Doom: The Dark Ages helms a week of GTA-style cop games, sweaty animal spas and feudal strategy

Our regular PC game round-up column underwent further mysterious ructions during my absence last week, when substitute news chief Brendy introduced a list format with subheadings. I can only assume he had been driven mad by terror of being eaten by the Maw. Regardless, I will trust his instincts and follow in his footsteps. Here’s what’s coming down the pipe this week.

Monday 12th May

• Chambers is a new Weird West shooter from some of the pustulating greymass behind Golden Light, a game of peerless ugliness. I can’t wait to see what they’ve done to the six-shooters.

Tuesday 13th May

• Labyrinth Of The Demon King is a foetid first-person dungeon-crawler set in feudal Japan. Feels like a good pick if you’ve ever wished Onimusha were more like Silent Hill
• The Precinct is a top-down 1980s urban sandbox in which you are a policeman fighting gangs. Splash of GTA, obviously, but it also reminds me of grizzly 1999 crime-battler Urban Chaos.

Wednesday 14th May

• Animal Spa is a steamy resort for chibi critters that nestles at the bottom of your screen, so that you can watch them bathe while you're doing your tax returns. I don’t think this is going to boost my WPM, somehow.

Thursday 15th May

• Doom: The Dark Ages is "packed with gratifying and chunky violence, but restrictive combat, tedious exploration, and cinematic delusions make for a disappointing follow-up to Eternal", according to our review. Shut up Nic, Doom Guy would never betray me
• Into The Restless Ruins is about building dungeons as you explore them.
• House Of Legacy is a colourful isometric strategy management game, loosely inspired by imperial China.

Friday 16th May

• Kulebra And The Souls Of Limbo is a whimsical adventure game with a touch of stealth and action, inspired by Latin American myths. Your job is to help the shades of the dearly departed find closure.

As regards broader editorial happenings: I’m working on some longer-form stuff about survival games and nihilism. Nic is in hot pursuit of a review game or two. He and James are also collaborating on some kind of words-based pub brawl involving Doom: The Dark Ages. Ollie, sheriff of guidestown, has countless plans afoot. I believe some of them involve Elden Ring Nightreign. Graham is busy bossing everybody around and Jeremy has eloped to a strange kingdom called "Holiday".

I don't know what Brendy's doing this week because he was away during the morning meeting, though he did, at least, forewarn us in a Trello note of Take Two Interactive's latest financials on the 15th, which may include updates on the GTA 6 delay. Perhaps he has been eaten by the Maw. That’d be our 12th victim this month, if so. I’m getting pretty sick of writing letters of condolence. Anyway, what are you up to this week?