Xbox Game Pass, October 2021: The first games for subscribers this month

Xbox Game Pass, October 2021

We are entering the height of autumn with the first wave of Xbox Game Pass games in October 2021. A breath of fresh air for all subscribers, which is quite rich and varied. The event that kicked off the new introductions was the Tokyo Game Show 2021, from which the first two introductions of the month emerged, obviously Japanese productions with Scarlet Nexus and AI: The Somnium Files, as well as Marvel's Avengers. Waiting for the big-caliber first parties arriving from November, this October started with the best conditions between day one launches, indie titles and even some triple A productions of considerable weight, all in preparation for an autumn / winter of considerable intensity, which on the PC front also sees the arrival of Windows 11, an operating system that has Xbox Game Pass as an integral part of the gaming experience.

Marvel's Avengers - PC, Xbox and Cloud, 30 September

Marvel's Avengers, an intermission scene with Ms Marvel We can safely say that Marvel's Avengers has not been received just as Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics would have hoped, at least by critics and audiences, as you can also see in ours review . There is no doubt, however, that this is a huge production and still able to count on a very large community. For this reason, its arrival on Xbox Game Pass represents one of the major events of this season for Microsoft's subscription service, being in effect one of the major GaaS titles currently in evolution. The inclusion in the catalog will probably serve to further expand the active user base within it, with positive consequences for both players and developers: if you are in the mood for some super-heroic action and you have a subscription , now you know exactly what to do.

Scarlet Nexus - PC, Xbox and Cloud, September 30

Scarlet Nexus, a narrative intermission scene Surprisingly announced during the Tokyo Game Show 2021 as a new arrival on Xbox Game Pass , Scarlet Nexus arrives somewhat unexpected but undoubtedly well received within the catalog of the subscription service, bringing with it a good dose of Japanese action that is always badly needed. The game mixes Japanese RPG elements with pure action in the dynamics of the clashes, placing everything within an interesting futuristic setting with Japanese inspiration. As members of the Other Suppression Force (OSF), we find ourselves part of the last line of defense of humans against the Others, mysterious and disturbing creatures that invade Earth using psionic powers. Two protagonists, Yuito Sumeragi and Kasane Randall, for two parallel stories to be lived intensely between fights and cutscenes, as we have also described in the review of Scarlet Nexus.

AI: The Somnium Files - PC , Xbox and Cloud, September 30

AI: The Somnium Files in another preparatory drawing If you are looking for something rather different from the norm, AI: The Somnium Files can definitely be for you, being the new production of Kotaro Uchikoshi, author of the Zero Escape series, which also brings in this title all his ability to write bizarre stories, characters outside the box and disturbing situations. Also in this case we are faced with an adventure, but with something quite different compared to the previous games of the same author: the protagonist of the story is the detective Kaname Date, who in a Tokyo of the near future finds himself having to investigate the murders. of a serial killer danger. Since it is a work by Uchikoshi, things do not go exactly like in a normal detective story, and in fact we find ourselves investigating not only between crime scenes and suspects but also within dreams, between psychological introspections and visions in this strange " neo-noir "surreal with character design by Yusuke Kozaki.

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator - PC, Xbox and Cloud, October 5th

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, a scene from the game Comes finally, from the Game Preview program also Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, which arrives directly on Xbox Game Pass in its full version. It is a kind of strategic, or a simulation of medieval battle, built however with a completely busted physics: in this sense it is linked to the tradition of games with "ragdoll physics" that have known a great success in the last period as Human Fall Flat or Totally Reliable Delivery Service, to name a couple. In this case, however, we are dealing with the construction and management of an army within the Campaign and Sandbox game modes: the first provides for a progression and management of funds for the construction of the army, while the second allows for a game more free. Either way, it's still a matter of deploying your army and then seeing the madness of failed physics-based combat unfold between absurd and glowing clashes.

The Procession to Calvary - PC, Xbox and Cloud, October 7

The Procession to Calvary, a scene from the game that showcases the particular settings, taken directly from Renaissance paintings The strangeness corner, which is now a fixed appointment with the batches of Xbox Game Pass, this time is focused on The Procession to Calvary, a real pearl of sarcastic and irreverent humor. Evidently inspired by the typical humor of Monty Python, the work of Joe Richardson is a graphic adventure that takes place using various paintings of Renaissance art as settings, staging the crazy mission of a knight - a real workaholic of war - to kill Heavenly Peter, the ruler of the opposing faction. Difficult to explain in a few words this truly unique gaming experience, the advice is to try it absolutely, in case you find yourself in tune with its particular humor that runs the fine line between intellectual humor and demented grotesque. Standing perfectly in the balance between the masterpiece and heresy, he spares absolutely nothing: from religion to politics, up to obviously the culture and art that are the background. To us it seemed irresistible, as you can read in the review of The Procession to Calvary.

