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)!
Bilkins’ Folly launches this October
Pirate puzzle adventure game Bilkins’ Folly follows a treasure hunter and his beloved dog. What first attracted me to it is its visuals: the pixel graphics are super charming, and Bilkins walks a bit like a drunk pirate. This week, the game’s release date was announced via a new trailer.
Join Percy Bilkins and his doggo Drayton on a treasure-hunting, puzzle-solving, ship-wrecking trek across a series of islands while searching for Percy’s missing mother and grandfather. Find a new ship, recruit your very own crew, and scour every inch of every island to uncover mysteries, treasure, and family secrets. As Bilkins explores, his bond with Drayton will grow, giving him new skills and tricks to help solve puzzles.
Developed by Webbysoft and published by Armor Games Studios, Bilkins’ Follow will be released for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on October 2.
Total War: Pharaoh launches this October
The latest instalment in a popular strategy game franchise, Total War: Pharaoh brings players to the events of the Egyptian New Kingdom period. Determine the fate of three great cultures: the Egyptians, the Hitties, and the Canaanites. Choose one of their leaders to command your armies. Each group will be fighting for survival amid the Bronze Age collapse. This week, an October release date was announced for the game. Alongside the release date reveal, a new map reveal video was released:
The game is described of being in two halves. One is a turn-based, open-world campaign with statecraft, diplomacy, and exploration. The other features intense, tactical real-time battles with thousands of troops. The events are all inspired by history, creating a rather authentic recreation of Ancient Egypt and the death of Pharaoh Merneptah. Prove your legitimacy to become a new Pharaoh, or Great King, and expand your empire on a campaign map that spans Egypt, Canaan, and Anatolia. Pledge your allegiance to the gods with 19 deities to choose from; show reverence to earn gameplay bonuses, but disrespect them at your own risk.
Developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, Total War: Pharaoh will be released for PC via Steam digitally on October 11. A physical limited edition release follows on October 23.
Cattails: Wildwood Story launches – you guessed it – this October
Cattails: Wildwood Story is a standalone sequel to Cattails, an animal simulation RPG where players hunt for food, fight invading cats, gather herbs, a socialise. Cattails: Wildwood Story is described as a cozy life sim RPG where players do much of the game. The game began development in 2019 and has a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2022. And it will be released next month.
Create your own kitty and roam the lands in search of prey to hunt and herbs to forage. Attract new cat residents to the town. While getting to know each other, you may even fall in love and raise a family of kittens; there are over twenty eligible partners to choose from. A dark presence threatens your new home, though, so rise to the challenge and uncover the corruption at the heart of the matter.
Developed and published by Falcon Development, Cattails: Wildwood Story will be released for PC via Steam on October 20. It will be released for Nintendo Switch in 2024.
Loddlenaut launches this November
Yes, another cozy game! It’s just about autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, and what goes better with sweater weather than a game that makes you want to cozy up at home to enjoy? Loddlenaut follows an interstellar custodian sent to a polluted ocean planet. Players will clean up the mess, but also recycle trash to build and upgrade powerful purification tools. This week, it was announced that Loddlenaut will be released in about two months.
While cleaning up the planet, befriend local axolotl-like creatures and raise loddles that grow based on what they eat. Explore the open world while cleaning up icky goop and floating debris with a bubble gun. Players can unlock special gadgets to clean different types of pollution. It’s kind of like PowerWash Simulator, but cuter and underwater.
Developed by Moon Lagoon and published by Secret Mod, Loddlenaut will be released for PC/Mac via Steam on November 16.
