Out this week: Skull and Bones, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, more

Like the recent Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Skull and Bones has also been a long time coming, originally announced during E3 2017 and in development since 2013 – where it started life as an AC: Black Flag spin-off. Ubisoft has allegedly blown over $120 million on this project, which may explain why it’s shipping with a £69.99 price tag. The reception to last week’s open beta hasn’t been too positive, with the lack of hand-to-hand combat surprising many, but there’s still potential to turn the ship around with post-launch content and updates.

After a delay, the promising Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden from Focus and Don’t Nod – a supernatural battler with moral choices to make – is also about to launch on PS5/XS and PC. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft launches on all formats meanwhile, including Switch, and appears to be very respectful to the source material, adding polish and buffing Lara’s attributes while retaining the look of the originals.

The Switch gains its second first-party game of 2024, in the form of the side scrolling puzzle platformer Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, out on Friday. THQ Nordic’s  kung-fu fable Biomutant also hits the Switch on the 14th, both at retail and digitally.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Then there’s Smalland: Survive the Wilds on PS5/XS – looking quite similar to Grounded – eastasiasoft’s first-person fantasy adventure GENIE Reprise, Aksys’ Japanese horror novel Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II on Switch and PS4, a console release of the FTP extraction shooter HAWKED, and Kemco’s latest pixel art RPG, titled Genso Chronicles.

Retro fans may also be interested in Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore – a homage to the two Philip’s CDi Link games, of all things – and the NES style action platformer Lords of Exile. Publisher Limited Run is even bringing back the terrible CDi controller for Arzette. Now that’s dedication. Or madness.

A couple of new multiformat games come to Game Pass too. Specifically, Yogcast’s million plus selling cooking party game PlateUp!, and the cozy arrangement sim A Little to the Left – which may please fans of Unpacking.

New release trailers

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft

Skull and Bones

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

HAWKED

Smalland: Survive the Wilds 

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore

Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II

GENIE Reprise

Lords of Exile

PlateUp!

Genso Chronicles

GUNVOLT RECORDS Cychronicle 

Survivorman VR: The Descent

New multiformat releases

  • Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft
  • Skull and Bones
  • Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
  • HAWKED
  • Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
  • GENIE Reprise
  • Lords of Exile
  • A Little to the Left
  • PlateUp!
  • Genso Chronicles
  • Smalland: Survive the Wilds
  • Caveman Ransom
  • Airhead
  • Edge of Reality

New on PSN

  • Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II
  • Ultros
  • The Oregon Trail
  • Pretty Girls Klondike Solitaire PLUS
  • Survivorman VR The Descent
  • GUNVOLT RECORDS: Cychronicle

New on Xbox Store

  • Ultra Foodmess Deluxe
  • Argonauts Agency 4: Glove of Midas
  • BBQ Simulator: The Squad
  • Call of Heroes: Tower Defense
  • Easy Red 2
  • Exorder
  • Mayhem Heroes
  • SENSHI SOKOBAN QUEST

New Switch retail releases

eShop round-up coming Thursday

  • Mario Vs. Donkey Kong
  • Biomutant

Next week: Pacific Drive, King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, qomp2, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, A Time Traveller’s Guide To Past Delicacies, Balatro, Slave Zero X, ROUNDS, Tenderfoot Tactics, Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator, Froggie – A Retro Platformer, Yohane the Parhelion – NUMAZU in the MIRAGE, Geometric Sniper Z, Inkulinati, Promenade, Flooded, and Operation Serpens.