Dominus Collection brings to console and PC three of the handheld titles from the Nintendo DS era of Castlevania. Dawn of Sorrow is the second game in Soma Cruz’s Castlevania duology (the first game — Aria of Sorrow — being in the Castlevania Advance Collection) and has you dealing with the Cult of Dracula; Portrait of Ruin has you playing as Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin who deal with Dracula’s castle as well as other completely different areas by going through portraits within the castle; and Order of Ecclesia has you playing as Shanoa, a powerful mage tasked with dealing with Dracula now that the Belmont clan has vanished.

Each of these games build off the formula made famous by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and are well worth the cost of admission if Castlevania is your bread and butter. Make sure to grab the Advance Collection as well for Aria of Sorrow if you find you really want something more akin to Symphony (it’s $20 but not on sale).

Get Castlevania Dominus Collection for $25 on PC at Steam, and on console via Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch.

Steal of a deal: Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Dragon Quest 11 initially launched across consoles in an interesting state: the initial 3DS release had a 2D mode that wasn’t in the PS4 release, and used the series’ old school first person combat. The PlayStation 4 version of Dragon Quest 11 had full 3D graphics which made the game feel more open, and the combat system was turned into a more traditional modern day RPG. However, in 2020 the game was rereleased for all consoles as the “S” version (and the Definitive Edition was added to the title as well), giving every console access to 2D or 3D mode, a fully symphonic soundtrack, new character interludes, tons of additional content, and of course quality of life improvements.

Dragon Quest 11 has you playing as the Luminary, a reincarnation of the Hero from an ancient age who is being hunted by the nobility for being denigrated as a demon. Assemble your Toriyama-styled party, beat up slimes, and find your destiny in the newest Dragon Quest title.

Get Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age for $20 on PC at Steam, or on console for full price via Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch.

Steal of a Deal – Part 2: SteamWorld Heist 2

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took a group of steampunk robots, gave them pirate hats, and sent them off on an adventure on the high seas? In SteamWorld Heist 2, you are Captain Leeway and his crew of Steambots trying to figure out why the water of the Great Sea has suddenly become deadly. Customize your crew (and give them hats!), give them jobs, line up shots with the ricochet shooting system, and take on the seas as a band of merry pirates in this awesome adventure.

Get SteamWorld Heist 2 for $20 on PC at Steam, or for console via Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch.

Now tell us, Watchers — what are you playing this weekend?