Both are available through EA Play, so you’ll need Game Pass Ultimate (or PC Game Pass for Immortals). Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 arrives on May 21st, with Ninja Theory recently outlining how it approached and depicted psychosis in a new video – check it out here. May 23rd sees the addition of Galacticare, a hospital management sim set in space, and Hauntii, a puzzle game with a ghostly protagonist.

Moving Out 2 will be available on May 28th, followed by Humanity and Lords of the Fallen (which recently received its last major update, “Master of Fate”) on May 30th. On June 4th, subscribers can access horror mystery Firework on PC and life sim Rolling Hills on cloud, consoles and PC.

As with every month, the following titles will leave Game Pass on May 31st. Finish them now or purchase them at a 20 percent discount.

• Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Farworld Pioneers (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Pac-Man Museum Plus (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Little Witch in the Woods (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Railway Empire 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

There are, of course, major spoilers ahead for each of the games featured in this rundown, so skip a section if you want to discover the game’s conclusion for yourself.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar’s wild west opus has four endings (three as Arthur Morgan, one as John Marston) but owing to your inevitable attachment to Morgan during the 50-hour-or-so campaign none are especially uplifting. The ‘good’ – in inverted commas – ending sees Morgan assisting Marston in a shootout against Dutch’s gang and the Pinkertons. High honour: Arthur succumbs to tuberculosis watching the sunrise; low: he takes a bullet to the head. Abandoning Marston for the bad ending sees Morgan lose a knife fight to Micah Bell. Each ending elevates an already engrossing story, but it sure does suck for Arthur to lose his life no matter what you choose.

Ghost of Tsushima  

Jin’s defence of Tsushima from Mongol invaders culminates in the ultimate moral quandary, and players are divided on which direction is most canonical. On the one hand, killing Lord Shimura – his surrogate father – is most honourable for Shimura but distressing for Jin. Sparing his uncle dishonours the family, spitting in the face of samurai code. Opt for the former to poetically symbolise Jin’s full transition to ghost, severing any remaining connection to the samurai code he once adhered, no matter how much Shimura demanded it. Either way, Jin is left a lone wolf, his heroism reduced to villainy in the eyes of the Shogun.

Shadow of the Colossus

Yeah, you’ve slain sixteen colossi to revitalise your lady love Mono, but at what cost? The scheming Dormin doesn’t reveal their identity as annexed demon until the game’s very end, but by that time it’s too late, the damage is done. Shadow of the Colossus has a way of making you feel sorry for the fierce-now-slain colossi, even though your actions as Wander were in good faith; to be fair to Dormin too, they do uphold their end of the bargain in reviving Mono. Agro the horse survives too, at least.

Limbo

Enigmatic Limbo, the odyssey of a boy in search of his sister. This silent, dark ambient masterwork is open to interpretation, but the presiding theory is that the boy is dead and that the game is an allegorical retelling of his life right up until the moment he checks out. With all the gravitational flailing during the game’s final moments it seems the boy died in a car crash, but the gut punch here is that he clearly doesn’t know he’s already dead. Maybe his sister was never in Limbo? Or maybe she died in the crash too? The two never clap eyes on each other at the end, despite the sister sensing the boy’s presence. Tragic.

Braid

An ending which re-contextualises the narrative, during Braid we play as Tim during his attempts to rescue a princess from an evil monster, although maybe Tim is the monster all along? This blatant switcheroo is not as trivial as it first appears. Tim, as revealed via in-game texts, was instrumental in The Manhattan Project, with the princess being a manifestation of his guilt surrounding his part in the atom bomb’s development. The flip-reverse finale whereby we believe we’re rescuing the princess only for time to switch backwards to reveal she’s running away cements Tim’s legacy as wrongdoer. It’s a beautiful, bittersweet full circle.

SOMA  

Say what you will about SOMA, but it’s got one of the heaviest existential crises in all video games. Uploading consciousness to digital formats is conceptually and morally nebulous; SOMA asks just what it is to be human. Is it someone’s thoughts, personality, memories? If so, is it the same person if you extract these thoughts and implant them in a carbon-copied body? Experiencing this first-hand through the eyes of Simon, we feel a sense of triumph as his fourth iteration is deposited into the ARK before its voyage to interstellar sanctuary, but our eyes stay with Simon3 as he’s left behind in dark, subaquatic abyss, abandoned and alone.

