PS4 offerings will also see expansion, with the addition of Monster Hunter Stories (PS4) and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (PS4) just a month before the release of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. Other games coming to the subscription service are racing game Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (PS5), narrative action adventure games Neva (PS5) and Season: A Letter to the Future (PS4, PS5), indie title Venba (PS5), and sports game Rugby 25 (PS4, PS5). These games will be available for PlayStation Extra and Premium tier subscribers. The PlayStation Classics catalog will see the addition of Disney Pixar Wall-E (PS4, PS5), which was originally released on PS2 in 2008.

Along with this, Sony has also confirmed new additions to its PlayStation Plus Classics catalog for next month. The line-up, only available to Premium tier subscribers, includes PSP fighting game Tekken Dark Resurrection, and PlayStation classic rail shooter Time Crisis, as caught by Gematsu.

This announcement comes just a few days after rumors first popped up of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 coming to the subscription service. The 2023 action-adventure title revolves around Peter Parker and Miles Morales taking on a host of new foes from Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery. A key element of the story is the presence of the Symbiote.

While Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 coming to the service makes sense given its 2023 release date, Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel coming to PlayStation Plus is especially interesting since the third game in the turn-based RPG franchise is slated for release on March 13th.

While the Stories series has largely focused on telling their own standalone stories (no pun intended), they tend to have a throughline in the form of their combat systems that blend the traditional Monster Hunter gameplay loop with turn-based action with an emphasis on befriending monsters as well as fighting them.

For those looking to check out Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection before release, a demo was released earlier this month offering some early-game sections. Capcom has also confirmed that players will be able to carry over their progress into the full game when it finally comes out.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection also got a trailer earlier this week, offering an overview of the story and the history of the Riders. The trailer features narration by Elizabeth Rose Bloodblame of Hololive English, and focuses quite a bit on the bonds between Riders and their Monsties (Monster Besties). Along with the wide roster of monsters that the series is known for, Stories 3 will also feature newer ones from Monster Hunter Wilds, like Rey Dau and Arkveld. Among the returning monsters, Monster Hunters 2‘s Yama Tsukami has also been confirmed for the game.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Created by the same team that brought us the Ace Attorney series, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is all about uncovering the mystery of your own death as a ghostly version of yourself. Phantom. The gameplay revolves around exploring the curious case in complete depth and then reaching a conclusion – which really makes you feel like a detective making important decisions. It’s all accompanied by some smart writing that never fails to keep you guessing, which makes it such an endearing experience.

Fatal Frame / Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse released in 2008 to some great critical and commercial reception, and Koei Tecmo has been trying to bring the series back into the limelight with HD remasters for these game. The remaster of Mask of the Lunar Eclipse released earlier this year, and it does a really good job of souping up the visuals and smoothing out certain jagged edges to make the experience a lot more palatable for modern audiences. Of course, it isn’t perfect by any means – but it’s a great horror game nevertheless.

Cocoon

Cocoon is a wonderful puzzle game that’s entirely built around the concept of worlds existing within worlds, and players can combine and manipulate these worlds through the use of certain orbs to solve puzzles and proceed with the story. Cocoon comes from the lead designer for INSIDE and Limbo, so you can be confident that it’s a solid game with a minimalist control scheme and an emotional story that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Hi-Fi Rush

Tango Gameworks delivered an excellent rhythmic adventure with Hi-Fi Rush, which has quickly gone on to become one of the biggest surprise hits of this year. Hi-Fi Rush features a world where everything taps to a beat, and you must time your actions and attacks to that beat to be able to dish out damage to your opponents. It’s a wonderfully imaginative game that’s executed with great attention to detail, and should be experienced by more fans.

Season: A Letter to the Future

Season: A Letter to the Future is a game that talks about the nature of change. As the protagonist, your job is to capture the sights and sounds and take them to the next Season – a time when everyone will be unaware of what happened in the last Season. It’s a simple and laid back game with a strong focus on exploration and engaging in conversations, but the many themes that it manages to effectively convey through its story is what makes it so beautiful.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a Soulslike with a complex web of action and progression mechanics that beautifully flow into one another, and what we get is a game that’s surprisingly fun and approachable despite the many mechanics and systems at play. There are a few erratic difficulty spikes here and there, but Wo Long is a largely fun experience where you must overcome brutal but fair challenges ranging from petty enemies to large bosses with multiple health bars and much more.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is FromSoftware’s attempt at modernizing its long-running mech adventure series, and it’s fair to say that the team has largely succeeded in its objective of providing a modern experience for audiences. Armored Core 6 features a fast and frenetic combat lop that’s just a joy to engage with, and the bevy of customization options makes it all so much more compelling.

