Ironically, the game takes place during the Edo period in Japan. For those not well-versed in Japanese history, this period lasted over 200 hundred years between the 17^th and 19^th centuries and was largely known for the peace that Japan enjoyed following the strife occurring between warring clans in the feudal era. But there’s not much peace to be had here as zombies have risen to claim the flesh of the living. This theme aside, the narrative is largely absent. There are loading screens with static images featuring dialogue and small tidbits of lore throughout. But there really isn’t any overarching plot to write home about.

"Ed-0 takes the nature of rogue-likes and seemingly attempts to capture the intensity of Souls games, making this one a particularly dicey affair."

Because of this, that means the gameplay is central to this experience and is really what the title should thrive on. But does it? First, let’s start with the game’s fundamentals. As with any game in the rogue-like genre, each world is randomly generated and death results in a restart of the mission which also resets the layout. Each mission is designated by conquering a number of “floors.” In each “floor” or level, you’ll have to find and potentially unlock Torri gates to continue to the next floor. Torri gates are color-coded by what potential boosts they offer during your small reprieve between floors. For instance, Yellow Torri gates will offer you a food item to boost your stamina or “Zen.” Zombies are littered throughout each floor and you’ll engage in a typical hack n’ slash approach to defeat them. You can acquire special moves called “Secret Arts” throughout each floor. Your character can equip a total of four Secret Arts per mission. Furthermore, if you acquire pick-ups of the same Secret Art you already have equipped, you can use that to boost the special attack in various ways.

While you travel from floor to floor, you must also manage your stamina by eating food, taking strength pills, or consuming any other boost that helps you maintain Zen. If you run out of stamina, the game will let you know you are hungry. In this state, your life will start whittling away, and yes, you can die from starvation.

Your ultimate goal for a given mission is to make it through a series of floors, usually 10 in total. The last floor often contains a boss character you must fight. While you can rush from Torri gate to Torri gate and climb to the last floor rather quickly without fighting many zombies, you won’t have the boosts necessary to take on the final boss and you’ll die miserably. So, in effect, you should explore and seek out boosts, Secret Arts, and consumables along your journey. Ed-0’s problems lie in the game’s method of shepherding you through a given mission.  Ultimately, the developers want you to be challenged. And you will, indeed, be challenged. But it’s not necessarily a good thing. Other rogue-likes and Souls-type games that amplify the difficulty do so in a way that employs strategy, player education, and growth. Ed-0, unfortunately, grants all of its enemy characters an egregious amount of vitality in the wake of your standard attacks. On the flip side, a traditional zombie dealing a melee strike cuts through your life bar swiftly. This, in effect, forces you to find the necessary means of boosting your Secret Arts attacks and finding powerful consumables. However, since the game is randomly generated, it’s essentially a crapshoot. I’ve had runs where I’ve largely gained nothing. Conversely, I’ve had runs where I was dealt a decent hand.

"Ed-0, unfortunately, grants all of its enemy characters an egregious amount of vitality in the wake of your standard attacks. On the flip side, a traditional zombie dealing a melee strike cuts through your life bar swiftly. This, in effect, forces you to find the necessary means of boosting your Secret Arts attacks and finding powerful consumables. However, since the game is randomly generated, it’s essentially a crapshoot. I’ve had runs where I’ve largely gained nothing. Conversely, I’ve had runs where I was dealt a decent hand."

Each mission must be completed in this manner in order to proceed to the next mission. Therefore, if you’re stuck, you’ll simply have to keep trying. The game does offer forms of permanent upgrades. There is a hub village where you go in between missions. As you gain coins from a quest, you keep them as long as you survive. You can even opt out mid-way through a run by taking a Homebound Torri gate to retain what you’ve collected without risking death and losing it. You can then deposit it in the bank to keep it safe or spend it at the Dojo on valuable buffs.

