We here at PixelDie have ourselves a time-honored tradition when we have some spare time on our hands: combing the Upcoming Releases on Steam and seeing what catches our eye. During one of these back and forth link-sending conversations, we both noticed that there’s one week that is absolutely stacked with powerful releases. We understand there’s some AAA additions that could be here, but that’s not us. So indulge with us that from September 12th to September 18th, our wallets are screwed. Here’s why:

Click the images below to head over to their Steam pages, give them a wishlist!

Demetri: Have you seen this thing in motion? Not the teaser, I’m talking the actual gameplay. It’s a bloodsoaked Tron where they installed buzzsaws in the walls and expect you to parkour past them. That is the sickest shit imaginable! I don’t know what the multiplayer situation is going to be on release, and who knows how long it’ll retain a base, but it promises single player content as well and I will always give an unconventional racing game a shot.

Demetri: Do you trust Bloober Team to do a decent job remaking Silent Hill 2? I don’t! Hollowbody looks to offer similar vibes, albeit a bit further into the future and a bit more British. Its demo wasn’t perfect, with combat in particular feeling kind of sticky and awkward, but strong aesthetics and solid puzzles have always been more important to the genre than fighting. I’m optimistic that this’ll present a compelling journey through yet another rust-riddled locked door hellscape.

Demetri: Confession time: I didn’t love Void Bastards. Excellent visuals aside, the shooting was weightless and the level design got monotonous fast. Fortunately Wild Bastards has a demo that shows big improvements on both of my issues, with powerful posse member abilities, high damage enemies, and dynamic deathmatch-esque arenas instead of shooting down the same hallways again and again. I’m also incredibly weak for westerns, and swapping the 6 shooters for lasers doesn’t diminish my enthusiasm.

Kyle: It’s always an interesting addition when a video game provides non-fictional history to guide a player through the world put in front of them, and Mácula Interactive is doing just that with A Deep Slumber.  Armed with a camera and your intrigue, you’ll get to experience firsthand the whirlwind changes that Mexico dealt with in the 1920s, using photography to gain insight on events throughout the country and the ripple effect it endured during its period of political warfare and modernistic transformation.  I’m all for tinkering with different focal points to get the best shot and eyeballing that Mature Content Description on their Steam page wondering what that’s all about.

Kyle: Give me rhythm-based games on a silver platter and let me eat until I can’t no more.  I really don’t have to do much in terms of pitching this, just watch their video on their Steam page and tell me the color palette, art direction, and everything in between doesn’t jump out of your screen and slap you in the face with the Giant Hand you can control.  Createdelic’s even providing Guitar Hero controller support for the Clone Hero and YARG freaks out here.  I love rhythm and I love goofy so I’ll be directly on board with Starstruck.

Kyle: I hate to call this Italian Dark Souls, but who are we kidding?  You have your base understanding in terms of Soulslike mechanics, but the big selling point for Enotria is its Majora’s Mask-like structure where collecting and swapping masks can alter roles, styles, and strategies throughout the game.  The game speed looks to mirror Bloodborne and Lies of P so fast reflexes and pinpoint windows of opportunity will dominate the gameplay, which will appeal to many.  But can it feel like these gems of the Soulslike genre?  That will be worth finding out.

Kyle: Continuing on the Rhythm track, how does turn-based rhythm JRPG with a slathering of cyberpunk pique your tastebuds?  In a futuristic world where music is outlawed, play as B0B0, a singer using the electric power of music to fight back against the powers that are outlawing it and bring an end to the corrupted system, even if that may or may not help the planet overall.  Blending Chrono Trigger, Mario & Luigi, and Final Fantasy Tactics into a groovy palette, players have the ability to choose different classes to cater to different playstyles, replay for multiple endings, and to balance the Danger Meter so you’re not pissing off the authorities too much.  I’m hoping Keylocker can be a quality blend of Tactics gameplay and the better parts of games like Everhood.

Demetri: It’s finally time to give Derek Yu my money again! I have been banging the UFO 50 drum since it was announced the better part of a decade ago. The developers on this are some of the best in the biz, and exploring 50 different games from them is going to be all I want to do as soon as this comes out. Granted I have no idea how long it’ll take to accomplish that, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.