Deliver Us Mars

Deliver Us Mars is a spiritual successor to Deliver Us The Moon, and the many merits of the 2018 release shine brightly in Deliver Us Mars as well. The story revolves around a space crew embarking on Mars in the hopes of retrieving some stolen spaceships from a mysterious race of aliens called the Outward. It’s all written and performed well, and while the gameplay doesn’t have too many action elements – it does a good job of keeping you engaged through the compelling plot and a wide variety of gameplay options like exploration, puzzle solving, and much more.

Fort Solis

Developer Fallen Leaf’s latest Fort Solis also sends players to explore the furthest depths of the planet Mars, as our protagonist Jack Leary embarks on a search mission for his missing crew. Fort Solis boasts a star cast with the likes of Roger Clark (the voice behind Arthur Morgan) and Troy Baker (the voice behind Joel from The Last of Us) coming to play important characters in this well-written story. Between this and a strong visual presentation powered by Unreal Engine 5, Fort Solis is a solid game that should be experienced by a lot more people.

Jusant

Jusant comes from the guys at Dontnod, the studio best known for its work on the Life is Strange series. Jusant is all about reaching the top of a tall tower while overcoming the many obstacles that lie in your way. It beautifully combines mechanical challenge with immersive storytelling to create something that’s just hard to put down – once you get the hang of it.

Risk of Rain Returns

The original Risk of Rain was an excellent roguelike that featured some amazing combat and compelling progression mechanics, and Risk of Rain Returns is a remaster that knows how to package that experience in a way that feels worthwhile for veterans and newcomers alike. In addition to the base content, Risk of Rain also features enhanced multiplayer options and new build types to experiment with on your repeat playthroughs.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe

Originally released in 2011 for the Nintendo Wii, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land now has a Deluxe Edition that comes with updated graphics and smoothed-out gameplay designed for the Nintendo Switch. Much like every other Kirby game, Return to Dream Land is a simple yet fun adventure where you make your way through a wide variety of levels while consuming your enemies to get their powers and become even stronger.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider

JoyMasher’s Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider feels like a glorious throwback to 16-bit games, thanks to some incredible art direction and smooth-flowing gameplay that remains interesting for the entire duration of the experience. Of course, there are some elements and mechanics in place to make the gameplay feel more palatable for modern audiences which makes it feel like you are reliving the glory days of SNES complete with rose-tinted glasses.

Horizon Call of the Mountain

Horizon: Call of the Mountain was one of the first games to be released for PSVR2, and it’s an excellent adaptation of the full-fat Horizon experience in VR format. Sure, the open-world aspect has been swapped out for a more linear game where you make your way through carefully curated combat challenges and platforming runs – but it all works surprisingly well within the context of the game. And then of course, getting to experience the post-post-apocalyptic world of Horizon from up close is also a really distinct kind of joy in and of itself.

Planet of Lana

Planet of Lana puts players in the teeny tiny shoes of Lana as she kickstarts a grand adventure through fantastical realms inhabited by all sorts of robotic and humanoid creatures. Created by developer Wishfully, Planet of Lana takes players on a joyous ride through a wonderfully well-realized world and tells a heartwarming story that hits just the right notes at every moment. Add to that some amazing visuals and cinematic gameplay, and Planet of Lana becomes a thrill ride like no other.

THE CREW MOTORFEST

The change in scenery in The Crew Motorfest from mainland United States to the island of Oahu was easily one of its biggest strengths. The open world clearly takes a lot of cues from the Forza Horizon series, and honestly, it’s better for it. With plenty of environmental variety, gorgeous locales, and a festive vibe throughout the map, The Crew Motofest’s open world is a fun one to simply exist in.

SONS OF THE FOREST

We’re pivoting here and going from a festive location to an oppressively dire one, but Sons of the Forest absolutely deserves its flowers. Even in early access forms, it’s one of the most memorable experiences of the year. Struggling to survive in its hostile and horrific world, which is so densely laden with atmosphere, remains an enthralling experience no matter how much time you put into the game.

DIABLO 4

Diablo joined the ever-growing list of franchises making the switch to an open world format, and it did so in mostly successful fashion. Though Diablo 4 loses the trademark claustrophobia that the series has always been known for in going for an open world setting, it balances the scales with a large, desolate, gorgeously designed map, which it crams full of addictive, repeatable content.

