Xbox Game Pass, September 2021: The second wave of games for subscribers

Xbox Game Pass, September 2021

Finally, we enter this interesting videogame autumn with the second wave of games in the Xbox Game Pass catalog for September 2021, which brings with it 13 titles, many of which are making their absolute debut, confirming once again the privileged relationship of this Microsoft subscription service with the world of indies.

Xbox Game Pass, the 13 games arriving in the second round of September 2021 Most of the games in question (if not all of them) in fact belong to this area, which we have seen proliferating with great success through Game Pass in collaboration with the ID @ Xbox program, also bringing some of the best experiences of recent years. Also in this case, the offer is wide and varied: waiting for the heavyweights that are expected for the next few months, let's take a panoramic tour of this kaleidoscope of video games.

Flynn: Son of Crimson - Xbox, Cloud and PC, September 15th

Flynn: Son of Crimson in a gameplay scene Let's start immediately with an absolute debut on day one on Xbox Game Pass, with this interesting Flynn: Son of Crimson, interesting action platform with adventure elements made in 2D with a particular graphic style drawn. Initially started with Kickstarter, the game then found an official distribution as soon as the considerable depth of the project developed by Studio Thunderhorse emerged: it is a game that recovers gameplay and atmospheres from the classic action platform of the 16-bit era, adding some element of progression of the character and the particular characteristic of Dex, the wolf companion-mount of the protagonist Flynn, which expands the possibilities of movement and attack in the various situations in which we find ourselves.

I Am Fish - Xbox, Cloud and PC, September 16th

I Am Fish, one of the fish to be rescued fell into a puddle From the point of view of the basic idea, I Am Fish could be one of the most interesting games of this period: it is a physics-based adventure in which we must try to guide various fish, torn from their natural environment, towards the freedom represented by the ocean. Basically, we find ourselves managing these creatures in completely different situations, trying in some way to get them to reach waterways or the sea, so that they can find their environment, but obviously having to face a series of threats and obstacles really. crazy. All this always keeping in mind the need to stay in the water, or at least to get out of it for the shortest possible time while trying to swim, fly, jump, crawl or roll towards freedom.

SkateBird - Xbox, Cloud and PC, September 16th

SkateBird: a bird with a pirate hat on a skateboard What happens if you take Tony Hawk and he turns into a sparrow? More or less what we see in SkateBird, or "Tiny Hawk", so to speak: a game of skateboarding in all respects, where, however, instead of normal skaters there are birds of various types, engaged in tricks and maneuvers at the inside of tracks quite outside the box. More than actual skate parks, the birds in question perform in domestic settings or outdoors but on a greatly reduced scale, without however giving up a notable spectacle. Beyond the physical peculiarities of the protagonists, SkateBird is still a skateboard game in all respects, with ample possibilities for customization and obviously gliding facilitated by the use of the wings, even if the latter obviously limit some other movements, not having hands.

Superliminal - Xbox, Cloud and PC, September 16

Superliminal: a huge checkmate in a corridor Perception is essentially reality, said George Berkeley, and this principle also seems to be based Superliminal, a bizarre puzzle game developed by Pillow Castle and intended to play with the sight and the mind in a rather shocking way. With a first-person view, we have to escape from a sort of surreal dream setting by trying to solve puzzles that have to do with perspective, impossible figures and contrasts between logic, physics and vision, in a continuous challenge between what is perceived and the reality, based on the constant ambiguity of perspective, sight and distances. Between dreamlike and disturbing tones, Superliminal is truly a hallucinating journey through puzzles that require thinking outside the box, relying on the senses as well as the mind.

Aragami 2 - Xbox, Cloud and PC, 17 September

Aragami 2: the mystical ninja, master of the shadows Aragami is one of the last elite warriors belonging to this type of fighters and returns to the scene with Aragami 2 with its particular mix of stealth, action and adventure elements , starring a sort of mystical ninja. Victim of a disease of supernatural origin, able to give extreme power but at the price of slow corruption of the body, the protagonist is able to use the Shadow Essence, a mystical power that allows you to manage the shadows at will, to be used in various ways to be able to complete the various missions and quests. Aragami 2 imposes a tactical approach to combat, choosing from time to time how to face the challenges and whether to use lethal attacks or not.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page - Xbox, Cloud and PC, September 23rd

Lost Words: Beyond the Page, the protagonist within a level created by her diary Although it may seem like a normal adventure with 2D platform elements, Lost Words: Beyond the Page is something very special, given its setting centered on the diary of a little girl and the power that words have, consequently, in this story. The result is a narrative adventure that has extremely original aspects, in which the puzzles are based on the interaction with the words and the integration between them and the situations of the game. All this combined with the story written by Rhianna Pratchett has already highlighted the game also on the critical front, with several awards collected so far by the title of Sketchbook Games, which presents itself as a truly peculiar experience.

