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Staff Picks, June 2025: Summer of Showcases (opens in new tab)

The June 2025 edition of Discord’s Staff Picks highlights games announced during the month’s major showcases, from highly anticipated sequels to unusual indie projects. The contributors focus on titles that stood out for their distinctive styles, settings, mechanics, and nostalgic appeal. They also frame “summer vibes” broadly, recommending everything from beach-themed games to an entire seasonal gaming itinerary. ## Showcase Games That Drew Attention - Matt, a newly hired Discord account executive, highlights: - **Hollow Knight: Silksong**, while tempering excitement because of its long development and announcement history. - **Onimusha**, which appears to combine elements of *Sekiro* and *God of War*. - **Stranger Than Heaven**, an original RPG blending noir storytelling with Japanese settings and culture. Its intentionally mysterious trailer adds to its appeal. - Alex favors games with unusual concepts: - **Romeo is a Dead Man**, Suda51’s latest title, which may be more accessible to mainstream players than his previous work. - **Ratatan**, a game combining non-rhythm gameplay with rhythm mechanics and a “Tension” gauge. - **There Are No Ghosts at the Grand**, described as a possible musical take on *Luigi’s Mansion*. - **Resident Evil 9**, whose apparent connection to Leon generated considerable excitement. - Alex also praises the **ROG Xbox Ally** handheld for combining the ergonomic, asymmetrical controls of the ROG Ally with a more streamlined Windows interface designed for handheld gaming. ## Games With the Strongest Summer Vibe - Matt chooses **Infinitesimals**, in which players control a tiny ant-like creature battling insectoid robotic enemies. - The game’s scale, bright visual perspective, and resemblance to the imaginative worlds of *A Bug’s Life* and *Antz* make it feel especially suited to summer. ## A Full Summer of Games Armando proposes a seasonal progression rather than a single summer-themed title: - Begin with the melancholy “Snow in Summer” prologue from **NieR Replicant**. - Move into 1990s nostalgia with **The Big Con**, featuring malls, video rental stores, anti-establishment antics, and “not-Furbies.” - Relax with the beaches of **Wii Sports Resort** or *Super Mario Odyssey*’s Seaside Kingdom. - Gather friends for **Rock Band 2**, including its 84-song Endless Setlist Challenge. - End the season with the bittersweet summer conclusion of **Kingdom Hearts 2**’s Roxas prologue. Overall, the post recommends treating summer gaming as a mood and progression: start with anticipation and experimentation, move through nostalgia and relaxation, and finish with a suitably emotional farewell.

September Staff Picks: Mid-Travel Pitstop (opens in new tab)

Discord’s September Staff Picks highlights employees’ favorite recent releases and reliable travel games. Their choices range from major titles like *Astro Bot*, *Space Marine 2*, and *Black Myth: Wukong* to portable strategy, puzzle, cozy, and indie games. Across the interviews, the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck emerge as ideal companions for long journeys. ## Recent Games Getting Attention - **Astro Bot** impressed Armando with its creative level design, joyful presentation, and resemblance to the best moments of *Super Mario Galaxy*. - He completed the platinum trophy in one weekend and considers it a strong Game of the Year contender. - **Into the Breach** offers tense, turn-based strategy that feels like a combination of mini-chess and a roguelite. - Its portable format makes it especially well suited to the Nintendo Switch. - **Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2** has been a favorite for Tracie, who enjoys battling Tyranids with friends in the campaign and Operation Missions. - Character customization lets her represent the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter. - Matt has been playing a wide range of new releases, including: - *Black Myth: Wukong* - *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* - *Satisfactory 1.0* - *Astro Bot* - *Inscryption* - *Inscryption* stands out as another staff favorite, combining card-game mechanics with a distinctive and absorbing presentation. ## Reliable Games for Travel - Armando frequently travels with his Switch and returns to games that remain enjoyable after many hours: - *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* - *Dead Cells* - *Balatro* - He also recommends mobile puzzle games, especially *2048*, which is available on some airplane seat-back screens. - Tracie prefers comforting games during stressful travel, particularly: - *Stardew Valley* - *Pokémon Scarlet/Violet* - She notes that *Stardew Valley*’s 1.6 update was announced for consoles in November. - Matt plans to use his Steam Deck during a flight to Japan, with a large backlog including: - *Inscryption* - *Dome Keeper* - *Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor* - *Final Fantasy VI* - *Dead Cells* - *Nine Sols* - *ANIMAL WELL* - *Melatonin* - *Fallout 4* The staff’s recommendations suggest that the best travel games are portable, replayable, and easy to enjoy in short sessions. A Switch or Steam Deck stocked with a mix of cozy games, roguelites, strategy titles, and puzzle games can make long flights and other journeys much more enjoyable.

October Staff Picks: Monster Season (opens in new tab)

October’s Discord Staff Picks frames the gaming backlog as the season’s real monster, while Discord employees share their recent games and favorite creatures. The recommendations range from long-form JRPGs and precision platformers to cozy building games, action games, and survival horror. Together, they emphasize making time for varied gaming experiences—even if the backlog keeps growing. ## Tyler’s JRPGs and Speedrunning - **Metaphor: ReFantazio** - A high-fantasy RPG with Persona-like systems. - Its “Bonds” feature lets players build relationships with NPCs to unlock and improve classes. - Tyler is about 15 hours into an expected 80-plus-hour adventure. - **Gravity Circuit** - A Mega Man-inspired indie platformer with tight controls. - Movement options include wall jumping, a hookshot, divekicks, and super moves. - Tyler is practicing the “Dog%” speedrun category, which requires rescuing and petting two hidden robot dogs. - The game’s music is memorable enough to linger outside of play. - **Favorite monster: Tonberry** - Tonberries appear cute and harmless but can defeat players in a single hit. - Their combination of adorable design and deadly attacks makes them ideal monsters. ## Serena’s Cozy Creativity - **Tiny Glade** - A relaxing building game with an animated fantasy art style. - Players freely create castles, landscapes, book-inspired settings, and D&D campaign maps. - Favorite features include decorating with flowers, participating in the “Theme of the Day” challenge, and interacting with sheep and ducks. - Serena discovered it through Steam’s Cozy section after friends could not join a *Baldur’s Gate 3* session. - **Favorite monster: Owlbear** - Serena’s favorite is the Owlbear from *Baldur’s Gate 3*, contrasted humorously with her own “scarier” broom-wielding presence in *Supermarket Together*. ## Yakuza, HELLDIVERS 2, and Horror - **Yakuza series** - After completing *Yakuza 0*, the contributor moved on to *Yakuza Kiwami*. - They particularly enjoy the series’ substories, including errands, puzzles, and other optional activities. - **HELLDIVERS 2** - Continued play includes dealing with both bug and bot missions. - Experimental mine use has created more accidental squad deaths. - **Alien: Isolation** - The Alien remains a favorite video game monster because of the contributor’s admiration for the *Alien* films. - Although they are reluctant to play the horror game themselves, they enjoy watching streams and gameplay clips. - They also note that a sequel is reportedly in development. ## The Backlog as the Seasonal Monster - The article treats unfinished games as a recurring “backlog monster.” - The staff’s selections show several ways to approach it: - Commit to a massive RPG. - Master a short, mechanically focused platformer. - Relax with a creative sandbox. - Continue a long-running series. - Enjoy frightening games vicariously through videos and streams. The practical recommendation is to embrace the backlog selectively: choose games that match your current mood, whether that means an ambitious adventure, a cozy creative outlet, or a terrifying game best experienced through someone else’s playthrough.