LIKE A DRAGON: ISHIN!

The Yakuza franchise, now known as Like a Dragon, has always excelled at crafting small but dense semi-open world maps, and Like a Dragon: Ishin! benefits from those strengths as well. In addition to boasting a smattering of engaging side content – something the franchise has always been known for – Ishin also boasts the unique strengths of its wonderfully atmospheric period setting, which it brings to life expertly.

LORDS OF THE FALLEN

Lords of the Fallen’s semi-open world approach is very much focused on tighter and linearly designed interconnected areas in the fashion of the Dark Souls series, and it boasts a lot of the strengths that those games do as well. Slowly unlocking the world and consistently making it slightly less hostile to navigate always remains a rewarding experience, made all the more compelling by the game’s dual realm system.

DEAD ISLAND 2

Dambuster Studios’ decision to develop Dead Island 2 as a semi-open world experience with a lot of open and explorable maps, rather than as a full-fledged open world title, proved to be quite a smart one. The zombie slasher-basher is able to exhibit an impressive level of variety in locations throughout its runtime, and each of them not only does a great job of capturing the vibe and personality of an LA setting, but is also rendered in visually spectacular manner.

EVERSPACE 2

Everspace 2 took a big swing with its switch to an open world format, and it’s safe to say at this point that the risk paid off. Exploring the vast expanses of space is always an alluring prospect in a gaming experience, and that’s basically what the entirety of Everspace 2 is built around. Thanks to a strong environmental design and flying and combat mechanics that never lose their sharpness, exploring the game’s map always remains enjoyable.

LIES OF P

There was a lot to love about Lies of P, as is evidenced by the widespread acclaim it has enjoyed, and its atmospheric gothic horror Belle Epoque setting had a big role to play in that. It brings the city of Krat to live in excellent fashion, and exploring its ominous and dilapidated remains is a consistently engaging experience, not least because of the incredible design and art style the game exhibits across its entire world.

WILD HEARTS

Map design and traversal are probably among Wild Hearts’ biggest strengths. Each of its unique open world maps are not only sufficiently large, they’re also gorgeous, vibrant, and brimming with a ton of environmental detail and diversity. On top of that, exploration and traversal is always a blast, thanks in large part to Karakuri devices and the emphasis placed on on-the-fly crafting.

HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST: BURNING SHORES

The Horizon franchise has always excelled at putting players in incredibly well-realized post-post-apocalyptic renditions of real-world locations, and that’s very much the case in Forbidden West’s expansion, Burning Shores as well. It looks gorgeous, as is expected of the franchise, and the imaginative and visually striking way in which it portrays its version of a half-destroyed, half-sunken, volcanic Los Angeles is hard not to be impressed by.

CYBERPUNK 2077: PHANTOM LIBERTY

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (in conjunction with Update 2.0) uplifts so much of the game in so many ways, including its open world. For starters, the new district of Dogtown is easily among the best areas in the entire map, and somehow manages to boast an impressive level of density and variety in spite of its smaller size. Beyond that, the underlying systems also see significant improvements, which breathes new life into all of Night City, even beyond the walls of Dogtown.

SEASON: A LETTER TO THE FUTURE

Given how dense and eventful 2023 has been for gaming, SEASON: A Letter to the Future has slipped under the radar for money, but those who’ve played it will gladly tell you how good it was. Exploration in the game is deliberately slow-paced and encourages you to take in its gorgeously rendered environments, memorializing them in anticipation of an upcoming catastrophe. With its stunning visuals to the melancholic vibe, SEASON leaves a lasting impression.

FINAL FANTASY 16

Final Fantasy 16’s decision to not have an open world setting may have proved controversial, but the game still placed plenty of focus on exploration. Traveling throughout Valisthea, Clive and his companions explore a variety of different locations, from forests and cities to deserts and wastelands, and though the level of freedom they offer can vary, overall, the game rewards exploration just enough to ensure that it remains an important part of the experience.

STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor obviously excels at being a Metroidvania game, build as it does on the solid foundations of its predecessors, but on top of that, it also expands significantly with semi-open world elements sprinkled in as well. The planet of Koboh in particular is particularly expansive, offering a massive amount of play space in which to navigate excellently crafted areas and discover all manner of optional content, secrets, and more.

