Haven was originally released for Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Steam, and Playstation 5 on December 3rd. It was also released on the Epic Games Store, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch on February 4th. Haven is an adventure game where you play as two lovers who gave up everything to be together. While the game is designed to be played solo where you control both of the characters, you can also play in local co-op with a partner. Haven stands out when it weaves together its beautiful writing and its intricate gameplay mechanics. There are few games that represent a similar experience.
Combat in Haven incorporates both lovers in every battle.
A Story of Love
You play as Yu and Kay, two lovers that escaped to a faraway planet so that they can be together. During gameplay, you’ll control both characters at the same time. This keeps gameplay interesting during both combat situations and when you control the dialogue. Speaking of dialogue, a huge part of Haven is watching the growth of Yu and Kay’s relationship unfold. They have to sacrifice a great deal if they want to stay together. As the game progresses, you’ll experience the pair’s highs and lows. You’ll be there when they’re quarrelling and you’ll be there when they lean on each other to get through the hardest of times.
Haven does its best to connect the player to the relationship between Yu and Kay.
Through Thick and Thin
The art in Haven is another big draw for the game. Hand drawn models will appear during dialogue and the rest of the game displays 3D models. The alien planet that our couple finds themselves on is populated by various alien species of plants and creatures. Some aliens are friendly and some aren’t. There are also plenty of other features that keep the player interested in the world of Haven. You can explore the exciting planet, build up your home, cook meals, collect resources, and craft with those resources to survive. Beyond the visual art, Haven also features an original soundtrack from the acclaimed electro musician DANGER. Consider looking into Haven if you want to experience a brand new romantic RPG space adventure.
Skul: The Hero Slayer had its Version 1.0 release on January 21st of 2021. The game has been in Early Access on Steam since last February and its developers have finally decided to present its full release. The game is developed in South Korea by SouthPAW Games and published by NEOWIZ. Skul: The Hero Slayer is a rogue-lite 2D action platformer where you play as a skeleton on a mission. You must save your king from the Imperial Army and the Adventurers that took him as a prisoner. But saving the Demon King won’t be easy.
Skul can appear in many different forms.
Switch your Skull Up
Skul has a powerful ability. He has the ability to totally change his form by replacing his skull with another. When he finds a new skull, he completely changes his fighting skills and abilities. For example, he could equip a skull that transforms him into a fighter like Robinhood. With each pre-release update, the developers added more and more skulls and unique looks for Skul. There are now over 50 different skulls that give Skul a unique combination of attack range, power, and speed. You can also carry two skulls at once. That means you can switch forms to take on multiple enemies in the smartest way possible.
The game features a wide cast of enemies.
The Power of Dark Quartz
Skul flips the typical plot of an action game on its head. In this game, you’re actually fighting the demon-slaying Adventurers and you’re trying to save the Demon King. Most of your enemies are soldiers in the Imperial Army or in the party of Adventurers. But the hardest fights come when you have to fight against the game’s massive bosses. Dark Quartz is a powerful material that corrupts life and creates giant monsters that Skul must vanquish. Skull is usually $19.99, but it will be 20% off until February 3rd to celebrate the game’s full release. If you’re a fan of rogue-lite games or 2D action platformers, consider giving this game a try.
NUTS will be released for Nintendo Switch and PC on February 4th 2021. The game was produced by a small team of indie developers and will be published by Noodlecake Studios. Nuts has a unique aesthetic and stands alone as an experience that you won’t be able to easily replicate in another game. The fully voice acted story and bold visual style solidifies the game as one that will be hard to forget. Meanwhile, the actual plot of the game is also far from typical.
The ultimate goal of NUTS is to learn more about the native squirrel population.
Strange Squirrels
You play as a recent graduate of Viago University. You’re job is to research the activity of the native squirrel population at Melmoth Forest. To do this, you must arrange cameras in the forest and track the movement of the squirrels. As each day passes by, you’ll notice patterns in the movement of the animals. Your ultimate goal is to find the nest. However, the truth behind the strange behavior of the squirrels might be more complicated than anyone realizes. You will need to analyze the recorded footage from your cameras and show your boss what you’ve found. Over time, you might just unravel the secrets of the squirrels in this forest.
