Games Watch: the 5 best new games coming out in April
From big hitters to indie titles, here are the console and PC games that have got us talking this month
Between button-mashing and VR stick-waving it’s all too easy to miss some magnificent game releases.
Not any more, though. See, we’re always on the hunt for the next game to steal months of our lives – and the last thing we want is to miss it because we’re too busy playing the last one.
So, with that in mind, here’s your monthly compendium of the five most scintillating new releases coming in the next 30 days. You can thank us later.
Shock Tactics – April 11
Enjoyed XCOM? Like space? Chances are, you’ll love Shock Tactics. A sci-fi strategy game with stunning visuals, this turn-based battlefield affair will have you leafing through your trusty copy of The Art of War in search of a tactical advatange as you pillage and plunder the treasures of a newly discovered planet.
Yes, it might be a tested formula, but with a blend of fast assaults, time-critical objectives and broader galactic campaign pursuits – not to mention procedurally generated worlds that should keep things sufficiently fresh – Shock Tactics shouldn’t leave you hankering for earth.
An upgrade system that utilises discovered alien items throws something new into the mix, too, while an in-depth Action Points system serves up agile, flexible combat options.
Platforms: PC
Price: £TBC
Syberia III – April 20
13 years on from Syberia II, it’s finally time to rejoin lawyer Kate Walker on her journey through the wilderness, as she joins with a band of Ostrich-herding nomads to overcome their common obstacles – and escape a tricky past.
Rendered with much the same graphical beauty that made the first two iterations so well-received, Syberia III is set to deliver an entirely new story – albeit one crafted with the same sense of immersive storytelling as before.
Whether the development budget is able to deliver a title worthy of its predecessors remains to be seen but, littered with puzzles galore (not to mention a clutch of mysteries), whether you played the originals or not, Syberia III should be an enchanting game that arrests with its rich cast of characters and beautifully artistic world.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Price: £29.99
Outlast 2 – April 25
If you played the first Outlast, you’re unlikely to have forgotten about it. A first-person horror title that saw players steering freelance journalist Miles Upshur through a suitably terrifying asylum, a combination of jump scares, stealth mechanics and a camcorder/night vision aesthetic left many a gamer sleeping with the light on.
News, then, that Outlast 2 is due at the end of April should titillate and terrify in equal measure. New characters, new setting, same horrifying gameplay: Outlast’s second outing sees players surviving as journalist Blake Langermann, as he searches for his wife after a helicopter crash in the Arizona desert.
Oh, and he’s stuck in a village that’s home to an apocalyptic cult – which is, you know, tricky. He’s got a better camera this time around – but there’s also plenty to confuse and confound, from hallucinations to bewildering settings. You have been warned.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Price: £TBC
Little Nightmares – April 27
Imagine Little Big Planet as a horror game, with Tim Burton visuals and a creeping soundtrack straight out of 28 Weeks Later, and you’ve got a good idea of what Little Nightmares has in store.
A puzzle-platformer with a uneasy difference, Little Nightmares sees you playing as an inexplicably tiny nine-year-old girl, Six, who’s stuck in a surreal submarine world called The Maw.
Equal parts nightmare and dark exploration of the human condition, Little Nightmares is a title that’s almost as astounding to look at as it is to play. Avoiding harm in a world much bigger than you means using your wits and resourcefulness – and your lighter – as creepy hands grasp to pull you away from freedom. This one will creep you out – and pull you in.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Price: £15.99
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – April 28
First seen on Wii U, this excellent Mario Kart outing has been remastered and expanded for Nintendo Switch, bringing everyone’s favourite Italian pipe-man to Ninty’s new machine for the first time.
Besides serving up all previous DLC, Deluxe will also deliver an arena-based Battle Mode that’s closer to older Mario Kart titles, as well as the ability to carry two items at once. In fact, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the biggest Mario Kart game to date, with more characters, tracks and vehicles than ever before – including a guest appearance by Splatoon‘s Inklings.
With options for eight-player local multiplayer and four-player tabletop racing, Mario Kart 8 on the Switch should take sideways carnage to a whole new level.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Price: £42
Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
