Gotham Knights: characters, release date, and gameplay
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Bad news, folks. Batman’s dead. Or at least, in Gotham Knights, the latest Batman universe game developed by WB Games Montreal, that’s what we’re meant to believe. But while Bruce Wayne might have been bat-murdered, you’ve got four other chiropteran vigilantes to make up for it. In Gotham Knights, you’ll play as Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin, an extended Bat Family trying to pick up Gotham’s pieces after the loss of the caped crusader.
Developers WB Games Montreal were involved with Arkham Origins in 2013 and some parts of Arkham Knight in 2015. Though Gotham Knights is separate from the Arkham universe, it’s a good sign that the game has such a solid pedigree behind it. As with any DC game, you can expect to meet some familiar and ominous antagonists, such as Mr. Freeze and the organized crime group, the Court of Owls.
Here is everything we know about Gotham Knights, including its release date, the game’s story, and how to play co-op.
Gotham Knights release date
When is the Gotham Knights release date?
Gotham Knights will release on October 21, 2022. It was originally planned to launch in 2021, but in an update in March 2021, the developers announced that Gotham Knights had been delayed from its original launch window, saying that the game needed «more time to deliver the best possible experience for players.»
For a time it was also expected four days later on October 25 but announced a slight more up in date during Gamescom opening night live in August.
Here’s the new Gotham Knights trailer from Gamescom
Gotham Knights turned up to Gamescom in August to show off another story trailer and, for some reason, move up its release date by four days.
Gotham Knights trailers
Here are all the Gotham Knights trailers
The original reveal trailer for Gotham Knights sets up the backstory and the heroes you’ll be able to play as during the game.
Batman has blown up the Batcave and has entrusted the safety of the city to four of the other Bat Family members.
The second big story trailer for Gotham Knights is all about the big villain syndicate the Court of Owls. Despite what Nightwing initially says, they’re clearly not just a myth. Introduced in a popular 2011 comic book storyline, the Court of Owls are the secret rulers of Gotham City. As this trailer shows, they also have well-armed assassins at their disposal.
This short Nightwing character trailer from Summer Games Fest 2022 gives an idea of how the original Bat-son’s vibe will translate into gameplay. He’s nimble. He’s hopeful. He wants the best for the city that raised him, and he’ll do however many acrobatic combat flips it takes. We also get a sense for how varied the aesthetic options are for each character, as Nightwing shuffles into different outfits throughout the trailer. Fans of the Dick Grayson ponytail: you’re welcome.
The Robin character trailer highlighted Tim Drake, the young sidekick who earned his place at Batman’s side after deducing both his secret identity and that of his predecessor Dick Grayson. He uses the Justice League’s teleport technology to zap himself around the battlefield and fights with a staff. Barbara Gordon got a chance to shine in the Batgirl character trailer , where she took on thugs with an electrified tonfa, zipline-kicks, and stun-batarangs.
Gotham Knights story and characters
What’s the Gotham Knights story?
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Gotham Knights kicks off with Bruce Wayne dying in an explosion. Prior to his demise, Batman had planned to leave Gotham in the hands of some other Bat Family members. The Bat Cave has been destroyed, by Bruce himself no less, and he’s left the team the Belfry tower as a base of operations instead.
Robin, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Nightwing assemble to protect Gotham despite being on bad terms with the Gotham City Police Department after the death of former commissioner Jim Gordon.
Gotham’s secret society, The Court of Owls, will play a role as well. By the looks of all those rows of frozen containers at the end of the reveal trailer, it seems there may be quite a number of their Talon assassins to contend with around the city.
Don’t be fooled—Arkham Knight ends with what could be a setup for a similar storyline, but WB has confirmed that Gotham Knights is set in a different continuity. The Arkham mantle is being picked up by Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League instead.
Is Batman really dead? According to creative director Patrick Redding, yes, Batman is really dead. Well, we’ll just see about that. What’s more, according to Redding, the Joker won’t appear in Gotham Knights, though Harley Quinn might, and there will be «exactly one» Riddler trophy.
