Taking to Twitter via its official account, Vanillaware recently confirmed brief details on its next game. Confirming that it’s looking to staff up and directing prospective applicants to listings for various positions, the studio has revealed that it’s working on a new fantasy action RPG.

What exactly it’ll mean for Vanillaware to be making an action RPG remains to be seen – from Unicorn Overlord’s turn-based combat to 13 Sentinel’s real-time strategy, the studio has tried its hand at several different things in the past – but with listings looking for 2D artists and background designers, it would seem that at least in terms of aesthetic and visual design, the project won’t be too different from Vanillaware’s past games.

The developer has also showcased a piece of artwork for the title to go along with its aforementioned tweet. Check it out below.

In the meantime, Unicorn Overlord is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. It has sold over 500,000 units worldwide.

ヴァニラウェアでは新規ファンタジーアクションＲＰＧの開発スタッフを募集しております！
ご興味のある方は、是非ご応募ください！→https://t.co/7dmVUYQu7g pic.twitter.com/K8ZQK0GaiI

— ヴァニラ坊や (@vanillaware_boy) May 21, 2024

Other PS4 titles include Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, West of Dead, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness and Contra: Rogue Corps (which are backwards compatible on PS5). The PS4 and PS5 titles include Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, Unpacking, Planet Coaster: Console Edition, Tails Noir, Cloudpunk, Call of the Sea and PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls.

The only PS5-exclusive title is This War of Mine: Final Cut. The above titles are a part of the Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers. The latter gets access to three Star Ocean titles – Star Ocean First Departure R, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 4K and FHD Remaster – and Dragon’s Crown Pro, all on PS4.

These are allegedly NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…., Star Ocean: The Divine Force,13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, and Unpacking. Some titles are exclusive to PS4 and will be playable on PS5 via backwards compatibility, but it’s unknown if the PS5 versions for others are included.

Of course, this isn’t the entire list, but the headliners (at least the first three), so don’t expect anything else. Nevertheless, these are some solid offerings, with the critical acclaim for Unpacking, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139….

Sony will likely announce their arrival in the coming days, especially with September 19th falling on a Tuesday (usually the PlayStation Store’s weekly reset). Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Publisher Atlus has announced that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim has now sold over a million copies worldwide across all platforms since its original Japanese launch in late 2019. In commemoration of the game hitting that milestone, Atlus is also selling it with a 50% discount on the Nintendo Switch eShop until September 9. Sadly, it seems a PlayStation discount isn’t planned.

It was announced in November last year that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim had sold over 800,000 units worldwide, so the strategy adventure title has maintained decent momentum where its sales are concerned.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Read our review of the game through here.

By November 2021, over 500,000 units had been sold worldwide. The Nintendo Switch version launched in April 2022 and has seemingly propelled the title to new heights. Time will tell how many physical sales it garnered, but this is good news overall.

Set in multiple time periods, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim features 13 characters who can pilot giant mechs called Sentinels. Their task is to protect the Aegis from incursions by the Kaiju. However, the overall story goes much deeper. By playing as each character, one can learn the truth about what’s really going on. For more details on why it’s such a masterpiece, check out our feature here.

The live stream will feature appearances by Takayuki Ishii, who voices Takatoshi Hijiyama; Ami Koshimizu, who voices Yuki Takamiya; and Mutsumi Tamura, who voices Tsukasa Okino. There will also be a performance by Hu Ito, better known as Miyuki Inaba’s singing voice, and a look at some new merchandise. The results of a previous user survey are also set to be revealed.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is available for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. It’s sold over 500,000 copies worldwide as of November 2021 and received widespread critical acclaim for its narrative and characters. For more details, check out our review here. You can also learn more about why it’s such an underrated masterpiece here.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Initially, you pity Daniel – he’s trapped in a strange castle with no memories of how he got there and with a murderous Shadow that’s out to get him. Nothing can stop the Shadow and it becomes more commonplace as time goes on. However, it’s revealed that Daniel accidentally unleashed the Shadow upon discovering a strange orb during an archaeological dig. With no other options, he would eventually be contacted by Alexander, a mysterious being who says he can help repel the creature.

Doing this requires gathering vitae from people suffering from immense pain. And so Daniel helped Alexander to capture and torture people (whom the latter claimed to be criminals but were in fact not), using amnesia potion to ensure they remain terrified throughout. Eventually, however, it’s revealed that Alexander is harvesting the vitae to return to his own dimension using the orb. Daniel is betrayed in the process and seeks revenge, using the amnesia potion on himself to push past his guilt.

Upon venturing into the inner reaches of the castle, where Alexander is conducting a ceremony to open a portal, the player can either let him continue and thus be killed by the Shadow, or disrupt it, causing the Shadow to only kill Alexander. The latter seems pretty good but given Daniel’s hand in the torture of innocents, it’s hardly all sunshine and rainbows by the end.

