I’ve not managed to shoehorn it in anywhere else this week, so: isn’t Stranger Things> nice? Don’t play video games this weekend until you’ve seen it. And don’t watch this trailer if you think you might be tempted – I’m only linking this for the people with no intention of watching it, so they can make snap judgements. And definitely don’t look at this fab adventure game mockup until you’ve watched it (‘cos spoilers, yeah). But after you have, what will you be playing this weekend? Here’s what we’re clicking on:

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Vikings ho! The Great Whale Road [official site] has just launched on Steam Early Access. It’s Sunburned Games’ first project–a seafaring RPG based on Danish legend, in which you help a host of beardy warriors prepare for the impending winter months.

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“Space, the final place we haven’t fully explored.” That’s the tag line to popular television series Star Walks. But wouldn’t it be good if YOU could go to space too? Well, here comes Stable Orbit [official site], a new realistic space station simulation set in the years after the International Space Station has been decommissioned. You’ve got the role as station commander and you have to build a working, plausible and non-lethal spacehouse out of different modules and resources. Come watch the trailer and look at pretty pictures of our stinking, melting planet.

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Destroy everything you create, that’s my motto. Create it, enjoy it, examine strengths and flaws, destroy it before someone ruins or – worse – accepts it, then move on with what you’ve learned. I’m delighted to finally find a video game which understands me.

Defect: Spaceship Destruction Kit [official site] is a shoot ‘em up where you carefully design a ship you’ll love and adore, then crew will mutinity and you’ll need to build a whole new ship to defeat them. Over and over, build ships to destroy their predecessors. I dream of a ship able to destroy me. Point is, Defect has now launched.

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This is The Mechanic, where Alex Wiltshire invites developers to discuss the inner workings of their games. This time, Hyper Light Drifter [official site].

Hyper Light Drifter is a game about exploring mysterious ruins and killing the monsters that inhabit them with ferocity and precision. Whether you favour a slash-slash-shoot, a dash-slash-slash-dash, or any other combination thereof, combat is built on a holy trio of sword, gun and a dash move. The dash gets you into and out of scrapes in a moment, and the sword, with a wide slash that almost encompasses 180 degrees, is your trusty mainstay.

And the gun Being slow to fire, with limited shots and requiring careful aim, it might not seem it at first, but the gun is your most powerful asset. Its place in Hyper Light Drifter s arsenal is down to single and subtle design feature that keeps its relationship with the sword close and maintains a sense of its shots feeling both valuable and always available:

THE MECHANIC: Recharging ammo

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StarCraft Universe [official site], the free multiplayer RPG that has been built as a StarCraft II mod, is finally due to come out next month, after an eventful 5-year development. On top of that, the open beta is now live and can be played through the StarCraft II Arcade right now. You can even play with its free Starter Edition.

It’s been a strange ride for this not-quite-MMO, including legal scares, name changes and a Kickstarter. What’s all the fuss about? Come here and I’ll tell you.

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This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The Windows 10 icon of doom has entered the final stages of its apocalyptic countdown. You have mere hours left to install Microsoft’s latest operating system for free. After that, you will have to pay $119, says the computing behemoth. At the time of writing there are about 12 hours remaining. But you will have less because I have had to run the news post gauntlet to get this information to you. BUT WAIT, there are still some important things to consider before you hit the panic switch.

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Tactical JRPG Phantom Brave [official site] launched on Windows this week, and has a free demo if you fancy a crack. It’s the latest in a growing line of vintage console RPGs brought to PC by NIS.

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The first thing you notice about Lost Castle, an enjoyable 2D side-scrolling action RPG, is that the art style makes the characters, heroes and villains alike, kind of cute. Bosses aside, some look almost cuddly, in a macabre sort of way.

Underneath this visage lies an action-packed, challenging and enjoyable game in which more than a few deaths are inevitable, even when playing with a friend. Gary Ho, one of the Hunter Studio developers who accompanied the game from China to Kyoto, Japan, for BitSummit, a yearly indie game festival, in early July, said he wanted to make a “cute Dark Souls.

The game s underlying difficulty is apropos given the inherent challenges of indie development in China.

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Auriel’s time has come, as she officially makes her debut in Heroes of the Storm [official site] in early August.

The archangel from Diablo III will join the public test realm next week before entering the Nexus the week of August 8th. Auriel’s a Support character, and possesses a number of healing and damage-dealing abilities. Here’s a video introducing her:

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