Steam] Did you miss out on anything? Steam new indie games August new releases these 3!

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Beat Reflex," a slightly erotic sound game adventure

Pop and cute deck-building roguelike "Super Bullet Break

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator," a soothing simulator that lets you become a toy duck

Massage beautiful girls to the rhythm!　Beat Refre," a slightly erotic sound game adventure

• Beat Refre" (qureate, Orgesta Inc.)
• Genre: Rhythm game
• Release date: August 1, 2022
• Price: 2,980 yen (as of August 22, 2022)
• Copyright: (C) 2022 qureate, Orgesta Inc.
• #

Have you ever had a massage or physical therapy? I have a feeling that I am about to become a heavy user of massages, as I have been suffering from stiff shoulders and back pain lately. Now, I would like to introduce "Beat Reflex", a work with such massage as its theme. Please note that this work contains some sexually explicit language, so please be careful if this is not your cup of tea.

Beat Refre" is a unique music game with the themes of "rhythm game" x "beautiful girl" x "massage. This title is by qureate, the creator of "NinNinDays" and "Kukkoro Deizu," which were previously introduced in the "Slightly Echi Game Special," and the graphics and the cuteness of the girls are of consistently high quality. The graphics and the cuteness of the girls are of consistently high quality, and the characters move smoothly and fluently, delighting the player's eyes.

The main character is a young man named Yubihara Atsushi. One day, while cleaning up his grandfather's store "Riraku Zeshon Sashihara," he happens to meet a talking cat named Momiji. At a loss for words, even a debt collector shows up to collect the debt left by his grandfather. He is puzzled by the absurd conditions presented to him, but Momiji, the cat, shares with him a very strange power. It was a secret art called "Ecstasy Drive" and "Zetsu Tenro Tenga Tekkou (絶・天狼天牙手甲)" which enhances the power of the art. ......

The player's objective was to use the secret art given to him by Momiji (?) to get the customers' bodies to the store by the due date of one month to repay the debt. The player's objective is to relax the bodies of the customers who come to the store by using the secret techniques given by Momiji (?) until the debt is repaid in one month. The customers include a college student who lives in the same apartment building as the player, a metal band member who is very famous in the indie band world, and a high school teacher who is a bit of a screw-up, all of whom have their own quirks. All of them are unique and cute, and they all speak in full voice, so you are sure to find your favorite character while playing the game. By the way, my favorite character is Kaeno Asagiri, a cool-headed athletics girl. She is usually a cool girl, but sometimes her unexpected face and reactions are very attractive.

Each day of the one-month period until the debt is repaid progresses by selecting a schedule for the morning and afternoon sessions, respectively. The schedule is divided into two main parts: the rhythm game part "waiting for customers," in which you massage the girls who come to the store, and the adventure part "deciding how to spend your time," in which you interact with the girls. So, let's start with the rhythm game part, which is the main part of this work.

The rhythm game in this title is a relatively orthodox style of sound game in which players press the buttons corresponding to the notes flowing in the two lanes on the left and right in time with the music.

This action is linked to the act of finger pressure on the customer's body, and if you press the button well, the girl will respond with a pleasant voice.

Yes, this is exactly the inevitable fusion of a sound game and massage. In the opinion of the author, a sound game enthusiast, this revolutionary system of "massaging to the rhythm and relaxing the girl's body" is, frankly speaking, a great invention that will go down in the history of sound games. ......

In addition to the usual notes, there are also special notes such as "long notes," which are played by holding down the button while the gauge is extended and releasing it at the end, and "cursor notes," which are played by tilting the left and right sticks on the controller (cursor notes are handled by simultaneously pressing two keys on the keyboard). (Cursor knots are handled by pressing two keys simultaneously on the keyboard). These special notes are a type of gimmick commonly seen in arcade games these days, and they add to the challenge and fun of the game. In addition, this title contains a whopping 50 original songs, all of which are available in three levels of difficulty: easy, normal, and hard. All in all, it can be said that this is a full-fledged sound game that can be enjoyed by a wide range of players, from sound game beginners to hardcore sound gamers who know their stuff.

In the adventure part, "Decide How to Spend Your Time," you can go out to the city and see events with the girls. The choices that indicate where to go are kindly designed to show the mini-characters of the girls you will meet. In some cases, choices are displayed during conversation events with the girls, and depending on the outcome, the liking level, called customer satisfaction, goes up or down, in a gal game-like system. At times, beautiful event CG can be seen at ......!

The adventure part of the game, in which you read the stories of the girls, is also very interesting, so I felt that this is a game that is twice as good as the other (although the volume is not at the level of a "grain"). (Although the volume is not at the level of "grains," ......!) ).

