Hello and welcome to the August New Game Preview.
This month is a feast for the gaming world, with a variety of types and styles of games to choose from. From turn-based RPGs to survival horror, from mecha action to diving adventure, from motorcycle racing to legendary wrestling, from soul-like slashing to strategy stealth, from the new work of the Heavy Rain producer to the revival masterpiece of Miyazaki the Thief, this month has surprises you can’t imagine, and also works you have been looking forward to for a long time.
Today we will recommend 18 new games worth paying attention to in August, so that you can find some good places to cool off and relieve boredom in this hot summer.
Baldur’s Gate 3:
First let’s take a look at the two games that will be released on August 3rd. The first one is the highly anticipated Baldur’s Gate 3. This is the sequel to the classic RPG series Baldur’s Gate after 20 years, developed by Larian Studios, the developer of the Divinity: Original Sin series. The game uses the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons rules, and tells the story of the player who is parasitized by an evil mind flayer worm, and searches for an antidote and the truth with other companions who share the same fate. The game has a huge and rich open world that can be freely explored and interacted with. There are up to 12 optional races and 6 optional classes in the game, each character has their own background and personality, and can have different relationships and influences with the player. The combat in the game is turn-based, and players can use the environment, items, magic and skills to formulate strategies. The game also supports up to four online cooperative modes, where players can adventure or compete with each other. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a very deep and highly free RPG game, which is definitely not to be missed for players who like Dungeons & Dragons or Larian Studios’ works.
Sea of Stars:
The second one is Sea of Stars with a runner-up attention number of 40,000 and highly anticipated turn-based RPG. It is a prequel based on The Messenger. The story tells of two children of knowledge who combine the power of the sun and moon, use eclipse magic, and fight against the terrifying creatures of an evil flesh mage. The game producer’s idea is to pay tribute to the classics in a modern way, from turn-based combat to ups and downs of the story, from world exploration to delicate environmental interaction, let everyone return to the good old days of nostalgic games in childhood. The combat in the game is very strategic rather than numerical. Climbing, jumping, sliding, pushing and pulling actions also make puzzles outside of combat rich and diverse. The plot part has dozens of character storylines, full of various unexpected twists and events. There are also traditional JRPGs such as sailing, cooking, fishing, tavern playing and other mini-games. As a JRPG lover myself, I can’t find any reason to refuse this work. As the finale of August’s game lineup, it is absolutely qualified.
Gothic:
Next, let’s take a look at the two games that will be released on August 5th. The first one is Gothic with a low attention number but a very unique style. This is a remake of the classic RPG series Gothic, developed by Alkimia Interactive, a newly established studio under THQ Nordic. The game uses Unreal Engine 4 to create, and has completely rebuilt and optimized the story, characters, scenes and systems of the original game to suit the needs and preferences of modern players. The game tells the story of the player who is imprisoned on a prison island surrounded by a magical barrier, and adventures and survives with other prisoners and various creatures. There are three different factions in the game, each with their own beliefs, goals and styles, and players can freely choose to join or betray any side. The combat in the game is action-oriented, and players can use various weapons, magic and items to fight enemies. The game also supports multiplayer mode, where players can explore the island or compete with each other. Gothic is a very classic and influential RPG game, which is worth a try for players who like open world and free choice.
Dark Artist:
The second one is Dark Artist with an attention number of fourth place and 60,000 attention degree, which has received good reviews. This is a first-person horror puzzle game made by a Chinese independent developer, inspired by Layers of Fear and The Unfinished Swan. The game tells the story of a painter who has lost his memory, and searches for his past in a mansion full of dark forces and bizarre paintings. There are multiple endings in the game, depending on the choices and actions made by the player in the game. The game uses Unreal Engine 5 to develop, and the graphics are very stunning, especially in terms of lighting and texture. The sound effects in the game are also very excellent, creating a creepy atmosphere. The puzzles in the game are also very clever, requiring players to use tools such as brushes, paints, canvases to solve them. The game also has a creative mode, where players can freely paint and create their own works in the mansion. Dark Artist is a very excellent and creative horror puzzle game, which is not to be missed for players who like art and thrill.
These are the four works worth paying attention to in early August, which are basically large-scale 3A-level or high-quality independent games. Next, let’s take a look at what games are worth paying attention to in mid-August.