While some might find satisfaction in this gameplay loop, most will regard the combat as overly repetitive and tedious. When you have to slash an average zombie – without using Secret Arts attacks – upwards of 15 times or more to kill it, you know this zombie-killing ride will eventually become a real bore. While most enemies are easy to run away from, the bosses provide a steep challenge. Eventually, quicker and more deadlier enemies will be introduced in the normal floors including boss characters from previous runs. One misstep could cost you a third of your life or more in a single blow. Before you know it, you’re finished.

The controls are tight and responsive. Your character moves quickly, though sometimes you might forget which Secret Arts button combo you’ve assigned the action to as it will change with each mission. Some controls are a little awkward such as holding L2 and pushing the up button on the D-pad in order to throw an object. Aside from a few non-standard schemes such as that, there really aren’t any major hang-ups with the controls.

"The models for the zombies are often far too simple, jagged, and infinitely repetitive. Zombie clones will be noticeable at every turn. Aside from character combat, animations are robotic. The labyrinthine pathways of each floor in a given mission are rather dull and uninspired."

Graphically, Ed-0 looks like what you’d expect from a budget studio and publisher. This isn’t a AAA affair. The models for the zombies are often far too simple, jagged, and infinitely repetitive. Zombie clones will be noticeable at every turn. Aside from character combat, animations are robotic. The labyrinthine pathways of each floor in a given mission are rather dull and uninspired. Sure, you’re here to slay zombies and survive, not sightsee. But the foreground should at least have some appeal and at least be interesting to a degree. The developers did, however, include an EDO Shader that you can apply to the graphics that ultimately make things a little more refined. It’s a cel-shading style that helps the world feel a bit more animated

At the end of the day, Ed-0: Zombie Uprising doesn’t fully respect your time as the player. While some may find enjoyment in its painstakingly rigorous combat with the undead, most will feel frustrated and exhausted with its unrewarding and unbalanced difficulty mechanics. It’s a game that lives in the shadows of challenging rogue-likes and Soulsborne titles. While budget graphics, sound design, and animation don’t necessarily make or break a game, poor difficulty balance and a subpar combat grind absolutely will.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie

While many may see this as yet another Trails title in the long-running series, for many, it’s the conclusion of a journey that ended somewhat abruptly in 2020. The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie takes place after the events of Cold Steel 4 and sees Erebonia at peace. However, trouble begins to stir once more. This time, there are three different character paths to pursue. Lloyd Bannings and the Special Support Section seek to protect Crossbell; Rean Schwarzer and Class VII deal with the aftermath of the Great Twilight; and a mysterious individual named C butts heads with both.

Players can switch between each protagonist with the Crossroads system and venture into the True Reverie Corridor, a randomly generated dungeon with its own side content, characters, and events. Even if the wait for the next entry is long, fans can finally see the Erebonian saga come to a close when The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie launches on July 7th for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals

Oxenfree fans can finally continue the mind-bending journey that began in 2016. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals is set five years later and sees protagonist Riley returning to her hometown. Mysterious events are occurring again, thanks to strange electromagnetic waves, and she’s determined to find the cause. Once again, conversations play out in real time, and your choices influence the story’s direction, the bonds forged, and Riley’s personality.

You can use the new walkie-talkie to speak to (or ignore) the locals and maybe learn more about the mysterious Parentage. Space-time travel, bigger stakes and more await as everything rests on your shoulders. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals launches on July 12th for PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android, and we can’t wait to see what twists await.

Exoprimal

There have probably been enough jokes about someone at Capcom thinking, “But what if Horde mode Dino Crisis with power suits?” Nevertheless, Exoprimal looks very interesting. Set in 2040, where outbreaks of thousands of dinosaurs occur constantly, players join a squad of exosuit pilots to stem the tide. An AI known as Leviathan is used to predict the outbreaks, but before you know it, time travel is involved. What is Leviathan’s goal with its simulations, and can players resolve the mysteries of the dinosaurs?

The story unfolds through the co-op Dino Survival mode, as two squads of five players compete in various maps to complete objectives. Sometimes you may go head-to-head, but you can forgo PvP entirely. Gather clues to learn more, and pilot several different Exosuits, each with unique roles and capabilities, whether healing allies with Nimbus, tanking damage as Murasame, or taking down hordes of enemies with Zephyr.

