The releases of the month of January
The other big hit, also due to its nature as an exclusive (at least temporal) Xbox Series X / S console is obviously Medium. Bloober Team knows its stuff in the horror theme and being inspired by Silent Hill with the involvement of the composer of the soundtrack of the saga, Akira Yamaoka, can only attract the attention of many.
To complete a month ultimately not to be underestimated despite first impressions a plethora of potential pearls. A few names on all? The action released by those adorable Devolver Digital freaks, Olija, and a roguelite that had a very successful Early Access like Skul: The Hero Slayer.
All the details on these and many other games in ours article dedicated to video games to be released in January 2021!
January 14
Down in Bermuda (PC) MXGP 2020 (PS5) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game Complete Edition (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) The interesting indie team Yak & Co (Agent A) continues on the path of puzzles with a new project perfect for budding adventurers. Down in Bermuda arrives on PC immersing us in the adventure of an aviator surprised by a storm and forced to find shelter in the infamous Bermuda. Here he will have to deal with creatures of the abyss and many mysteries to solve in order to find an escape route. Puzzle, exploration and a delightful graphic style for a title that is as small as it is interesting. To keep an eye on if adventure and puzzles are bread for your teeth.Waiting to understand if the Xbox Series X / S release is completely ruled out or if it will happen in the coming months, MXGP 2020 whizzes on next-gen Sony with the promise to take full advantage of the power and features of the Sony console. 4K and 60 fps are obviously the objectives but also DualSense and its ability to add that extra touch to racing should not be underestimated. In short, the next-gen could be a boon for driving games and Milestone knows it well.
To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Ubisoft has decided for the return of a title with a perhaps small but definitely affectionate fanbase. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition also includes Knives Chau and Wallace Wells downloadable content, and with its return, players will be able to rediscover the signature 2D arcade beat 'em up inspired by the popular comic series and Universal Pictures' 2010 movie. Once again, fans will be captivated by Paul Robertson's 8-bit animations, the acclaimed Anamanaguchi soundtrack and retrogaming filmed sequences by Bryan Lee O'Malley, author of the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Rediscover the original title in our review of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
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January 20
Hitman 3 (PC, PS5, PS4, Stadia, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One) Most likely time for closures, at least for this new cycle of adventures. Hitman 3 should, in fact, put an end to the trilogy linked to the "World of the Assassins" by carrying on all the narrative threads presented in the last two IO Interactive projects and pushing it to a higher level (also thanks to the advantages of the next-gen including the features of DualSense on PS5) the entire gameplay experience made up of expansive sandbox levels and tons of possibilities to bring to life the most creative and original killings possible. VR support and all the modalities and contracts that will characterize a game that certainly has the potential to be the best of the Agent 47 saga are very interesting and all to be discovered.January 21
RIDE 4 (PS5, Xbox Series X / S) Skul: The Hero Slayer (PC) After the excellent version on the now old-gen, Milestone wants to offer the best of its racing offer also on PS5 and Xbox Series X / S with the arrival, also in the form of a free upgrade, of RIDE 4. The benefits should be quite evident with the promised and hopefully granite 60fps and 4K resolution as well. Also not to be underestimated is the fact that the PS5 version will support the DualSense features between adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. A next-gen experience that could definitively consecrate RIDE 4 to the Olympus of the best two-wheeled racing titles in recent years. Meanwhile, enjoy the wait with the review of RIDE 4 in the Xbox One X version.Launching a roguelite these days should not be easy given the almost obvious confrontation with a monster (in a positive sense) like Hades. Skul: The Hero Slayer, however, has every reason not to be afraid, thanks to a period in Early Access that was an incredible success and which is now ready for the release of the final version. In the role of Skul we have the task of freeing the King from the clutches of the Imperial Army and to do so the protagonist's incredible ability will be fundamental: wearing different skeletons to unleash unique and truly extraordinary skills. A 2D action platformer with a roguelite soul that could be unmissable.
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January 22
Redout: Space Assault (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) After giving us a racing similar to WipEout of very good quality, the Italians of 34BigThings return to the universe of Redout but with a spin off undoubtedly very different and ready to take us into deep space. Redout: Space Assault is presented as a concentrate of adrenaline that wants to combine the soul of Redout with the thrill of combat in space. A delightfully arcade-style project definitely worth keeping an eye on and which could also demonstrate the ductility of the Turin studio.January 26
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy (PC , PS5, PS4, Switch) Cyber Shadow (PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) Stronghold: Warlords (PC) In Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, Ryza doesn't just reunite with fan-favorite characters like Lent Marslink and Tao Mongarten, but she also meets a host of new characters who will help her throughout her adventure. Inside the Academy District café, Ryza meets a young woman named Zephine Baudouin. Zephine runs the request board inside the bar, and the bulletin board becomes a key part of Ryza's daily exploits - it is used by citizens of the Royal Capital to post work ranging from delivering materials to defeating monsters - and as Ryza completes. these tasks, you will be rewarded with money, materials and even skill points. A new piece in the Atelier saga.Yacht Club Games forget shovel and armor at least for a moment and wear the role of publisher in the indie universe with a fast, adrenaline-fueled and challenging action platform that for lovers of the genre it could be an unmissable appointment. Cyber Shadow will ask us to take control of Shadow in the ruins of Mekacity in a world now conquered by synthetic life forms. Skills to be discovered and mastered and a pleasantly old school style that gives us a dip in a very inspired sci-fi imaginary. Will Yacht Club Games be able to publish projects worthy of the beloved Shovel Knight? We are curious to discover this first interesting step as a publisher.