HOGWARTS LEGACY

An open world Hogwarts game has been something many people have dreamed of for years, but Hogwarts Legacy proves equal to those lofty expectations. Iconic, memorable locations from in and around Hogwarts are brought to life with incredible authenticity and detail, and the game does an excellent job of thoroughly immersing you in its world. Meanwhile, exploring the vast areas around the castle itself – whether you’re flying through the air or remaining grounded – also never loses its charm.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s open world perhaps doesn’t make the same kind of impact that its predecessor did, owing simply to its familiarity, but make no mistake about it- it’s a far, far better version of it. On top of retaining the incredible design and traversal mechanics of Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom also makes a number of smart and significant changes to the otherwise familiar Hyrule, while also adding in a staggering amount of new real estate in the form of the Sky Islands and, much more significantly, the unsettling Depths, which is an entirely new, mind-bogglingly massive underground map that you can spend dozens upon dozens of hours in.

BALDUR’S GATE 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 might not have a traditional, seamless open world structure, but you’ll struggle to find many games that place as little limits on players as Larian’s RPG does. There’s no shortage of large, open, freely explorable locations throughout the game, and each of them is brimming with engaging, incredibly designed, and expertly written quests that emphasize player agency and choice-and-consequence mechanics above all else. What’s even more impressive is just how organic exploration in Baldur’s Gate 3, how seamlessly and easily all the content available in the game seems to flow into each other, and how, no matter what you’re doing, you always feel like you’re headed in the right direction and making progress.

ALAN WAKE 2

Remedy Entertainment has always been associated with tight, linear design, and while Alan Wake 2 obviously still does exhibit those strengths, it blends them with a more open-ended structure. Across Saga and Alan’s stories, there are four large semi-open world hubs to explore, each bringing with it its own unique and incredibly crafted areas, with plenty of optional content and hidden rewards tucked away. That structure fits particularly well with the game’s more deliberate pacing as a survival horror experience.

PIKMIN 4

Pikmin has always placed a great deal of emphasis on exploration, but never has that been truer than in Pikmin 4. With the almost complete removal of time limits, the game allows players to explore all of its maps at their own pace, and boy is it a rewarding experience. With secret collectibles, hidden dungeons, optional battles, shortcuts to unlock, and more, each of its large and intricately designed maps remains a constant joy to explore, not least because of how the game contextualizes the scale and size of each of these locations.

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2

You’d think that having a third successive game set in the same open world New York map would be a bit boring, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 circumvents any potential issues in a number of key ways. For starers, the map is a significantly larger one, thanks to the addition of Queens and Brooklyn, while it also feels much more lived in, dense, and dynamic. More crucially though, making your way through the map is also more enjoyable than it has ever been, thanks to a combination of significant improvements made to the already excellent traversal mechanics.

STARFIELD

Bethesda Game Studios has always had an incredible knack for crafting immersive open worlds, and though Starfield’s open world structure is quite different from the studio’s past games, here at GamingBolt, we found it to be just as magical, and just as easy to get lost in. From the typically strong and captivating lore to the vast, endless amounts of content on offer, from the variety it exhibits across its four main locations to the absolute freedom the game affords to players, from being able to plant your flag on desolate planets and build massive outposts there to creating your own ship and flying it through space, Starfield’s open world had a grip on us in a way very few open worlds have managed in recent memory.

Dredge

Described as a single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent, Dredge is one of the most unexpectedly exciting indie games to release this year. Players act as trawlerman, furrowing nautical depths and selling their catch. Cash leads to better fishing equipment, and soon enough players are trawling the depths of deep sea, but the deeper the water the bigger the threat. Fog pervades the mysterious open ocean, with a dark history lurking beneath the water surface. If you’ve played Dredge, you’ll know how enveloping it is. For everyone else, there’s mysteries to unravel in them there seas.

Viewfinder

A mind-bending first-person puzzler in the vein of Manifold Garden or Superliminal, Viewfinder challenges perception, reshapes reality, and redefines the world, all through the lens of an instant camera. The premise is simple enough: place captured photographs and camera roll images into your immediate vicinity to alter the environment and overcome obstacles. The image-warping escapism also evokes Gorogoa but play through Viewfinder and you’ll quickly realise it’s very much its own thing, a towering achievement for its one-man studio. Hopefully Viewfinder’s nominations for best indie and best debut indie at The Game Awards bring it to a wider audience.

