Darkest Dungeon: The Fire's Edge
Developer/publisher: Red Hook Studios
Platforms: Steam (Windows, Mac, SteamOS/Linux; base game is Steam Deck Verified), Epic Games Store, GOG, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Price: $7
It's been six years since the last Darkest Dungeon expansion. Red Hook has even released a sequel since then. So it was a bit of a surprise to learn recently that the studio (which is now under Behaviour Interactive's umbrella) made new DLC for Darkest Dungeon.
The Fire's Edge brings The Runaway and The Duelist — two heroes who debuted in Darkest Dungeon II — to the original game. They each expand your roster of characters by one slot, so you won't have to worry about how to make space for them. The Runaway has a burn ability that's unique to that hero. The DLC adds a string of new trinkets, three more districts and fresh town events while giving your heroes some damage boosts.
If you haven't delved into the darkest of dungeons as yet, you can snap up the base game for just $3.74 on Steam until September 1 and PS4 until August 27. You'll need that before you can play the DLC anyway. Or maybe, like me, you snagged Darkest Dungeon as an Epic Games Store freebie ages ago and forgot all about it.
(I have devoted entirely too much brainpower this week to trying to figure out what makes the supposed "darkest dungeon" even darker and how to name a sequel other than adding a "II" to the title. The English language is a complex and vicious beast.)
Twisted Tower
Developer: Atmos Games
Publisher: 3D Realms
Platform: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck Verified)
Price: Usually $15, with a 10 percent discount until September 1
Ready for a nightmare trip through an abandoned theme park in the 1950s? Of course you are. Twisted Tower is a horror first-person shooter in which you'll battle hellish versions of mascots with an array of upgradable toy-based weapons. Those include a mallet, rubber-band pistol, a chain gun that fires bubblegum and a "fartin' shotgun."
This game appears to have a heavy BioShock influence, right down to the vending machines where you can buy upgrades (you won't have elemental powers at your disposal, sadly). With no sign of the next game in that series — 13 years after BioShock Infinite — Twisted Tower might give fans of those games something to chew on. I loathe clowns and would be more than happy to blast through a bunch of them, so I am very much tempted to grab Twisted Tower.
The Lantern of the Laughless Saint
Developer/publisher: NerveLabs
Platform: Steam (Windows in early access)
Price: Usually $20, with a 10 percent discount until August 24
It's going to be quite some time until Bethesda releases The Elder Scrolls VI, even if Xbox might be trying to speed things along. But if the Oblivion remaster grabbed your interest or reignited a passion for pre-Skyrim games in the series, it might be worth taking a look at The Lantern of the Laughless Saint.
This open-world RPG, which you can play solo or in co-op, is inspired by Morrowind. It's set on an island that has a tower as its centerpiece. As you explore, you'll learn more about this part of the world and encounter strange inhabitants. There's an amphitheater with seats that gradually fill with "phantoms" linked to island dwellers that you help or hinder. I don't know what the point of the theater is yet, but it seems to tie into the game's climax. I'm intrigued!
The developers admit it's not a fully polished game. It's in early access, after all. They expect it to remain in EA for less than a year and to deploy updates every week or two. As it stands, The Lantern of the Laughless Saint has a main campaign that you can complete with more than 50 quests, 60-plus distinct enemies, more than 100 items you can equip and "fully featured spell crafting and alchemy systems." NerveLabs suggests the game has north of 30 or 40 hours of gameplay for completionists.
Sensory Overload
Developer: Pancake Studios
Platform: Steam (Windows, SteamOS/Linux)
Price: Usually $10, with a 20 percent discount until September 4
This is a precision-based dropper game that's all about messing with your mind. Developer Pancake Studios says "every effect in this game is designed to overwhelm your brain." You might find your depth perception is thrown off as you make your way through tunnels and try to avoid obstacles for as long as you can in an attempt to move up the leaderboards. The levels are named after "what they'll do to you," such as Vertigo, Nausea, Peristalsis and Apocalypse.
There's zero chance of me playing Sensory Overload. I could barely make it through the trailer without feeling my eyes glaze over and my head pound. It's probably not for folks who are prone to motion sickness. Still, this will speak to a certain kind of sicko (a term I use with nothing but affection in this context), so I thought I'd include it in this week's roundup for such folks.
Rebind
Developer: SteleDev
Publisher: Fallen Games
Platform: Steam (Windows; demo available)
Price: $5, with a 21 percent discount until August 26
This pixel art platformer has a fun concept that its name hints at. At the start of every level, the keys that you use to control a little frog (left, right and jump) are reassigned at random. That seems absolutely terrible for accessibility, even if it's broadly a neat idea. You can forget about muscle memory.
There are echoes of Celeste and Super Meat Boy here. There are walljumps and instant respawns, and dying leaves a blood splatter. You unlock harder levels by collecting fruits. I played the demo and enjoyed the challenge of trying to remember which button does what while avoiding deadly obstacles. Rebind is much more my kind of brain-bending game than Sensory Overload.
