The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

Trails from Zero, like the other Trails games, isn’t just about the ending. It’s about all the resolutions and developments leading up to it. So seeing Renne finally join with Estelle and Joshua after finally getting closure on her family, Lloyd learning about his brother’s fate, or the D∴G Cult finally being brought down and KeA rescued all lead to a great catharsis. The Special Support Section is celebrated, and Crossbell is seemingly at peace…until Trails to Azure, of course.

Horizon Forbidden West

The conclusion of Forbidden West had it all. A siege on the Zenith base via air, Aloy rescuing Beta, the deaths of Erik and Gerard – you name it. But perhaps the biggest surprise is that Nemesis, which the Zeniths accidentally created, was responsible for everything. The extinction signal that reactivated HADES in the first game; the destruction of the Zeniths’ colony, prompting their whole plan to steal GAIA; and so on. After Tilda betrays Aloy and is soundly defeated, everyone bands together – even Sylens – with Aloy to stop Nemesis when it arrives. Sure, it’s a cliffhanger, but it feels like one storm has already calmed and another is getting ready to rage.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Say what you will about Destiny 2’s story-telling, but The Witch Queen’s story is pretty good. It starts with the implication that Savathun stole the Light, but it’s revealed that she died following the effects of Mara Sov’s ritual. The Traveller resurrected her and bestowed the Light, perhaps finding her worthy. In return, Savathun sought to seal the Traveller. Before dying (though her Ghost gets away, so who knows if she’s dead), she speaks of the Witness, and we see the Black Fleet on its way to the Solar System. There’s a lot more to unpack, like Rhulk and his role in Savathun’s creation, but the campaign and shock twist more than make the expansion worth playing.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

The lore behind Kirby and the Forgotten Land is fascinating, whether it’s Fecto Fargo’s role in teleportation technology’s creation or the origins of those who established Planet Popstar, Kirby’s home. On top of defeating Fecto Elfilis to save the regular Elfilis, players also travel to Isolated Isles: Forgo’s Dreams to defeat Forgo Leon and ultimately save Leongar. But that’s not the end either. Upon venturing back to Forgo Land and defeating Morpho Knight, Kirby partakes in the Ultimate Cup Z to face Chaos Elfilis. Defeating it once again makes Elfilis whole, resulting in the happiest ending.

Beacon Pines

Beacon Pines is the story of Luka and his friends, Rolo and Beck, as they navigate the strange goings-on in the titular town. What makes the story so amazing is that Luka will learn specific actions and words throughout the story book-esque setting, and can apply them to different situations. This can result in different endings, like the town suddenly freezing over. On reaching the climax, learning that the entire ordeal was masterminded by Sharper Valentine is a shock, but one that makes sense. That’s one of the strengths of the story and ending: Through all the ridiculousness, it feels refreshingly grounded.

Citizen Sleeper

As a rogue Sleeper living on Erlin’s Eye, there are plenty of story threads to pursue through Citizen Sleeper. You could help a repair shop with some ventures, assist a captain in repairing her ship and chase after a bounty, infiltrate the network, learn what other entities exist in the Eye’s systems, and much more. Perhaps the most noteworthy is being able to leave the Eye to an unknown planet with a father and his daughter, experiencing various cycles en route to finally shutting down. Alternatively, you could stay on the Eye and continue, seeing what life has in store.

Tunic

Tunic’s story revolves around freeing the Heir, a hero sealed in the Far Shore after revealing a terrible truth. If you fight the Heir in the final fight, their soul disappears, and you take their place until the next hero comes along, which could mean repeating the entire cycle. However, if you gather all 56 pages of the in-game manual and show it to the Heir, a fight doesn’t happen. After breaking down in tears, the curse binding them is also broken, and their body restored. You then explore the world together, taking in the sights. It’s a nice subversion of the traditional hero’s journey, providing that there’s more to being one than slaying “the villain.”

Stray

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Despite opening up the ancient Walled City 99 and defeating the Zurks, the cat from Stray loses its droid B-12. It doesn’t even reunite with the family it separated from at the beginning. However, someone calculated that the opening the cat leaves through is very close to where it first fell in. Even if you don’t believe it, there’s no denying that the cat seems to hear something nearby before it goes offscreen, perhaps responding to its family.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

After events that cause Hugo’s powers to rise again, Amicia travels with him to a mysterious island that could seemingly provide a cure. Throughout the journey though, it becomes clear that this isn’t the case. Eventually, after thinking that Amicia may be dead, Hugo gives in to his powers, and the only way to stop him is by killing him. It’s a somber result, for sure.