The Last of Us

The pinnacle of moral middle ground, you play the majority of The Last of Us as grief-stricken smuggler Joel, and you’ll endear yourself to him principally due to the tragic loss of his daughter some two decades prior; a heinous tragedy, with unshakeable grief hanging over him like a dark cloud. Ellie is his chance at finally conquering his sorrow, of blowing this dark cloud away, so his actions – as abominable as they are for the rest of humanity – are explainable. There’s no denying his selfishness though; The Last of Us has us believe we play the good guy, but our nobility is shattered at the very end.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

A game about working together to overcome insurmountable challenges, little brother Naiee heavily relies on older sibling Naia, until he can’t. Ingeniously exemplified via in-game controls, the loss of thumb-stick functionality for the older brother symbolising the very real loss Naiee experiences when Naia is no longer his guiding light. Together with Naiee, we’re forced to adapt, to learn strength, and live without help. It’s a bittersweet ending to an emotionally charged story.

A Way Out

Two endings are possible in dual-protagonist prison break drama A Way Out, yet the deaths of seasoned criminal Leo or undercover agent Vincent don’t bring any significant gratification to the player. Canonically, Leo killing Vincent makes more sense. After all, he’s the real criminal here despite his final actions motivated by betrayal than bloodlust. Vincent killing Leo is the easier pill to swallow but implies a failure to morally resolve his sting operation. Both share kinship, both have families outside of the drama, there’re no winners at the end of A Way Out.

L.A. Noire

Despite L.A. Noire adhering to the tragic finale trope of film noir, numerous players find the game’s ending dissatisfactory. Centring on Cole Phelps’ humdrum death at game’s end, Phelps’ quest for redemption ending on a damp squib, with little recognition for the man he is, for his uneventful funeral, it’s easy to see this resolution as a rushed job by the developers. Thing is, Phelps spent his life seeking redemption for his failures as a soldier, police officer, and husband. The fact he was on the cusp of reclamation before his untimely death is plain tragic.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Sure, there are endless clues throughout MGSV: The Phantom Pain that Venom Snake isn’t in fact the real Big Boss, but The Medic whom Zero imparts skills, wisdom, and memories of Big Boss to act as decoy. By the end of the game, it feels like we’ve been playing as a lie. We eliminate the bad guys, but do we feel fulfilled? Aren’t we left with a feeling of emptiness – a Phantom Pain?

Inside

Monochromatic side-scroller Inside plunges a boy into a dangerous world, intriguing, otherworldly, hostile, and mysterious. He’s forging towards something, but that something is totally unexpected. Is the globule mass calling him? That point is up for interpretation, but once he’s enveloped, and the hulking mass escapes from the tight-knit facility all hell breaks loose. We escape, but to where? Was this whole thing orchestrated? One thing worth mentioning: when we reach the grey shoreline come the game’s very end, there’s a sense of tranquility. Of peace. Inside’s a strange one.

It Takes Two

Struggling couple Cody and May are forced to cooperate in It Takes Two, overcoming obstacles together in miniature toy-like form initially as a means to reach their daughter back in their human form, but then growing as a way to save their marriage. However, together they must torture and kill a stuffed elephant toy; a toy that, yes, whilst stuffed and not real is begging for mercy. It’s challenging, disturbing, quease-inducing, but come games end the trio of husband, wife, and daughter have a new perspective on their life and relationship. It’s just that getting there takes monumental challenge – kind of like true life.

Telltale’s The Walking Dead

Yes, an obvious pick for this feature. There’re question marks over saviour Lee’s fate – does he die in both the game’s possible endings? Sure, he’s bitten, so in one ending you shoot him out of sympathy, but in the other you can spare him. The tragedy here is that in saving your bullet you condemn him to becoming a walker. You’re left broken either way, a true example of survival but at what cost.

Gears of War 3

The ending of Gears of War 3 centers on sacrifice. It’s revealed player-character Marcus Fenix’s father Adam infects himself with Lambent cells in order to test his Locust eradicating machine. The machine works, sweeping a shockwave across Sera and completing the mission for Marcus and his team. They’ve won, but of course Marcus has lost his father, and perhaps greater, he mournfully ponders the remnants of humanity – was it all worth saving?

On May 2nd, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will be available via all three platforms. It includes the base game but with a new model for Lara Croft, reworked lighting and shaders, and all of the DLC. Kona 2: Brume is next on May 7th and sees players venturing to Northern Canada in 1970 to investigate the titular brume.

Little Kitty, Big City arrives on May 9th, while Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons – the original, not the recent remake – returns to the service on May 14th. It still holds up after all these years, though you can check out our thoughts on the remake here.

Quite a few games are departing the service on May 15th. While you could finish them before they’re gone, subscribers get a 20 percent discount. Check out all the titles below.