Which characters appear in Gotham Knights?
Gotham Knights features four members of the Bat Family who’ve been tapped to keep Gotham safe without big guy Bruce himself. Gotham Knights definitely isn’t an origin story, featuring several of the vigilante crew pretty far into their character development after a couple name changes.
One of the most interesting new details about the heroes is that they level up while you’re not playing them . During GamesRadar ‘s interview with Gotham Knights’ creative director Patrick Redding and executive producer Fleur Marty, it was confirmed that all four characters share their story progression. This means that it should be easy to switch between characters without it feeling like you’re at a disadvantage when you don’t pick your favourite.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Robin — Tim Drake
The Robin of this Gotham story is Tim Drake, the third inheritor of the Robin moniker. Drake is the young one of the group, but also the smartest and a master sleuth.
As of Gotham Knights, Tim is «an expert fighter armed with his collapsible quarterstaff and skilled in the art of stealth, Tim also possesses a background in combined psychological warfare and behavioral sciences, all of which sets the stage for him to accomplish any mission.»
The reveal trailer shows him in action with his preferred staff.
You can also catch a couple possible costumes for Robin between the reveal trailer and gameplay breakdown below.
(Image credit: WB Games)
Batgirl — Barbara Gordon
Batgirl aka Oracle aka Batgirl again, Barbara Gordon is another member of the Knights. She’s the daughter of deceased GCPD commissioner Jim Gordon and a tech wiz with martial arts chops.
WB says that in Gotham Knights she’s «highly trained in a variety of fighting styles, such as kickboxing, capoeira, and jiu-jitsu. Her signature weapon is the tonfa. Barbara also displays great skill when it comes to hacking or coding in computers and technological systems to dig for information.»
You can spot a wheelchair in the foreground of Batgirl’s hideout in the reveal trailer, marking the game as taking place after her tenure as Oracle during which she was paralyzed. She’s now recovered and returned to her Batgirl name alongside the veritable flock of Robins.
(Image credit: WB Games)
Nightwing — Dick Grayson
Original Robin Dick Grayson, now Nightwing, is the acrobatics master of the group known for fighting with his two escrima sticks.
Gotham Knights calls him «a natural leader, an optimist, and the most charismatic of the Batman Family. He grew up in an unorthodox but loving circus family, so he values close personal bonds.»
Dick and Barbara have a romantic history that would be neat for WB to tap into a bit while throwing them together on the Knights crew.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Red Hood — Jason Todd
Robin number two, Jason Todd, joins the group under his later name Red Hood. He’s got a pretty complicated relationship with the Batman Family, especially his Robin successor Tim. His death, resurrection, and a lot of resulting personality changes put him at odds with Bruce and co. for a time. By the time of this story, he’s fully reconciled with the Bat gang, WB sas, though that history could potentially be another source of conflict.
As for his other skills, Gotham Knights says «Jason has trained to reach the peak of human strength, and he’s proficient in multiple combat techniques with all manner of weapons—both traditional and high-tech.
After reconciling with the Batman Family, he has embraced Batman’s non-lethal combat methods.» Nevermind those dual pistols. They’re definitely not deadly, we hope.
Gotham Knights gameplay details
What’s the gameplay in Gotham Knights like?
(Image credit: WB Games Montreal)
The first gameplay walkthrough released alongside the reveal trailer shows a pretty good slice of Gotham Knights combat. You can spot a bit of stealth, some of Batgirl’s moves, traversal around the level, and a boss fight with Mr. Freeze.
These ‘Villain Encounters’ will change depending on what level you are. Boss fights won’t just have increased health totals and other stats. The kinds of moves they use during fights will change to match your character’s level as well. There’s loot to collect, with a few different equipment slots to modify your stats. You’ll still be able to choose the visuals for your character’s gear setup.
You can take on Gotham Knights entirely as a singleplayer game or two player co-op.
WB also says that Gotham is totally open-world, without enemies of higher levels blocking your exploration.