The entire game is displayed in vibrant shades of colors.
Keep Watch
What sets NUTS apart is the uniquity in its plot and ambiance. The entire game is displayed with a memorable visual filter. The game wants you to be surprised by the story. NUTS will offer a different type of surveillance adventure that will envelop the player in the immersive forest. There’s a reason that this game ended up on “Polygon’s 50 most anticipated games” list. This will be an experience of its own. If you want to try out an indie game where the developers are exploring a new type of adventure, check back on NUTS in February.
Released on November 12th for PS4 and PS5, Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the second installment from Insomniac Games in the Marvel’s Spider-Man series. A release title for the Playstation 5, the game takes full advantage of the new DualSense controller’s haptic feedback features. The core gameplay and setting of the new title remains the same as the first game, but there a few legitimate improvements. It’s a beat-em-up with all the classic Spider-Man abilities at the player’s disposal. The plot is vastly different from the previous game, there are excellent graphic improvements, and Miles has a few new tricks up his sleeve in the form of cloaking and venom abilities.
Miles has his own flair and personality as Spider-Man.
With Great Power
While the controls are still the same, Miles has his own distinct feel compared to Peter Parker when swinging around New York City. Because he’s younger and inexperienced, he’s flashier and looks like he’s having more fun than Peter did in the original game. There are also plenty of new suits for Miles to try on. The plot of the story is also very different. Miles has his own unique issues and journey as Spider-Man. He has the power to fight his enemies with a bio-electric ability called “venom”. He uses it often and there are multiple ways that he builds up this power. Miles can also camouflage himself, although this ability doesn’t come into play as often. Of course, he still has all the web-slinging, web-shooting, wall crawling, super-strength, and spidey-senses that Peter does too. But Miles does give the role of Spider-Man his own personal flair.
The game features a new gang for Spider-Man to clean up off the streets of New York.
Comes Great Responsibility
Despite the various improvements that are made with this new installment, most of the game remains the same as the original. Although the original Spider-Man game’s map of New York City is excellent, this game features the same map. It will also take you about half of the time to complete the main story in this game. There are new villains and a new gang to fight against, but the combat is identical except for a few additions. The original Spider-Man was an excellent game, but don’t expect Miles Morales to deviate much from what was already presented. This game serves as a stand-alone continuation of the last game. If you enjoyed the original, you can expect to enjoy this game.
This long-awaited game out of CD Projekt Red finally arrived on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on December 10th. First announced all the way back in 2012 and delayed from the previously announced release date in November, this has been among the most highly anticipated video game releases of all time. The game sold over 8 million copies through digital pre-orders alone. This game features a wide array of game mechanics that inspired an incredible amount of hype for the game. All in the first person, Cyberpunk features drivable cars, gunplay, melee combat, stealth elements, expansive skill progression, choice over the story’s direction, character customization, and the list goes on. With so much to potentially accomplish, some of these mechanics might be hit or miss for certain gamers with high standards. But what most can agree with is that the rich and unique story is among the highest quality that you can find in a game.
Residents of Night City often augment their body with cybernetic implants.
Night City
Taking place in an alternate future, the setting for Cyberpunk 2077 is beautifully crafted. The graphics are among the highest quality that you can find on these systems today. You’ll need a high-end PC if you want to see the real potential of this game. You play as a named character named V, but the player has a great deal of control over who V really is. The player controls everything from what they look like to where they came from. The game starts with three paths that will influence the direction that your character takes in the story throughout the game. With Keanu Reeves casted as one of the main characters, the game’s focus is largely geared towards its storytelling. There are multiple endings that will be shown based on your decisions throughout the game. There are also various side quests that will directly influence your character and sometimes the city as a whole. Cd Projekt Red really wanted the player to feel like they control V’s destiny.