Exoprimal launches on July 14th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC, and is also coming to Game Pass on day one.

Pikmin 4

What happens when Captain Olimar crash-lands on a planet and the Rescue Corps sent to retrieve him also crashes? It’s the job of a recruit, aka You, to save everyone, once again corralling and commanding hordes of Pikmin to help.

Releasing on July 21st for Nintendo Switch, Pikmin 4 allows for customizing your character, collecting treasures and exploring the environment to rescue any castaways. A new dog-like creature Oatchi helps out, serving as a mount and also battling some of the hostile monsters that abound. Players can also explore at night, tackling tougher threats and using the new Glow Pikmin.

Throw in a mysterious individual who also seems to be after the castaways, leading to Dandori Battles, where you compete to gather the most objects, and Pikmin 4 seems to have a lot in store for series fans. Newcomers can download a free demo from the eShop, allowing them to sample the gameplay and transfer progress to continue in the full game.

Remnant 2

Defying expectations, Remnant: From the Ashes went from relatively no buzz to a beloved third-person shooter Souls-like that sold over 3 million copies. With Remnant 2, Gunfire Games is going much bigger with new worlds, weapons, armor, enemies, bosses and an increased scale. Taking place nearly 20 years after the events of Subject 2923, Ward 13 is at peace. However, with The Root continuing to spread to other worlds via The Labyrinth, players suit up to try and stop it.

Instead of classes, players have Archetypes, which allow for multi-classing and mixing and matching Skills and Traits. The random world generation is also kicked up a notch, as you’ll explore new biomes with unique quests and enemies on each playthrough, leading to more replay value. Remnant 2 is out on July 25th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PC)

Roughly two years and several other PS5 titles on PC later, Insomniac Games’ Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is finally coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store. Launching on July 26th, it supports 21:9 and 32:9 Ultra-wide displays. For the triple monitor owners, it even has 48:9 support. Ray-traced reflections are a given, but you also get unlocked frame rates and ray-traced shadows for exteriors.

There’s support for the haptic feedback and dynamic triggers on DualSense in addition to the keyboard and mouse (not to mention other controller options). Upscaling solutions like Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR2, Intel XeSS and Insomniac’s Temporal Injection are also supported. If this isn’t enough, you can also use DLAA to improve the image quality and Reflex for more responsive controls.

Honestly, just hearing that Nixxes is handling the port is good enough for us, as Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is an incredible dimension-hopping 3D platformer.

Disney Illusion Island

Remember that gorgeous-looking 2D platformer starring Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy that Disney announced? Good news – it’s not dead. Disney Illusion Island recently received a new trailer ahead of its July 28th release, and it looks as sharp as ever. The story sees Mickey and the crew venturing to Monoth Island to recover three books. Along with platforming challenges and puzzles, they’ll take on bosses with their unique abilities and delve more into the island’s various mysteries.

The hand-drawn animation, familiar voices and charming soundtrack will draw you in, and there’s also four-player couch co-op support with unique skills for helping each other out. With its adorable visuals and sleek presentation, Disney Illusion Island could fill the hole that Rayman Origins and Legends have left for party platformers.

F1 Manager 2023

It’s easy to be wary of F1 Manager 2023, especially considering how Frontier Developments handled the post-launch support of its predecessor. Nevertheless, with 23 races, new tracks like the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and the new Race Replay for reliving the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship, there are some interesting bells and whistles. You can also embody a team during big moments in the season using Race Moments.

Frontier also promises better drive AI and “refinements to racing lines, overtakes and incidents.” F1 Manager 2023 launches on July 31st for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Hopefully, it’s a step up from its predecessor.

Jagged Alliance 3

The latest entry in the classic squad-based tactical strategy series, Jagged Alliance 3, sees players assembling a team of mercenaries to rescue the President of Grand Chien and defeat The Legion. Mercenaries come with different personalities and quirks, and some familiar faces are returning. However, all tactical decisions rest with the player, whether you’re customizing weapons and load-outs, battling enemy forces or capturing territory.

