Summer’s winding down, but a long holiday weekend is giving a last chance to enjoy all it has to offer. Or, it gives the perfect excuse to get some extra couch time in and to try out new Game Pass additions and old favorites. You know what we’ll be doing.
This weekend’s recommendations include one of the best roguelikes this side of Hades, a dungeon crawler with shades of Persona, and a sheep-herding game that’s making a case for indie of the year. So keep your feet up, turn off the Monday alarm, and discover a new Game Pass gem to play Labor Day weekend.
Lost in Random: The Eternal Die
Whether or not you played Lost in Random (one of the sleeper hits of 2021), its sequel is worth your time. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die completely upends expectations, casts you as the villain from the first game, and switches genres from third-person action-platforming to an isometric roguelike. The gothic vibes are still there. They anchor a gameplay loop of tight action, where you fight your way through several realms of a hellish pocket dimension. Every time you die, you get sent back to a sort of limbo waystation — but hopefully with enough upgrade materials to improve and alter your weapons to fit your playstyle. Think Hades, but make it Tim Burton. —Ari Notis
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Dungeons of Hinterberg was one of summer 2024’s best games, and it’s easy to see why: Hinterberg blends the dungeon-crawling of classic Zelda titles with the social sim fun of a Persona game. You play as Luisa, who’s burnt out and heads to Austrian Alps for vacation. Except, this vacation is full of dungeons to explore and monsters to slay. Bond with fellow dungeoners, solve puzzles, and snowboard across Hinterberg’s snow-filled landscapes.
Developer Microbird Games ported Dungeons of Hinterberg to PlayStation in March alongside an update across all platforms, allowing players to step into the boots and black coat of Renaud, one of Luisa’s fellow monster slayers. He came with new moves and new story content, but kept the kick-ass shades. —Austin Manchester
Herdling
I only got a few hours into Herdling on PC before I had to restart. It wasn’t the critter-herding adventure game’s fault. In fact, I was having a great time guiding my pack of sheep-like Calicorns through scenic landscapes in the latest game from Far: Changing Tides developer Okomotive — that is, until tragedy struck.
Thanks to my reckless behavior, one of my Calicorns got permanently murdered by a giant owl, something I didn’t even know was possible when I started my adventure. I tried to move on, but when another little guy went tumbling off a cliff, I had to take a break. That’s a testament to how effective Herdling is at making you protective of your flock. I wanted to keep them safe and I took my failures to heart when I couldn’t. With that shame hanging over me, I’m now onto a fresh start where I vow to leave no Calicorn behind. Let’s just hope it goes better this time. —Giovanni Colantonio
