Prime Gaming – December 2023

Oh Jeffrey, you are getting on my nerves, just have your PR people simply say: “We’ll tell you about the crap so we can load up with surprises later in the month itself.” Some might not know because we didn’t cover it, but for the start of November, you could have picked up the new Invincible tie-in game. Not the Stanisław Lem one, the comic book one that Amazon airs. Quickly of course we’ll cover that you can still pick up “wonderful” in-game guff for games such as Hearthstone, Diablo IV, F1 23, Madden, EA FC, WoW, and so much more you don’t care about.

Kicking off the month next Thursday, the 7th of December, you can pick up Arkane’s 70s retro-futuristic time-looping game with a poor time travel setup. Yes, it is Deathloop. Despite what I’ve said about it, I do somewhat like Deathloop. Not for the story or the challenge it brings, but simply the fact the setting is something that at least is eye-catching and done in that very Arkane way. That’s one of the problems I think people have with it, it is just Dishonored with guns and thus takes away all the challenge.

I hope you enjoyed one of only two games you’ll possibly like this month so far, as from the 14th we start with Akka Arrh. One of these Bullet Hell/Bullet Heaven things, released earlier this year Akka Arrh comes from whatever company we’re calling Atari this week and Jeff Minter. Minter is the mind behind titles such as Gridrunner, Attack of the Mutant Camels, Tempest 2000, and Polybius (2017). If nostalgia clouds your opinion of the name Atari, then yeah, you’ll probably think Akka Arrh is alright, but not too exciting/”addictive.”

I don’t even know how to describe Aground other than very niche. Also coming on the 14th, you can pick up this survival base building sim with an art style that is quite off-putting, in my opinion. Call me a snob, I know I am. Something about Aground‘s 2D heavy pixel-based art style simply isn’t grabbing me despite the fact I know it is taking hold of some others. I’ve seen it described as Minecraft but 2D, which is exactly what we all said about Terraria, and yet I find Terraria more inviting.

Sticking with the 14th, I actually got a press release about SeaOrama: World of Shipping and its release date, which is also December 14th. Very much a boring dad game, I was almost tempted to ask for a key to play it until I got this news. You take control of a shipping company and have to, well, run it. Of course, it is another business simulator but with something that I think most people won’t care about. I know, it is a niche and a half, but unlike Aground I’m in this niche. Similar in ideas to Computer Tycoon, though maybe smaller in the scale of strategy, I’m excited for this one.

The only one available on the 21st before our break, Kombinera is a colorful puzzle platformer. I could end the paragraph there as it is quite literally that simple, almost. You control multiple balls (oh my!) at the same time and have to combine them all as there are multiple dangers throughout each level. A bit like the keys for a Metroidvania, each color allows you to pass through each danger (I think) and get to the other balls (go look up a camp Kenneth Williams response).

For those with a penchant for interesting indie titles, A Tiny Sticker Tale is available from the 28th and is the penultimate title for the month. Well, that we know of so far. Released in October, the relaxing puzzle platforming adventure is simple. It isn’t bad, currently, it is second behind Deathloop for the month and it is staying there until we find out whatever else is possibly available as a surprise. Sadly, it is still not very exciting. Ogre Pixel’s next title after Lonesome Village is certainly this month’s option for parents with young kids at home.

One for Grandad now to close out the month on the 28th, Asteroids: Recharged. Yes, it seems we’re getting the whole Atari Recharged series via Prime for the Epic Games Store. Do I need to explain one of the foundations of gaming so old it was released when games were still in black and white and the file size on the cartridge was less than that of a 2005 USB stick? Look, I’m not the one to sell you a remaster of a game that came to a console with a literal black-and-white or color switch on it. I’m far too young for that, and I’m told that I’m ancient like the pyramids.