) What is hidden in this work is the existence of an officially distributed patch that accelerates the slightly erotic elements. (Incidentally, this patch does not add any R18 elements to the game. One of them is "the effect that the girls' outfits become bare during the rhythm game. In a sense, this element, which distracts the viewer's concentration from the girls' unkempt appearance, may be a gimmick (?) that further increases the difficulty of the rhythm game. In a sense, this element may be a teasing gimmick (?) that further increases the difficulty of the rhythm game.

Another additional element added by the patch is the "NTR (natte rimutta rilaxu) mode," which can be enjoyed by finishing the performance with a certain score or higher. This is a mini-game in which you can relax the whole body of girls whose massages feel so good that their minds have been stripped bare, and the scene of "mysterious light" often seen in late-night anime is very exciting. If you are interested in this game, please check the official website for details on how to apply the patch at your own risk.

Beat Reflex" is an unusual combination of a beautiful girl, a rhythm game, and massage, but these elements are inevitably fused together to weave a miraculous harmony. At first impression, you may think that it is a slightly erotic game, but in fact, you can fully enjoy the carefully crafted sound game part and the adventure part with attractive girls. If you are interested in this game, please check it out.

2. Collect beautiful girls and build the strongest deck!　Pop-cute deck-building roguelike "Super Bullet Break

• Super Bullet Break" (BeXide Inc.)
• Genre: Strategy
• Release date: August 12, 2022
• Price: 2,800 yen (as of August 22, 2022)
• Copyright: (C) 2022 BeXide Inc.
• #1

A deck-building roguelike game that has fully established itself as a genre in modern gaming since the debut of the hit title "Slay the Spire. Super Bullet Break" is a deck-building roguelike game that incorporates elements of "bishojo" (beautiful girls).

This roguelike strategy game was created by Beside, a company known for its "Dokodemo Issho" series. The first thing that catches the eye is the cute girl characters. In fact, this title was created by taking over the characters, voices, settings, etc. from the smartphone game "Bullet Break," which was discontinued in the past. The cute girls who appear in the game are also characters from the previous "Bullet Break" game, so players who played that game may feel a sense of nostalgia.

The main characters in "Super Bullet Break" are Akari, Sumire, and Hikaru, three girls who love games. Akari and her friends join forces with a black cat and a mysterious girl named "Nayuta" to try to solve the problems that have occurred in the game world... This is the story of this work. Since the game is set in a game world, it is characterized by the appearance of various "in-game games" such as love games and rhythm games.

The game consists of organizing characters called "barrettes" into a deck and defeating enemies. Bullets have a variety of abilities and effects, including "attack," which inflicts damage on the enemy for a numerical value, "armor" and "defense," which prevent enemy attacks, "slowing down," which delays enemy actions, and "loading," which draws additional bullets from the deck. The basic strategy of the game is to combine these effects to create "combos," as in card games, to destroy the enemy. It is possible to pull off so-called "always my turn" combos, and the feeling of exhilaration when you get it right is outstanding.

In battle, one must not forget the relationship between the cost of barrettes and the enemy's actions. A timeline is displayed at the top of the screen showing the weight until the enemy's turn to attack, and when you use the barrette, the timeline progresses by the amount of its cost. Then, when the enemy's weight reaches zero, the enemy performs an action. Since many powerful barrettes have high costs, be careful not to use too many without planning, as it will quickly become the enemy's turn.

Also, the opponent's next action is displayed at the bottom of the enemy character, and you may need to use more "armor" or "defense" barrettes to reduce damage as much as possible before the opponent attacks with high power. The tingling sensation of carefully choosing the right barrettes while keeping an eye on your remaining life and the battle situation is one of the charms of this game.

So far, the game follows the basic system of deck-building roguelikes such as "Slay the Spire," but there are, of course, elements that are unique to this title.

One such element is the "cart. These are like equipment worn by each valet, and each has its own unique abilities. There are abilities with simple effects such as "attack power plus 1" and "cost minus 1," as well as powerful ones that have permanent effects on the player, such as "adds attack power to all barrettes with a specific attribute" and "gains armor at the start of battle. In addition to the abilities of the barrettes themselves, the carts they are equipped with are also important in deck construction, allowing for deep strategy.

Another unique feature of this title is the existence of special abilities that take advantage of the setting, in which players join characters from "fictional games that exist in the game. For example, a Bullet from the romance game "Koiro no Kisetsu Tachi" has an ability called "Kokorobomb," while a Bullet from the deep sea x rhythm game "Aqua Rhythm Deep" often has an ability called "Combo Beam. Both of these abilities increase in firepower the more you accumulate them, and the shortcut to activating them efficiently is to have many barrettes from the same game in your deck. These game-specific special abilities are another system that broadens the scope of deck construction and amplifies the fun of the game.

