Spring is here, as are some newly released games to explore this weekend

With the introduction of spring, we have some new releases to talk about this week as well, so let’s just jump straight into it.

This week we’re talking about a new management simulator (Mudborne: Frog Management Sim), the new Assassin’s Creed title (Assassin’s Creed: Shadows), a beautiful 2D cyberpunk roguelike (Reignbreaker) and emotions: the video game (Wanderstop).

It’s Friday, my dudes: Mudborne: Frog Management Sim

We at Blizzard Watch are lovers of nature, but many of us have a real special relationship with frogs, specifically. Enter Mudborne, a management simulator where you are a frog who awakens from hibernation and finds their pond empty. Play minigames, solve puzzles, explore the world, and crossbreed frogs’ genetics to unlock new paths and figure out just where the heck those other froggos have gone. You’ll not only travel through the real world, but the dream world too! Maybe even better, purchases of Mudborne support local and international amphibian wildlife charities.

Get Mudborne: Frog Management Sim for $7.25 on Steam.

Finally, we’re in Japan: Assassin’s Creed: Shadows

If there’s one timeline that people have been asking for since Assassin’s Creed began to spin out to other time periods, feudal Japan has been top of the list. Enter Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, bringing the franchise to the Azuchi-Momoyama period — specifically, 1579 — where you play as both Naoe, shiobi assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai (and yes, Yasuke was a real person). Depending on which character you’re playing as, it completely changes up your playstyle: Naoe is your typical Assassin’s Creed style, using stealth to move around your foes, dispatching them from the shadows; meanwhile, Yasuke takes the fight head on, using power and precision to handle his foes. Early reviews state that Shadows is Assassin’s Creed back to true form. Be aware, on PC Shadows requires using Ubisoft’s Connect launcher, even through Steam.

Get Assassin’s Creed: Shadows for $70 on Steam.

Cartoon Steampunk: Reignbreaker

Listed as “Medievalpunk” by the developers, Reignbreaker looks a lot like Hades had a lovechild with a 90s anime. In Reignbreaker, you take control of Clef — a rebel who is fighting against the malevolent Kingdom and its Queen — fighting against not only soldiers, mercenaries and aristocrats, but also robot soldiers of various sorts. Upgrade your skills, earn new javelins, and fight your way across a hand-crafted world lined with secrets, traps, and hidden hoarded wealth.

Get Reignbreaker for $9 on Steam.

All who wander are not lost: Wanderstop

Wanderstop is, as the devs state, “a story about change and tea.” You play as Alta, a legendary warrior, who found herself managing a tea shop in a magical forest; as Alta, you must collect the leaves, make the tea, and learn what your customers like so you can create them the perfect cup. During the downtime, you can even take time to make the tea shop your own, or just sit back and enjoy a cuppa. There is a problem though. Alta has internal struggles: she can’t sit back and sling cups of tea when she’s the legendary warrior. This is just not the right life for her — is it?

Get Wanderstop for $25 on Steam.