Happy spring! If it continues like this, we have a good year ahead of us. Mars has been extraordinarily generous on the gaming front, and we can only mention in passing:
Norske Hyper Games provided a relaxing adventure with their game Snusmumrikken, Dragon's Dogma 2 gave us great adventures and battles against massive monsters, while Unicorn Overlord offered unusual strategy in an exhilarating package. Nintendo has a magical adventure in Princess Peach: Showtime!, and even though it was released strictly on the last day of February, they should be allowed to include Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, which I think many spent their spring days in.
Now, on the other hand, the muzzle must be straightened, because here comes a new pile of very exciting toys.
Europe looks so magical.
Future friends games
Europe
Platform: Windows
Out: April 16
In Europe, we take a trip to the moon Europa, a lush paradise in the shadow of Jupiter. In the role of a robot, we have to explore this colorful world, solve puzzles and uncover what happened to the last human. We have to explore a world full of beautiful nature surrounding the ruins of an ancient civilization.
The game is described as a compromise between the Studio Ghibli films and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. These are big words, no doubt, but when you look at how everything looks, it's not hard to agree. In contrast to many other games that focus on action as the main form of entertainment, this will be a quiet and peaceful game with exploration and contemplation at the center.
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Kinzira Tales: Zhao takes us on an epic journey to Africa.
Essam
Tales of Kenzira: Zao
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Windows
Coming out: April 23
Although the name might suggest something else, this is not the latest installment in the Tales series. Instead, this is the first game from the game studio of Abu Bakr Salem, the gamer best known for his roles in Assassin's Creed: Origins and Raised by Wolves.
In Tales of Kinzira: Zao, we are told an adventure inspired by the myths of African Bantu culture. We meet hero athlete Zau who must fight his way through a Metroidvania-inspired game where new areas unlock new powers and new powers unlock new areas. African mythology certainly represents untapped potential for new gaming worlds, and we can only hope that Tales of Kenzera: Zau can open the doors to more games based on cultures that the gaming industry has yet to explore.
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Traditional JRPG fun from industry experts.
505 games
Euden Chronicle: One Hundred Heroes
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Coming out: April 23
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a very traditional Japanese role-playing game from the creator of the Suikoden series. It was funded through Kickstarter and became so popular there that it was ranked as the third biggest Kickstarter game of all time.
There are many who have been waiting a long time for this RPG that takes us back to the 90s to go on an adventure in a world inspired by ancient classics. And still there is a strong element of sadness in it. Suikoden's creator, Yoshitaka Murayama, died in February, just months before the game was released to the public, so this will be the final game from a man who created some of the most memorable games of the 1990s.
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Eve is ready to dance.
Turn up
Star blade
Platform: Steeler Blade
Out: April 26
Since its announcement three years ago, Stellar Blade has evolved into one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 games of the year. It is an intense action game where we, in the role of Eve, have to deal with many monsters and evil enemies who stand in the way of the survival of the human race.
Stellar Blade comes from the studio of Korean illustrator Kim Hyung-tae, who previously worked on the Magna Carta series, among other things, and this may look like his biggest game yet. Stellar Blade became a fan favorite long before its release, largely thanks to her being something of a rarity (in 2024, anyway) as a super-sexy main character who's not far from wearing tough clothes. The question is whether Korea is on to something in an industry that has been hit hard by the cutbacks.
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Build your own medieval city.
Slavic magic
Manor Lords
Platform: Windows
Out: April 26
If you're looking for a new strategy game where the goal is to build cities and fight rivals, Manor Lords might be the game for you. Here you can build an entire city from a small village to the big center of the country. The whole thing is inspired by the 14th century Middle Ages, and the developers go to great lengths to create a game that is as historically correct as possible.
City building mechanics should have been inspired by how real medieval cities grew, and how the landscape shaped important trade routes. The game presents difficult and important choices about how to use the resources around you, as well as greater challenges when sooner or later you end up in conflict with other lords that force you into war and conflict if all diplomacy fails.
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Sand Land introduces characters in the classic Akira Toriyama style.
Bandai Namco Entertainment
Spring fun
April offers a variety of games, even if there aren't a lot of really big players. On the other hand, Japanese company Bandai Namco has something exciting to offer in the form of Sand Land, a game inspired by a world created by legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama, who died at the age of 68 in March.
For a slightly lower budget, we find Freedom Planet 2, a side-scrolling action adventure that takes a lot of inspiration from the 16-bit era. We find more side-scrolling in Biomorph, a Metroidvania where we become all the enemies we kill.
Botany Manor is something completely different. This is an adventure game where you have to solve puzzles by growing plants. Children of the Sun, on the other hand, is a tactical shooting game where you only have one bullet in each level, but in return it can change its direction every time it hits something.
Whisker Waters is a fishing game where we play as cats, and it can be fun while waiting for SaGa: Emerald Beyond, a new game in the very strange SaGa series from Square Enix.
Finally, we've included some older games that will be re-released this month. MOBA Gigantic makes a surprise reappearance in Rampage Edition, while Sea of Thieves travels to big competitor PlayStation 5, and Grounded is coming to both PlayStation and Switch.
In addition, one of the most popular games from the beginning of Xbox Live Arcade has been released in a new version; Cue: Anniversary Edition.
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