It’s the end of the month, so you know what that means? Microsoft tea-leaf several games from the Game Pass service. They claim it’s because contracts have ended with the games’ developers, but it’s clearly just a savage mean streak.
The games that have left the service today are: Europa Universalis IV (PC), Evil Genius 2: World Domination (Console, PC, Cloud), FIFA 21 (Console, PC), Floppy Knights (Console, PC, Cloud) and Lawn Mowing Simulator (Console, PC, Cloud).
A cult-classic leaves Game Pass
We know what you’re thinking: the real miss here is Lawn Mowing Simulator on Game Pass. There was nothing quite like the thrill of kickstarting a lawn mowing business and kicking back on the ride-on. We will miss its laid-back vibes and slightly janky gameplay.
Remember that it may be gone, but it’s not lost. Like the other games in this article, it’s still available for purchase on the Xbox Store. We handed Lawn Mowing Simulator a 3.5 out of 5 in review, saying “In all, Lawn Mowing Simulator is a brilliantly presented and perfectly designed sim experience. The attention to detail in terms of the vehicles and the varied locations manage to fully complement a solid management experience as well”. Maybe it is worth picking up after all.
Floppy Knights will be missed
Can we also send a shout-out to Floppy Knights? We had a whale of a time with this pocket turn-based tactics game. If you’re pissy about the lack of Advance Wars on the Xbox, then this more than makes up for the loss.
We gave Floppy Knights a 4 out of 5 review score, and – considering the amount of time we’ve splashed on it, that might have been a tad low. We said “Floppy Knights has the same nagging demand to play that Advance Wars has: to satisfy a sub-objective, to progress the campaign, to unlock a particular unit. Even as we write now, we have the urge to get floppy with Floppy Knights. If you’ve got a turn-based bone in your body, we’d encourage you to do the same”. See, we told you about the Advance Wars thing.
But there are new additions on the way
Microsoft have also been forthcoming about the games coming to Game Pass in the first half of next month. It all kicks off on the very first day of the month.
On the 1st of June, you can expect Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 (Console, PC, Cloud), Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance Of The Slayer (Console, PC, Cloud) and The Big Con (Console, PC, Cloud). On June 6th, the truly terrifying Amnesia: The Bunker arrives (Console, PC, Cloud), while on June 8th the more sedate Rune Factory 4 Special (Console, PC, Cloud) and Stacking (Console, Cloud) arrive.
Finally, on June 13th, you can play the rather impressive looking Dordogne (Console, PC, Cloud).
Are you lamenting the loss of Lawn Mowing Simulator on Game Pass? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
