New games releasing this week include remasters, DLC and… Pac-Manvania?

Alas, the Steam summer sale has come and gone and we are in the doldrums of most summer releases. That being said, while we wait on World of Warcraft patch 11.2 there are some new titles coming out — or, at least some remasters of some old titles. Today we’ll look at two remasters (PATAPON 1+2 REPLAY, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4), DLC for the well beloved RimWorld (RimWorld – Odyssey), and a new Metroidvania with Pac-Man of all things? (Shadow Labyrinth)

Feel the Rhythm: PATAPON 1+2 REPLAY

Originally released on the Sony PSP, PATAPON now makes its way to PC in this two game collection. Play as the God of Patapons, leading your little army of black and white soldiers to adventure across Earthend, using the power of the 4 mystical drums to give commands. Each Patapon has their own unique jobs, like Hatapons (who wave flags to lead their allies), or Tatepons that shield their fellow Patapons. Customize your army, set out to battle, and Pata(←), Pon(→), Don(↓), and Chaka(↑) to victory.

Get PATAPON 1+2 REPLAY for $30 on Steam.

Everybody loves Tony Hawk: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater: 3+4

If you had asked me a few years ago — when remasters first were becoming a thing — what game series I never expected to get one, I’d definitely have put the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise in the bucket of “totally not getting remade,” and hoo boy I’d have egg on my face now if that had been the case. As we’ve learned time and time again over the past few years, everybody loves Tony Hawk, and this time around Activision has beefed up the Create-a-Skater and Create-a-Park mode that are supposed to be very easy to share with your friends. Between that and the newly updated controls, it’s not a bad time to do a wall ride, and then grind another rail.

Get Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 for $50 on Steam. (Also available on Game Pass!)

What the heck is a Gravship?: RimWorld – Odyssey

RimWorld is a game that I find myself coming back to but never exactly mastering; though with that said, it feels like every time I turn around there’s a fairly substantial new DLC coming out and this week is no exception. Odyssey sees you start the game with a small gravship — just a gravity engine, a couple rooms and enough fuel to get you into the air — but soon this little ship will become home as you travel across the world hunting for gravcores in some new biomes. Of course, you can fly up into space as well — but you better make certain that you prepared ahead of time, else your colonists will freeze, or starve, or be depressurized into the depths of space. Oh, don’t get me started on the evil space mechanoids…

Get RimWorld – Odyssey for $25 on Steam.

Wakka wakka wakka: Shadow Labyrinth 

The Metroidvania space has found itself getting fairly well loved in the last few years, and it seems like every time we take a look at up and coming titles there’s another new release about to launch. So when Bandai announced a Pac-Man Metroidvania based on the premise originally used in the Secret Level episode “Circle”, my interest was piqued. You play as “The Swordsman,” fighting your way through “The Maze” alongside your yellow circular friend — Puck! — gaining new abilities to progress while defeating enemies, eating pellets, and finding secrets. I hear the difficulty on this one is pretty challenging, so be sure to take be ready for a challenge when you take on this adventure.

Get Shadow Labyrinth for $30 on Steam. (Also coming to Game Pass!)