Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s weekly catch-up news feature, the catch-up coffee. I will bring you the best news you may have missed with each issue. 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)!
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yazuka in Hawaii will be released earlier than previously announced
I write so much about delayed launches that I am surprised when a game’s release date is pushed forward. Thanks to smooth development, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yazuka in Hawaii will be available one week earlier than originally scheduled. The change was announced during last week’s Xbox Partner Preview, alongside a trailer revealing naval combat gameplay.
When former yakuza member Goro Majima wakes up on a beach with amnesia, he gets wrapped up in the adventures only a pirate can have. The above trailer introduces the game’s naval battles. Take the helm of a ship in dangerous pirate territory and defeat your rival ships before boarding and taking all their booty. There’s also footage of battles in the Pirate Coliseum of Madlantis (a secret island hideout).
Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be released for PC via Steam/Microsoft, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One on February 21, 2025.
Corpse Party II: Darkness Distortion is delayed…
Oops, I spoke too soon! The good news about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is nearly cancelled by the delay of Corpse Party II: Darkness Distortion, which has been pushed from Q4 2024 to 2025. Not even early 2025, just 2025. That could be a long wait. A press release about the delay states that the “bold new entry in acclaimed Japanese developer MAGES.’s long-running indie horror franchise, will, in the interest of improving game quality, push its release date.”
I expect that waiting longer for a new game in the Corpse Party franchise will be worth it. Corpse Party II: Darkness Design designed to keep fans on the edge of their seats while being a good entry point for new players. The updated game design allows players to explore the 3D environments in third-person or first-person. This perspective compliments the series’ visual novel storytelling, adding updated visuals with gruesome descriptions, spine-tingling binaural audio, and the original Japanese voiceovers.
In the game, three high school friends visit the Amare Est Vivere Hospital to test an urban legend to boost the stream subscribers for one of them. Too bad the legend is true and they trigger an old curse that sends them to a dark realm. Stay together, avoid the spirit of Ayame Kirishima and other horrors from the location’s dark past, and find a way to escape the curse.
Corpse Party II: Darkness Distortion is being co-developed by Team GrisGris and Mages., and published by Marvelous/Marvelous Europe/Xseed Games (depending on the location). It will be released worldwide for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in 2025.
The Legend of Baboo announced, due to release in 2025
Simply put, The Legend of Baboo is about a boy and his dog. It is inspired by fables that have been told for generations. A boy named Sepehr needs to save his family from a mythical, ancient evil. You’ll play both as Sepehr and his adorable dog, Baboo. The power of their bond is what could save the people (and place) they love the most.
Sepehr has a magic staff; Baboo has claws and a super-barking ability. They will fight against demonic invaders and otherworldly bosses. You will also guide them through puzzles to advance through the challenges across forests, waters, wilderness, and frozen land. Both characters have an RPG-like skill tree to power up their abilities and unlock new skills. Baboo can be customized with outfits and ornaments you’ve earned to make a great doggo look great.
Developed by Permanent Way and published by Midwest Games, The Legend of Baboo will be released for PC via Steam, Xbox Series, and Xbox One sometime next year.
Ghost Bike becomes Wheel World, coming early next year
The game formerly known as Ghost Bike has been renamed Wheel World and now has a release window of early 2025. The developer celebrated both announcements with a bright and breezy trailer for Wheel World. It features I Want It All, a new original song by Joon.
“The gameplay in Wheel World has gone through a number of iterations in terms of gameplay and structure, and the narrative has had to adapt along the way,” explain Mak Essen and Kristy Norindr of Messhof in a Steam news update. “At the point last year when it felt right to announce the project, we came up with the name Ghost Bike based on where the narrative was. It was a game about dying on a bike after being hit by a car and ending up in a cycling Valhalla. While it wasn’t directly based on real-world ghost bikes (those white bikes memorializing cyclists killed by drivers), there was enough overlap to feel like the name was justified and the associations would be a positive one from both directions. But as things changed in the gameplay (to make it more fun to play), and thus the story (especially in tone) it fit less and less.”
Developed by Messhof and published by Annapurna Interactive, Wheel World will be released for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series in early 2025.
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