That’s right, we’re leading off this week with a reference to all three major releases this week shoehorned into the implication that my Starbucks Rewards star count is zero. But actually it’s like 400 and I need to redeem some stars before they take them all away.
That aside, any talk of some of our slower weeks for RPGs Coming This Week will have to be sidelined for a bit. April may have been one of the slower recent months for new releases, but here in mid-May, things are heating up. This week we have three brand-new releases, two of which are brand-new IPs, no less. Not even a remake in that list. In our stuffed “Also” section below, we have new platform releases for four games ranging from an action RPG that’s basically been on everything (even Wii U), another Tales release, arguably two of the most iconic puzzle adventure games, plus a new DLC for a cute Ace Attorney-esque visual novel.
It’s a whole lot of game this week, and that’s only in our sphere of coverage here at RPGFan. Which means it doesn’t even include Yoshi’s latest adventure, which also lands this week.
Intro by Mike Salbato
Coffee Talk Tokyo – May 21st (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, XBX, Windows, macOS)
Coffee Talk Tokyo is the third game in the urban fantasy visual novel/cafe simulator where you run a cafe that serves a colorful cast of characters in a world that blends both the mundane and the fantastical. I adored the first game and its sequel set in Seattle, and I’m curious to see how the nightlife of Tokyo affects the coffee drinks and patronage in this installment. Given how heartfelt and memorable the choice-heavy narratives of the series have been in the past, I’m looking forward to discovering the daily goings-on of people from all walks of life looking for a decent cup of coffee and seeing how things ultimately play out for them after the beverages are served. The visuals look vibrant and the soundtrack promises to be more lo-fi calming goodness that we’ve come to expect, hopefully ensuring we’ll all want to come back for another cup when Coffee Talk Tokyo releases later this week!
by Audra Bowling
Starbites – May 21st (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, XBX, Windows)
In an age where games can be announced many years before release, it’s almost surprising to see Starbites release this week, after “only” being revealed for Western release last August. And while I could easily explain the game myself, our own Paul Skevington summed up Starbites‘ premise succinctly in his preview last fall:
Starbites takes place on the desert planet Bitter, once a desirable destination, now a ruined junkyard. Our protagonist, a young woman named Lukida, desperately seeks to escape the confines of her desolate home. You join her as she tries everything she can to achieve her goal, accompanied by her friends, who form the core of the adventuring party.
A turn-based RPG with big robots and a fun anime aesthetic goes a long way with me, and Paul was optimistic about the game based on his time with it and Q&A with the devs. Here’s hoping the final release awards that optimism. Look for our review soon!
by Mike Salbato
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies – May 21st (Windows, PS5)
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is the latest title from studio ZA/UM, formerly staffed by the creators of Disco Elysium, currently staffed by around 35% of the staff who worked on the Final Cut version and very few members of the original team that brought us 2019’s medium-transcending RPG. If you are curious about this series of events, please check out the excellent /noclip documentary on Disco Elysium‘s development and the aftermath. It’s a sordid tale of capitalist exploitation of creative labor, one that fittingly could’ve been lifted from the world of Elysium itself.
Zero Parades follows Hershel Wilke, an Operant (spy) forced into a desk job for the last five years after botching a mission that scattered her team (The Whole Sick Crew) to the four winds. She’s thrust back in-theatre (fieldwork) due to her familiarity with the city-state of Portofiro, the site of her previous catastrophe. Upon arriving, she finds her double (partner) PSEUDOPOD in a catatonic state, and must scramble to pick up the pieces and assemble her former compatriots for one last job. Set in a new world distinct from (despite sharing aesthetic and narrative similarities with) Elysium, Zero Parades borrows heavily from Cold War history (specifically the conflict between the US, the USSR, and the Non-Aligned Movement caught in between these rival powers) to form the backdrop of its espionage thriller. Check back next week for my review to see whether it can step out of the long shadow cast by its predecessor.
by Ben Love
Also Coming This Week
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition – May 18th (PS5, XBX)
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition finally makes its way to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S nearly a decade after its upgraded release on PS4 and Xbox One and nearly two years after its sequel received a similar treatment on PS5. There are a number of visual improvements to textures, 4K resolution, DualSense features, and improved load times. If you’ve never played the comic book-inspired, mature-audience-oriented, Zelda-like adventure before, there’s never been a better time to jump in.
by Ben Love
Myst & Riven – May 19th
Myst and Riven hardly need much of an introduction given how prolific these two classics are, and the latest iterations of both land on modern consoles this week. The newest edition of Myst launched as a PC VR title in 2021 before coming to “standard” screens, and this week comes to PS5 and PSVR2. The 2024 remake of its sequel, Riven, is coming to PS5, PSVR2, Xbox Series X|S, and the Microsoft Store. (Myst is already available on the two latter platforms.) The new editions are highly regarded for being largely true to their source material, but with beautiful new — and now real-time — visuals. The Riven remake also makes some puzzles a bit less obtuse, and our own Hilary Andreff described it as remaining “an enchanting place to visit” in her review.
by Mike Salbato
Paper Perjury Case 6: Regrets & Perjury – May 21st (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Paper Perjury Case 6: Regrets and Perjury is a DLC expansion for the indie mystery VN Paper Perjury, a title I greatly enjoyed playing when it released in 2024. Paper clerk-turned-rookie sleuth Justina Smith returns to investigate the circumstances around a fire, meeting up with both new and returning (yet equally memorable) characters. Considering the DLC is free for owners of the base game, and that the original was such a surprise delight, I can’t wait to once more step into Justina’s shoes!
by Audra Bowling
Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition – May 22nd (Switch 2)
Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition is a Switch 2 port of both 2021’s Tales of Arise and its DLC expansion Beyond the Dawn. Izzy Parsons thought rather highly of the base game in their review, while Zach Wilkerson had some concerns about the content and merits of the DLC. Still, having it all bundled together for a decent price might just convince title newcomers to give this version a chance when it releases on the Nintendo Switch 2 later this week!
by Audra Bowling
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