Thank You Bus Driver
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Publisher: Double Fine Action Labs
Platforms: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck Verified), Epic Games Store, Itch.io, GOG, Humble Store, Game Jolt
Price: $5
Just a couple of months after departing Xbox, Double Fine has a new game out. Thank You Bus Driver is the first project from Double Fine Action Labs, the studio's label for smaller, experimental games.
In this chaotic riff on Crazy Taxi, you play as a bus driver who yearns for gratitude from unruly passengers. During your journey, your employer will add more rules for you to enforce, such as making sure passengers don't fall asleep or clip their toenails during a ride. You can try to keep them in line with a slap (which reminds me of the delightful Thank Goodness You're Here) or kick them off the bus. All the while, you'll be trying to reach your next stop before the time runs out.
This looks like a fun way to spend a few hours. I can't wait to see what else the newly-independent Double Fine is cooking up.
Valor Mortis
Developer: One More Level
Publishers: Lyrical Games, One More Level
Platforms: Steam (Windows), Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
Price: $40. Available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The $60 deluxe edition includes an expansion that's set to arrive next year
I really like the Ghostrunner series so I was intrigued when I learned One More Level was moving on to something totally different. Valor Mortis is a first-person Soulslike in which you take on the role of a British soldier who signed up to fight for Napoleon. William was believed to be dead after a battle, but is roused by a corrupted Napoleon (played by Vincent Cassel, of all people). A plague has transformed the other survivors into grotesque enemies, but at least you have supernatural powers at your disposal, along with firearms and melee weapons.
The usual elements of a Soulslike are here. You'll collect catalysts (don't call them souls) from vanquished enemies and spend these on upgrades at checkpoints. Build modifiers are out there in the world for you to find. The developers took some inspiration from Metroidvania games as well, since some new abilities can open up paths and shortcuts.
PS5 and PlayStation Portal owners who'd like to give Valor Mortis a go may want to note that there's a 1.5-hour trial available on PS Plus Premium.
Ratatan
Developers: TVT Co. Ltd., Ratata Arts
Publisher: Game Source Entertainment
Platforms: Steam (Windows; leaving early access), Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2
Price : $35
I've been keeping my eye on this spiritual successor to Patapon from series creator Hiroyuki Kotani for a while. It's a rhythm action game and, because it's 2026, of course it's a roguelite as well.
On each run, you take charge of a group of minions and use rhythm-based commands to tell them what to do. You can launch attacks, reposition your charges to avoid incoming fire and shield them from damage.
I've played a few runs and, even though the framerate is a bit choppy on my PS5, I've enjoyed trying to get to grips with how it all works. The action is more fluid than in traditional turn-based games, but you do have to wait for the music to loop around before you can take any meaningful action. Having to manage that as well as my own character's positioning while accounting for incoming enemy attacks is a lot to juggle. I can't really tell how much impact my elemental attack upgrades are having either.
The artwork is really pretty, though! I'm planning to stick with it a while longer to see if I can figure out how to make more progress.
Colorbound
Developer: Panpipe Studio
Publisher: Whitethorn Games
Platforms: Steam (Windows), Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2
Price: Usually $15, with a 10 percent discount on Steam until October 26
I like the art style of Colorbound too. This is a platformer in which you use color to reshape the world and solve puzzles. Using a lighter color might make a platform float, and a darker one could make it drop down to where you are.
Panpipe Studio drew from its Chilean culture and heritage for this game, in which you play as Anku, a boy who sets out to reunite his late grandfather's band one last time for a proper sendoff. It looks lovely, and I'm very tempted to pick it up.
Enshrouded
Developer/publisher: Keen Games
Platforms: Steam (Windows; leaving early access), PS5. Coming to Xbox Series X/S in spring 2027
Price: Usually $40, with a 10 percent discount until October 29 (PS Plus required for PS5 discount)
Keen Games gave its co-op survival action RPG Enshrouded a massive update as it brought the game out of early access on Steam. The game also made its debut on PS5 this week. The full map (including a fresh biome) is now open to explore, the story is fully fleshed out — at least for now — and there are higher maximum levels for players and their gear. Keen also overhauled the rendering system as well as the early stages of the game, while adding 14 new enemy types and nine more types of spells.
Perhaps the most interesting update is the new logic system. This creation suite, which is called Sparkworks, lets players craft their own adventures, dungeons and interactive bases that they can share with the community. It sure seems like there's a ton for new and returning players to dig into.
Pixel Washer
Developer: Valadria
Publisher: Acclaim
Platform: Steam (Windows; early access). Coming to Switch 2 in 2027
Price: Usually $13, with a 15 percent discount until October 22
It's still odd to think of Acclaim as an indie publisher, but there's lots about our current reality that doesn't make much sense so I can roll with it. This week, it brought a powerwashing sim (not that one) into the world.
Pixel Washer straps a powerwasher to a piggy. There are no prizes for guessing that your mission is to blast away gunk and grime to make a range of environments look pristine, upgrading your gear as you go.
One of my favorite things about this is that Acclaim looked to the past for the launch trailer. Its narrator is Tim Kitzrow, the voice of NBA Jam (boy, do I hope Acclaim can revive that series).
Penguin Colony
Developer: Origame Digital
Publisher: Fellow Traveller
Platforms: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck Verified), GOG, Humble Store. Coming to Switch and PS5 in 2027
Price: Usually $15, with a 10 percent discount until October 30
It's horror season, so of course we have to highlight a scary game or two. I really love the concept of Penguin Colony. For its follow up to Umurangi Generation, Origame Digital asked, "what if we adapted H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness from the perspective of penguins?"
These birds are just living their lives in the Antarctic in the 1930s when Nazis and Kaitiaki show up in search of an ancient being. I'll leave it to you to determine which group wants to harness the being's destructive power and which would like to make sure it rests for another century. You can swap between different penguins and follow these humans (I'm sure everything will go well for them!) or explore the oddities of this pocket of the world. It'll take multiple playthroughs to discover everything, and I'm intrigued to find out what horrors lie within.
Tenebris Somnia
Developers: Andrés Borghi, Saibot Studios
Publisher: New Blood Interactive
Platforms: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck Verified), Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch
Price: $25
I don't think I will ever correctly spell Tenebris Somnia without having to look it up, but this is an interesting game for plenty of other reasons. It's a retro-inspired, pixel-art survival horror game with live-action cutscenes. It's directed by Andrés Borghi, who previously made the gothic fighting game The Black Heart and has worked as a visual effects artist on movies such as When Evil Lurks.
The cutscenes are at the heart of Tenebris Somnia, as they're said to hold the game's secrets. The visuals of those and the gameplay are pulling me in. I wish I had enough time to play all of these neat-looking games!
Hubert
Developer/publisher: Brocap Studio
Platforms: Steam (Windows; demo available). Coming to PS5 later in October
Price: Usually $20, with a 10 percent discount until October 28
Let's wrap things up for this week with a shepherding adventure, because I will always include a dog game if I can. As Hubert, you'll herd sheep through harsh weather and tough terrain with the help of a human. This pup will also need to fend off wolves to keep the flock safe.
It's said to be a short game, lasting about three to four hours. While it's not officially Steam Deck Verified, the developers say Hubert is optimized for Valve's handheld device. I look forward to discovering "poop points" for Hubert on my Deck at some point.