V can come from 3 different backgrounds: Nomad, Street Kid, or Corpo
Wake up Samurai
Cyberpunk 2077 has so many gameplay features that it’s hard to compare it to other games. It wouldn’t be fair to expect driving to be at the quality of a racing game or for gunplay to be at the quality of an FPS game. Cyberpunk is really about giving the player the opportunity to choose how they want their character to go about completing the game’s quests. There are currently a wide range of bugs and issues that players have been running into, but these are very likely to be patched out in the near future. It’s possible that some of the specific mechanics might also be adjusted to improve the game even more. CD Projekt Red worked on Witcher 3 after its release and made very real improvements to the game. You can nearly guarantee that they will do the same for Cyberpunk.
For Playstation fans that didn’t manage to secure a PS5 by now, it might not be until 2021 that we get another opportunity to pick up a next-gen console. If you’re like me and you’re going to be stuck with the PS4 for a few more months, then consider playing through Ghost of Tsushima. This game was one of the very few blessings of 2020. It’s an open-world adventure game that revolves around extensive stealth and combat gameplay. It features an incredibly well-told story, gorgeous graphics, a complex combat system, rewarding progression, and so much more. The game goes back to the basics of the genre, while simultaneously pushing it to new heights that the genre has never seen. The game feels like real passion was put into its development. It’s a must-play for PS4 owners.
The bushido honor code of samurai is explored in depth through the story.
The Ghost
One of the most powerful elements of the game is its story. Set in 13th century Japan, you play as Jin Sakai. You are a samurai on a mission to drive back the Mongolian invasion of his home island of Tsushima. You must hunt down the villainous Khotan Khan and restore peace to your home. But at what cost? The main story explores Jin’s incredible journey towards becoming the hero of his island. As the world changes around him, so does he. As he meets new people, his perspectives change. The game does an excellent job at motivating you to continue playing because you sympathize with him. You feel the same pressures and motivations that force this character to adapt and change so radically. Jin is one of the most well-written dynamic protagonists that I’ve ever seen in a video game. The game even weaves new skills and weapons into the game as Jin goes through character development. This is exactly how a game nails its story and keeps the audience enthralled. Many of the random side quests can be somewhat dull, but even some of these have an interesting plot to them. Still, the main story is a superb example of how a game can pair a developing character with a progression system.
Jin Sakai is a complicated man with a tragic past.
From Katana to Kunai
Ghost of Tsushima has tons of different ways for you to go about killing your enemies. But it all boils down to two approaches, direct combat or stealth. As you progress, you can build your character in such a way that prioritizes one or the other. For example, you can work on spending your materials on a heavy suit of armor and spending your experience points on new sword attacks. This would be a good way to go if you want to charge in and fight your opponents head on. If you want to take more of a stealthy approach, you can invest in a powerful bow and upgrade your stealth weapons. Then, you can try to silently pick off your opponents one by one. It’s really the player’s choice on how they want to handle most of their combat. But boss fights are where the real challenge comes in. Jin will find himself in plenty of duels against skilled enemies. Having finished the entire game on the hardest difficulty, this is where the game can get terribly frustrating. Some bosses are lightning fast and can kill you instantly. To beat them, you need to sustain perfect dodges and parries for an extended period of time. If you’re not looking for a serious challenge, then definitely avoid the hardest difficulty. But nothing feels sweeter than finally taking down a boss after a long fight.
As you get stronger, so do the Mongols. They’ll come at you with everything from fire and blades to poison and beasts.
The Blade of the Samurai
Most of the combat in the game revolves around Jin’s katana. As you progress through the game, you unlock different stances for holding the sword. Each stance’s attacks are different and each one specializes in fighting against a different type of enemy. Combat focuses on light attacks, heavy attacks, parrying, and dodging. But the game also features bows, blowguns, bombs, kunai knives, smoke grenades, and more. The island of Tsushima is split into three geographic sections and the enemies get tougher as you go further north. Just when you think you’ve mastered the combat and strengthened your character enough, you move onto a new level of difficulty. The game also features interesting side quests where you investigate a legend such as a “cursed” bow or an “immortal” samurai with a huge payoff of a special new item or special new skill. Thanks to the loads of player options and the diverse range of enemies, combat never gets old.
The game features various points of interest in the form of mini-games or puzzles. You can write haiku, visit shrines, bathe in hot springs, and more.