Another choice is to throw the head of Agrippa, a prisoner with knowledge of the orb, into the portal. Both Daniel and Alexander then die to the Shadow but the former won’t descend into darkness because Agrippa will help him…or something. Even if you were being kind and felt Daniel deserved to be saved, there’s no guarantee that the Shadow wouldn’t still be pursuing him.

A couple of new releases did break it into the top 10 though, with the newly-released Nintendo Switch version of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim being the most significant of them all. It comes in at second place with over 27,000 units sold. That’s not too far behind what the game sold on the PS4 when it originally launched in Japan back in 2019, when it managed over 34,000 copies sold upon release. Meanwhile, Koei Tecmo’s Winning Post 9 2022 takes two spots in the top 10, with the Switch version taking No. 4 and the PS4 version slotting in at sixth place. Collectively, the two versions sold over 22,000 units.

On the hardware front, the Nintendo Switch is, once again, comfortably the best-selling console for the week, with all of its variants collectively selling a little over 60,000 units. The PS5 trails by quite some margin with over 11,000 units sold.

You can check out the full software and hardware sales charts for the week ending April 17 below.

Software sales (followed by lifetime sales):

1. [NSW] Kirby and the Forgotten Land – 38,234 (589,200)
2. [NSW] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim – 27,199 (New)
3. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 13,137 (4,567,753)
4. [NSW] Winning Post 9 2022 – 12,704 (New)
5. [NSW] Battle Spirits: Connected Battlers – 10,764 (New)
6. [PS4] Winning Post 9 2022 – 9,421 (New)
7. [NSW] Minecraft – 9,141 (2,604,603)
8. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 6,643 (4,847,161)
9. [NSW] Pokemon Legends: Arceus – 6,444 (2,223,120)
10. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure – 5,064 (3,122,541)

Hardware sales (followed by last week’s sales):

• Nintendo Switch – 60,289 (61,162)
• PS5 – 11,259 (11,224)
• Xbox Series X/S – 5,742 (4,068)

This is done by using the Sentinels, massive mechs with unique abilities depending on the pilot. Combat is a version of real-time-with-pause as you move units around, utilizing different abilities and ultimately defending the Aegis from the incoming hordes. When not fighting, you’ll be running around different areas (and time periods) to find out why the Kaiju are attacking. That is, when you’re not dealing with Men in Black, a talking cat, androids and other terrors.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is already available for PS4 and has garnered exceptional critical acclaim. It crossed 400,000 in worldwide shipments and digital sales as of March 2021 (with 200,000 units sold in Japan as of September 2021).

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Switch)

As a remaster of the Nintendo Wii version, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed tells the story of Galen Marek aka Starkiller. Raised in secret by Darth Vader and serving as his apprentice, he embarks on missions to hunt down any rogue Jedi and kill anyone that gets in his way. While titles like Jedi Knight emphasized more grounded lightsaber combat, The Force Unleashed embraced hack and slash style combos and the power fantasy of hurling TIE Fighters at enemies. While it’s unknown if the Switch version will have motion controls or multiplayer duels like the Wii, it should be a fun way to revisit the franchise when it releases on April 20^th.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Of course for those who want to experience everything Star Wars-related from a LEGO veneer, there’s LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. It packs all nine mainline films, from the prequels and original trilogy to the new trilogy, into one massive game with over 300 playable characters, 45 story missions and tons of side content. Venture to Tatooine and engage in quizzes to find out who shot first; roam space and get into a dogfight with Star Destroyers; or enter Freeplay mode and control whoever you like. It’s out on April 1^st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch.

The Serpent Rogue

The premise of Sengi Games’ action adventure is fairly straightforward – the Serpent Rogue is spreading its evil from Mount Morbus. Play as an alchemist known as The Warden and venture forth to defeat it. As you explore the dark fantasy world, you’ll gather ingredients, craft potions, pursue quests and even shapeshift to grow stronger. Be careful though since certain actions have serious repercussions, like ghouls being attracted to unburied corpses. The Serpent Rogue releases on April 26^th for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

The House of the Dead: Remake

The 1997 arcade rail-shooter is making a comeback, courtesy of Forever Entertainment. Along with remade visuals which give new life to the grotesque zombies of old, it also sports modern controls, local two-player multiplayer and multiple endings. A new game mode where players gun down hordes of the undead has also been added along with Photo Mode, Achievements, an armory with “unlockable” weapons and a gallery to better inspect all of the enemies and bosses. The House of the Dead: Remake launches on April 7^th for Nintendo Switch.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Switch)

Releasing on April 14^th for Nintendo Switch, Vanillaware’s 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is part visual novel/adventure and part real-time strategy with pause, teeming with mechs, time travel and much more. As the Kaiju invade Tokyo, it’s up to the 13 different characters piloting their Sentinels to stop them. Of course, there’s much more to the story than that as players unravel multiple perspectives and piece them together into a cohesive whole.

