Hey guess what? JustinTimerblakeMay.jpg!
Wildcat Gun Machine – May 4
This looks to be a twin-stick bullet hell shooter following in the well-worn tracks of Escape from the Gungeon. I always want to love these sorts of games but more often than not the mechanics don't quite click with me. The ridiculous art style of Wildcat Gun Machine is enough to get me in the door, so stay tuned for some thoughts on it soon.
– TroytlePower
Citizen Sleeper – May 5
I love myself a solid cyberpunk game from an indie (or indie-adjacent) developer. And like the genre itself, Citizen Sleeper loves to get deep into the nitty-gritty, styling itself after tabletop role-playing games. All signs point to this title having deep, rich writing and a broad toolkit of ways to engage with its world, so I'm more than ready to dive in.
– Data_Error
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 2 – May 10
Want to stock up for #JRPGJuly in advance as efficiently as possible? Then why not pick up NIS Classics Vol. 2 and get two very unusual RPGs for the price of one? In ZHP, an underpowered superhero traverses a labyrinthine Rogue-like dungeon to gain the strength he needs to topple an arch-villain. In the strategy RPG Makai Kingdom, a powerful dark lord accidentally destroys his own kingdom and goes on a quest to rebuild. If you like wacky antics and making numbers goes up, this combo pack is for you!
– Capsulejay
Eiyuden Chronicle Rising – May 10
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the much-anticipated spiritual successor to Suikoden, won't reach us until next year. But here to tide us over is Rising, a prequel to give us a taste of its classically-styled RPG gameplay. The “HD-2D” look can be love-it-or-hate-it, but it's hard not to get excited about a game with its pedigree of developers. Plus: one of your party members is a kangaroo with an eyepatch, and what's not to love about that?
– Data_Error
Cloud Gardens – May 12
Viiiiiiiiiiiiibes.
– TroytlePower
Dungeons of Dreadlock – May 12
This is an interesting throwback dungeon delving game. Everything moves on a very strict tileset, and you have to make your way through 100 floors of enemies, puzzles, and traps to save your brother. There are vibes of 2D Zelda and Crypt of the Necrodancer here, and I kind of dig it. Check out the iOS version if you want to get a taste of the game for free.
– TroytlePower
Cotton Fantasy – May 20
Over the past few years, we've been blessed with rereleases and remakes of games from the classic Cotton shmup franchise. (Heck, I've reviewed several of them.) However, this month we're finally getting an entirely new entry in the saga of the candy-loving witch! I'm especially excited about this one since it appears to combine elements of both the 2D and 3D games in the series. If shmups are your jam, keep an eye out for Cotton Fantasy!
– Capsulejay
Kao the Kangaroo – May 27
I love an old-school, 3d platformer collection, and Kao the Kangaroo looks like a pheromonal throwback to those classics. It sounds like it had a pretty good showing at PAX East, so I'm looking forward to bouncing into it.
– TroytlePower
Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers – May 27
Arcade Spirits is one of the stand-out series among Western-developed visual novels, both embracing the genre's roots and lovingly re-crafting it to suit players that might otherwise give visual novels a hard pass. In its case, this means an identity-positive game that rolls in cross-genre elements like character stats, more densely-branching dialogue, and even a strategy mini-game. Oh, and don't forget a fervent love for the bygone era of physical arcades and vaporwave imagery.
– Data_Error
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined – May 31
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined reimagines the classic SNES game, Pocky & Rocky, with upgraded graphics and remixed level designs. This game stands out from most other shmups with its primarily ground-based combat and traditional Japanese setting. To top it off, it has a local co-op mode, so you can run-and-gun with a friend!
– Capsulejay