Our recurring series curating the month ahead.
Let’s dive in!
Here’s What To Play This July.
One of the more inventive takes on survival horror in recent times,Amnesia: The Bunkeris sumptuously dark.
Planet of Lana is a poised and rather beautiful side-scrolling platformer set during an alien invasion.
Puzzles, pets, and a lovely sense of progress mark this out as something special.
But also: that scamper between the huge legs of stalking monsters.
A grotto where a beast loomed in the murk ahead, eyes glowing.
In moments like this, sheer craft becomes something else, I think.
It becomes a memory that will stay with me.
Requiring a new character, this feels like an invitation for the hardcore only.
Will it be worth the grind?
Starting with Season 1, available for 8.39 this July.
I love it in Diablo 4.
There’s nothing else I’ve played quite like that.
Mask of the Rose
Availability:Out now on PC, Switch.
Not everything works in Mask of the Rose, but that’s not always a problem.
If you’re curious, we still absolutely recommend giving it a look.
Aliens: Dark Descent
It’s Aliens meets XCOM, in essence.
State of the badass art?
Near as damn it.
A remake of a beloved farming sim comes with intelligent tweaks.
Maybe this time I’ll finally raise a child who takes over the farm.
Final Fantasy 16
Availability:Out now on PS5
Heard of this one?
The best compare to bullet hell shooters in having you dance a path between beams and puddles of energy.
Sludge Life 2
Availability:Out now on PC.
Ubi open-worlders, sure, although they walk the line between expert distillation and open parody really well.
C-Smash VRS
Availability:Out now on PSVR 2.
A snackable, old-school cult hit returns, this time to PSVR 2.
Here’s what Ian said inhis VR Corner:
There’s definitely something incredibly moreish about C-Smash VRS.
Beloved and brilliant stuff.
Expect a review very soon.
When you have the fish youre after, you head topside to run a sushi bar.
Dave the Divers charming and filled with character, and well hopefully have a review up soonish.
Trails into Reverie
Availability:Out 7th July on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch.
Neurocracy 2.049
Availability:Out 12th July in browsers.
Solve a murder across article edits!
Your investigation affects the outcome!
[citation needed].
The previous Neurocracy was an IGF award-winner.
This one’s very much worth keeping an eye on.
Viewfinder
Availability:Out 18th July on PC, PS5.
“Mind-bending first-person puzzler” is it?
Yes c’mon.
Lakeburg Legacies
Availability:Out 20th July on PC.
Roto Force
Availability:Out 18th July on PC.
Just look at this game in action.
Twin-stick arcade thrills at their most extreme and engaging.
Pikmin 4
Availability:Out 21st July on Switch.
Disney Illusion Island
Availability:Out 28th July on Switch.
Disney Illusion Island looks really special.
If it hits big, maybe we’ll get that Quackshot sequel we’ve always wanted.
The recent demo was an absolute treat.
This one can’t arrive soon enough.
What else do we recommend in July?
Okay, maybe the actual best power-ups?
Torchlight 2
Tonally Diablo 4 can be a bit of a grim slog.
So why not return to Torchlight 2 and remember how weird and varied ARPGs can be?
And it even has a quest that riffs on The Goonies.
Yes this is the second month in a row we’re recommending it - what you gonna do?
Its a surprisingly massive game, and one that has yet to lose its neon sheen.
Here are a few more games coming out over the next month to bear in mind.
