Oh no, not again! I'm sorry to report that Edwin has, unfortunately, been devoured by the Maw. And no, it wasn't some clever trick this time. While Edwin was busy trying to floss the Maw's teeth with a giant toothpick, a sneaky tentacle tapped him on the shoulder. A moment's distraction, and *poof*, he was gone!

But hey, no worries, Edwin's a pro at escaping the Maw's digestive system. He'll probably pop out of somewhere (hopefully not somewhere too unpleasant) and be back to work in no time. In the meantime, I'll fill in and give you the lowdown on this week's game releases.

New Games This Week

For those of you who enjoy a good mix of tower defense and mining, like in Dome Keeper or Wall World, check out Iter-8. I recently gave it a whirl and found it pretty interesting.

Thysiastery, a dungeon crawler, was described as an "anime Legend Of Grimrock". When I tried it, I accidentally sacrificed all my warrior's blood to a god, turning him into a shriveled husk. Oops!

Pluto, a roguelike deckbuilder, might seem like just another one in the pile, but it's got gnarly wizard fingers front and center, which is definitely a unique touch.

Spacefleet: Heat Death aims to be like The Expanse meets Mount and Blade. I'm not sure about horses in space, but it's an open star system where you can trade, hunt bounties, and build your own fleet.

Galactic Vault puts you in the role of a space bank robber, fighting robots to loot corporations. It's not an immersive sim or as stylish as Void Bastards, but it gives off similar vibes with its roguelike space heists.

Another simulator is here. Ranger's Path: National Park Simulator lets you walk and drive around a nature reserve, telling visitors to behave, picking up trash, and maybe even dealing with a Yogi Bear-like situation.

If you've ever wanted to be a shapeshifting princess/wolf, guiding a prince through a dangerous forest, The Liar Princess And The Blind Prince is for you. You can switch between a sweet princess and a scary wolf to protect the prince from forest creatures.

I'd love for developers to just keep making new versions of John Carpenter's The Thing, but John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, a four-player co-op shooter from the World War Z team, is a decent compromise. It looks like Left 4 Dead with a Carpenter twist.

Stellar Wander DX offers a galaxy to explore as a trader or bounty hunter. There's always room for more spacefighter games, in my opinion, even if it's not on the same scale as the X series.

Collector's Cove is like Spiritfarer meets Viva Pinata. You sail around in a floating farm, attracting different creatures. However, don't expect the same level of emotional depth as Spiritfarer.

If you're looking for something that explores grief, try Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake. It's a remake of the 2001 game, where you help twins escape a ghost-filled village.

Want to improve your typing skills while scaring yourself? Dyping Escape is a horror game where you type words dictated by an ethereal voice. What could go wrong?

I've played a bit of Mythmatch, a match-3 game set in ancient Greece. I can confirm that combining three dogs creates a Cerberus. It's the little things, you know?

Lastly, Piece By Piece is a puzzle platformer where you build levels from jigsaw pieces. It seems brain-bending and has a nice presentation, perfect for a spooky Friday.

As for the rest of the team, Mark and Jeremy are off for the first half of the week, then back to their news and guides mines. Dion, Callum, and Ollie are working on another game that they can't name, but they're complaining about the sand. And James is out shepherding freelancers, a lonely job that someone has to do. Hopefully, Edwin will be back from his trip inside the Maw soon!