Football Manager 2024

Yes, you’ve probably heard of Football Manager, and yes, you’re likely to have let this iteration pass you by. But do so at your peril, because if you have hundreds of hours to spare Football Manager 2024 is the most engrossing entry in years thanks to new features such as the set piece creation wizard, improved player animations, and more visible feedback on whether your team’s formation and tactics are working as anticipated on match day. Football Manager’s uncanny ability to attach emotion to a barrage of stats and spreadsheets is still it’s forte, but its 24’s new additions which promote this entry to a must play for anyone even remotely interested in the ruthless world of football management.

Rusted Moss

Rusted Moss is a metroidvania with compelling twin-stick shooting and traversal mechanics; grapple hooks give players ability to swing through the game’s deftly designed zones whilst thumb-sticks turn levels into precise, 360° shooting galleries. It’s a skill that’s tricky to learn initially but becomes masterfully intuitive the longer you play. Rusted Moss was hyped on release last April, but chatter has since petered out. It’d be great to see this niche indie project on more platforms as its twin-stick mechanic is made for consoles.           

Gravity Circuit

A slick 2D platformer evoking classics, in Gravity Circuit players assume command of the Mega Man alike Kai, a lone wolf war hero who must channel mysterious powers into devastating punches, kicks, and combos in a rip-roaring soar through a sentient robot inhabited retro future. Like any other year, 2023 has seen its fair share of fantastic platformers – offerings from Mario and Sonic notwithstanding – but as one of the year’s best Gravity Circuit doesn’t deserve to be overshadowed.

Space Wreck 

This bite sized post-apocalyptic space explorer packs an awful lot of RPG into a tiny package. Developer Pahris Entertainment SIA have crafted something they say is ‘intentionally short yet surprisingly deep’, opting to focus on replayability. In Space Wreck, with numerous traits to plough into your character, every decision harbouring consequence, and up to eight possible solutions for each of the game’s quests there’s plenty of variation and playstyle on offer. Fans of games at the cerebral end of the RPG spectrum like Disco Elysium shouldn’t sleep on this one.   

Season: A Letter to the Future

A meditative bike ride through verdant valleys and quaint townships, Season: A Letter to the Future encourages players to capture the essence of life – the smell of a flower, the sound of a meadow breeze, the late-afternoon light cascading down the face of a statue – to distil the significance of our relationships and to find meaning in minutiae, all before an inevitable apocalypse wipes the slate clean. Season: A Letter to the Future reminds us that the value is in the voyage, not the destination.

Ugly

A reflective platformer in more ways than one, Ugly utilises a creative mirror mechanic to solve challenging puzzle rooms, creating a shadowy replica of yourself to swap and change the world around you. The mirror isn’t just for platforming though, its activation can reveal hidden secrets and past trauma – the game takes place in the recesses of a tormented nobleman’s mind. A hidden gem in every sense, Ugly hasn’t received much fanfare which is a shame because away from the innovative platforming there’s a stirring narrative to unravel.

Hi-Fi Rush

Surprise released to immediate fanfare by The Evil Within developer Tango Dreamworks, Hi-Fi Rush continued rhythm-action games’ renaissance with its stylish gameplay synced to a pumping soundtrack. The month following its release concurrent Steam players dropped off a cliff with 65% moving onto something else, and despite a resurgence in the early Autumn following its Arcade Challenge update it seems Hi-Fi Rush has been largely forgotten. However, it’s hybridisation of genres, killer mixtapes, memorable characters, and pulsating action is worth a go for anyone even slightly interested.

El Paso, Elsewhere

Exuding all the style and power of Max Payne, El Paso, Elsewhere is a third-person neo-noir shooter taking place inside the shapeshifting confines of a strange hotel. Hunt werewolves, evil puppets, and a host of damned creatures in vivid slow motion, all whilst on a meaningful mission to destroy the villain you once loved. There’s more to El Paso, Elsewhere than cinematic gunfire, but of course any fan of shooting games should take note.

Jusant

Jusant is a meditative action-puzzle climbing adventure in which players scale an impossibly tall tower in command of an androgenous climber. As the altitude increases, so does the repertoire of climbing tools and techniques; players must use their wits to best scale the tower’s diverse biomes, uncovering a deep history with every foot of elevation. Don’t Nod’s latest effort is contemplative, challenging, but ultimately, a beautiful experience that’s not to be missed.

OXENFREE II: Lost Signals

You’d be forgiven for not realising the sequel to one of indie games’ most confounding entries released this year, but OXENFREE II: Lost Signals did indeed step into the light this past July. Set five years after its predecessor, Lost Signals follows Riley as she investigates mysterious electromagnetic waves disturbing TV signals and aviation radar that’re emanating from her hometown. A mind-bending, supernatural thriller, with meaningful conversation choices shaping the story as Riley uncovers more than she bargained for.

Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest is a brutal survival game that tasks players to hold their backs against cannibalistic primals with only a limited few resources to spare. It presents its brutal world with gorgeous graphics and striking attention to detail, and the gradual process of collecting resources and becoming more powerful is one that will keep you hooked for dozens upon dozens of hours. Add to that the ability to enjoy exploring with friends, and Sons of the Forest becomes a great option for a co-op open-world experience.

With a mysterious cataclysm threatening to end the world, Estelle sets about documenting and recording the sights and sounds. She’ll encounter various characters, each with unique stories to tell and make choices that will affect the ending. Throughout the journey, the player can collect memories and recording in their journal, looking back on the road taken.

Everything is preserved for future generations, so you’re encouraged to experience as much of the culture as possible. Praised for its visuals and art style, Season is a meditative experience about exploration and discovery. You may learn more about the cataclysm or welcome it to see what the next season brings. Either way, it’s an emotional trip. For more details, check out our review here.

Starfield

Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years, Starfield is set to be a gargantuan space odyssey with all the bells and whistles that one expects from a developer with such a pedigree. The game’s NASA Punk designs look really fresh, which perfectly balances sci-fi and realism. You will get to explore a massive open-world and hundreds of planets which will be home to different factions and species, so it seems fair to expect a lot of varied quests and gear in Starfield. It releases for Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime in early 2023.

Season starts off in the village of Caro, an isolated remote place in the mountains that’s largely unaffected by the world altering events and advancements of the outside world. The game calls these changing times as Seasons, and another Season is coming to a close. And because this new Season will wipe away most if not all memories of the past, someone must go out on a quest to capture the essence of this season through sounds, experiences, and pictures to carry it on to the next Season.

This is where Estelle, our young protagonist comes into play who is obviously the chosen one for this task and thus, must now embark on this road trip with her tools and wits. The story begins on the day of her departure from the village, and the prologue familiarizes us with Estelle as a character and the culture of her hometown before things kick into gear and Season finally puts you on the road. Season’s plot dabbles in important themes like uncertainty, fear of change, and preservation of the past and it smartly uses elements like magic to craft a compelling story worth seeing through to the end. Season keeps the story minimalistic and purposefully open-ended, which allows players to come with their own interpretations of this narrative.

"Season’s plot dabbles in important themes like uncertainty, fear of change, and preservation of the past and it smartly uses elements like magic to craft a compelling story worth seeing through to the end. "

The game takes place in Tieng Valley, a humble abode laced with lush green farms and beautiful forests all around. Sadly, the place is at a risk of falling prey to a dangerous flood because of a leaking water dam. So, an evacuation operation is raging in full force by an organization called the Grey Hands when you arrive here. But you are free to explore this place at your own will, and you can choose to do that either on foot or bicycle.

You have a trusty camera that can be used to click pictures of anything that catches your fancy, and you get a sound recorder that, well, records sounds from the environment. The majority of your time will be spent exploring the environments and capturing details for your journal which are called Keepsakes. You see, Estelle doesn’t really know much about the world other than her village and seeing her disgusted at the concept of ice cream sourced from the milk of an animal or intrigued by the irritating noise of a motor engine genuinely put a smile on my face.

Once you collect enough Keepsakes for a particular page, you will earn conclusions and stamps that can be used to decorate your pages. While most pages in your journal don’t require collecting any specific keepsakes, some pages will task you with clicking certain photos and obtaining documents which will result in an interesting revelation.

" While most pages in your journal don’t require collecting any specific keepsakes, some pages will task you with clicking certain photos and obtaining documents which will result in an interesting revelation "

Tieng Valley is filled with many such mysteries which result in interesting details about the culture of the place and also the true reality of the whole situation, so you need to be thorough with your exploration to have a chance at getting them all during your time exploring the valley.

You will also get to meet a handful of friendly faces in your journey, who also have to leave their homes in face of this natural calamity. Each of these characters are well-written, and their tragedies are heart-wrenching and relatable. For instance, an old artist fears about being forgotten when the Season ends while a family fears having to shift from a huge farm to a small apartment in the city. You get to have long and deep conversations with these people, and you can also collect mementos from these visits to carry it to the next season.

