This should be the quietest time of the year, but PS4 has at least fifteen games out in January, and many more in the next few months. In this modern gaming age, there aren’t many times in the year where you can genuinely say ‘there’s nothing out this week’. Sure, you can discount anything that wasn’t made by a studio of 30+ people and then claim that (and people do), but you’d be wrong. Wrong, and missing out on the sort of games that continue to inject some creativity and fun into the industry where so many big, sparkly franchise behemoths seem determined to be rid of it.
So, if you fancy something a bit different in this first quarter of 2016, maybe keep these games in mind?
Gone Home: Jan 12 (Fullbright Company/Midnight City)
What is it?: Critically acclaimed indie smash that is Walking Simulator meets Adventure Game. You play as a teenage girl returning to her family home, investigating the homestead for clues to what happened there.
Why is it worth investigating?: Despite taking place in a relatively small space, Gone Home feels rich in character because you can interact with pretty much everything. It helps that the story is fascinating, with progress being made by picking up small pieces of the narrative as you search the house. Also, it’s a little bit creepy. At least the first time anyway.
The Banner Saga: Jan 12 (Stoic/Versus Evil)
What is it?: A turn-based strategy game, that also happens to be an RPG. Also happens to be styled like an animated film.
Why is it worth investigating?: The jump between RPG and Strategy works really well. The turn-based tactical side of the game is reserved for battle, while the role-playing aspects cover your interactions with your people, and this shapes your story over history. It also looks beautiful, like a traditional 2D animated film. It’s also coming to Vita, where it’ll fit very nicely indeed.
The Witness: Jan 26 (Thekla Inc)
What is it?: An open world puzzle game set on an island that features no living creature, apart from you. Created by Braid mastermind Jonathan Blow.
Why is it worth investigating?: It boasts a lengthy play time of 70 hours, which isn’t hard to believe when there are over 600 puzzles to solve. You can move freely around the uninhabited island, solving any of these puzzles at any time. Some will be short and easy, others will be incredibly taxing and complex. If Braid is anything to go by, The Witness could be something quite special.
This War of Mine: The Little Ones: Jan 29 (11 Bit/Deep Silver)
What is it?: A strategy game set in a war-torn city, with a compelling twist.
Why is it worth investigating?: That twist I mentioned? It’s that rather than playing as Joe Soldierman, you play the ordinary civilians, trying their best to survive what has become a living hell. You soon discover that’s easier said than done. Your civilians have to leave the relative safety of home at night to embark on scavenger missions and the like in order to survive, and the perils your people will face are many, and hard choices need to be made. This War of Mine was already heartbreaking and miserable, with a sense of hope glimmering in the darkness, but this PS4 version adds the viewpoint of children, and that will probably pile on the guilt. Not one for Valentine’s Day then.
Firewatch: Feb 9 (Campo Santo/Panic Inc)
What is it?: An Adventure game set in the woods of Wyoming, you are a Fire Lookout, with only a voice on the radio for company in the wilderness. Everything’s quiet, until one strange day.
Why is it worth investigating?: Taking the ideas from games like Gone Home and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Firewatch builds its story through discovery. The idea of isolation is intriguing, and as things begin to unravel, so the mystery builds. The game’s visual style seems to capture the spirit of a dry, hazy summer in the wilderness perfectly.
Republique Remastered: Q1 2016 (Logan, Camoflaj/GungHo Online Ent)
What is it?: An episodic Stealth Adventure game set in the internet age absorbed into a totalitarian state.
Why is it worth investigating?: It has David Hayter in it! So if you’ve missed his gravelly tones, there’s that, but also Republique is a very cool sci-fi title that focuses on being sneaky, hacking, and assorted other espionage things. There’s a hint of strategy to proceedings too, giving Republique another string in its bow.
Darkest Dungeon: Q1 2016 (Red Hook Studios)
What is it?: A gothic roguelike RPG where your party suffer trauma from battle.
Why is it worth investigating?: As mentioned above, in Darkest Dungeon your party suffer traumatic effects through combat, which manifests itself in differing positive and negative ways including hallucinations. Being a roguelike, you’ll encounter newly harrowing things playthrough after playthrough. Interesting to see battle trauma implemented into an RPG, or any game.
The Hum: Abductions: Q1 2016 (Totwise Studios)
What is it?: A first person horror about aliens. No, not those aliens.
Why is it worth investigating?: While still a bit of an unknown quantity, The Hum: Abductions does have a really intriguing concept. You play as Holly, a mother and wife, uncovering the sudden disappearance of her husband months ago. Is it connected to the greater mystery that surrounded the Earth involving invaders from another planet? With her son in tow, she vows to find out. It’s a nice change of theme for horror, a genre that focuses more on the undead and ghost children than alien life.