Sable - Xbox, Cloud and PC, September 23

One of the most anticipated games of this September 2021 is probably Sable, which arrives in this second batch of Xbox Game Pass directly on day one in the service catalog.

Announced some time ago, the Shedworks game immediately attracted attention especially thanks to its graphic style clearly inspired by Moebius, one of the masters of comics and illustration in general. Sable is not only this, given that it promises to be an adventure based on the exploration of a fantastic and wide world, which looks to Zelda for puzzles and interaction with scenarios and NPCs but is also characterized by a very reflective and founded on the wonder of discovery.

Subnautica: Below Zero - Xbox, Cloud and PC, 23 September

Subnautica: Below Zero still takes us to the alien ocean meanders, but with an arctic setting. 'excellent Subnautica experience, Unknown Worlds has further enriched the concept with the launch of Subnautica: Below Zero, a sequel that essentially represents a well-rounded evolution of the original. Set two years after the first chapter and in an arctic area of ​​planet 4546B, the game takes up the underwater survival structure of the original but adding features derived from the new habitat chosen, focused more on low temperatures. Between exploration, research on various forms of life, construction of structures and vehicles and survival against constant threats, Subnautica: Below Zero offers another good dose of underwater science fiction to discover secrets and continuous surprises, complete with interesting narrative elements.

Tainted Grail: Conquest - PC, September 23

Tainted Grail: Conquest, a battle scene with the card system Certainly a roguelike could not be missing in this batch of titles indie on Xbox Game Pass: to represent the genre in question, although also hybridized in this case with very different elements, this time it is Tainted Grail: Conquest, which mixes RPG with deck building, a certain narrative base and an infinite number of maps different to explore. Set on the cursed island of Avalon, the game stages the adventures of a handful of heroes in a fantasy context, who find themselves having to fight various threats, through a turn-based system that uses a deck of cards as spells, attacks and creatures for use on the battlefield. Added to this are the roguelike elements, of course, and the random construction of the runs.

Lemnis Gate - Xbox and PC, September 28

Lemnis Gate: gameplay scene between shooter and strategy For as regards the hybridizations between gameplay elements belonging to different genres and reference systems, Lemnis Gate stands out in a particular way, given the disparate characteristics that it seems to put together, resulting in a rather organic whole. It is a multiplayer FPS with turn-based strategic combat elements, all based on time loops. The goal is to guide some special agents through missions that involve five shifts consisting of time loops of 25 seconds, which implies careful planning of the moves to be performed and the use of considerable cunning and ability of strategic analysis and exploitation of the resources in the field to deal with the various situations.

Astria Ascending - Xbox, Cloud and PC, September 30

Astria Ascending, the cast of characters in a moment of the game, with colorful party fighters Probably one of the most interesting games of this Xbox Game Pass release, Astria Ascending is a particularly classic JRPG, produced by the Artisan Studio team as a real tribute to the traditions of the genre, also deriving from the previous experiences of the developers who have previously worked on titles such as Final Fantasy, Vagrant Story, Nier Automata, and Bravely Default. The graphic style drawn in 2D is extremely fascinating and underlines a production that seems to focus a lot on the atmosphere and on the return to the more classic spirit of the Japanese role-playing game, with a strong emphasis on narration and dialogues and turn-based combat system. Despite everything, however, it also manages to be original, thanks to the side scrolling view and a particular characterization of the characters.

Unsighted - Xbox and PC, September 30

Unsighted: the post- scenario rain-beaten apocalyptic Pixelated 2D graphics don't mislead: Unsighted certainly fits in with the usual 16-bit classic style recovery movement but also offers several new things. Starting with the gameplay: the game by Studio Pixel Punk offers a vast futuristic city now in ruins to explore, following different roads in an absolutely non-linear approach. The courses, however, are fraught with obstacles that require skill and a certain application to overcome, with puzzle elements to be solved intertwined with a shooter-style action that always keeps the tension high. The city of Arcadia and its androids need our help and we will have to build and evolve our arsenal of weapons and gadgets as best we can in order to solve all the questions that remain open.

Phoenix Point - Xbox, 1 October

Phoenix Point: a scene from the game with the character using a tactical cover The first day of October, with which the overview of this delivery ends, sees the arrival of the console version of Phoenix Point, a strategic shifts that has already arrived for some time, and with good results, on PC and is now preparing for the transition to Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S. The first element of interest for Phoenix Point is the name Julian Gollop at the direction of the project: he is the original creator of the XCOM series, from which this new title takes full inspiration in proposing another interpretation of the war between humans and invaders aliens, staging an all-out struggle in a world now destroyed. All of this clearly derives from XCOM, but Phoenix Point still manages to stand out on different aspects of the gameplay, introducing some undoubtedly interesting ideas.

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