There is very little hand holding in Season, and with the exception of a few hints on the map and the environment, the game doesn’t really tell you what to do and where to go. There is no heads up display, no incessant menus for crafting or skill trees, no map markers and your only navigational aid is a traditional map which can be accessed through your Journal. As such, you will need to pay attention to conversations and remember the details to figure out where to go and what to do next.

"There is very little hand holding in Season, and with the exception of a few hints on the map and the environment, the game doesn’t really tell you what to do and where to go."

Scavenger Studio did a remarkable job with Season’s art style which is heavily inspired by oil paintings. The character designs are simple but endearing and smart use of colors really breathe a lot of life into these environments. There are moments where you will be approaching a beautiful vista whilst on your bicycle, and the camera subtly pushes back to perfectly frame the scene which looks absolutely serene.

This minimalist design philosophy extends over to the soundscapes as well, which are mostly environmental sounds ranging from the subtle thudding of water against rocks to the swaying of trees to a thunderous horn far away in the distance. Whatever background music is there is kept to a minimum, which seems appropriate for this kind of an experience.

Season: A Letter to the Future isn’t a particularly long game as per se. It took me a little over 7 hours to see it through to completion, and that included going off the beaten path in search of additional mysteries. There’s still quite a bit left to uncover and find, so those wanting a 100% completion might get a little more mileage out of the game.

"Where Season fumbles is in terms of general polish. Season never feels as smooth as it should, which is saying something because the core gameplay is just so simple."

Where Season fumbles is in terms of general polish. Season never feels as smooth as it should, which is saying something because the core gameplay is just so simple. Riding the bicycle can feel really floaty at times, which can start to get a bit frustrating as you keep playing. Furthermore, you can’t view the map while you are riding. So, you have to do an awkward dance of applying the brakes, getting off, and then pressing another button every time you want to view the map. Another nuisance I faced was getting stuck on terrain when off-roading alongside some weird graphical glitches in cutscenes.

In conclusion, Season: A Letter to the Future is a game that has a lot to say and it manages to do that while having a gameplay loop that’s laid back and relaxing in nature. The characters are well-written, and the art style looks fresh and appealing. While some minor design nuisances can get in the way of fun, Season remains a game worth experiencing through to the end.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Forspoken

Luminous Productions is finally rounding up work on the highly anticipated Forspoken, and it is due release on 24th January for PS5 and PC. Forspoken puts players in the shoes of Frey Holland, a former New Yorker who gets mystically transported to the land of Athia along with a sentient bracelet that gets magically attached to her hand. The traversal and combat look like a lot of fun, and there’s a lot to love here – ranging from the vast number of spells at your disposal to the many boss fights and open-world activities and so much more.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Insomniac Games has cemented itself as one of Sony’s top talents, and a lot of that can be attributed to its astounding work on Marvel’s Spider-Man and its follow-up Miles Morales. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will see Peter Parker and Miles Morales joining forces to face Venom and any other villains that may be pulling his strings. Not a lot is known about gameplay details at the moment, but fans can expect to know more about the game pretty soon since it is slated for release during 2023 for PS5.

Marvel’s Wolverine

Marvel’s Wolverine is yet another upcoming action adventure game from Insomniac Games, but sadly – we don’t have much information on the gameplay and story fronts at the moment. That said, it’s going to be interesting to see how the developer will translate its learnings from past projects to this brand new IP – and hopefully, it will turn out great as well. Marvel’s Wolverine releases for PS5 sometime in the near future.

Season: A Letter to the Future

Season: A Letter to the Future sees you taking control of Estelle, a young woman who embarks on a road trip across uncharted lands and picturesque valleys in search of new people and experiences. It is presented with a cel shaded aesthetic, and the gameplay looks pretty relaxing from what we have seen up until this point. We will be checking it out when it releases for PS4, PS5, and PC on January 31, 2023.

Final Fantasy 16

Not set in an open world, Final Fantasy 16 is poised to bring a grand adventure for fans of the RPG genre. You play as Clive Rosefield, as he gets embroiled in a war against ever-growing corruption. The combat will be a mix of turn-based and real-time action. It’s set to release for PS5 on June 23rd, 2023.