Atlas Fallen:
On August 11th, there is an old-fashioned recommended game – Atlas Fallen. It has an attention number of 24,000 and was postponed for half a year before it was released. It is a work by Deck13, an old European manufacturer. After experiencing two relatively successful small 3A games – Lords of the Fallen and The Surge, they changed their style and no longer continued the slow and cautious soul-like combat, but changed to a large amount of flying over walls and high-speed movement, as well as air action and instant blocking slashing combat. The game levels are no longer interconnected, but semi-open maps with dense design and a lot of collection exploration elements. The game process is relatively conventional: kill elites to drop equipment, you can play online with friends. Generally speaking, the cake is well drawn. From the actual picture point of view, it looks very cool with hunting battles with large elite monsters and many skills. But considering that this is Deck13’s new attempt, there will definitely be many small problems. I will choose to wait and see with you.
Two games will be released on August 12th. The first one is Rise Like a Wrestler with low attention but very unique style. Although it looks like an action fighting game, it is actually a retro pixel-style turn-based RPG game that incorporates various wrestling moves into RPGs. Many soul figures in the wrestling world will appear in the game, and players can choose their own actions, slogans, entrance poses. The opponents in the battle are all kinds of weird things. Big Billboard has an old fan who is very interested in this work. It also looks fun indeed. If you are interested, you can download the demo to experience it.
I Am Future – Apocalypse Survival:
The other one is I Am Future – Apocalypse Survival with an attention number of 11,000. Players will build a warm and comfortable rooftop camp in a flooded end-of-the-world city, collect abandoned equipment, build bases, plant crops, catch fish, make food and upgrade automation technology. All survival elements are available in this game. The production specifications of this game are not low either; bright and comfortable graphics really bring out some sense of comfort for players in this end-of-the-world world. Recommended for all players who like survival games.
These are six works worth paying attention to in mid-August; they are basically independent games that have larger individual preferences for different systems. Next let’s take a look at some heavyweight works in late August.
Shadow Tactics: A Curse of the Zersecrew:
On August 18th there is a historical recommended game – Shadow Tactics: A Curse of the Zersecrew. It has an attention number of 14,000 and is a new work by Mimimi Games, the developer of Shadow Tactics and Desperados. It continues the classic top-down RTS stealth gameplay, but the game theme has changed from the western era to a fantasy pirate style. This allows the production team to be more bold in their design direction, and players can choose four of the eight pirates to perform tasks. Due to the addition of magic and upgrade talents, the differences between characters are greater, and the ways to pass the level are more varied, giving players plenty of imagination and also adding replay value to the maps that originally lacked replay value. This kind of design not only allows old players to enjoy more thinking fun in high difficulty, but also allows novice players to accept this game type faster. There are very few manufacturers who make this type of game, and Mimimi Games’ contribution to this type of game is indelible. Players who like step-by-step, strategy stealth games should not miss this work this year.
Immortals of a William:
On August 22nd, there is Immortals of a William. It was postponed from last month, and the attention number increased by more than 1,000. Maybe everyone is not very confident about EA’s new IP. My personal opinion is still the same; although the graphics are almost close to light pollution, they are not unacceptable. Being able to make a complete stand-alone game instead of an online service-type game is already considered as EA’s virtue. If you like FPS and prefer stand-alone stories, you can consider this work.
Fort Solis:
On August 23rd, there is Fort Solis. A third-person thriller adventure game. The game tells the story of engineer Jack Liri who came to investigate terrain alarms on a Mars space station. This space station named Fort Solis has no other staff except for a medical staff. As night falls, things become more and more strange. Whether Jack can find the truth and leave here alive depends entirely on the player’s choice. The game uses Unreal Engine 5 to develop; it seems to be the second proper Unreal Engine 5 game after Layers of Fear. The production team invited Arthur Morgan’s voice actor as face model; under the powerful engine boost, it should give players a sense of immersion like watching a drama. Players who like hard science fiction and thriller effects can pay attention to this work.
Well, the highlight on August 25th is here. There are a total of three games released that day, among which the most important one is Armored Core 6: Boundary of Ruby K with an attention number of 100,000 and runner-up in August’s monthly attention list; Miyazaki Thief’s revival masterpiece with soul-like slashing that never dies. The previous work Armored Core V released on PS3/X360 console in 2012 was known for its hardcore mecha setting and high difficulty.