MotoGP 22

If you need a break from the Forzas and Gran Turismos of the world, then Milestone’s MotoGP 22 may be worth a look. Releasing on April 21^st, it offers 120 riders and more than 20 circuits. Delve into the 2009 Grand Prix in over 17 chapters with legendary riders like Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa, or enter the Academy to undertake training and challenges. You can also create a team and manage everything, from customizing the bikes to hiring staff, or engage in some split-screen racing. MotoGP 22 will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Hologram

For a relatively unknown developer like Enlighteneer, Hologram looks intriguing. Set in the future, you play as Woner who must rely on the power of time manipulation to push back against the “evil horde.” Along with third person shooting, there’s mountain climbing, flying – which can be used to travel the length of planets – and “story-driven gameplay.” Despite some scuffness, it should be interesting to see how the full game is when it releases on April 26^th for PC.

TIC-TAC: Twelve o’clock

Unfortunately, this isn’t a game about calmly playing Tic-Tac-Toe at bright and sunny noon. Instead, you’re exploring Bluebird Middle School, which has somehow become a hotspot for scary creatures and dark forces. Along with puzzle solving and checking your shelter, there are random events that will test your resolve. Survive enough nights and eventually, you’ll find out what’s really going on. TIC-TAC: Twelve o’clock releases on April 29^th for PC.

Holomento

A curse has been wrought upon the land, caused by the strange book known as the Holomento. As a Traveler, you’ll take the book and venture through Eventide Hollow, restoring the region to its former glory. Fight off a variety of enemies (with weapons ranging from swords to grenade launchers, don’t ask) and explore the world for secrets, relics and other resources. Upgrade the Hollow for new stores and shops but beware – dying means starting over as a new Traveler (though you have multiple different classes to choose from). Holomento enters Steam Early Access on April 22^nd.

MLB The Show 22

Sony San Diego’s vaunted MLB The Show series returns, releasing for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S along with PS4 and PS5 on April 5^th. Featuring Shohei Ohtani as its cover star, it also includes a dynamic Stadium Creator for current-gen platforms, online co-op, and a new commentary team with Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton. This in addition to the classic gameplay that fans know and love along with crossplay, cross saves and cross-progression.

Chernobylite (Xbox Series X/S and PS5)

If you’re seeking that classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. feel, then Chernobylite may be worth checking out. Set in the Exclusion Zone, you play as Igor and search desperately for a loved one. That’s easier said than done though with mutants, stalkers and other foes prowling the area, not to mention the dangers of radiation. Recruit companions and assign tasks to them; build your base and craft weapons; and take a variety of approaches when playing through the story. The Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions are out on April 7^th, and will include two graphics modes – 4K/30 FPS and 1080/60 FPS – along with ray tracing support. This is along with the Enhanced Edition PC, which is free for current owners.

Slipstream

A retro-style arcade racer in the vein of Sega’s OutRun series, ansdor’s Slipstream features gorgeous sprite-scaling and a pulsing soundtrack. It comes with five cars, 20 tracks, and four cups in Grand Prix Mode coupled with five additional modes like Time Trial, Battle Royale, Cannonball and more (along with online leaderboards). Though currently available on PC, Slipstream launches on April 7^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.

Chinatown Detective Agency

Pixel art and gorgeous character portraits coincide with cybernoir and shady streets in this point and click adventure from General Interactive Co. Releasing on April 7^th for Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch, it focuses on new PI Amira Darma who travels across the globe to solve cases. Puzzles and a reliance on real-world trivia are necessary for success, reflecting its Carmen Sandiego inspirations, but there’s a rich narrative to discover as well. Manage your resources accordingly though or bankruptcy will come calling.

tERRORbane

Meta gaming (no, not that one) is fairly niche but it’s produced some good games from ICEY to There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension. BitNine’s tERRORbane is the latest to join the pack, starting out as a fantasy RPG that quickly falls apart due to The Developer. Venture through the world and seek out different bugs, oppose The Developer at every turn, and exploit everything in the faulty code to progress. tERRORbane is out on April 1^st for Nintendo Switch and PC.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising

A zombie horde slayer from D3 Publisher is hardly news but Ed-0: Zombie Uprising takes a roguelike survival approach to the proceedings. Set in Edo era Japan (hence the name), players choose from one of three characters – the Samurai, Sumo Wrestler and Ninja – and embark on randomly generated runs. Launching into Steam Early Access on April 4^th, Ed-0 will have two playable characters to start with, three main quests and bosses (along with five sub-quests), multiple difficulty options and over 100 skills and items.