With so many big releases being delayed, some into next year, it’s always good to appreciate those games that do launch. And thankfully, there are also enough interesting titles in April – from looter shooters and rogue-lites to photography – to check out. Let’s go over 10 of them here.
Outriders
People Can Fly’s looter shooter has seen its share of delays but it’s finally, finally gearing up for release. Outriders takes place in the future where humanity travels to Enoch for colonization. While investigating a mysterious signal, it’s hit by a powerful storm. Many die but others, including the player character, gain powerful new abilities. With the signal manifesting once more, the player sets out from the First City to discover the truth and hopefully ensure humanity’s long-term survival.
Though Outriders is a third person shooter with cover mechanics, it encourages players to enter the fray and slay foes, providing health on kills. There are four classes – Pyromancer, Devastator, Trickster and and Technomancer – with different skill trees that can fit varying play-styles, from tanking to support. With a fairly large campaign, end-game Expeditions and support for three player co-op, that too without no microtransactions or live-service elements, there’s plenty to look forward to. Outriders is out on April 1st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. It will also launch day one on Xbox Game Pass for console.
Oddworld: Soulstorm
A re-imagining of Abe’s Exoddus, Oddworld: Soulstorm has also been a long-time coming. After Abe freed the Mudokons from slavery, he must now lead them while fending off the Magog Cartel. Whether Abe can find his voice and lead the revolution or the Mudokons fall depends purely on the player. Oddworld: Soulstorm throws in the same sneaking, puzzle solving and platforming that defined its predecessor but on a larger scale and a 2.9D perspective.
You also have the opportunity to command your Mudokon followers to help, as they can act passive or aggressive depending on the situation. Craft items, gift them to followers, amass an army and scavenge from foes in order to survive. Just make sure that none of your fellow Mudokons die in the process. Oddworld: Soulstorm is out on April 6th for PS4, PS5 and PC with PlayStation Plus subscribers getting the PS5 version free for the month.
Borderlands 3: Director’s Cut DLC
Included with Season Pass 2, the Director’s Cut marks the final piece of DLC for Borderlands 3. Hemovorous the Invincible is the latest end-game raid boss, requiring 500 Eridium to battle and whose power scales with the player and Mayhem level. Ava also features in the new story missions which see players venturing to different planets to investigate murders tied to the supernatural. Visiting crime scenes and piecing together clues is important with the results apparently “sending ripples” throughout the base game’s story. Finally, the first of three Vault Cards arrives, bringing over 100 challenges to earn cosmetics, powerful gear that scales to your level and more. The Director’s Cut DLC is out on April 8th for all platforms.
MLB The Show 21
As the first title in the series to release on Xbox platforms, MLB The Show 21 isn’t simply providing improved visuals. It has a Casual Mode for learning the ropes, tons of new animations for everything from bat tosses to fielding, streamlines progression for the March to October season and much more. Current-gen versions even get the new Stadium Creator which allows for designing your own ballpark from the ground up with more than 1000 pieces. Of course, you can also share your stadiums and play those created by other users. If that weren’t enough, MLB The Show 21 will even have cross-play and cross-progression. It’s slated to release on April 20th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4 and PS5.
Century: Age of Ashes
Playwing LTD’s Century: Age of Ashes is a free to play multiplayer title that enters early access in April. What sets it apart from the competition are the dragons. As a Dragoneer, you choose a class and dragon and incinerate, maul and/or decimate your foes. Three modes are available from the outset – Carnage, a 6v6 team deathmatch mode; Survival, which sees three 6-player teams battling to be the last team standing; and Gates of Fire where one team must deliver a flag, passing through gates and earning points while doing so. Leveling up unlocks cosmetics for your character and dragon while additional classes will be coming in the future.
MotoGP 21
The MotoGP series returns with its yearly iteration, offering over 120 riders and 20 tracks from the 2021 season. And while it may be more of the same, MotoGP 21 lets you customize pretty much everything, from racing conditions to various parts and accessibility. Some of the more interesting additions include bike retrieval – falling off your bike now has you picking it up and manually getting back into the race – and the long lap penalty, providing more nuance to races. Extensive customization for one’s rider, the event creator and so on are also here with more features. MotoGP 21 is out on April 22nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
Following the incredible success of NieR: Automata, it seemed only a matter of time before its predecessor was remastered. Based on the PS3 version released in Japan, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is more than just a remaster – it heavily revamps the visuals, from character models to environments, while improving the combat. Fully voiced characters, rearranged music and new tracks also round out the excellent presentation as players venture the world to discover a cure of the Black Scrawl. Along the way, they’ll discover the meaning of existence, and what it truly means to be alive. Releasing on April 23rd, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… will be available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Returnal
Housemarque’s high-octane arcade shooter action marches to a stronger narrative beat in Returnal. Deep space ASTRA scout Selene crash lands on a strange planet called Atropos, only to discover constant hostility, shifting environments and a Groundhog Day-like cycle of death. Utilizing 10 different weapons with over 90 mods to customize them with, Selene must learn the secrets of Atropos and try to escape. Interspersed in each run are unique narrative events that provide more background into her past while audio logs detail the more terrifying occurrences on the planet – like Selene encountering and killing another version of herself. Returnal is out on April 30th for PS5.
New Pokémon Snap
It’s been roughly 12 years since Pokemon Snap launched on the Nintendo 64, providing a unique spin on “catching them all” by focusing on Pokemon photography. New Pokemon Snap follows the same principles with improved visuals and more than 200 Pokemon to photograph. Venturing to the Lental region, the player assists Professor Mirror in investigating the Illumina phenomenon. Using the NEO-ONE, they’ll journey through various environments like deserts and beaches, with Pokemon exhibiting different behaviors at different times of day. Use Illumina orbs to make them glow or Fluffruit to lure them out and take pictures, with higher rated shots improving Research Levels and unlocking new areas. Along with photo-editing, players can share their snaps online – amass enough likes and your work could be featured in-game. New Pokemon Snap is set to release on April 30th for the Switch.
Terminator: Resistance Enhanced
Of the many games one expected to garner a positive following after mixed critical reviews, Terminator: Resistance was probably low on the list. Nevertheless, the first person shooter, which takes place in the franchise’s Future War scenario, offered up some fun combat and interesting mechanics like changing the fates of different characters. A new mode, Infiltrator, was also added as players control a T-800 and taking out resistance members. The Enhanced version promises loads of improvements, from lighting and shadow improvements to 4K/60 FPS gameplay and faster loading times. It’s exclusive to PS5 and launches on April 30th.