A second gameplay demo from May 2022 jumps between Nightwing and Red Hood gameplay, showing how differently each character can play. Nightwing’s fighting style leans more towards acrobatic melee brawls, while Red Hood has a more gun-oriented combat philosophy. Also, Red Hood has infinite double jumps after being resurrected by a cult of wizard assassins, which apparently lets him manipulate “soul energy.” Sure!
We then get a glimpse of crafting and gear management, complete with power scores and green arrows. We’re shown the return of using AR bat-vision to investigate crimescenes, which Nightwing uses to look at some blood and confirm that yes, it’s blood.
How big is Gotham in Gotham Knights?
(Image credit: WB Games Montreal)
By the looks of things, Batman’s home turf as imagined in Gotham Knights is going to be pretty expansive. As the playable Bat-family glides, grapples, and bat-cycles their way across the city in released gameplay footage, Gotham seems like a genuine sprawl.
In an interview with Game Informer, Gotham Knights executive producer Fleur Marty claimed that the game features «the biggest version of Gotham that has been represented in video games. The most important thing for us is its density and verticality. It has a lot of layers.»
What kind of costume options will Gotham Knights have?
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
According to executive producer Fleur Marty, each character in Gotham Knights will have 11 different «suit styles» available for their craftable gear. The style for your currently-equipped gear determines its overall silhouette. For example, the «Year One» suit style shown in a Nightwing gameplay overview has a «throwback to my first solo vigilante days» vibe, while his «Shinobi» style imagines a Dick Grayson who’s an otaku without any tasteful restraint.
In addition to your suit’s style, you can also customize it further with a «colorway,» or equippable palette that’ll recolor specific portions of your suit.
Think Destiny armor shader, but for brooding superhero orphans.
How does co-op work?
It sounds like Gotham Knights will offer a decent amount of freedom in co-op. During the gameplay reveal, we spotted Robin dropping into Batgirl’s session seamlessly. In fact, Gotham has been specifically designed to accommodate a duo, so its likely best experienced with a buddy by your side. That said, WB Games has said that you won’t be attached at the hip to your co-op partner either. You’re free to explore around a bit, even while in your friend’s session.
You can also play as the same hero as a friend. WB say that you’re free to drop in as Batgirl while a friend is already playing her and that the skills available for each hero will let you both player her a bit differently. There’s no level-gating in Gotham Knights, so you should be able to play along with a pal without worrying about their level too much either.
So what’s the Belfry?
(Image credit: DC)
According to the comics, The Belfry is a hideout built by the game’s current Robin, Tim Drake.
It was built in the bones of the old Wayne Tower with a ton of law enforcement monitoring tech.
In Batman’s farewell message during the Gotham Knights reveal trailer, he says «some of the technology is outdated but it has the gear you need and all of my files.»
Functionally speaking, WB Games said that this is where players will return during the day to manage gear and hang out costume-free. «The Belfry is super-central to our game because it’s your base of operations,» WB tells IGN . «You get to go back there, analyze all the clues that you’ve picked up during your previous night, have a little chat with Alfred, craft your gear, and really prepare yourself for the next night of crime fighting. So yeah, daytime is Belfry, and then at night you’re roaming the streets, fighting criminals and unraveling the mystery.»
Is Gotham Knights a live service game?
Nope, sounds like Gotham Knights is focused on its campaign and co-op experience rather than endless content.
«This is very much not designed as a game-as-service ,» producer Fleur Marty told IGN . «There is an ability tree, which is different for each of the characters, and then there’s gear that you craft—and so choices that you’re going to be making—but that does not mean that this is a game-as-service.»
Other Gotham Knights info
What does the Warner Media split mean for Gotham Knights?
The short answer is that we don’t know yet. In May 2021, AT&T announced that it will spin off WarnerMedia and merge it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal. From what we know so far, part of Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, but not all of it, will be sold off. Gotham Knights developers WB Games Montreal fall under that umbrella of course. Some studios under WBIE will stay with AT&T while others will head to the new company.
