Here’s three new games to play this weekend if you’re not into Silksong

Silksong is here, and much like every other massive game launch, it has completely drowned out other bits that launched this week. Well, I’m here to round a few favorites up for you, as we head into what’ll be the busiest time of year. If you’re not into bug-search-action games, we’ve got some choices for you.

Hirogami is a pleasure to look at

Hirogami, from Bandai Namco Singapore, is a new platformer that takes on a lush, paper craft aesthetic. Playing as Hiro, you explore a world that’s being invaded by some horrid digital creatures.

Combat is pretty simple, and some of the platforming action you’ll do can feel a little cumbersome, but it’s all wrapped up in this style that I just cannot get enough of. Paper characters move on twos (like in those animated Spider-Man movies), juxtaposed against the smooth digital baddies you’ll have to do battle with.

It’s not especially difficult, but its awkward methods of play can sometimes get in the way. This especially comes to ahead when the game introduces the transformations, like an armadillo and a frog. Combining all these together for the various puzzles and traps you’ll need to avoid really shows what the game can do, even if it’s not terribly deep.

Hirogami is available on Steam, Epic, and PS5.

Relax with Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots

I dig arcadey golf games and loved Everybody’s Golf on the PlayStation 4. Now, the series has come back and it’s on PC for the first time. There are apparently some performance issues over on Steam Deck, but that aside, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots will certainly be a sleeper background hit.

If you’re after a little cooldown after a particular tough boss in Silksong, I wholeheartedly recommend this. A mixture of relaxing gameplay, with a low-stakes arcade feel, along with a variety of modes, you can do far worse in your fake golf adventures.

Deadzone: Rogue launches 1.0 on consoles

I’ve fallen directly into the hole that is Deadzone: Rogue. A rogue-lite combined with a Call of Duty feel, you’ll do battle with hordes of robots and eventually creepier, fleshier enemies.

There’s been a demo on consoles for a while, but the full game has now been released with all three zones. If I say I’ve spent 30 hours on it in two weeks, you can probably tell what kind of game it is.

The game’s moment-to-moment gameplay is what has me in its vice-like grip, but it does have a fairly intriguing tale to tell. It descends rapidly into a sci-fi nightmare, as you uncover the truth as to why you can’t die and why androids have taken over the ship.

As the game is a rogue-lite, dying in a mission will result in a full reset, and you’ll be forced to go through it all over again. Split into different zones, there’s a story mission to complete that unlocks a variety of different quests to accomplish. Between runs, there’s an upgrade system to spend earned points on. After a few hours, I was convinced that I’d seen everything by the time that Zone 2’s story mission wrapped.

However, going back to the side missions to see what they had in store unveiled a game that deeply understands what makes it work. Some of these missions dangle a carrot of an unlockable weapon that might appear in your next run, or remix how enemies appear. My favorites were the ones that forced you into a particular style of play that you might never actually do otherwise. It’s ludicrously fun, especially with a few friends to back you up.

Deadzone: Rogue is available on PC, as well as Xbox and PS5.