Call of Cthulhu and Diablo Eternal Collection are this week’s big-name releases. If neither takes your fancy, then worry not – there’s a larger assortment of new indies than we usually see. Developers kept out of Red Dead Redemption 2’s way last week, presumably.

There’s also Bandai Namco’s arcade-style rhythm action title Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! on Switch and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! on PS4. The Taiko no Tatsujin series has been popular on the import scene since its conception back in 2001, with very few instalments making it to the west. This is Bandai Namco’s way of testing the water with a new generation of gamers, perhaps. Rhythm action fans may also be interested in Gal Metal on Switch. We’ve rounded-up scores below.

Top-down racer Super Pixel Racers is off to a good start, too – scores so far are clocking in at 8/10, with critics calling it one of best of its kind. The same can’t be said for Xbox One horror adventure The One We Found. An abundance of glitches suggests it has been rushed out in time for Halloween. “The majority of its faults are too obvious to go unnoticed, so much so, there’s absolutely no justifying the game being released in the state that it’s in,” said Xbox Tavern.

Then we have spooky visual novel Death Mark – which gained an impressive 8.0 from PlayStation Lifestyle – and Square-Enix’s PS4-exclusive cinematic adventure The Quiet Man, which sees a deaf protagonist unravel the motives behind a kidnapping.

Tranquil third-person exploration game The First Tree – entailing a fox trying to find its missing family, complete with two stories running in parallel – makes the jump from PC to consoles, meanwhile. Steam user reviews are “very positive” suggesting its worth a look.

Finally, we spy Gem Smashers making a vastly belated Xbox One appearance. This puzzler can be traced back to 2003, where it debuted on GBA. Sadly, it doesn’t appear to be something of a hidden gem.

New release showcase:

Call of Cthulhu

Reviews:
8/10 – GameSpew: “Call of Cthulhu weaves a supernatural detective tale that’s frequently unsettling, occasionally horrifying and always engaging. Whether you’re a Lovecraft fan or not, there’s a lot here to love – just don’t blame me if you have to clean Elder God-sized arse-prints off your windows”

6.0 – God is a Geek: “A good example of a psychological thriller, and perhaps with a sequel Cyanide Studios could smooth out those rough edges and give us the Cthulhu game we deserve”

4/10 – VideoGamer: “Call of Cthulhu’s atmosphere, especially early on, is delicious, but it’s let down by wayward pacing and plot and some muddy graphics”

Super Pixel Racers

Reviews:
8/10 – PlayStation Country: “In conclusion, Super Pixel Racers is a well implemented retro-flavoured rally game with hours of play and great vehicle handling to boot. It’s probably the most fun we’ve had from a racing game on PS4 this year”

4/5 – VideoChums: “Overhead racing games don’t get much better than Super Pixel Racers. Its tight and intense gameplay is virtually unmatched”

Diablo Eternal Collection

Reviews:
9.0 – IGN: “The Devil is now on-demand in a very polished, content-rich port to Nintendo Switch”

9/10 – GameSpot: “Diablo 3 is a game about long term goals accomplished in short, thrilling bursts. It’s rewarding and subtle. It’s flashy and boisterous. I have spent six years enjoying it, and will likely spend six years more. As far as video games go, that’s a long time–I came into the Eternal Collection expecting a eulogy for one of my favorite games. Instead, I stumbled upon a celebration”

8/10 – Nintendo Life: “Its visuals are clear and functional if not especially interesting, but performance is top notch to make up for it. If you’re looking for a loot-driven grind-a-thon with more explosions of viscera than you can comfortably discuss with your mother, this is the game for you”

Gal Metal

Reviews:
7.0 – DualShockers: “While there may be plenty of things I’d like to change in Gal Metal, the core of the game is an unmistakably fun time. With so many heavy hitters on the market in 2018, sometimes you need to just sit down, unwind, and out-play alien invaders with electrified versions of classical music”

6/10 – TheSixthAxis: “Gal Metal feels more like cycling in the dark than it ought to. Charming characters and a cute story redeem the package somewhat, but it’s still a bit of a chore to play through the music segments between those narrative beats”

2.5/5 – Pocket Gamer: “Gal Metal is a great idea that fits well on the Switch, but sloppy pacing and a crushing difficulty curve make it hard to recommend”

New digital multi-format releases:

Steep X Games Gold Edition
The First Tree
8 To Glory
Super Volley Blast

New on PSN:

Dracula’s Legacy
Redeemer: Enhanced Edition
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Perception
Death Mark
Ice Cream Surfer
NEKOPARA Vol.1
Shadow of Loot Box
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session!
Legends of Catalonia: The Land of Barcelona
Perils of Baking
Inglorious
Paper Dolls (PSVR)
THE QUIET MAN
Speed Brawl

New on Xbox One store:

LEGO Harry Potter Collection
Transport Giant: Gold Edition
Infinite Adventures
Gnomes Garden 2
Gem Smashers

New Nintendo retail releases:

LEGO Harry Potter Collection
Mutant Football League Dynasty Edition
Crayola Scoot
Hasbro Game Night
The Escapists 2
Sports Party
Gal Metal ‘World Tour Edition’
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun!

Next week: GRIP: Combat Racing, Tetris Effect, World of Final Fantasy Maxima, Swords & Soldiers II, RIDE 3, 11-11 Memories Retold, Carnival Games, Omen of Sorrow, The Shapeshifting Detective, Brawlhalla, MechaNika, and Doodle God: Crime City.