Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We had a few board games and video games release this past week. Let’s begin by discussing this week’s board game new releases.

Spirit Train: The Final Journey Launches on KickStarter

Spirit Train is played in 3 Cycles. Each Cycle consists of a series of rounds where players will determine what to do using a unique simultaneous action selection mechanic. Before the start of each day, conductors will select between a list of different rooms to fill their train with. These rooms will provide base actions depending on the shape/size of the room. How many rooms you use will affect the speed and energy level of your train, as well as turn order. When spirits are active on your train, they will provide you even more actions. The number of active spirits you can select will depend on the current mood of your spirits (spirits are more active when they’re happy!). You can maximize the number of actions you use by strategically placing active spirits into rooms you’ve created specifically for them on your train.

Thank you, SweaterBear Games, for the description. I love how players can customize their trains (image above). Each player slides rooms into their trains and this will attract/satisfy the spirits you carry to their final destination. I like this theme. I like Spirit Train: The Final Journey’s gimmick. The artwork looks amazing, in keeping with the cozy vibes Spirit Train: The Final Journey presents and very Studio Ghibliesk. And I don’t have too many train games. I can pick up one more. Spirit Train: The Final Journey offers pledges ranging from $59 to $179. If you’re interested in Spirit Train: The Final Journey, check out its KickStarter page.

The Monolith Launches on KickStarter

In The Monolith, 3-4 players take on the roles of shaman, leading their warriors in battle against each other, all for the pleasure of the monolith that holds them in thrall.

Each round, players take turns spending hearts to complete actions. These actions allow them to recruit and move warriors, move their shaman and activate any shaman powers, or bid hearts on powerful divination cards

When a player thinks they’ve taken the actions they need for the round, they dump their remaining hearts into the monolith. The sooner they feed their hearts to the monolith, the more actions they will have during combat, but do it too soon, and risk watching the other players change the board state in your absence!

Once all players have put their remaining hearts in the monolith, the monolith is lifted, revealing the combat actions the remaining hearts have been sorted into! Battles are fast and brutal, and only the most clever players will outmaneuver their enemies and boast of their deeds to the sacred stone!

Thank you, Plaid Hat Games, for the description. While I don’t typically care for “dudes on a map” games, The Monolith is another board game with an intriguing gimmick. Having players place their hearts into the titular monolith and then revealing which combat actions are at a player’s disposal gets my attention. Board games need to use cube towers more, and the monolith is a cube tower, sorting player resources. It sounds as if players can manipulate how much they intend to invest in combat. And the quick combat system may be another barrier lifted for me and “dudes on a map.” Most games of this ilk have involved combat mechanisms. The Monolith sports shorter combat times. I’ll give it a shot. The Monolith offers pledges between $69 and $99. If you’re interested in The Monolith, check out its KickStarter page.

Overclock Launches on GameFound

Overclock is a solo 4x game played with 36 cards. Every card has two sides: a network node on the front and a powerful ability on the back. Play it as a node to grow your network and boost production, or sacrifice it for a game-changing program, a permanent upgrade, or a defensive sentinel. You can’t have both, and that choice is at the heart of every turn. Deploy nodes, scan for data, purge corrupted files, and negotiate shaky alliances with factions that get more dangerous every cycle. The Kill-Code never stops deleting, factions hit harder as the game escalates, and your decisions in the first few cycles shape whether you survive the final ones.

Multiple Ghost characters, asymmetric factions, and a modular difficulty system make every game feel different.

Thank you, Made of Dreams, for the description. I like the state of solo games in the board game hobby. Overclock looks like another great example of a solo game with a quick setup, small footprint, intriguing gimmick (multi-use cards), and a great theme. Board games with cyberpunk themes have been springing up lately, but I don’t believe a good solo game with this theme exists. I may be wrong. Let me know in the comments. Regardless, I can’t see Overclock having a large sticker price. Overclock will be launching on GameFound, and GameFound projects don’t always list their pledge levels when their project is in preview mode, but I’m following Overclock. I can’t believe Made of Dreams created a solo 4X game. If you’re interested in Overclock, check out its GameFound page.

The Sinking City 2 Releases

Set in the Roaring ’20s, The Sinking City 2 is a survival horror steeped in Lovecraftian dread. Defy an eldritch deity and explore the drowned alleys of Arkham, stalked by the dead, as you weigh one life against an entire city.

Thank you, Frogwares, for the description. The Sinking City 2 is set in the fictional city of Arkham, so it wears its Lovecraftian DNA on its sleeve. The sequel is a standalone story to the original The Sinking City. You don’t need to play the original to understand everything happening in The Sinking City 2. I never got around to playing the original, but the premise interested me. Players are trying to survive a sinking city. Arkham is literally submerging under water. The Sinking City 2 captures the vibe of Lovecraftian horror. It’s received good to very good reviews. I’m putting this game on my radar. The Sinking City 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Mortal Shell II Releases

Their Flesh Is Your Weapon. Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel action-RPG with adrenaline-charged, high-stakes combat. Possess warrior Shells, dethrone false gods, redeem a ravaged world.

Thank you, Playstack, for the description. Mortal Shell II is another standalone sequel, where you won’t need to play the first game to understand the sequel’s story. I’ve had Mortal Shell II on my radar for a while now. I love the graphics. Look at the detail above. Wow! Character customization looks great. I’m getting strong Dark Souls vibes. That’s a plus. Mortal Shell II looks like one of those games I could sink countless hours into, trying as many character builds as I can. It’s not on sale (Steam) right now, but I’ve wishlisted Mortal Shell II and will most likely pick up a copy when it does go on sale. Mortal Shell II is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Feed the Scorchpot Releases

Feed the Scorchpot is a dice roguelike about feeding a dragon for twenty years. Roll ingredients, build your island, and fuse absurd recipes into combos that break the score wide open. Miss a meal and you’re next on the menu.

I’ve covered Feed the Scorchpot when it dropped its demo earlier this year. It released this past week on Steam, and I’ve been playing a lot of this one. For now, I won’t say too much about this Balatro meets Catan video game, but there may be a Feed the Scorchpot review in the not-so-distant future. You’ve been warned.

That’s all the geek news we have for you this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.