The Beauty of Japan
When you aren’t liberating Japan from the Mongols, the island of Tsushima can be quite beautiful. As you progress through the game, the island’s geography will change as well. There’s a diverse range of environments that the player finds themself in. The games features multiple different forests that have their own type of tree, all of which are visually stunning. Tsushima has flower fields, mountains, and lakes. All of them are breathtaking. Even the swamps, tundras, and burned wastelands look incredible. Clearly, incredible attention to detail was put into making this game look beautiful. There isn’t even a minimap on the screen. You swipe the controller’s touchpad and wind will blow in the direction of your objective. Plus, the game is packed with customization options for your character. Unlike Assassin’s Creed, which much of the gameplay seems to be inspired by, this game is micro-transaction free. Other than one suit of armor available in the deluxe edition, every single item in the game can be acquired through the one-time purchase of the standard edition. It was refreshing to experience a well-crafted game in this genre without a currency system backed by real money. Ghost of Tsushima gives you a wide range of customization options for your character without constantly dangling micro-transactions in front of you.
The war with the Mongols takes a toll on the island… and on Jin.
The Conclusion
Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world adventure game that goes back to the basics while simultaneously adding so much new content. The rich progression system, unlockable customization options, beautiful scenery, and thrilling story motivates you to keep on playing. Sucker Punch hit this game out of the park, ending the PS4’s exclusive list on a high note. Although many of the side quests are rather dull, the core gameplay is so invigorating that I found myself enjoying them just because it was an opportunity to show off the skills that I was picking up through my adventures. I’m truly excited to see what Sucker Punch has planned for the PS5.
Marvel’s Avengers is releasing a free update, Kate Bishop – Taking Aim, on December 8th 2020. The game was first released on September 4th The update is adding Hawkeye as a new playable super hero and Super Adaptoid as a new super villain. Taking Aim will show Kate Bishop donning the mantle of Hawkeye. She was first introduced as a new iteration of the character in comics in 2005. The next update to the game will bring in Clint Barton, the original Hawkeye. There’s still a great deal of content in the game that was available at release for players to experience as well, although the quality of this content is up for debate. The game is currently on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox series X/S, PC, and Stadia.
Avengers Assemble
Marvel’s Avengers shines when it’s telling a story through its campaign. It features a well-developed story where you get to play as some of the members of the Avengers. This lineup includes Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, and the lesser known young Ms. Marvel. Each character has plenty of unique moves and abilities that set their gameplay apart from the others. Iron Man flies around and shoots lasers while the Hulk smashes enemies with his fists. Every hero is different. Some of the missions in the campaign take a cinematic approach and slow down. It fleshes out the characters a bit more and provides a short break from the constant fighting that you do in the game. Kamala Khan, the little girl that takes on the role of Ms. Marvel, is presented as the protagonist for most of the story. Unfortunately, most of the actual gameplay consists of relatively simple combat for every hero.
One of the best parts of the game is the player’s ability to play as different members of the Avengers.
The Endgame
Once the campaign is over, the rest of the game tends not to be as engrossing. There are a variety of multiplayer missions. You can play with real-life other players or AI can be assigned to your partners. However, the objectives of the multiplayer missions tend to mostly be rehashed and simplified missions from the story. They might be longer or padded with more enemies, but the motivation to keep playing isn’t as strong as it is during the campaign. The game features a legitimate leveling system and it’s different for every playable character, but the upgrades that your heroes receive aren’t especially creative or interesting. The game also has a randomized loot system, but most of these upgrades only make minor aesthetic changes, if any, to the character. There are cosmetic skins that will really customize your look, but some of these are blocked behind a pay wall. If you’re looking to experience a new Marvel story and take control of some of the Avengers, you might really like this game. But, it might not be what you’re really looking for if you want a game that you can sink hundreds of ours into. Hopefully, Square Enix will continue to add free updates like Kate Bishop – Taking Aim. These additions can only serve to improve the experience and make the game better, bit by bit.