Can I also watch Gotham Knights?
Funny you should ask, because CW has a pilot spinning up for a Gotham Knights TV show. Though it’s not related to the game directly, it’s based on the same story and is in the middle of casting now.
Between this coming up and The Batman recently released, there’s plenty of bat-goodness to tide you over for now.
Lauren started writing for PC Gamer as a freelancer in 2017 while chasing the Dark Souls fashion police and accepted her role as Associate Editor and Chief Minecraft Liker in 2021. She originally started her career in game development and is still fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long books, longer RPGs, multiplayer cryptids, and can’t stop playing co-op crafting games.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin review
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(Image: © Square Enix)
Our Verdict
Team Ninja serves up some solid Soulslike combat with a generous helping of cheese.
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Need to know
What is it? A Soulslike Final Fantasy from the developer of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
Expect to pay $60/£50
Release date March 17, 2022
Developer Team Ninja
Publisher Square Enix
Reviewed on Intel Core i7-11700K, GeForce RTX 3070, 16GB RAM
Multiplayer? Yes
Link Official site
£34.65
View at 365games.co.uk
View at Eneba US
Check Amazon
The mere existence of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is, well, strange. When Square Enix announced it was remaking the beloved Final Fantasy 7, it made sense. It was, after all, the game that put the world’s most ironically named series on the map—one that many JRPG fans still hold dear.
And with so many other adored games in the series to draw from, creating a spin-off inspired by the now 35-year-old and largely forgotten original is an odd choice. The game itself is stranger still.
Stranger of Paradise offers a new take on the bare-bones narrative of its pixelated predecessor, with developer Team Ninja injecting the series with a more edgy tone. At least that’s what it was going for, but cringe-worthy dialogue from over-the-top characters sees the game sail right by the realm of cool and land squarely in a field of cheese. The largely nonsensical plot sees our band of heroes, led by Jack Garland, setting out to restore crystals and kill the evil overlord known as Chaos, who may or may not even exist. Each of the game’s characters can be summed up with one adjective. There’s the spritely Jed, the stern Ash, the wistful Neon and Jack, who can only be described as driven, and driven by only one desire. To kill Chaos. For all its absurdity, the story is nonetheless entertaining, with each level bookended by short snappy cutscenes that never feel like they intrude upon the action.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
While it’s more forgiving than Nioh, Stranger of Paradise does have more in common with the samurai-inspired Soulslike than the Final Fantasy series. The many aspects of combat feel overwhelming at first, but the mechanics click surprisingly quickly. The Job system offers a wealth of different fighting options, catering for a variety of playstyles. Foes are thrown at you thick and fast, and being able to switch between classes and swap in and out abilities makes for encounters that are both robust and gratifying. In a nice nod to the series’ roots, you even go head-to-head with Final Fantasy favourites like Cactuars, Marlboros, and Tonberries.
Turning a Cactuar’s deadly 1,000 Needles attack against the bouncy menace elicits a feeling of sheer delight.
Battles are given extra depth thanks to Soul Shield, an alternative method to regular blocking that reduces an enemy’s Break Gauge. Fully depleting this gauge allows you to swoop in with Soul Burst, a showy finisher that sees enemies turn crystal before spectacularly shattering into tiny pieces.
It’s both slick and undeniably satisfying. You can also temporarily absorb certain skills with Soul Shield to use back against your enemies. Turning a Cactuar’s deadly 1,000 Needles attack against the bouncy menace elicits a feeling of sheer delight if you’re a Final Fantasy fan who’s long been on the receiving end of this spikey signature move.
As solid as Stranger of Paradise’s combat is, it’s not without its shortcomings. Magic doesn’t transition to the game’s fast-paced combat quite as well as melee. Casting spells was all well and good in the days of turn-based battles, where enemies would patiently stand and wait for an elemental-based pounding, but as you’re held in place for the considerably lengthy cast times, you’re effectively a sitting duck. And being stationary for any length of time is a sure way to have your Chaos killing quest come to an abrupt end. You also only have the option to switch between two job classes on the fly. Swapping up your style any further requires halting the action to go into the menu.
