Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. With the holidays around the corner we have plenty of new releases for board games and video games this week. Let’s get to the games.
Personal Demons Launches on KickStarter
A group therapy ritual where 1-4 players summon and seal away their own personal demons. This fast-paced, simultaneous-action drafting-style game has each player populating their own summoning circle in a tableau-style puzzler, aiming to form complete seals and conquer their demons. Hefty and colossal Demons of increasingly larger card sizes can be summoned and sealed once their requirements are met, and each one gives all players unique benefits that can change the way you play the game. Courage cards gained over the course of play grant player-specific abilities, sins are built up and spent as currency to take bonus actions, seals are cracked and replaced as the game progresses. Build an engine, choose your path to victory and score the most over three rounds to show your demons who’s boss.
Thank you, Tettix Games, for the description. Personal Demons combines some well-known and well-loved game mechanisms and looks to combine them in different ways. Note: I have yet to play Personal Demons; this is what I’ve gathered from descriptions, pics, and videos. I like most games that feature simultaneous-action selections. This one mechanism speeds up gameplay. You can have a heady board game that should take well over an hour to complete, add simultaneous-action selection, and that game suddenly takes thirty minutes to play. Tile placement is another of my favorite game mechanisms, and I can’t wait to see what makes Personal Demons a tableau-style puzzle game. Personal Demons offers pledge levels ranging from $44-$93. If you’re interested in Personal Demons, check out its KickStarter page.
Electrify Launches on KickStarter
It is the late 1800’s and scientists have unlocked the power of electricity! Take the role of an innovator and visionary working to supply an industrializing world with this new energy. Build up your industry across five different sectors, creating a revolving engine to produce, upgrade, and transmit energy cubes.
Each round, you will activate one sector of your business, represented by a tile, and take all the actions of that sector. Sector tiles can be upgraded with industry cards, adding more action icons to that sector. Cycling through your sector tiles is important because they become more powerful the longer you wait to use them. Cards with special arrows allow you to chain activations across multiple sectors, creating a dynamic engine that changes and improves with every turn. A combination of strategic engine building and tactical decision-making in response to your own shifting player area will bring you the most success.
Energy cubes transmitted to the grid are consumed to satisfy demand goal cards, earning you Energy Points. By meeting demand goals that require more and cleaner energy, you will earn greater rewards. Test your skills playing solo, or play competitively and claim your place at the forefront of the energy revolution!
Thank you, Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), for the description. Electrify sounds electrifying. I had to. I’ve liked many of John D. Clair’s designs, AEG publishes some fun and accessible games, and Electrify looks like another great one. I like the idea of triggering every action within a sector of one’s business and each sector gaining power for each turn it hasn’t been used. This reminds me of stock market games like Racoon Tycoon (picking the right timing when to cash in on a resource) and a little bit of KeyForge (activate all members of a specific faction; the more of that faction you have, the stronger the action). I don’t know how Electrify plans to combine these elements, but I like both. Electrify offers pledges ranging between $39 and $69. If you’re interested in Electrify, check out its KickStarter page.
Bookwyrm Launches on KickStarter
In this cozy strategy game of beautiful bookshelves, you are a dragon who has hoarded too many books! Featuring 200 punny book cards, your goal is to organize your messy collection on the shelves of your bookcase board, scoring points for matching colors and genres, following trends, and alphabetizing.
However, tantalizing new books arrive at the bookshop every day, tempting you to enhance your shelves with new releases, knickknacks, and treats from the bookshop cafe. Will you build an efficient, glorious bookcase featuring books old and new, or succumb to the clutter?
Thank you, Sword & Rose Press, for the description. First off, I’ve always liked the term Bookwyrm, and I’m glad those book dragons have a game they can play. And I love the theme of organizing books on shelves. I’ve been eyeing A Place for All My Books and have yet to pull the trigger and pick up the title. Add dragons to that concept, and I’m there. I like the artwork. To be fair, it’s difficult to mess up books and dragons, but still, Bookwyrm looks great. Publisher Sword & Rose Press is a newer publisher. Prior to Bookwyrm, they published a couple of books. But hey, that makes them a perfect publisher for a game about putting books on shelves. Pledges range from $50 to $175. If you’re interested in Bookwyrm, check out its KickStarter page.
Pax Musica Launches on GameFound
Born from a passion for music, Pax Musica takes you on a journey through its vibrant history – from the roaring the 1960s to the 2020s. Step into the shoes of a music producer and build your own path to fame.
Hit the auditions and assemble your dream team of future legends. Then crank out bangers across five iconic genres: African-American, EDM, Jazz, Pop, and Rock until the charts don’t just notice you… they surrender.
Manage success and chaos. Play nice… or play very not nice. Your call. Show business is a wild ride: one day you’re a star, the next you’re forgotten. Hire pros to boost your band’s potential, shape trends and stir controlled hype . Crash the afterparties and recruit a delightfully chaotic crew: Paparazzi, Broadcasters, Groupies, Femme Fatales, Fixers, A&Rs, and Bodyguards. Build your empire, wreck your rivals, and look fabulous doing it.
Climb to the top. Play gigs, drop hits, and grow your fortune. Your band is your money machine, your ticket to power, fame, and immortality in the music world.
Thank you, Ion Game Designs, for the description. There’s a lot going on with the board above, but I’m down for it. I haven’t played any game from Ion Game Designs’ Pax series. Each of these games is steeped in history. I like Trekking Through History, how you can play through various eras, and hopefully learn a few things along the way. Pax Musica looks to do the same thing with music through the ages.
