Written by Alex Castellanos

DCL ’25 – End of July

I don’t know how it’s been for all of you, but I know that for at least some of us, this past month has been quite the scorcher! High temps regularly in the 90’s with high humidity have made me feel like running and hiding in my air-conditioned home more than ever. Luckily, we’ve had some interesting games released this month to ease the suffering and keep me engaged with the ups and downs of the league. We got a new “system seller” for the Nintendo Switch 2, we saw a new title from a Chinese studio, there was a new potential indie gem, and we got a true 2D successor to an old classic!

Here are the League Standings as of July 31st:

And these were the 4 games that were released in July which contributed to these overall scores:

  • “Donkey Kong Bananza” Frozen Headlights Studios (22.9 pts)
  • “Wheel World” Suladin Software Ltd (5.5 pts)
  • “Wuchang: Fallen Feathers” Ranch Walker (5.7 pts)
  • “Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound” Ranch Walker (16.4 pts)

Frozen Headlights Studios (Nate) has secured another 90+ OpenCritic victory with the newest 1st Party Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, “Donkey Kong Bananza” (22.9 pts). After the Donkey Kong Direct a few weeks ago that showcased all that players would be experiencing when they fired up the game, I was convinced that DK Bananza would be a big hit. The reviewers have concurred with praises being sung and confetti being thrown in the direction of Donkey Kong. This is by far the biggest showcase for the ape, especially as a 3D platformer.

Another impressive title for this month belongs to Ranch Walker (Marshall) and, “Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound” (16.4 pts). The colorful, fast-paced, 2D action-platformer really shows both how much The Game Kitchen and Dotemu understand the original Ninja Gaiden games, but also how great they are at updating the genre with their modern flourishes and quality of life features. I can’t wait to jump in personally to see how great a job was done on this title!

The other games released in July were “Wheel World” (5.5 pts) & “Wuchang: Fallen Feathers” (5.7 pts). These games have received plenty of praise in addition to a few critiques and have scored respectfully this month – falling just short of that coveted 80+ standard the DCL loves to see. While I’m sure that Suladin Software Ltd. and Ranch Walker were hoping for more from these titles, getting some meaningful points on the board will definitely improve their chances of finishing well in the standings.

Now we look ahead to the games of August. There will be six (6) new games released in August. Those games are:

  • “Mafia: The Old Country” Ranch Walker (August 8th)
  • “Inkshade” Crystal Cross Games (August 14th)
  • “Sword of the Sea” Dougsvest Digital (August 19th)
  • “Metal Gear Solid ∆: Snake Eater” Ranch Walker (August 28th)
  • “Lost Soul Aside” Frozen Headlights Studios (August 29th)
  • “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance” Bearded Brethren (August 29th)

This month, I’m personally invested in seeing the old SEGA property, “Shinobi: The Art of Vengeance” back in the spotlight once again. Published by Bearded Brethren (Adam) – but also Sega and developed by Lizardcube, players will be re-entering the action-packed world of ninja, Joe Musashi, and the Oboro clan. As a Sega-kid growing up, I played / rented & loved all the Shinobi games, and it’ll be great to see him back and looking so great in his hand-drawn glory! I’m also kinda intrigued by how close this new Shinobi game and the new Ninja Gaiden 2D game have released together. So I guess there’s a little bit of a rivalry brewing there as well.

The other title that I’m personally invested in is “Sword of the Sea” Dougsvest Digital (Micah). After playing “Journey” back in 2012, I will forever be interested in games that evoke the same tone or emotions as that masterpiece. This game certainly does that for me. Add the fact that former Thatgamecompany employee, Matt Nava, is directing this game as well as Austin Wintory composing the music and I am definitely going to be anticipating the final product. This developer, Giant Squid, has made some cool games so far as well so there are lots of reasons to be excited about this one.

Okay – I’m going to cut this newsletter here as it is already August 1st and I want to get this out to you! I want to hear from you all though: What games are you most looking forward to seeing score out this month? Is it the remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, “Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater”? Or maybe it’s the long-awaited China Hero Project game, “Lost Soul Aside”? Or perhaps it’s the follow-up game in the Mafia franchise, “Mafia: The Old Country”? Let me know after reading this newsletter, okay?

Take care & God Bless,

Alex C.

UP TO DATE – DCL 2025 Round 1 Draft Choices:

  1. Bearded Brethren – “Grand Theft Auto VI” DELAYED TO 2026
  2. Iota Strain – “Fable” DELAYED TO 2026
  3. PixelPioneer Studios – “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond”
  4. Dougsvest Digital – “Unannounced Mainline 3D Mario Platformer”
  5. Crystal Cross Games – “Ghost of Yotei”
  6. Suladin Software Ltd – “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” [90.4]
  7. Ranch Walker – “Elden Ring: Nightreign” [80]
  8. Frozen Headlights Studios – “Mario Kart World” [86.3]
  9. Agon Analytics – “Avowed” [81]

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