But one year later, Amicia finds the strength to continue and works with Sophia to find the next carrier to protect and guide (before tearfully bidding farewell to Hugo’s grave). The post-credits scene shows a baby’s arm before indicating the Macula within, hinting at them being the next carrier.

God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok’s final act has received some criticism, and rightfully so. But there’s no denying just how much it gets right. The turnaround in Thor’s character as he finally opposes Odin; the chaos caused by Surtr-turned-Ragnarok; Sindri’s appearance, which brings down the walls of Asgard; and seeing Kratos, Freya and Atreus trounce Odin; and much more. Freyr sacrificing himself to ensure everyone escapes is a bummer, but we finally get Aesir and Vanir at peace.

Atreus embarks with Angrboda on a journey to find the remaining Giants, Kratos sets out to bring peace to the Nine Realms, and almost everyone gets a happy ending.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion

Yes, this is technically an ending from an older game, but it’s incredible. After escaping from Shinra, Zack and Cloud are on the run, with the latter being catatonic. Eventually, they run into Shinra troops, and Zack fends them off on his lonesome to protect Cloud. Throughout the fight, memories flash through the Digital Mind Wave, as we’re essentially seeing his last moments. By the time all enemies have been eliminated, Cloud has finally come to, and a dying Zack passes on his sword – and his legacy – to him.

The Last of Us Part 1

If there’s one ending which stood the test of time, it’s The Last of Us, and it looks even better in the remake. Upon reaching Salt Lake City, Joel learns the Fireflies are attempting to create a vaccine for the Cordyceps infection using Ellie’s brain. However, the procedure will kill her, which causes Joel to go on a rampage, killing everyone in his path to saving Ellie. After leaving, he lies to her about the entire ordeal, planting the seeds for events in The Last of Us Part 2.

Sifu

The overall story of Sifu centers on forgiveness and Wude, a martial mortality system. As such, players can kill each member of Yang’s gang, before taking him down, but this leads to a bad ending. The supposed “good” ending sees the protagonist sparing each member and Yang, leading to their death as they awaken in the peaceful afterlife. A mid-credits scene plays if you gather all the components of the magical talisman, which shows a seemingly reformed Yang, with his student following Wude.

Tiny Rogues

Launched in early access this year, Tiny Rogues is a dungeon crawler/rogue-lite/action RPG/bullet hell title with retro-style visuals. As minimalistic as the presentation feels, the combat is solid with several starting characters, tons of different weapons and spells, challenging and varied bosses, and great build variety. Want to become a tower shield-wielding magic wielder that rains down meteors? Perhaps a barbarian that inflicts poison arrows? You can do that and so much more.

Brotato

Of course, you can’t mention excellent early-access titles without mentioning Brotato. Essentially a rogue-lite horde shooter with timed waves, it offers some unique mechanics like the ability to hold and use multiple weapons at once. Combine this with some crazy upgrades, weapon rarities, and tons of different builds, from the super lucky guy to the streamer, and you’ve got hours and hours of fun on your hands.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero has been a long, long time coming, having been available in Japan till now. Sporting the same old-school RPG look as Trails in the Sky, the Western release remakes these visuals in extraordinary fashion while still delivering an excellent plot, stellar combat, and some excellent world-building. While those who played the Sky trilogy will get more out of it, Trails from Zero capably stands on its own.

The Case of the Golden Idol

If a more thorough detective title is to your liking, The Case of the Golden Idol is worth checking out. It takes place over four decades, with the player detective attempting to solve 12 grisly murders by filling in the blanks with a select set of keywords. There’s plenty of conspiracy and intrigue, and the bizarre art style is appealing in its own right. More importantly, the story and characters are simply excellent and well worth the trip.

Beacon Pines

I will forever sing the praises of Beacon Pines, Hiding Spot’s gorgeous mystery that’s equal parts choose your adventure and visual novel. It sports characters that are likeable and incredibly fleshed out; a cosy setting brimming with secrets; and a story full of twists, turns, and interesting developments. There’s so much to like, and it’s a shame that more people haven’t played it.

Citizen Sleeper

Citizen Sleeper is great, and you can’t say enough about its brilliance. Erlin’s Eye is a melting pot of characters, culture, and intrigue, whether you’re conversing with NeoVend, the sentient vending machine or trying to piece together the motives behind Sabine, the slum doctor. Actions play out through dice rolls, with light resource management, but it’s the extensive (and excellent) dialogue, coupled with the overall plot, makes this a must-play title.

