These are the game highlights in April
A Star Wars adventure, a Minecraft strategy game and a bloody zombie shooter are just three game highlights that await you this month.
After March was rather subdued in terms of blockbuster games, April’s got the pedal to the metal. Besides heavyweights such as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, there are numerous smaller titles that sound just as promising.
Crab Champions
Why don’t we start off with a shooter – from a crab’s perspective? That’s exactly what Crab Champions has on offer. You’ll shoot your way through beach, ice and underwater levels at breakneck speeds and with a surprising amount of acrobatics.
Release date: 1 April, early access
Platform: PC
Meet Your Maker
This game promises an interesting mix of shooter and strategy. In a post-apocalyptic world, you have to protect your base from intruders by using deadly traps. You yourself also play the role of an intruder when you attack other players’ outposts. That’s when the game swaps the strategy aspect in for fast-paced first-person shooter action.
Release date: 4 April
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC
Everspace 2
If you disliked the rogue-like aspect of Part 1, you can rejoice. Everspace 2 plays like an open-world space adventure. You can freely travel across star systems, hunt down space pirates, go on escort missions and mine ore by shooting it with your laser. There are weapons to upgrade, skills to unlock and new ships to buy. I'm always up for a good spaceship action game, and the new features promise a more motivating gaming experience than its predecessor.
Release date: 6 April
Platform: PC
Curse of the Sea Rats
Crafting new word creations from game genres is trendy. Hence, Curse of the Sea Rats has termed itself a «ratoidvania», or a rat metroidvania. In this hand-animated game, you try to solve a curse alone or with other rat pirates. The lovingly drawn characters have individual elemental abilities to overcome the challenges and boss fights.
Release date: 6 April
Platform: Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC
Ravenswatch
Ravenswatch is another rogue-like game. It’s by the same studio as Curse of the Dead Gods, which proved a success with its clever gameplay and pretty graphic style. Visually, I also find this new title impressive. You can not only shred your way through nightmarish henchmen on your own, but also kick ass with up to three other heroes. The gloomy fantasy setting looks promising.
Release date: 6 April
Platform: PC
Tron Identity
Whenever Bithell Games releases a new game, my ears perk up. The studio directed by Mike Bithell has already developed some unusual games, such as Thomas Was Alone and John Wick Hex. Tron Identity also promises to be anything but another cookie-cutter adventure game. You take on the role of Query, a detective program tasked with uncovering a mystery in the digital world of Tron. You can influence the course of the story.
Release date: 12 April
Platform: PC and Switch
Wartales
I’m extremely excited for Wartales, an open-world role-playing game in which you accompany a group of mercenaries on their forays. The world looks simultaneously picturesque, gloomy and mysterious. Turn-based battles offer a tactical component. Of course, there are plenty of upgrades to unlock and new equipment to find.
Release date: 12 April
Platform: PC
Disney Speedstorm
If you need a change from Mario Kart, Disney Speedstorm might be the game for you. In this arcade racing game, you race against characters from the Disney and Pixar universe. Naturally, there are numerous power-ups to make life difficult for the competition and small boosts if you drift properly. The game was developed by Gameloft, which proved with Disney Dreamlight Valley that it’s mastered the brand and doesn’t just make run-of-the-mill mobile games.
Release date: 18 April, early access
Platform: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Switch
God of Rock
God of Rock is an unusual mixture of rhythm game and fighter. You have the universe’s greatest musicians duel each other by pressing the right notes to the beat. This game likely reveals its true potential in multiplayer mode.
Release date: 18 April
Platform: PC, Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One
Minecraft Legends
Minecraft Legends is a breath of fresh air to the world of building blocks. You can fight action-packed mass battles in real time against the computer or human opponents. As is typical of Minecraft, there’s a building component. You get to create your own fortresses and defend them against enemy invaders.
Release date: 18 April
Platform: Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
My colleague Domagoj Belancic isn’t the only one who’s over the moon about this. The first major expansion for the open-world robo-dino adventure takes the heroine Aloy to a world tormented by volcanoes. New machines and challenges await you there. However, to play the expansion, you must have completed the main story. So, you best get crackin’! This title will only be released for the PS5. The PS4’s performance apparently no longer cuts it.
Release date: 19 April
Platform: PS5
Stray Blade
Stray Blade is a classic role-playing game with fast-paced, action-packed battles, resource gathering and an extensive skill tree. Together with an anthropomorphic wolf creature, you explore a world full of colour and try to restore its balance.
Release date: 20 April
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp
Nintendo had postponed the reboot of the tactics classic due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but now the release is imminent. The two games, originally released for the Game Boy Advance, have received a complete makeover. The core gameplay should remain unchanged by the prettier graphics. The game’s still all about the balance between resource management and tactical finesse to outsmart the enemy.
Release date: 21 April
Platform: Switch
Dead Island 2
There’s life in this old dog yet – and Dead Island 2 is quite the old dog. The game was originally scheduled for release in 2015. After several studio changes and restarting from the ground up, the zombie slaughter fest continues in April. If you’ve played the first part, you should quickly feel right at home. Once again you fight, shoot and kick your way through hordes of undead with homemade weapons. Dead Island 2 will be bloody. I don’t expect too much depth from this game, but hey, if the zombies have switched off their brains, why can’t I?
Release date: 21 April
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC
ArcRunner
ArcRunner is a rogue-like – another game in which you’ll die a thousand deaths. But unlike typical rogue-likes, you can unlock permanent improvements. With three different classes, you’ll shoot and fight your way through a neon-coloured cyberpunk world. You have the choice of facing the battle-hungry robots alone or with up to two friends. Especially in co-op mode, this title could prove to be filled with action-packed fun.
Release date: 27 April
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC
The Last Case of Benedict Fox
This metroidvania was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s world of horror. As the eponymous Benedict Fox, you explore a mysterious world full of demons. There’s a storyline about a secret organisation, forbidden rituals and cold-blooded murders. The 2D graphic style sets the perfect, eerie scene.
Release date: 27 April
Platform: Xbox Series, PC
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Last up is the sequel to the 2019 surprise hit, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. That title impressed players with its challenging gameplay, with parallels to Dark Souls. Rarely have I felt more powerful in the role of a Jedi. Expectations for the second part are correspondingly high. The story of the red-haired Cal Kestis continues, his faithful droid BD-1 again in tow.
Release date: 28 April
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series, PC
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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