Jagged Alliance 3 offers an open structure with plenty of freedom, and you can experience the campaign alone or with a friend in co-op. It’s out on July 14th, exclusively for PC. Will it end up with fewer issues than developer Haemimont Games’ Park Beyond? One can certainly hope.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1

Telltale Games is working with Alcon and Deck Nine Games for a new narrative adventure based on the popular sci-fi series, The Expanse. As a prequel to the TV series, it sees Camina Drummer (played by Cara Gee) and her crew on the Artemis exploring The Belt, salvaging space ships and having all kinds of run-ins.

As with classic Telltale titles, your decisions matter and can be the difference between valuable supplies or your crewmate losing a leg. The Expanse: A Telltale Series launches July 27th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC via the Epic Games Store. However, this marks the debut of Episode 1 – four more episodes are coming, each releasing two weeks afterwards.

Synapse

Among the many new titles coming to PlayStation VR2 is Synapse, a first-person shooter from nDreams starring David Hayter and Jennifer Hale. As an operative tasked with investigating Colonel Peter Conrad, who is threatening a world-ending catastrophe, you venture into the latter’s mind, battling through surreal environments while gathering clues on his weapon.

The Heart of Darkness inspiration isn’t exactly subtle, but seeing Hayter play Conrad, lending his signature charisma to what should be an intriguing villain, will be interesting. It also doesn’t hurt that the shooting and visuals look good. Synapse is out on July 4th for PlayStation VR2.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising

From Lancarse, the team behind duds like The Diofield Chronicle, comes Ed-0: Zombie Uprising. Though it has some role-playing elements, this is a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler with randomly generated environments where you slay hordes of zombies in the Edo period. Play as a Samurai, Sumo Wrestler or Ninja, discover over 150 items and skills, and battle bosses.

Will this result in the zombies not turning Japan into a deadman wonderland? Probably not, but it should make for some mindless fun. Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is currently available in early access for PC but exits on July 13th while also being available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg

You may be familiar with the Atelier series, specifically Ryza and Sophie, but how about returning to where it all began? Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg kickstarted the RPG series, and it’s getting the remake treatment on July 12th on PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. The visuals are updated, with cute 3D character models and stages, while event illustrations are now animated.

Thankfully, the tutorial, exploration and collecting of materials have been improved. Long-time fans can look forward to new events and characters, but if you’re dreading the five-year time limit that past Atelier games are known for, don’t worry, as the new Unlimited Mode lets you play at your own pace.

Blackout Protocol

A twin-stick co-op shooter with rogue-lite elements vaguely based on the SCP? That’s Blackout Protocol in a nutshell. It launches on July 20th for PC as an early access title and sees the S2P Corporation venturing through Sector 13 to deal with supernatural entities. Shrouded in darkness, you must deal with randomly changing environments and friendly fire, using light to guide the way.

Some entities react differently to being illuminated, further adding to the unpredictability and your Panic Gauge, which can result in debilitating conditions. With skills that carry over between runs, you have to survive more than a few deaths to reach the bottom.

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara

If you’re looking for a more laid-back platforming experience, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara may be worth checking out. It sees Koa and Napopo journeying through the world of Mara (which some may recognize from Summer in Mara) and discovering all kinds of things, from pirates to volcanoes. There are collectables to collect and secrets to uncover, but those keen on speedrunning also have options.

With eight different levels, skins to unlock, characters to meet, and sailing, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara promises a fun, colorful adventure. It releases on July 27th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Currently, there are two playable characters with the third to come later. In terms of content, there’s over 10 hours of gameplay, which breaks down into three main quests and five sub quests. You also have three main bosses to fight but each run is randomly generated. Enemy arrangements, which of the +100 skills and items you’ll find, and so on will be different every time.

More content becomes available over time and with successful runs along with the ability to increase the difficulty. Early access is planned to last for about six months and more quests, characters, items, enemies and skills will be added over time. There may also be a price increase en route to release so stay tuned for further updates.

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.