: Upcoming releases
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: Finest gunplay
: Massive worlds
: Grand adventures
On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that's a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we've gathered the you can play right now and a running list of the that are launching this year.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
Release: February 13
Developer: Hakababunko
Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a narrative adventure about solving mysteries relating to urban myths. As protagonist Azami Fukurai, you'll need to roam the internet for posts about this phenomena, and then do the leg work to debunk it. It's basically a visual novel with light detective elements, but what elevates it is the art style, which implements jagged pixel art to capture the disorienting, uncanny and vaguely malignant qualities of urban myths.
Afterlove EP
Release: February 15
Developer: Pikselnesia
Afterlove EP is the work of the late Mohammad Fahmi, best known for Coffee Talk. Set in Jakarta, it's a narrative adventure with some light rhythm game trappings, following a young musician's life in the aftermath of his girlfriend's death. Rama's inability to move beyond his grief is severely limiting his focus on the band, which has a very important concert coming up. The goal is to help Rama make more music, and more broadly, to finally shift his focus towards the future. Afterlove EP has immaculately detailed hand-drawn art that captures the bustling mood of the Indonesian capital.
Terry's Other Games
Release: February 14
Developers: Terry Cavanagh
Best known for VVVVVV and Dicey Dungeons, Terry Cavanagh has been making small arcade-oriented games for most of his life, and this compilation collects a bunch that either haven't been commercially released or have been lost to antiquated platforms. [[link]] There are five "reasonably substantial" games here, including a couple of retro platformers, two puzzlers and a roguelike stealth outing, but there's also a swathe of "smaller, messier" games that I'm sure will be fun to graze on. If you're interested in [[link]] 21st century indie games this looks like an essential collection from a veteran.
Guns of Fury
Release: February 14
Developer: Gelato Games Ltd
This one's pretty straightforward: imagine if Metal Slug was a metroidvania and that's basically what Guns of Fury is. The art style is strongly reminiscent of SNK's sumptuous 'n' chunky pixel art, which I say as a kind of backhanded compliment, because despite how derivative it looks, not everyone can pull this off. Looks like a perfect Steam Deck game.
Panelka
Release: [[link]] February 14
Developer: MonsterAttack
This is a cosy decoration game about furnishing your own late Soviet apartment. There's a bunch of period perfect furniture to choose from, very many garish wallpaper varieties to admire, and everything can be placed freely: there are no grids here. Panelka is set specifically in the late '80s and early '90s, with apartment layouts mimicking buildings ranging "Khrushchyovkas to panel buildings". Looks like a fascinating experiment.