Cybercade #23 2025 | Co-op, Cards & Commodore Classics
Dear Friends,
Welcome to this week’s edition of Cybercade. I hope you are all well.
If you're new here: Cybercade is a weekly game discovery newsletter. Each week, I hand-pick a fresh batch of upcoming games worth your attention—from experimental indies to bold genre-benders.
This week's selection includes four new titles, ranging from drawn co-op shooters to minimalist job simulators, and a look back at the age of movie-to-game adaptations.
Let's get started.
| From the Vault
The Goonies (C64)
Developer: Datasoft
Publisher: Datasoft
Creator: Scott Spanburg
Musician: John A. Fitzpatrick
Release Year: 1985
Platform: Commodore 64 (also on Apple II, Atari 8-bit, MSX, NES)
Genre: Platformer, Puzzle
Players: 1 or 2 (alternating/simultaneous, depending on version)
License: Based on the 1985 film The Goonies
What is The Goonies About?
Based on the beloved 1985 film, The Goonies game puts players in the shoes of the adventurous kids from the “Goon Docks” as they seek the lost treasure of One-Eyed Willie to save their homes from foreclosure. The journey begins in an abandoned restaurant, now the hideout of the criminal Fratelli family, and leads through a series of perilous, puzzle-filled underground levels.
Gameplay centers around guiding two Goonies through eight tricky, single-screen levels packed with hazards, enemies, and clever puzzles. Teamwork is essential: while you control one Goonie at a time (or both in co-op mode), both must reach the exit to progress. Each level requires players to solve environmental challenges, outsmart traps, and avoid the Fratellis, all while searching for the treasure.
The game’s music attempts to capture the spirit of the movie’s soundtrack, and while the graphics are simple, the gameplay remains engaging and addictive.
What Makes The Goonies So Special?
The Goonies stands out as an early and successful example of a movie-to-game adaptation that genuinely captures the spirit of its source material. Its focus on teamwork, puzzle-solving, and adventure mirrors the themes of the film, making it more than just a standard platformer.
While the graphics and sound did not push the Commodore 64 to its limits, the game’s clever level design and cooperative gameplay set it apart from many contemporaries. It demonstrated how licensed games could be thoughtfully designed rather than mere cash-ins, paving the way for more sophisticated adaptations in the years to come.
| Upcoming Games
Silicomrades
A co-op shooter where everything breaks. In Silicomrades, you and a friend take control of malfunctioning pencil-drawn robots fighting their way through the bureaucracy. As your bots degrade mid-battle, your tactics will need to adapt in real-time. Coordination is crucial—your defects are not just quirks, but core mechanics.
🧭 Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie
📅 Release: June 20, 2025
🎮 Developer: Outside the Fox
🔗 Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172930
Ship, Inc.
Turn your packaging job into a zen experience. Ship, Inc. puts you behind the desk of a parcel shipping company. Select the right packaging, follow orders, and upgrade your workspace. With cozy visuals and a low-stress vibe, it’s perfect for fans of slice-of-life simulators.
🧭 Genre: Casual, Indie, Simulation, Strategy
📅 Release: June 23, 2025
🎮 Developer: Rogue Duck Interactive
🔗 Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3496000
Shuffle Tactics
Part tactics game, part deckbuilder, part roguelike—Shuffle Tactics blends genres into a fresh fantasy brew. Build your card-based abilities, develop bonds with your companions, and survive brutal tactical battles on your quest to become King of Asteria.
🧭 Genre: Indie, RPG, Strategy
📅 Release: June 24, 2025
🎮 Developer: Club Sandwich
🔗 Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2186580
How 2 Escape: Lost Submarine
Communication is your only hope. How 2 Escape is a two-player asymmetric escape room where one player guides the other using a separate screen or device. Solve puzzles, coordinate in real-time, and defuse escalating tension as you race to prevent a disaster aboard a submerged vessel.
🧭 Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie, Simulation
📅 Release: June 24, 2025
🎮 Developer: Breakfirst Games
🔗 Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3530680
| This Week in Gaming
Stranger Things Season 5 Release Dates Revealed + New Teaser
Netflix confirms dates and drops a cryptic teaser trailer for the final season of Stranger Things, teasing an ominous tone and a return to Hawkins.
Switch 2 Launch Week Restocks: What We Know
Nintendo Switch 2 is officially launching June 5. Retailers like Walmart may reopen limited preorders after June 4. Keep an eye out for last-minute drops if you missed out the first time around.
Lunar Remastered Collection Physical Edition Back in Stock
The cult classic RPGs Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue are back in stock as part of the Lunar Remastered Collection physical edition—exclusively on Amazon for Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. These updated versions come with reversible art and quality-of-life improvements.
| What to Listen to This Week?
Surviving Mars Soundtrack
This time I have a Soundtrack from the game Surviving Mars with me. It is a good example for background music and it sets a good soundscape for the game.
| Final Thoughts
Thanks for reading! If you liked this issue, consider sharing Cybercade with a friend or supporting it by hitting reply and saying hello.
Let me know which of these games have grabbed your interest.
Until next time,
Belane
Some screenshots in this issue are sourced from MobyGames.
> While the graphics and sound did not push the Commodore 64 to its limits
What were the limits of the C64?