Free updates might add plenty of content to the game in the future. We might see even more entirely new playable characters.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the newest entry into the Assassin’s Creed franchise. It’s currently out on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S. It comes after 2018’s release of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, widely recognized as the best entry into the series in many years. Valhalla has added plenty of new mechanics, while also getting plenty of inspiration from numerous past titles. Taking place in ninth century Norway, the player takes control of Eivor, a Viking Assassin that must fight against the Templar Order that has infiltrated the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Like every Assassin’s Creed game, you can mix a combination of stealth and combat to eliminate your targets.
A New Breed of Assassin
Much of the gameplay in Valhalla will feel more like Odyssey than most other Assassin’s Creed titles. You can play as a male or female Eivor and explore many romance options with both sexes. There is a well-developed leveling system. Leveling up provides the player with a great deal of interesting benefits. There are also plenty of weapons in the game, with a brand new form of dual-wielding combat that will set this game apart from the others. The game is filled with major and minor decisions that can help shape the entire world of of the game, giving you plenty of control over how your character influences Northern Europe. This is much like Odyssey, where you could influence the tides of the Peloponnesian War, which would affect all of Greece. Also taking inspiration from older titles, Valhalla has reintroduced the ability to run settlements. Building them up and doings missions for them will provide various gameplay bonuses. The game does a great job at motivating you to keep on playing.
Assassin’s Creed games provide many hours of content through the story.
Nothing is real. Everything is permitted.
The Assassin’s Creed franchise is rich with lore. Since the first game’s launch in 2007, we’ve seen fantastic events unfold. We’ve learned about the mysterious Isu race that helped guide human civilization. Every game has given us more understanding over the Assassin’s Creed universe. Fans of the series will be excited to see how the story presses on. Yet, what works so well with the Assassin’s Creed series is that it’s always easy to be engrossed in an individual title’s universe, even if it’s the only one that you’ve ever played. Each title takes place in a distant land, hundreds of years earlier or later. This keeps the settings, characters, and stories so fresh. Whether you’re a fan of the series or not, Valhalla will be an enjoyable game for most fans of open-world adventure games.
Hitman 3 is one of Square Enix and IO Interactive’s next-gen titles, set to release on January 20th, 2021. It’s the thrilling conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy that started with Hitman in 2016. Agent 47 must team up with Diana once again and travel around the world to assassinate their enemies.
Agent 47
The character of Agent 47 originated in 2000 with the game Hitman: Codename 47. The first 5 Hitman games, released from 2000-2012, told the story of Agent 47 and how he went from a mysterious contract killer to a rogue operative. A stealth-based third-person shooter, each level would provide the player with a mission to ultimately assassinate a target and escape the area. However, there were often many ways to go about completing this goal. You could find clever dristrations and disguises to silently execute your target. Or, you could go in guns blazing once you find the target. This level-based assassination gameplay still exists today, but the Hitman series evolved in 2016 in a big way.
The iconic Agent 47
Global Contracts
Agent 47’s contracts take him all across the globe. He has seen missions everywhere from east Asia, to the middle east, to Europe, to the Americas. Levels are fleshed out with numerous ways to go about completing each contract. Based on the difficulty level of your choosing, each unique level requires you to use intuition to figure out how to optimally complete your contract. Perhaps you’ll carry a brick to throw as a distraction or perhaps you’ll carry scissors to throw as a weapon. Perhaps you’ll carry a silenced pistol that you can hide in your jacket and walk the street with. Or perhaps you’ll carry a sniper rifle and hide from the view of all NPCs. The choice is yours.
Replayability
The big benefit to the Hitman games in the World of Assassination trilogy is the sandbox-style manner that they can be replayed. Story levels can be replayed with a different NPC as the target and other additional constraints. There might be more guards. You might have to use a certain weapon. Or, you might even have to wear a chicken suit the whole time. The possibilities are endless. If you have Hitman or Hitman 2, you can even import those levels into Hitman 3, giving you an incredible about of content to play around with. The game is packed with enough content that playing the same level with different goals and constraints doesn’t get old fast. There’s a reason that the Hitman series has always been synonymous with stealth games. After 20 years, Hitman continues to deliver new and interesting ways to complete your contract.
