We’re days away from autumn, with the autumn equinox arriving on Monday, September 22.Which means that is formally the final week you will get your summer time gaming executed! And with the friggin’ 80-degree climate we’ve obtained hitting us on the east coast proper now, summer time certain as hell is combating to remain. Sadly, amongst different miseries, unseasonable climate is more likely to stay a part of our actuality.
Anyway, in the event you’re seeking to escape from stated actuality, we’re right here with recommendations for some pretty video games it is best to take a look at. Let’s get to it!
Ratatan
Play it on: Home windows PCs (Steam Early Entry, Steam Deck: “Unknown”)
Present objective: Assist all my little buds flourish
Patapon was a simple but effective rhythm-based technique RPG for the PlayStation Moveable that you simply form of needed to be there for. Little glyph-shaped eyeballs who throw spears at monsters and recuperate sources from every struggle get extra highly effective and proceed their journey. What made it particular was not solely the neat artwork and intelligent style mashup, however the cute, Yoshi’s World-like music you performed to enact your survival ways.
The unique group behind the collection was in the end scattered to the winds and that period of handheld gaming is successfully useless. It appeared unlikely that we’d ever gaze upon the likes of Patapon once more. However towards all odds, Hiroyuki Kotani and different veteran designers from that group returned with a Kickstarted religious successor referred to as Ratatan that’s each bit as stunning and charming. Out in Early Entry on Steam this week, the roguelike rhythm brawler arrives with extra ambition and deeper gameplay techniques than its predecessor.
I’ve solely gotten a pair hours with it thus far however it appears like a contemporary begin quite than a warmed-over retread. The long run for Ratatan feels vivid. There’s already a roadmap promising three main updates all through the remainder of the 12 months. I can’t anticipate it to return to Change. I can also’t wait to play extra Ratatan this weekend. – Ethan Gach
The Final Buddy
Play it on: Change, Home windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Playable”)
Present objective: Save the canines
I do know we normally attempt to discuss video games we’re enjoying this weekend, however I’m enjoying Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, and that’s not out but for most individuals. So as a substitute of writing about what I’m enjoying proper now, I opened up Steam, scrolled via my library, and picked a recreation from my previous that I don’t assume I’ve written about for a Kotaku Weekend Information earlier than. The Final Buddy was a fairly particular recreation to me when it launched in 2021. I coated it a good bit at my final job, together with doing an interview with the builders about their recreations of followers’ canines within the recreation’s artwork type, and that article has sadly been misplaced to the impermanent state of the Web. However what hasn’t been misplaced is Stonebot’s wonderful tower protection recreation a couple of post-apocalyptic world wherein the final surviving canines assist you defend your cellular residence base as you save the remainder of the world’s remaining doggos. If that doesn’t sound dope to you, then I don’t assume we’d be pals. – Kenneth Shepard
Little Witch within the Woods
Play it on: Xbox Collection X/S, Home windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Playable”)
Present objective: Discover!
I’ve been enjoying some intense video games currently. Whether or not it’s getting my ass kicked in Silksong or dealing with down terrifying nightmares in a recreation I can’t fairly discuss simply but, my nervous system is usually strained.
A lot as I like that kinda factor, I do take pleasure in taking a break from all of the adrenaline. And so this weekend, I’m hoping to spend a while with a “cozy” pixel-art recreation adorably titled Little Witch within the Woods. It left early entry a number of days in the past and whereas I’ve not had an excessive amount of time with it but, it’s positively piqued my curiosity.
Like many of those “cozy games,” Little Witch within the Woods sees you wander about peaceable settings to make pals, collect sources, and craft. There are numerous these video games on the market, and typically they are often form of dry. However from the start, the playful spirit of the sport’s protagonist, a younger witch named Ellie, instantly obtained a number of chuckles out of me and I simply knew I needed to spend some extra time tagging alongside on her journey. She’s a little bit of a troublemaker, with a curious spirit that sees her fast to disobey orders if it means she’s handled to discovering one thing spectacular. She’s a bit eccentric, if not obsessive, which I feel pairs nicely with the sport’s premise of gathering and documenting all types of wonders on this magical setting.
Additionally you get to play with cats! – Claire Jackson
Dying Mild: The Beast
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Collection X/S, Home windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)
Present objective: Stage up my Beast Mode!
I’ve been enjoying numerous Dying Light: The Beast this week and having fun with mainly each minute of it. I don’t assume Techland will get sufficient credit score as a developer, and the studio is maybe probably the greatest at making huge open-world video games which can be each enjoyable to discover and likewise mechanically deep. And The Beast is not any exception. The truth is, this could be the studio’s finest one but.
Learn Extra: Dying Light: The Beast Is One Of The Best Open-World Games Of 2025
Positive, going BEAST MODE is foolish, however it additionally feels superb to tear aside 20 zombies in a matter of seconds. I’m going to try to concentrate on bettering my Beast Mode abilities so I can change into a really unstoppable zombie-killing parkour machine.
And that wraps our picks! What are you enjoying this weekend?