Visage - PC, Xbox and Cloud, October 7

Visage, an image of the house that acts as a scenario to the game Although the somewhat bizarre title may not make it understood, Visage is perhaps one of the most disturbing horror seen in recent years on PC and consoles. This is not a small statement, considering the quantity and quality of games released in this area recently, and the advances made by the genre also thanks to the experiments seen with indie teams and obviously to the fundamental push provided by Hideo Kojima himself. with his famous PT Also in this case we find ourselves inside a seemingly normal house but with a macabre history behind it, playing the protagonist Dwayne Anderson as he tries to reconstruct the events of the inhabitants by exploring corridors and rooms of an architecture that turns out to be increasingly strange and twisted. Sudden changes in the scenario, noises and movements reveal the presence of dark entities, while trying to get to the bottom of the story without losing the mental balance altogether. To find out more, we refer you to the review of Visage.

Back 4 Blood - PC, Xbox and Cloud, October 12

One of the most prominent titles of the period is definitely Back 4 Blood , another illustrious release among the "day one" of Xbox Game Pass, being on the other hand a game that is particularly associated with the use through the Microsoft service. As happened with other multiplayer matrix titles, such as Outriders, Back 4 Blood can greatly benefit from a large user base available and ready to play from the start, which is likely to happen with this launch on Game Pass as well, given the recall that could have on many subscribers. The Tuttle Rock Studio shooter is considered the spiritual successor of Left 4 Dead and this is no coincidence, since it is developed by some of the authors of the original: also in this case it is a cooperative multiplayer based shooter that sees us survive against hordes of zombies and various creepy creatures, or challenge us in two factions in competitive multiplayer.

In case you're interested, here's our review of Back 4 Blood.

Destiny 2: Beyond the Light - PC, October 12

Destiny 2: Beyond the light, an image of some characters in action Despite being reported simply as Destiny 2: Beyond the Light, the game that will be made available from October 12 in the Xbox Game Pass for PC catalog is actually the almost complete experience of Destiny 2, since it also includes other maxi-expansions such as Forsaken and Shadows from the Deep, allowing in this way to be able to catch up as much as possible with the most assiduous players of Bungie's FPS-RPG. The offer on PC is therefore equal to that present on consoles through Xbox Game Pass, which is very important in a title like this, based on constant progression and the addition of new content on a regular basis also as the possibility of making new experiences and making grow the characters. Such a complete package therefore allows you to catch up and possibly prepare for the arrival of The Queen of Whispers, the next expansion of Destiny 2 which will hit the market on February 22, 2022.

Ring of Pain - PC, Xbox and Cloud, October 14

Ring of Pain: an image with the ring, the cards and the choices to be made in the game Roguelike and deck building are now some of the most popular ingredients by indie developers in recent years , considering how videogame experiments often tend to offer digressions, intersections and strange mixes that include the characteristics in question. Ring of Pain also fits perfectly into this condition, being an RPG structured as a sort of card game with roguelike elements in which we find ourselves exploring dangers and dark dungeons populated by disturbing creatures, choosing from time to time how to act through the choice of cards. We thus find ourselves deciding how to advance at each step: try to collect the treasures or take the initiative in combat, each decision has consequences to face and modifies the path inside the dungeon, starting from the position to be adopted up to decide how to behave in each different situation.

The Riftbreaker - PC, Xbox and Cloud, October 14

Among the absolute debuts directly on Xbox Game Pass there is also The Riftbreaker, one of the more exciting titles in the new wave of indies via ID @ Xbox this summer / fall. It is an action RPG with strategic and survival elements that plunges us into the human colonization of alien planets, with everything that can ensue, that is, different problems to solve, resources to manage, threats to thwart and assorted exploration. As Captain Ashley S. Nowak, we find ourselves exploring Galatea 37, an alien world on the edge of the Milky Way, with the aim of preparing the planet for human colonization. It is therefore a question of creating infrastructures and buildings ready for the arrival of humans and to make the planet livable, including the collection of resources, their transformation, energy production and various factories. In addition to the construction, however, it is necessary to proceed with the exploration, to face the alien threats and the discovery of new resources and even alien technologies, in order to make the most of the surrounding environment and make it as safe as possible.

The Good Life - PC, Xbox and Cloud, October 15th

The Good Life, in the picture, merges investigation, mystery, exploration and life simulation Another launch on day one on Xbox Game Pass is that of The Good Life, a game to keep an eye on just for being the new production of Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro, author of very special games such as Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die. This new game, of course, continues with the typical oddities, although there are rather unusual settings and atmospheres for the author: under the facade of a quiet RPG "life sim adventure", in fact, there is something much more bizarre. The protagonist of the story is Naomi, a photographer from New York who finds herself in a country in the English countryside, Rainy Woods, to try to make ends meet by working for the local newspaper, The Morning Bell. What seems a very normal job, all too banal, turns out to be something very intriguing and even disturbing, given that the apparently quiet town seems to be the scene of several mysteries, which our Naomi will have to solve with her investigations, in addition to having to deal with growing plants, preparing recipes and taking photos, all to try to repay the huge debts she has fallen into.

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