The game is map-based, and players progress through the map by selecting a route, aiming to defeat the boss that awaits them at the end of the area. In addition to battles with enemies, the route includes squares for stores, resting, and events. In the store square, players can purchase useful items and obtain new bullets through gacha, and in the rest square, they can either recover their strength or redraw their carts.

Incidentally, what the author found interesting was the Bullet Scout system in the store square.

By choosing one from each of the three conditions (Condition #1 and Condition #2), the game will summon the valet that meets those conditions. The best part of this system is that it is not completely random, but allows you to target the valet you want to some extent. The more you play the game, the more you can use your accumulated knowledge and experience to build your deck, like "I want that one, so I'll choose Koiro.

The Bullet Scout is a gacha (gadget) system similar to those found in social games, but there is no chargeable element, so don't worry about it!

Super Bullet Break" follows the basic deck-building roguelike system and fun, while adding original elements such as unique abilities and carts for each game, and adding a touch of cute bishojo characters. Compared to games in the same genre such as "Slay the Spire," the difficulty level seems to be a bit lower, so we recommend this game to deck-building roguelike beginners as well.

3. This is the luxury of "doing nothing. ...... Placid Plastic Duck Simulator" is a soothing simulator that lets you become a toy duck.

• Placid Plastic Duck Simulator" (turbolento games)
• Genre: Simulator
• Release date: July 6, 2022
• Price: 205 yen (as of August 22, 2022)
• Copyright: (C) 2022 turbolento games
• #

There are games of various genres in the world, such as action games that make your hands sweat and adventure games that tell a story, but playing any game consumes a certain amount of energy. Sometimes you may feel that you want to play a game but are too tired to relax. Placid Plastic Duck Simulator" is recommended for such people.

Placid" in "Placid Plastic Duck Simulator" means "calm and serene. The title directly translates to "placid plastic duck simulator," and as the name suggests, this game is a magical simulator game that allows you to relax and enjoy the experience of playing with a plastic duck toy.

The game takes place in a luxurious house with a swimming pool. As soon as you start the game, a (?) yellow toy duck (?) flies into the pool from the sky above. A yellow toy duck falls down from the sky over the pool.

The water in the pool has a gentle movement, so the duckling will be swayed by the waves. All the player has to do in this game is simply to watch the toy ducklings. You cannot control the ducklings, peck them, or take any kind of action with them. It is truly a game where all you can do is watch (although whether that is called a game is a mystery (......)).

You listen to music and announcements from a radio placed by the poolside, and leisurely watch the yellow ducks and the scenery for a dozen seconds or so. Suddenly, a new duckling appears from above and falls into the pool with a plop.

In fact, when the duckling gauge in the upper right corner of the screen fills up after a certain amount of time has elapsed, a new duckling will be inserted into the pool. There are various types of ducklings, including those with rainbow or panda patterns, those made of cloth or wood, and those with propellers. Putting aside the point that cloth and wooden ducks are no longer "plastic ducks," the visitors can enjoy the thrill of "what kind of duck will fall down next? Incidentally, the ducklings you have encountered can be viewed in the "Collection" section, which will make you want to compile more ducklings.

One of the charms of this game is that each duckling has its own unique behavior and characteristics, such as not being able to float if it is made of stone, or flying away on its own if it has a propeller, etc. Press the Tab key to switch the camera, so you can lock onto a duckling you like and enjoy watching it. Incidentally, I was stunned when the propeller duckling I was watching flew off in an unexpected direction and finally disappeared from the pool. This sense of "calm but unpredictable" is one of the charms of this work.

The duckling that drifted into the pool slides down the slider to the lower pool, or is sucked up by a mysterious tube from the lower pool and returns to the original pool, or it suddenly starts to rain, etc. Various random events may occur during the game. or rain suddenly coming down.

The gameplay of this title dares you to "do nothing," in other words, to watch the ducklings' leisurely scene. You may also use the game screen to read a book or surf the Internet on your smartphone while the game screen is open.

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator" soothes you with the sight of ducklings floating in the pool. For the low price of only 200 yen, you can enjoy a relaxing vacation by the pool with floating ducklings.

Did you find any recommended Steam titles released in August that caught your attention?
So, we have introduced three recommended new Steam titles released in August.

This time, we introduced three titles that can be played casually: a slightly erotic sound game, a roguelike in which you build a deck with beautiful girls, and a relaxing and soothing simulator. We hope you will enjoy playing these games in the long autumn nights to come.

Author: Nero Hyakkabe

Freelance writer who buys too many games. I currently have more than 300 games in my stack. Also a novelist. His works include "Yubisaki Kaidan: 140 Scary Stories" (PHP Kenkyujo) and "Goa-ken: Unrated Edition" (Kodansha).

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/KINGakiko

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nero100kabe

about.me: https://about.me/nero100kabe/