Not gonna lie, I am a bit concerned with Pax Musica’s heaviness. Part of what I like about Trekking Through History is that I can teach it to most people, even non-board gamers. I don’t think I’ll be able to do that with Pax Musica. And that’s okay. Only real music nerds need apply to Pax Musica. The production looks great. I like the bits (like the keyboard and jukebox printed on the main board). I can’t wait to dive headfirst into music history. If you’re interested in Pax Musica, check out its GameFound page.
Bilico Launches on GameFound
A game of strategy and dexterity where you have to park cars and build ever-higher buildings without collapsing. Even one breath can be enough to lose the game.
Plays for 2 to 4 players, lasting 20-30 minutes. Each turn, you place your car in one of the free parking spaces, then begin building a building of your choice. Each building has a construction rule: build 2 or 3 floors at a time, or multiples.
If there are no collapses, you earn points; otherwise, you lose them. If you build a building from the ground floor or create extensions, you receive different bonuses. Whoever scores the most points wins.
Bilico is clearly 3D printed, but that makes me wonder: If I back this project, will I receive the 3D model files to print off my own copy in any color? I wouldn’t mind printing off my own copy. We don’t usually cover 3D printed board games on Geekly, but Bilico looks interesting. Most of what we know about the game (so far) is what’s printed above. That’s not a lot of information to go on, but I also wonder if parking your car in a specific space affects where you place building floors or how you must place these floors. Bilico comes with several smaller objects (helicopters with helipads and satellite dishes) for players to place in the buildings. These small components could help balance each tower, allowing players to manipulate each building’s center of gravity. Cool! If you’re interested in Bilico, check out its GameFound page.
Graveyard Keeper 2 Releases
The most inaccurate medieval cemetery sim is back! Restore The Town, manage the graveyard, automate production, lead your undead army into battle and turn the zombie problem into a thriving business! Graveyard Keeper 2 is the grotesque sequel that’s deeper than six feet, and more unhinged than ever!
Thank you, Lazy Bear Games, for the description. I love how goofy Graveyard Keeper 2 sounds. It releases at the perfect time: Spooky Season. Graveyard Keeper 2 takes the core game tenants of farming sims like Stardew Valley and applies them to a graveyard sim. Interesting. The game has received solid reviews. And I have definitely added this game to my Steam wishlist. Graveyard Keeper 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.
Dressmaker Releases
Become a dressmaker! Choose fabric, cut out patterns, and sew them all together to satisfy (or sabotage!) townsfolk in this cozy crafting game inspired by real dressmaking.
Thank you, Cozy Lives, for the description. And what a perfect name for a study that published Dressmaker. This cozy game reminds me of Tiny Bookshop. This is yet another game I wishlisted on Steam. Players can handpick their fabric, create their own unique designs, and tailor make dresses for customers. Can you make the perfect dress? I am so in. Dressmaker has received great reviews. I would expect nothing less from the developers of the Terra Nil expansion. Cozy Lives might just be an up and coming developer for cozy games.
Silent Hill: Townfall Releases
Returning to an island town to “put things right,” Simon Ordell descends into a world of tense evasion, explosive confrontations, and mind-bending puzzles that slowly surface the truth of St. Amelia.
Thank you, Konami, for the description. We’ll never get Kojima’s P.T.; Silent Hill: Townfall represents the first game in the Silent Hill series to be played from the first-person perspective. It’s received mixed reviews, and still, I’m interested in the change of perspective. Silent Hill: Townfall takes advantage of it, too. Protagonist Simon Ordell carries a CRTV (a portable television) around with him. This would look odd, if not impossible to see, in a game using third-person perspective. I like how the Silent Hill series has made a resurgence of late and how the series reinvents itself. Silent Hill: Townfall is available on PC and PlayStation 5.
Well Dweller Releases
Well Dweller is a dark fairy-tale metroidvania, full of charming characters living in a wretched kingdom. Play as Glimmer, a tiny bird armed with a matchstick, who must burn the wicked queen to save his family.
Thank you, Top Hat Studios, for the description. Developer/designer Kyle Thompson knows how to design metroidvania games. Islets received high praise. Crypt Custodian did as well and moved the gameplay to a top-down point of view. Well Dweller returns to the 2D side-scrolling perspective as Islets and has received universal claim for its world building and design. In short, Well Dweller looks amazing. It’s the latest metroidvania by one of the best designers crafting metroidvanias. If you’re at all interested in this style of game, you should at least wishlist Well Dweller. Well Dweller is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and XBox Series S/X.
Control Resonant Releases
Explore a warped Manhattan on the brink of paranatural annihilation in this thrilling action-adventure RPG. Unleash the extraordinary powers of Dylan Faden as he fights for his humanity and our survival against a reality-bending cosmic threat.
Thank you, Remedy Entertainment, for the description. Control Resonant takes place seven years after the events of the original video game Control, which was itself released seven years ago (2019). Has it been that long? Yikes! Control Resonant follows Dylan Faden, a paranaturally abled “parautilitarian” who first appeared as a supporting character in Control, as he battles an invasion of hostile entities while searching for his estranged sister. You’ve gotta love Control’s commitment to continuity. Control Resonant has received solid reviews, proving this is a worthy sequel to the original. This is another game I may need to play. My To Be Played Pile is suffering this week. Eek! Control Resonant is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.
Those are all the new releases we have for you this week. Which games sound the most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