Horizon: Call of the Mountain

Firesprite Games’ upcoming Horizon: Call of the Mountain will launch alongside the much-anticipated PSVR2 on 22 February, 2023. The game is obviously set in the Horizon universe, but you will taking the role of a new protagonist Ryas – a former Shadow Carja warrior on a quest for redemption. The story premise sounds interesting, and hopefully – the PSVR2 will also open up new avenues for interactive gameplay as well.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Silent Hill 2 is still considered as one of the best survival horror games of all time, and after a healthy dose of rumors – Konami has finally confirmed that a full-fledged remake is in the works at Bloober Team. Details are scant at the moment, but the developers are teasing radical improvements in terms of AI and world design among other things. It will be released for PC and PS5 sometime in the near future.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic stands tall as one of the finest RPGs of all time, and it’s only natural that fans would want to replay this one hell of a game with high-fidelity visuals and modern gameplay. Thankfully, the developer is hard at work on a full-fledged remake that should check all of these boxes – and it will release for PS5 and PC sometime in the near future.

Death Stranding 2 (Working Title)

Death Stranding may not have started life on a strong note, but countless fans have now warmed up to this unique experience since its release over 3 years ago – who have been craving for a sequel. Death Stranding 2 is finally in the works, and while the story trailer is as cryptic as ever – we do know that Sam Porter and Fragile will play an important role in the story, and that players can expect to ride new vehicles like the unicycle that we saw in the same trailer. It will be released for PS5 and PC in the near future.

The Dark Pictures: Switchback

Supermassive Games has been delivering hit after hit with its The Dark Pictures Anthology games, and The Dark Pictures: Switchback looks like an attempt to translate that success to Sony’s newest VR platform. It’s set to be a high-octane rollercoaster ride filled to the brim with horrific encounters, complete with antagonistic forces that players have faced in Anthology Season 1. The developer has stated that it will be utilizing the PSVR2 features to make horror more personal than before, and that has us excited to jump into Switchback when it releases on 22 February, 2023.

Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores Expansion

Horizon Forbidden West is easily one of the best games of 2022, thanks to a gorgeous open-world that’s filled to the brim with dangerous creatures and lovable characters. While there’s no shortage of things to do in Forbidden West, many fans are craving for more of the same – and the Burning Shores expansion aims to do just that. Taking place in a dilapidated Los Angeles, this expansion will feature brand new story content, machines and environmental threats such as active volcanoes. Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores expansion releases exclusively for PS5 on April 19, 2023.

Pacific Drive

Pacific Drive looks like a weird but beautiful mix of genres; it’s as much a game about driving as it is about survival. The basic goal is to drive a busted up station wagon out of a hazardous environment, but in order to do that – you have to upgrade your vehicle with resources scattered throughout the environment which will help you inch closer to the finish line. In addition to that, the developer is also teasing some mystery elements in the experience, so we can expect Pacific Drive to have a lot of gameplay variety too. It releases for PS5 and PC sometime this year.

Goodbye Volcano High

Goodbye Volcano High is a cinematic adventure that takes you through the teenage years of protagonist Fang as they grapple with the many highs and lows of high school. Of course, decision making will be crucial for the final outcome of this branching narrative – and players can also blow off steam by playing different instruments with rhythm-based minigames among other distractions. The visual presentation looks charming with hand-drawn art and expressive animations, and hopefully the narrative will tug at all the right strings as well. Goodbye Volcano High releases for PS4, PS5, and PC sometime this year.

Lost Soul Aside

Another upcoming hack and slash game on the list, developer UtilZero’s Lost Soul Aside definitely carries a lot of action adventure influences on its sleeve. You take control of a warrior and a shapeshifting companion as the duo embarks on a grand adventure in a futuristic dystopia. The visuals are really crisp, and the action is aptly brutal – which makes Lost Soul Aside a game worth rooting for. It releases for PS4 and PS5 sometime in the near future.

Tchia

Awaceb’s Tchia describes itself as a tropical open-world adventure, and that’s really the best description that one can have for this game. It looks like a delightful and relaxing adventure as you use Tchia’s powers to set off on a quest to save her father from the clutches of a tyrant. The traversal looks promising, mostly thanks to Tchia’s ability to take on the form of creatures like birds and dogs. In addition to this, you can also sail the surrounding seas or jam out to your favorite tunes on a fully playable Ukulele. Tchia releases for PS5, PS4, and PC sometime in the near future.

Set on the eve of a cataclysmic event that threatens to wash away the entire world, Season: A Letter to the Future sees you traveling to a lush valley, where you will collect memories of it and its inhabitants by documenting, photographing, and recording life. You’ll spend a lot of time riding around on your bike, but at any time, players will be able to get off and use one of several different recording tools to capture sounds and music, art and architecture, voices of old people, vanishing religious practices, and more. Check out the trailer below for more details.

Season: A Letter to the Future launches for PS5, PS4, and PC on January 31.