Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: 5 Games We’re Psyched To Jump Back Into

Play it on: Switch, Windows (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: See more of the endings

I have seen the credits roll on The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, but that’s only half the tactical battle. The tower defense visual novel has over 100 endings, and I’m still not ready to render a verdict on the game until I’ve seen more of them. I’m a huge fan of co-director Kazutaka Kodaka’s work on the Danganronpa series, though I’m less enthusiastic about (other) co-director Kotaro Uchikoshi’s Zero Escape series. However, the impact of Uchikoshi’s branching narrative experience became much clearer after seeing The Hundred Line’s first credits. It’s clear that despite putting several dozen hours into this game, I’ve only scratched the surface of its mysteries. It’s maddening to nearly reach the end and find out there’s still so much more to see, but I’m ready to dive back in. — Kenneth Shepard

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck N/A)
Current goal: Actually master dodge and parry

I find something new to like about Clair Obscur every time I fire it up. I’m also not alone in finding this French-made turn-based RPG alluring. Kotaku’s very own Kenneth Shepard has given the game some well-deserved praise this week, and I’m hearing people spontaneously talking about it and having friends ask me about it with increasing frequency, so it seems to be catching on. This weekend I’ll be jumping back into this engaging RPG and, if you’re in the mood for something tactical and turn-based, I think you should too.

Clair Obscur frequently feels like the Final Fantasy of the future that I used to imagine as a kid. And yes, much of that has to do with the game’s satisfyingly unique approach to turn-based combat (there’s also an overworld!). Dodging and parrying, which you do in real-time, still feel a smidge unfair in their timing to me, but the ability to aim in real-time at enemy weak points and strategically build up an offense by making successively smart and powerful moves with each turn is a clever remix of a battle style I love—and one I used to expect from Final Fantasy before the series tossed turn-based combat out the window. Now that I’ve wrapped up some footage capture for a recent video of ours, I’m free to dial the difficulty back up to its highest setting for some punishment and satisfying mastery over what is a surprisingly tough game.

The story has yet to really grab my attention though, so hopefully I make some more progress. I don’t have any critiques of it yet, just some unmet curiosity. I’m certainly intrigued by this “let’s go kill a god” story, but I’m in the phase of “okay, game, what are you actually gonna do with this premise?” I’ve a feeling it’s gonna turn out neat, the premise and setting are pretty clever, but I want to be won over by Expedition 33. Even if not, though, this combat will surely satisfy me for many more hours. — Claire Jackson

Play it on: Switch, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Visit New York City at different points in history

Wadjet Eye’s Unavowed came out in 2018, but it was only in the past year that I finally made time for the acclaimed point-and-click adventure game. I really liked it, not just for its characters, concepts, and puzzles, but also for its use of New York City as a setting. New York City was more than just a backdrop; the game felt rooted in the city in a real way, one that told you it was written by someone who knew the city personally. Now Wadjet Eye’s latest adventure game, Old Skies, is here. Like Unavowed it takes place in NYC, with Wadjet Eye founder and Old Skies writer Dave Gilbert again bringing his knowledge of the city to bear. This time, however, because the game involves time travel, you’ll see the city at different points throughout its history. Of course I’m eager to see the game’s sci-fi story unfold and to play a new point-and-click adventure from one of the modern masters of the genre. But the fact that it takes place in the city I live in and love is definitely a cool bonus! — Carolyn Petit

Play it on: Windows (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: Play a few more matches and remember better times

You may not remember Battlefield Heroes. It was a silly but well-made free-to-play browser-based third-person shooter that ditched the franchise’s usual realistic visuals for arcadey cartoon fun. It was very good. It might have the best version of the Battlefield theme. And after launching in 2009, it was quietly shut down in 2015, though it had really died years before that due to a lack of updates and players. So why am I talking about a short-lived cartoony BF spin-off game? Well, because a group of game devs who also loved BF Heroes and have created a new game directly inspired by it. Heroes of Valor has the same look and plays a lot like Heroes, but also adds some more modern elements. The end result is a really nice trip down memory lane, to a time when publishers were willing to take more risks and make strange spin-offs to popular franchises. If you want to play Heroes of Valor, just head to the game’s Steam page and ask to join the free playtest. You’ll be instantly invited and can start killing cartoon Nazis and Allies online. — Zack Zwiezen

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Try not to get too distracted on my way to Skingrad.

Oblivion Remastered is basically everything I want from one of these. It overhauls the visuals without changing too much beneath the hood. It doesn’t replace the original, which you can still buy and play separately. And it gets me close enough to that version of Oblivion from 2006 that I revere in my head but which is way rosier than the one that actually existed. I’ve never beaten an Elder Scrolls but Oblivion might be my favorite, a “just right” Goldilocks compromise between Morrowind (great but unplayable) and Skyrim (more polished but too grim).

Cyrodiil is my favorite ESO locale by a country mile. The imperial seat, it’s a rich, cosmopolitan province that’s warm, welcoming, and beautiful, but with the dangerous, occult edge thanks to all those portals to the demon realm. I also prefer Oblivion’s more freeform action, where magic does a lot more than just blow enemies up and you don’t have to constantly swap between gear to play the way you want.

There’s been a lot made of Bethesda deciding to drop it right on top of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the critically acclaimed new RPG from a much smaller team, but as someone playing both I feel they’re actually perfect compliments to one another. Where Oblivion is first-person high-fantasy in an open world, Clair Obscur is a linear Belle Époque-punk adventure with turn-based combat. It might be gaming’s latest “Barbenheimer” after all, though I don’t know if it can top 2020’s Doom Crossing. — Ethan Gach

And that wraps our picks for the weekend. Happy gaming!