Watch on YouTube. A name that needs no introduction and that marks its great comeback. For the first time in IP history, in Stronghold: Warlords we will be able to recruit, improve and command an artificial intelligence in the form of the game's "Warlords" directly on the battlefield. The warlords in our pay improve strategic skill thanks to their distinctive traits, their characteristics and their upgradeable skills. They can be used to improve production, fortify borders, forge weapons or to collaborate in a pincer attack! All campaign missions, encounters and multiplayer battles provide new warlords to command to discover a renewed strategic depth. A game formula that will work? Find out more in our preview of Stronghold: Warlords.
January 28
Heaven's Vault (Switch) Olija (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) The Medium (PC, Xbox Series X / S) The Yakuza Remastered Collection (Xbox One, PC) Inkle, the studio behind 80 Days and Steve Jackson's Sorcery that recently also gave us Pendragon, also launches a peculiar and very ambitious narrative adventure on Switch: Heaven's Vault. This work follows the adventures of archaeologist Aliya Elasra, who, with the help of her robot companion Six, must chart a path through a world known as Nebula in search of a missing academic. As with previous Inkle games, we are faced with a non-linear and story-focused adventure. At the heart of the experience, however, is what Inkle calls a "huge language puzzle," which requires players to decipher the long-lost language of the protagonist's ancestors. But who tells us that our interpretations and translations are the correct ones? Find out about this title in our review of Heaven's Vault in PC version.Devolver Digital is usually synonymous with quality and the demo still available on Steam left us some very good impressions. What are we talking about? Of Olija! The game is an action game that does not ignore the importance of narration but at the same time offers combat and platforming phases that will put the players' reflexes and tactical skills to the test. In a rather varied paraphernalia stands a legendary harpoon that can be launched and then allow us to teleport to its position. Combat and platforming stages thus gain a much more interesting dimension. Will Devolver once again be synonymous with quality?
Watch on YouTube. Presented with great fanfare by Microsoft also for its nature of an exclusive console (the release on PS5 is clearly not confirmed or denied), Bloober Team is grappling with a project that could lead to the final consecration after good titles (Layers of Fear , Observer) but without the flicker of the masterpiece. The Medium is proposed as a third-person horror strongly inspired by Silent Hill also thanks to the presence of the legendary composer Akira Yamaoka. The real world and that of the spirits are intertwined in a project that promises to be truly next-gen also thanks to the presence of game sections in two different realities and, according to the developers, possible only thanks to the next-gen. Playing the role of a medium and finding ourselves in front of a hidden and scary world behind the normal appearance of every day can only fascinate us and what has been shown so far has certainly left its mark.
The Yakuza Remastered Collection is not a simple porting from one generation of consoles to another. In addition to the graphics and performance improvements (720p to 1080p and 30fps to 60fps), the three games have also undergone a new adaptation process. The English script of each game has been revised, corrected and in some cases even rewritten, and all the content previously cut from the western versions of Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 has been added in this unmissable version which, after launch on PS4, arrives also on Xbox One and PC, including Game Pass.
TBA January
A Painter's Tale: Curon, 1950 (PC) Super Meat Boy Forever (PS4, Xbox One) A Painter's Tale: Curon, 1950 is a story of love and resistance, a video game on the theme of memory. The bell tower that still emerges from the lake today is the last testimony of the ancient village of Curon, submerged by the waters of the artificial basin of Resia in August 1950. The video game tells the story of a painter who, on a visit to the current Curon Venosta, is dragged into the depths of the lake by a mysterious female figure and awakens in the past, in the ancient village, as it appeared before it was swallowed by the waters. The historical dimension is flanked by imaginary elements and characters for a project that does not aim to be a documentary on Curon's past, but a story that mixes reality and fiction to spread the history of the country through the interactive dimension. An Italian project that does not yet have a release date but which should debut in January.It's not called Super Meat Boy 2 but that's the substance. Ten years after the project that completely changed its career as a small indie developer, Team Meat returns to that universe with Super Meat Boy Forever. Expect many deaths in more than 7000 levels between seemingly impossible challenges and bosses to survive between daring escapes and lethal swarms of blades. A hardcore platformer that after the release on Switch and PC should also find space on PS4 and Xbox One in the month of January. Only the release date is missing.
Watch on YouTube. We have reached the end of our classic appointment with the releases of the month. Is there any title you will definitely buy? Some games that still raise doubts or others for which you will wait for a price drop or the first reviews? Let us know in the comments and, as always, see you again in a month with the February releases.
