Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s weekly catch-up news feature, the catch-up coffee. With each issue I will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me sadly releases post-Halloween
Inspired by H. H. Holmes’ infamous murder castle (side note: read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson if you haven’t), The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in me is set in a modern-day replica of the building. The game is the fourth in The Dark Pictures Anthology, a series of standalone (but better together) games, and is described as being the end of the first season whatever that means. Ideally, a game about murder would be released pre-Halloween, but this game just misses the mark with a mid-November launch date.
A group of documentary filmmakers receive a call inviting them to the World’s Fair Hotel. Everything in the game is contained within its walls, which I really like. Nothing is quite as it seems, though, and the crew discover they’re being watched and manipulated. I’m a bit upset that the developers have added on things like running, jumping, and climbing, as it will take away my ability to play the game well… hopefully others don’t have an issue with it. Character inventory and tool-based puzzles are also new to the series in The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me.Matt previewed the game last week; read that here.
Developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me will be released for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One on November 18.
Take an extended look at Layers of Fears
That’s right: one catch-up featuring two of the best contemporary horror franchises! How lucky! For Gamescom 2022, Bloober Team released a new trailing for Layers of Fears, featuring an extended look at one of the new storylines created for the game. The storyline, The Final Note, focuses on the Painter’s wife, a musician who has an equally devastating story. A new location will help link the three titles in the series (Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2, Layers of Fears) together.
Layers of Fears is set in the early 20th century and follows the lives and tragedies of a madness-engulfed family’s slow descent into insanity. It is heavily influence by the many “lenses” of art, beginning with Victorian paintings before expanding to include film and music. Explore the environment to uncover the tales of the Painter and the Actor. Players may see the world change before them, but it may not be real…
Developed and published by Bloober Team, Layers of Fears is expected to be released for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series in early 2023.
Return to Monkey Island launches in the next month
I think it’s safe to say that a large fan base is excited for Return to Monkey Island, the sequel to The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. In fact, it’s considered the conclusion of the series. It’s said to bring classic point-and-click gameplay to the modern day. It’s mainly set on Melee Island, a familiar place under new management. There are also places like Terror Island and Brrr Muda.
The game’s description reads: “It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes.'”
Developed by Terrible Toybox in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, and published by Devolver Digital, Return to Monkey Island will be released for PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch on September 19.
Nobody Saves the World DLC is incoming
Nobody Saves the World is a twist on action RPGs; players play as many different character Forms, each with their own gameplay mechanics. In the original game, The Calamity’s powers are growing and nobody can save the world now – making it a good thing that they player is Nobody. It’s a great title from a great (and Canadian!) developer, and I’m excited to see what gets added to it via the upcoming DLC titled Frozen Hearth.
The DLC unearths a forgotten region, deep underground, where the strongest warriors compete for glory in a series of puzzles and challenges. Pass the trials and be rewarded with the new Killer Bee and Mechanic forms, which can be used in the DLC and in the main game.
Developed and published by DrinkBox Studios, Nobody Saves the World is currently available for PC via Steam/GOG/Microsoft, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, and Xbox One. The Frozen Hearth expansion will be released on September 13 for all of these platforms.
The third game in the series is just called layers of fear? No “3”? I hate bloober team.