The introduction of this work mentioned: “Based on From Software’s more than 25 years of mecha game technology, combined with other action games’ breakthrough game experience in recent years, it will bring players a powerful mecha combat in a three-dimensional stage.” Just this sentence has hooked up many players who tremble in front of soul-like games.
From the information revealed so far, there are two similarities: first of all, this work also has a similar posture gauge setting – impact gauge. When the enemy’s impact gauge is full, their posture control system will temporarily fail and enter a rigid state. This is the best time to pour out firepower. However, it is not clear whether we have an impact gauge setting. If both sides have this setting, then the basis of combat should be based on this. In addition, unlike the previous series’ lack of repair kit settings, this work comes with three repair kits initially, which is somewhat similar to Sekiro’s blood bottle. But this does not mean that the difficulty of the game will decrease; powerful enemies can often kill us in one hit. Anyway, From Software knows how to make players die.
But after all it is a mecha game; a large number of assault rifles, rockets, remote attack methods, as well as scanning systems that can detect blind spots and enemy positions in advance; Assault Boost system that can quickly sprint towards enemies etc., all make this work more prominent in terms of unique feel for mecha combat.
On the other hand; various parts set according to various characteristics on mechas can be freely combined and replaced by players. In addition to arm and leg parts such as drive parts; internal parts such as thrusters will also greatly affect the performance and movement of mechas.
Each mecha can hang four weapons on its hands and back; combine near and far distances for players to switch freely. To be honest; after reading the basic introduction you can feel why mecha games are also declining year by year; its complex hardcore content is indeed not very suitable for an era where fast food culture prevails. But From Software has its own magic power; it has cultivated a large number of Stockholm syndrome-like masochistic players. Big Billboard is no exception, so as long as Miyazaki the Thief dares to steal, I dare to do it. This work is also recommended to all old boys who love mechas. Let us say one last sentence: The soul of steel never dies!
The third work on the 25th is Ride 5. A motorcycle racing simulation game. Players can race on 35 tracks, collect more than 200 motorcycles from world-renowned car factories. In addition to the racing mode, the endurance mode will let you run continuously in changing weather, and master the perfect control skills of the vehicle on wet and dry grounds. Players who like realistic racing can try this work.
On August 29th, we recommend the 16th game – Under the Waves. It is released by Quantic Dream, the well-known interactive game publisher of Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human. It tells the story of a diving adventurer Dan who dives deep into the dark deep sea alone and searches for his past journey. Unlike the previous main narrative gameplay, this work focuses more on the player’s own manipulation of the protagonist to carry out underwater exploration. Players will collect materials in the city submerged by seawater, upgrade and transform submarines, in order to go deeper into the seabed. Collect fragments of memory and find out the truth of the city’s sinking. The game is immersive; players with deep sea claustrophobia and giant creature phobia should be careful; otherwise it is recommended.
Daymare Castle 1994:
Finally, there are two games on the 30th – Daymare Castle 1994. A third-person story-driven survival horror game that includes brutal survival mechanisms and hard-to-kill enemies. The game will show you the style of classic action, horror games and movies in the 90s. The dark scenes are full of weird creatures, coupled with creepy soundtracks, which will completely pull players into a terrifying abandoned military base. Recommended for players who like horror games.
Low Tone Platform:
The last one is Low Tone Platform with a runner-up attention number of 40,000 and highly anticipated turn-based RPG – Sea of Stars. It is a prequel based on The Messenger. The story tells of two children of knowledge who combine the power of the sun and moon, use eclipse magic, and fight against the terrifying creatures of an evil flesh mage. The game producer’s idea is to pay tribute to the classics in a modern way, from turn-based combat to ups and downs of the story, from world exploration to delicate environmental interaction, let everyone return to the good old days of nostalgic games in childhood.
The combat in the game is very strategic rather than numerical. Climbing, jumping, sliding, pushing and pulling actions also make puzzles outside of combat rich and diverse. The plot part has dozens of character storylines, full of various unexpected twists and events. There are also traditional JRPGs such as sailing, cooking, fishing, tavern playing and other mini-games. As a JRPG lover myself, I can’t find any reason to refuse this work either. As the finale of August’s game lineup, it is absolutely qualified.
The games in late August are too wonderful; I couldn’t help but say a few more words. This month is really rich; there are various types and styles of games to choose from. Which one are you most looking forward to? Welcome to leave a message in the comment section and tell me. Thank you for your support and reading; see you next time!