It’s a curious limitation that’s at odds with the otherwise ample level of freedom the game offers.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
Admittedly, one aspect that would benefit from dialling down the variety is the game’s loot system. Every encounter and chest offer new weapons and equipment. Drops are so frequent that they become meaningless, as you’re constantly rifling through menus to equip a slightly pointier sword or a marginally better bandana. Another case of too much comes from the constant chatter between teammates that isn’t as helpful as it is monotonous and unnecessary. Hearing your party question what could be in a chest or announce they’ve spotted a save point every time you come across them quickly leaves you wishing your next lofty treasure haul would include some silencing potions.
The choice of difficulty level adds to the game’s accessible nature. Story mode reduces the difficulty significantly, while a casual option lets you breeze through battles. There’s also a higher difficulty mode that offers an experience that’s best described as brutal.
The standard ‘Action’ setting provides a considerable challenge that perfectly bridges the gap between mindless victories and frustrating repetition. Bosses will have you hot under the collar, but the threat is never insurmountable as you become familiar with their attack patterns, learning the best times to block, evade and retaliate with the vast array of abilities at your disposal. Levels are linear yet intricately detailed, with numerous light puzzling elements and sneaky shortcuts to unlock.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
For the most part, these locations, lovingly inspired by previous Final Fantasy titles, look nice, at least in brightly lit areas, but it can be hard to see anything in the game’s more shadowy sections, even after toggling with the display settings. The game runs smoothly at 60 fps but grinds to a snail’s pace when cranked up to 120 fps, particularly when you’re performing an enemy shattering Soul Burst.
While it’s not without its issues, Stranger of Paradise is an undeniably stylish and charmingly ridiculous adventure.
The solid and engaging combat, varied environments, and the way the game can be catered towards your preferred playstyle and difficulty level make for a Final Fantasy title that shines despite its considerably darker style. While it offers one of the most dynamic combat systems the series has seen, its sketchy story and half-baked cast also make it one of the shallowest additions. This trashy B-movie take on the series may be a little rough around the edges, but it’s nonetheless an enjoyable and fascinating reimagining of the aged escapade that started it all.
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Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger of Paradise
Team Ninja serves up some solid Soulslike combat with a generous helping of cheese.
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0254 Tale
: Requiem
| Genre | Adventure |
| Developer | Asobo Studio |
| Publisher | Focus Home Interactive |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S |
In the sequel A Plague Tale: Innocence, the main characters Amicia and Hugo travel south in search of a better life. However, adventures await them again, including those related to Hugo’s ancestral curse, which, according to the prophecy, will be curbed on some mysterious island.
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Dune : Spice Wars
| Genre 0255 | Strategy |
| Developer | Shiro Games |
| Publisher | Funcom |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC |
After the successful premiere of the film «Dune» about the universe of Frank Herbert again actively started talking.
Looming on the horizon fresh games based on his books. The first is Dune: Spice Wars, a 4X strategy game from the authors of Northgard. The essence is simple: lead the faction and win control over the planet Arrakis.
The game will first be released on Steam Early Access, so content will be limited. In particular, although there are four available characters (as well as factions), at first there will be only two of them — Duke Leto Atreides and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Whoever you play as, you will have to explore the desert planet on ornithopters, collect resources, open settlements, build buildings and solve problems with enemies — the chosen methods will entail political consequences.
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So that the location would not be a dull desert where nothing happens, the authors consulted with a geologist — this will help to make individual parts of the map diverse in a visual and game sense.
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| Genre | Action |
| Developer | SCE Santa Monica |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 |
In the sequel to The Game Awards’ best game of 2018, Kratos and Atreus will have to visit nine kingdoms and find allies there. After all, very soon a bloody battle will begin and Ragnarok will come, for which the armies of Asgard are preparing with might and main.
In parallel, the theme of fathers and children will continue to develop, to which the first part was completely devoted.
