Unpause is a little late with their official list for April games. I’m totally inclined to blame the excellent games that have come out in March. As well as the fact that Horizon Zero Dawn has slowly taken over my life. April is shaping up to be yet another power-house. Some incredible titles, including the long-awaited indie platformer Yooka-Laylee as well as Persona 5 that needs no introduction.
Persona 5 by Atlus, P Studio, Deep Silver – April 4th
Persona 5 is the return of one of the best JRPG franchises out there, and I’ve already poured many hours into the game. It’s every bit as good as the reviews say it is. Even if you’re a newcomer to the series, you’ll find much to love. Clocking in at over 100 hours, the game is enough to keep you busy all month, assuming you’re not still trying to finish some of last month’s huge titles.
Platform: PS4
Yooka-Laylee by Playtonic Games – April 11th
Yooka-Laylee is a platformer that’s inspired by the classic Banjo-Kazooie games, and developed by many industry veterans. The open world platformer features the two main protagonists Yooka (the dragon/lizard thing) and Laylee (the bat). Yooka-Laylee has you stopping the big bad Capital B from absorbing all the world’s books! You’ll naturally have to stop him from succeeding in his evil plan, and your journey will involve beautiful environments to explore, a great cast, lots of collectibles and unlockable moves. Co-op is an option as well, with the second player getting a unique co-op character to play as.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Shock Tactics by Point Blank Games – April 12th
Enjoyed XCOM? Like space? Chances are, you’ll love Shock Tactics. A sci-fi strategy game with stunning visuals, this turn-based battlefield affair will have you leafing through your trusty copy of The Art of War in search of a tactical advatange as you pillage and plunder the treasures of a newly discovered planet. A blend of fast assaults, time-critical objectives and broader galactic campaign pursuits. Not to mention procedurally generated worlds should allow Shock Tactics to keep you from missing Earth.
Platform: PC
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap by SEGA – April 18th
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a remake of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. New hand-drawn graphics and a playable female character along with plenty of other cool features make this action-RPG-platformer classic from the Sega Master System days much more than merely a nostalgic treat. It’s been over twenty years since the original came out.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Syberia III by Benoît Sokal – April 20th
13 years on from Syberia II, it’s finally time to rejoin lawyer Kate Walker on her journey through the wilderness, as she joins with a band of Ostrich-herding nomads to overcome their common obstacles – and escape a tricky past. Rendered with much the same graphical beauty that made the first two iterations so well-received, Syberia III is set to deliver an entirely new story – albeit one crafted with the same sense of immersive storytelling as before.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Switch
Dragon Quest Heroes 2 by Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, Square Enix – April 25th
The hack-and-slash RPG sequel looks pretty interesting. With its blend of a somewhat dark-looking fantasy setting with a cartoony look that heavily suggests not taking things too seriously despite the surprising sense of gloom. Aside from hacking and slashing enemy swarms and boss monsters, you can also hack and slash with friends. The cast of playable characters will include familiar faces from the Dragon Quest series as well as four new heroes, and all possess their own unique moves and abilities. Co-op supports up to four players, and the game’s enviroments come in the form of “expansive and interconnected environments”.
Platform: PS4, PC
Outlast 2 by Red Barrels Studio – April 27th
Outlast 2 is one of our most anticipated games of 2017. It’s got all new characters, new setting, with the same horrifying gameplay. Outlast‘s second outing sees players surviving as journalist Blake Langermann, as he searches for his wife after a helicopter crash in the Arizona desert. Oh, and he’s stuck in a village that’s home to an apocalyptic cult – which is, you know, tricky. He’s got a better camera this time around – but there’s also plenty to confuse and confound, from hallucinations to bewildering settings. You have been warned.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 by CI Games – April 27th
The modern-day sniping series goes open world. You’ve got your sniping with scope elevation and wind speed/direction considerations. But there’s also sneaking with a silenced pistol and blasting enemies. The story: ‘You are an American sniper dropped behind enemy lines in Georgia, near the Russian border. Ruthless warlords have taken over part of the area and it falls on you to prevent the entire country from collapsing into chaos.”
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Little Nightmares by Tarsier Studios, Bandai Namco – April 27th
Imagine Little Big Planet as a horror game, with Tim Burton visuals and a creeping soundtrack straight out of 28 Weeks Later, and you’ve got a good idea of what Little Nightmares have in store. A puzzle-platformer with an uneasy difference, Little Nightmares sees you playing as an inexplicably tiny nine-year-old girl, Six, who’s stuck in a surreal submarine world called The Maw.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III by Relic Entertainment, SEGA – April 28th
The third in the critically acclaimed real-time-strategy franchise. I’d still love to see an actual Warhammer miniatures game translated to video game format. The Dawn of War games may be the closest we ever come to that. Dawn of War is back with familiar faces, very familiar races/factions and a not so familiar visual style for the series. This time, the battle is over a weapon on the planet of Acheron, and the campaign will let you play as all of the game’s factions, with the other two being the Eldar and Orks.
Platform: PC
