Gaming The catch-up coffee: July 1, 2024

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Welcome to our 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 favorite brew, and catch up with us.

Sci-fi thriller Minds Beneath Us launches for PC late this month

It's been four years of development, but story-rich sci-fi thriller adventure game Minds Beneath Us is finally set to launch late this month. The game is about a man and a data ghost who lives in his head, controlling his body. Society is fully automated thanks to AI and a new industry has emerged: replacing the hardware required to operate the internet with linked human brains. Disadvantaged citizens have no choice but to sign up. Against this backdrop, a mystery slowly reveals itself.

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You'll make tons of dialogue choices to shape the relationships between characters. These choices and the resulting actions will have an impact on the story. After paying close attention to what the characters say, look for hidden clues and unlock new dialogue choices. The setting is Taipei in "the near future."

Developed and published by BearBoneStudio, Minds Beneath Us ill be released for PC via Steam on July 31.

New paid DLC is available for Let's School, plus a free update brings mod support

There was so much news about management sim Let's School this week! First, it was announced for consoles. The second two things were contained in one announcement: new paid DLC and a free update with mod support is now available! Let's School puts you in the place of headmaster (or principal, if you prefer) of a school that you both build and manage. Steamworks support means that players can now share and create new in-game content like new NPCs, character parts, uniforms, scripting/gameplay rule changes, wall/furniture textures, and more. According to the developer, being able to incorporate player-made elements/modifications should breathe new life into the game.

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If near-infinite is not enough new content for you, new paid DLC Magic Castles is available now. (Watch the trailer above!) Everything within is themed around the magical and the fantastical. Craft magic curriculum with three new facilities (Magic Lecture Hall, Bard's General School, Banquet Hall), six new items (including Magic Wand, Witch Broom), juggling, and over 100 furniture plus interior/exterior customization elements.

Developed by Pathea Games and published by PM Studios, Let's School is available now for PC via Steam. The update with mod support is also available now, as is the paid DLC. The game will be released digitally for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, and Xbox One on July 16. It will also launch physically for consoles, with details expected later this year.

Fantasy adventure game Mika and the Witch's Mountain launches for PC, Switch this August

Explore every bit of a small island as an aspiring witch delivering packages, soaring through the sky on a magic broom, when Mika and the Witch's Mountain launches for PC and Nintendo Switch next month. It is a coming-of-age story about effort, friendship, and community. Get to know the townsfolk, and use your broom to discover all the island's secrets. You'll need to work hard to get a magic broom good enough to get to the top of the mountain.

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As Mika delivers packages across the mini open world, her customers will rate her service. This is how she can earn cash for new brooms with new abilities. While delivering packages, you'll have to protect them from the elements. The cozy, light-hearted adventure has various collections to complete: outfits, trails, treasures, etc.

Developed by Nukefist and published by Chibig, Mika and the Witch's Mountain will be released for PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch on August 21. PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One versions will launch later in 2024.

Don't Nod delays Lost Records: Bloom & Rage thanks to Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Direct sequel Life is Strange: Double Exposure (LiSE so this can at least somewhat be understandable)seems so big because of how much many (hundreds of?) thousands of players relate to the character of Mac. But the Max I fell in love with was created by Don't Nod, not Deck Nine. That's a long story, but basically Square Enix owns the rights to the franchise and Don't Nod has moved on. And the developer/publisher has been busy! Its big upcoming Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (LR:B&R), brings Don't Nod back to its supernatural narrative adventure roots through a brand new IP with multiple titles planned. The trailer makes it just kind of feel similarly, if that makes sense? Both games were set to launch late this year – LR:B&R only had a launch window and LiSE is set for October 29 – but now Don't Nod has decided to push its game back to 2025 to give Life is Strange: Double Exposure room to breathe. And look, I understand the reasoning, because Life is Strange is a popular established series and LiSE features the most popular character of them all. But I really wish it were the other way around, as the more I think about it the more my excitement grows for Don't Nod's game and slightly fades for Deck Nine's game. Oh well.

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"We know that many of our fans are eagerly awaiting this game, just as they are the recently announced next installment of Life is Strange," said Oskar Guilbert, CEO at Don't Nod. "Let's give both titles the space they need to be enjoyed by our players within the large community we have built. We firmly believe that the wait for Bloom & Rage will be worth it. We look forward to sharing this new adventure, which we hope will become another memorable chapter in the Don't Nod universe."

Developed and published by Don't Nod, Lost Records: Boom & Rage will be released for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series during early 2025. It will be released in two distinct parts (at a natural break in the story) that are planned to launch about a month apart.