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| Genre | Strategy |
| Developer | Blackbird Interactive |
| Publisher | Gearbox Publishing |
| Release date | IV quarter 2022 |
| Platforms | PC |
The second part of Homeworld came out already in 2003.
Since then, the series has been in suspended animation for a long time, until a prequel called Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak appeared in 2016, authored by Blackbird Interactive (founded by the same people who were involved in the numbered Homeworld). Now the team is working on a full-fledged third part.
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| Genre | Adventure |
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch |
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| Developer | Daedalic Entertainment |
| Publisher | Nacon |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One |
The Daedalic Entertainment team, which has been creating 2D quests for more than a decade, has taken on a difficult project based on The Lord of the Rings. It will tell the story of Gollum, paying attention to the details of his life, which were neither in films nor in books.
The game will be an action game with a focus on stealth. The fighter from the frail Gollum is so-so, so he will have to rely on agility and cunning, including to avoid detection.
But it will be necessary to get rid of some enemies — then all sorts of sophisticated methods will come into play.
As in the books, here in Gollum two personalities are combined: an insidious villain and a prudent good man. How you play and what decisions you make will determine the nature of the character — and probably the ending. As the developers promise, the level design will be open, so each problem can be solved in many ways — it all depends on the wishes of the player. No one drives by the handle, the markers do not flash in front of the nose, and the interface is minimalistic — I want to believe that there will be complete order with immersion in the atmosphere.
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
| Genre | Action |
| Developer | Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Mumbai |
| Publisher | Ubisoft |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
Ubisoft hasn’t thought about Prince of Persia for more than ten years, but in 2020 they suddenly released a new game about him – Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time.
True, only visitors to VR zones in entertainment centers can pass it. Ordinary players were pleased with the announcement of a remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Although, rather, «pleased» — the debut trailer was heavily criticized.
Developed by the Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai teams, the company’s Indian divisions, which were previously only tasked with ports to mobile devices and the Nintendo Switch. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that these teams could not conquer such a serious and responsible project with a swoop — at least visually, it looks rather weak. The audience did not accept Ubisoft’s explanations about the author’s vision, and therefore the publisher has already postponed the release several times and now cannot even give an approximate date.
Ubisoft promised to update the scenery and enemy models, re-record the cinematic videos, improve the soundtrack and soundtrack, make controls more convenient and refine the animation of acrobatic stunts.
Also, they planned to “sew” the old Prince of Persia from 1989 into the remake, which would be launched from the menu. There has been no news about the project since the last transfer — there is a suspicion that Ubisoft has transferred the development to a more experienced team and at least something good will come of it.
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Scorn
| Genre | Action, horror |
| Developer | Ebb Software |
| Publisher | Ebb Software |
| Release date | October 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S |
Development of the atmospheric horror Scorn began as early as 2014, and there is a chance that it will actually be released this fall. Players will be transported to a spooky universe where they will find themselves isolated and will explore the world, divided into regions connected to each other.
Each area is a labyrinth with many rooms and nooks and crannies. The authors of Scorn put a lot of emphasis on immersing the player in the atmosphere, so there are no cutscenes and screensavers, and interaction with the world is as realistic as possible — for example, items are not teleported to the inventory, the character picks them up with his hands. The same goes for pressing buttons and activating levers.
As you progress, the player will receive new abilities and weapons, but Scorn will not turn into a shooter. Due to the small number of rounds, you will always have to be on the alert — sometimes it is better not to engage in battle and limit yourself to hide and seek behind shelters. Well, it doesn’t do without promises that the player’s actions will somehow affect the world around them – when the locations are drawn in the spirit of the works of Hans Giger, you can come up with many interesting metamorphoses.
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Shadow Warrior 3
| Genre | Action |
| Developer | Flying Wild Hog |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
In Shadow Warrior 3, we will again control Lo Wang, who, together with Orochi Zilla, will have to catch an ancient dragon, released by them from captivity. Only in this way will it be possible to prevent the end of the world, and for battles with guests from the Kingdom of Shadows, the heroes (more precisely, the hero and yesterday’s villain) will once again come in handy with numerous guns and a faithful katana.