Nobody Saves the World

Guacamelee developer Drinkbox is doing a lot with its overhead action RPG Nobody Saves the World. It sports fun combat with multiple classes, each offering unique abilities and upgrades – like the Rat, Ranger, Horse, and much more – and the ability to mix and match these into killer builds. It offers a large world to explore with procedurally generated dungeons and fun bosses. If that weren’t enough, it supports two-player co-op and has a solid comedic bent. If any of that sounds like something you’d enjoy, it’s worth a look.

Iron Lung

A short but sweet psychological horror set in a submarine navigating a strange Blood Ocean, Iron Lung has you traveling to locations and taking pictures. Seems simple enough, but you’re working with an iffy camera and relying purely on sensors and an incomplete map. Sometimes, you need to seal the submarine’s porthole because of depth pressure, but something is out there, waiting. Developed by David Szymanski of Dusk fame, Iron Lung is a claustrophobic and creepy experience.

Prodeus

A retro-Doom-style shooter with tons of gore and particle effects with stellar level design and action? That describes Prodeus in a nutshell, but the overall experience is so much more. Everything feels right, from the weapon feel and the overall pacing to the enemy design and difficulty. Plus, with a map creator and browser, hundreds of levels offer even more potential for slaying monsters.

Strange Horticulture

Being a horticulturist in a video game sounds like a drag, but Bad Viking’s Strange Horticulture is anything but. It’s equal parts plant management and mystery as you identify and recommend plants to customers in the small town of Undermere. As the story progresses, dark events and secrets come to light, and you’ll venture to mysterious places, converse with cults, and frequently pet the cat. It’s a stellar gameplay loop and one that keeps you coming back.

Sephonie

From the minds of Anodyne 1 and 2, Sephonie is more of a 3D platformer set on Sephonie Island with Amy, Riyou and Ing-wen as the protagonists. Upon navigating its various caves using wall runs and vaults, memories and dreams of the trio manifest while a strange force seems to manipulate them. In addition to a beautiful and unique aesthetic, Sephonie also offers puzzles using a grid system, as you Link different creatures in your research. It’s an unorthodox mix of genres that works well and delivers a great story.

Signalis

Touted as a classic survival horror, rose-engine’s Signalis tells the story of a Replika, Elster, who awakens in a wrecked ship and ventures onto a mysterious planet. What happened? That’s up to you to discover as you solve puzzles, manage your inventory and fight terrifying enemies. With gorgeous visuals and an aesthetic inspired by Stanley Kubrick and Hideaki Anno, Signalis is a surreal, terrifying experience worth playing.

Shredders

Have you ever craved the days of grounded but not super hardcore snowboarding titles? FoamPunch’s Shredders may fill that avoid. It offers numerous pro riders and a massive open world to explore, with locations ranging from parks to the countryside. The sheer depth of the controls, combined with the smooth animations and plethora of content, including a story mode and online play, make this a worthy successor to the Amped series.

Far: Changing Tides

Much like Far: Lone Sails, Far: Changing Tides is a side-scrolling adventure game where you manage a ship constantly on the move in a post-apocalyptic world. The twist is that you’re sailing through a flooded world and can occasionally leave the vessel to either gather resources or clear the way forward. Maintaining and upgrading the ship opens up underwater excursions to progress further. It’s a melancholic experience without any chance of failure and a sense of wonder.

APICO

Similar to Minecraft’s Forestry mod, APICO is about beekeeping. You venture to Port APICO, manage bees, cross-breed them for over 30 different species, make products and sell them, and much more. It’s a relaxing game with a hefty amount of content, from different biomes to minigames, and co-op support for up to four players. The latest update added butterflies, new flowers, and much more for even more stuff to do.

The biggest game of the bunch is Arkane Studios’ first person shooter Deathloop, which launches for Xbox now that its PlayStation exclusivity deal is over. The game is available for Game Pass today on PC, console, and cloud. Also available today is Hardspace: Shipbreaker for cloud and Xbox Series X/S.

September 22 will bring another three games to the service, with Slime Rancher 2 launching in early access for cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, alongside SpiderHeck (for console and PC) and Beacon Pines (for cloud, console, and PC).

September 27 will see the long-awaited 1.0 launch for Obsidian Entertainment’s Grounded for cloud, console, and PC, as well as Moonscars for the same platforms. On September 29, another major survival game will become available for Game Pass on PC with Valheim, while Let’s Build a Zoo will join the service’s catalog on cloud, console, and PC.

Finally, on September 30, PAW Patrol Grand Prix will become available for cloud, console, and PC.

You can check out the full list of games added to Game Pass as part of the first wave for September 2022 through here.