• Eastern Exorcist (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Eiyuden Chronicle Rising (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Ghostlore (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Just Cause 4 Reloaded (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Norco (Cloud, Console, PC)
• SD Gundam Battle Alliance (Cloud, Console, PC)
• Supraland Six Inches Under (Cloud, Console, PC)

Their journey spans a fantasy world with various creatures, some helpful and others not, with mountain ranges, icy regions and gorgeous forests. The single-player mode sees players control both brothers, utilizing Naiee to fit through smaller openings while Naia can hoist him up or pull heavy switches.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake also adds local co-op, with players controlling a brother and working together. The visuals have been heavily revamped, with more detailed textures and character models to go with new lighting and shadows. Avantgarden also touts some new secrets for players to discover. The remake is out on February 28th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, so stay tuned for more details.

The original game, which was developed and released by Starbreeze Studios in 2015, was the first game to be directed by Josef Fares, who later went on to direct A Way Out and It Takes Two with his indie team Hazelight Studios. It told the story of two brothers who set out from their village on a perilous journey to find a cure for their dying father.

The announcement trailer for the remake, which is being developed by Avantgarden, showcases updated visuals and familiar puzzle and platforming mechanics. Check it out below.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 28, 2024.

According to prominent leaker billbil-kun, a remake of Starbreeze Studios-developed 2013 title Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is going to be announced soon, potentially at The Game Awards tomorrow. The leaker hasn’t mentioned who the remake’s developer is, and it’s unknown what its release date will be, but it will allegedly be published by 505 Games, just as the original was. The IP was acquired by the publisher in 2015.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was the first game to be directed by Josef Fares, who would later go on to found indie team Hazelight Studios, developer of A Way Out and It Takes Two. Unlike Fares’ later games, both of which were exclusively co-op, Brothers was a single player game. It tells the story of two young brothers who embark on a journey to find a cure for their dying father’s illness.

Stay tuned for a potential announcement at The Game Awards, which are scheduled for tomorrow, December 7, at 4:30 PM PT.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, and PC.

https://twitter.com/billbil_kun/status/1732401470526337444

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons comes from Josef Fares, the mastermind behind popular co-op games like A Way Out and It Takes Two. The game tells a heartwarming story about two brothers working together through a vast world, and the mechanics do a good job of encouraging synergies between the player in new and interesting ways. Between this and the charming art style on offer, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons becomes a great game to play with a loved one.

NOTE: There are spoilers ahead for every game in this feature.

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

Red Dead Redemption’s ending was already a shocking one, but its sequel somehow ended up topping it. Serving as a prequel and featuring a character that had never been mentioned in RDR1 as its protagonist, Red Dead 2 was obviously always going to go poorly for its main characters, but the way Rockstar pulled it off somehow managed to leave us stunned nonetheless. Arthur Morgan is built up throughout the whole game as an amazing character – probably one of the greatest video game characters of all time – so seeing him meet his cruel, untimely demise is a hard pill to swallow. Yes, technically, that isn’t the ending, and you do spent a healthy chunk of time playing as John Marston in the lengthy epilogue- but we all know how that ends as well, and it ain’t pretty.

Hollow Knight 

Team Cherry’s take on the increasingly popular souls like genre has been met with great critical and commercial acclaim, and for all the right reasons. The world of Hallownest strikes a careful balance between being joyful and daunting, and in addition to this – the game has excellent art direction, music, platforming, and level. It’s a really well-rounded and complete package, which is available across all platforms at just a fraction of the cost of contemporaries.

Made by Josef Fares and his team (who would go on to develop A Way Out), when Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons first launched in 2013, it was met with great critical acclaim, with critics and audiences praising it for its emotional storytelling and unique and engaging gameplay mechanics.

Now, 505 Games have announced that the unique indie-developed gem will be made available to even more audiences, with the game releasing on the Nintendo Switch later this month- on May 28, to be more precise. In fact, the game’s Switch version will also include completely new content- namely, a two player co-op experience, where each player controls one of the brothers using a Joycon each. The game, in all its other releases, has remained a strictly single player experience, so this might be a great reason to jump back in even if you’ve played it before. You can take a look at the announcement trailer for the Switch release below.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a great game, and well worth experiencing. In our review for it back in 2013, we praised it for its fantastic storytelling and innovative and satisfying puzzles, and awarded it an 8.5/10. The Switch release is a great way to experience the game for the first time (or again)- the game is, dare I say, perfect for the Switch.

Beyond Switch, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is also available on a lot of other platforms. It was ported to the PS4 and the Xbox One in 2015. It’s also available on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, iOS, Android, and Windows Phones.