PCs, handhelds, mobile, console, indies, triple A, free-to-play — the gaming scene gets more diverse and difficult to follow by the day, but thankfully I’m here every week to guide you through what’s happening with games.
As always, I’ll rattle off five games I think you might want to check out this week. Keep in mind, these articles aren’t meant to be comprehensive lists of everything coming out that week so much as a nice rounded tasting menu. So, here are the games you need to know about this week…
This Week’s Platformer
Ratchet & Clank (PS4, Apr. 12)
Partly a tie-in to the upcoming Ratchet & Clank movie, and partly a remake of the original 2002 PS2 game, this is a bit of a confusing product, but one Sony and Insomniac Games clearly put a fair amount of effort into. Fair warning, I’ll be posting my review of Ratchet & Clank tomorrow, and I wasn’t really impressed, but if you’re a diehard fan of the Lombax and robot team, you might find something to like here.
This Week’s Action-Adventure
Stories: The Path of Destinies (PC & PS4, Apr. 12)
Stories: The Path of Destinies may just have the most generic name in video game history, but it actually looks fairly promising. Developed by the team behind the well-received Tiny Brains, Stories is an action adventure set in a vibrant, stylish world full of magic, airships and characters guaranteed to set furries all a-tingle. The game kind of looks like something Rare might have ended up making if Microsoft hadn’t completely gutted them. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Competitive Witchcraft Game
Wand Wars (PC, Mac & Linux, Apr. 13)
In Wand Wars, you and up to three other players hop on brooms and blast opponents with magic and all manner of power-ups. Harry Potter? What’s that? Never heard of it! Wand Wars even has a full single-player story mode for those who can’t gather any fellow wizards for a throwdown. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s JPRG
Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS, Apr. 15)
Bravely Default was a surprise hit for Nintendo and Square-Enix back in 2014, and now the series returns with Bravely Second: End Layer. Much like the first game, Bravely Second is an ode to classic Final Fantasy, particularly Final Fantasy IX, and features a deep job system, clever turn-based battles and a beautiful visual style. If you’re longing to return to the classic PSOne JRPG golden era, then the Bravely series is for you.
Pick of the Week
Dark Souls III (PC, Xbox One & PS4, Apr. 12)
Your day is almost here, masochists. Yes, the third, and supposedly final, Dark Souls game arrives this week, and word is this is the biggest, hardest and densest game in the series. It’s also certainly the most gorgeous and terrifying-looking. Honestly, the last couple sentences may scare some people away, but if From Software games are your thing, Dark Souls III should more than scratch your urges.
A big week for RPG fans! Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let the world know.