We are offered a linear story adventure in a mythical Asian country (alas, this time without co-op).
They try to make each scene rich: there are many types of enemies, mini-bosses are common, and the protagonist deftly switches between different styles and techniques. Double jumps, wall run, mid-air dashes, grappling hook — a complete set.
Hook-cat, of course, greatly changes the gameplay — in particular, the levels here are more vertical than in previous parts of the series. So there are many ways to get to the enemies on the upper platforms. There are also other uses: with the grappling hook, you can quickly close the distance between the hero and the enemy, expose the opponent’s weak points, or even throw an exploding barrel into the crowd. Finishing moves seem to be an interesting idea too — each opponent leaves behind an ability that is not otherwise obtained, and this adds an element of tactics in battles with several enemies.
| Genre | Action |
| Developer | Sloclap |
| Publisher | Sloclap |
| Release date | February 8, 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 |
The plot of the story in Sifu is quite simple: a young adept of kung fu alone wants to take revenge on the murderers of his family.
But the gameplay is non-standard — very rarely come action games in which the main emphasis is on hand-to-hand combat. The developers were advised by a real master of kung fu, who studied this art in China, and thanks to him, more than 150 unique techniques were implemented in the game.
Players of the early version praise the combat system and say that every move counts and moves flow nicely from one to the next. It is desirable to use not only your limbs, but also the environment: jump over objects to protect yourself from attacks, grab objects or push them under the feet of opponents. This will have to be dealt with, since you can’t build defense on blocks alone — the dwindling endurance scale will not allow it.
The most interesting feature of Sifu is the gradual aging of the hero after each failed brawl. As planned, with age the protagonist becomes stronger (that is, attacks cause more damage), but at the same time, his health pool decreases.
In the plot, the aging process will also play a certain role — it will be interesting to see how all this will be linked to each other.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl
| Genre | Shooter |
| Developer | GSC Game World |
| Publisher | GSC Game World |
| Release date | April 28, 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S |
Looks like it’s not a dream after all — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 really exists and will be released in April, and Game Pass subscribers will generally receive it for free. After so many years, we will return to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, where terrible anomalies and terrible mutants await us again, as well as stalkers who hunt for valuable artifacts and do not spare those who stand between them and the swag.
The second part will combine a shooter with dozens of weapons, horror with realistic graphics and immersive sim with survival mechanics. The authors promise a non-linear story with several development options and endings, as well as a living open world and advanced artificial intelligence. Modding support is also planned, and soon after the release, the game will get multiplayer, which will be added with a free update.
The only embarrassing thing is how reluctant GSC is to share details. The latest gameplay trailer was more like a staged video — at least that’s how it seemed to the audience. Instead of publishing more videos and screenshots, the authors do not understand what — for example, they announce the use of blockchain technology and support for NFT, and after a few hours they refuse this, having seen the reaction of the community. We hope everything will be fine, but it smacks of a transfer.
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Starfield
| Genre | Role play |
| Developer | Bethesda Game Studios |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks |
| Release date | November 11, 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S |
For the first time in 25 years, Bethesda is preparing to release a game in a brand new universe. In the coming years — no Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. Instead, we will travel to the distant future, to the year 2330. In Starfield, the action will unfold in a small region of the Milky Way, where twenty years ago there was a war between the factions of the United Colonies and the Commonwealth of Free Stars.
The protagonist, who is a member of the Constellation research organization, will have to explore the remote corners of the Assimilated Systems — this is how they call the part of the star universe where the game takes place.
Although relations between the factions have more or less settled, the world is still full of dangers, from space pirates to religious fanatics.
The gameplay has not yet been shown — knowing Bethesda, we can assume that we will see it for the first time a few months before the release, as was the case with Fallout 4. As the permanent director of Bethesda Game Studios Todd Howard promises, Starfield will be a very big game — like the minimum of dialogues in it is already 2.5 times more than in Skyrim.
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Stray
| Genre | Adventure |
| Developer | BlueTwelve Studio |
| Publisher | Annapurna Interactive |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 |
In Stray, we, as a mustachioed purr, find ourselves in a dying cyber city, from which we have to escape and unravel the ancient mystery of this place along the way.
It seems like the last time we drove a dashing stray cat was in Alley Cat 1983 years!
According to the authors, the city of Stray is infested with hostile droids and dangerous creatures. So you will have to carefully explore the locations — dexterity, agility and stealth will often be the most suitable qualities. The cat will not have to travel alone — he will get acquainted with the B12 flying drone, which will help the four-legged escape.
In a sense, Stray can be called a real cat life simulator — you can completely immerse yourself in the atmosphere and just wander around the city, pestering everyone and listening to street musicians. Plus, some puzzles are solved by dropping items on the ground. And of course, you can (should!) tear sofas.
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Suicide Squad : Kill the Justice League
| Жанр | Action |
| Developer | Rocksteady Studios |
| Publisher | Warner Bros. Games |
| Release date | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S |
Since 2015, we have not known what the Rocksteady studio, known for the Batman: Arkham trilogy, is doing. A few years later, it turned out that she was working on a new third-person action-adventure game, this time about the Suicide Squad.
The heroes will be Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and Shark King. The task of this gang, led by Amanda Waller, is to destroy the Justice League, the greatest superheroes of the DC Universe. So the developers said goodbye to Gotham — now we will go to Metropolis, which they promise to make no less interesting for research.
Of course, all four central characters are playable and have different abilities.
Harley uses a bat in close combat, Deadshot shoots different guns while flying on a jetpack, Captain Boomerang is armed with a shotgun and is able to teleport, and King Shark uses a portable turret. You can go through the story campaign alone (then the partners are controlled by AI) or in co-op with comrades.
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Vampire : The Masquerade — Swansong
| Genre | Role play |
| Developer | Big Bad Wolf Studio |
| Publisher | Nacon |
| Release date | May 19, 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
Something is wrong with the development of Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, but third-party studios continue to announce and release games in the universe of the famous series.
For example, Swansong from the creators of The Council is a story RPG with three main characters and the ability to influence their fate.
The three vampire protagonists serve different clans in the Camarilla. The new Camarilla princess seeks to strengthen the position of the faction by uniting two cities: Boston and Hartford. This leads to a war between the two communities of vampires, who find it increasingly difficult to survive.
The main characters will differ from each other in vampire abilities — as the authors say, these characters offer three play styles: intimidation, seduction and stealth. In any case, the player will have to use supernatural abilities with caution — casual passers-by should not know that your hunger is quenched by completely non-store food. As we are assured, there are no right decisions in Swansong, so each player will write his own story.
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Weird West
| Genre | Action |
| Developer | WolfEye Studios |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Release date | March 31, 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
Co-founder and former creative director of Arkane Studios Rafael Colantonio left the team in 2017 — both for family reasons and due to creative burnout associated with the peculiarities of working on major blockbusters. Now he, along with former producer Arkane, is working at WolfEye Studios on Weird West — at first it was planned to be released on January 11, but at the end of the year it was announced that it was postponed to March 31.
The scene will be the Wild West, where, in addition to sheriffs and criminals, fantastic creatures live.
The authors promise a sandbox world, a playground for different styles of play. According to them, the actions of the players will affect not only the story characters, but even the environment and locations. There will be five campaigns in total — one for each character whose fates will cross at some point.
Despite the high camera, the developers are trying to add as many elements of immersive sim to the game as possible, a genre that is well known to Arkane fans. Therefore, there will be many interconnected systems, and any problem can be solved in many ways. Weird West will become a kind of platform for experiments with different materials and elements — from fire and water to wood and metal.
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These are not all releases, but we won’t be surprised if several projects from this list fight in December for the title of the best game of the year.
