We’ve put together a list of games that come with fantastic melee systems built to test your reflexes and ability to think on your feet as you take on either hordes of enemies or go head to head with deadly enemies who are just as skilled as you are.

It’s time to dive in! 

1. Lies of P

Neowiz’s take on the story of Pinocchio is nothing short of a masterpiece when it comes to how its combat systems convey a sense of danger while also making you feel powerful enough to take them down.

Although the action isn’t as fast-paced as some of the other titles on this list, the game necessitates a methodical approach to its madness. That’s not to say that things don’t heat up with a few bosses that up the ante with unrelenting, vicious combos that can push you to the limits of your skills.

However, a wide selection of weapons, skills, and the ability to mix and match between various weapons and handles can be a great way to get the upper hand. Finding a combination of weapons and skills that works for you is a feeling that other titles find hard to replicate. And that’s not to mention Legion Arms, each of which adds a new wrinkle to your playstyle.

Give this one a try for its story and intense gameplay.

2. The First Berserker Khazan

Neople’s take on the Dungeon and Fighter series blends a unique visual style with a combat loop that quickly becomes quite addictive despite a learning curve that can dissuade even the most determined of players.

Despite a limited selection of weapons, the game’s emphasis on raw aggression makes each fight a flurry of dodges, blocks, parries, and attacks that can quickly let you garner enough Spirit Points to unleash your most devastating skills while The Blade Phantom brings another layer of strategy to the table, allowing Khazan to harness the power of fallen warriors with some interesting effects.

This is a game that can test your patience but reels you in with its revenge-based story and well-designed encounters, aside from bringing a lot of replay value thanks to multiple endings for you to uncover.

3. Thymesia

If we were to complain about anything in Thymesia, its relatively short length is the only thing that comes to mind. Like Khazan, it’s a title that rewards aggression, with Corvus preferring to keep the pressure on his opponents at every instance. The ability to use your enemy’s own weapons against them while channelling your innate abilities to unleash some very cool moves comes together to present a combat experience that can be a challenge to master but is very rewarding to pull off.

When it’s played right, Thymesia is an absolute treat for players looking for a combat experience that lets them take on increasingly deadly threats with brutal efficiency and flashy style.

4. Sifu

This beat ‘em up action game from developer Sloclap is arguably the best martial arts title to be released in recent times. Aside from bringing the best of kung fu to every attack animation and enemies that ensure that those moves are put to good use, Sifu comes with a unique twist on resurrection after you’re taken down in battle.

This mechanic sees your character’s age go up every time they respawn, improving their attack power while lowering their defences. This could mean that even death becomes a strategic component, allowing you to take on increasingly difficult foes at the cost of a lower health bar.

It’s the perfect way to encourage players to constantly improve their skills while strategically using the game’s mechanics to give themselves a much-needed boost when things get out of hand. Its story may not be as interesting as Lies of P, but it’s nothing to scoff at either, making this a title that’s definitely worth your time.

5. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Wo Long is a refined take on the excellent combat mechanics that the studio established with its Nioh franchise. An obscure narrative and fairly linear world make this a game in which combat quickly becomes the star of the show.

Parrying flurries of attacks from enemies while building up your Spirit Gauge to cause some devastation of your own makes each fight a desperate battle for control, with even lowly grunts capable of taking you out with just a few hits.

 With each level in the game coming with a Morale System that requires you to defeat enemies in order to be capable to take on mini-bosses and bosses later down the line, Wo Long’s combat systems are a tug of war with your enemies as capable of summarily sending you back to the nearest save point as you are capable of sending them on their way to the next life.

6. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut

The complete Ghost of Tsushima experience brings a poignant and riveting story, a beautifully crafted open world, and a sublime combat system that has a lot of depth to its mechanics. As a samurai forced to find new ways to take the fight to an invading Mongol army, Jin Sakai’s fight to defend his home sees him pull off some very flashy moves, assisted by your precision and sense of timing in every fight.

Leaping of your horse to challenge Mongol patrols to a standoff still feels as thrilling as it did five years ago, while flowing from stance to stance as we wield the Sakai clan’s katana and tanto against vicious enemies is an absolute treat for players who like to fight with style and flair.

Just be ready to have your heartstrings tugged on as you go further into this epic adventure.

7. Ghostrunner 2

For fans of first-person action, Ghostrunner 2 is quite easy to recommend, considering how its challenge lies in using Jack’s abilities with full awareness of what’s happening around him in any given situation. While his trusty sword is indeed a reliable killing tool, using it in tandem with all the other cool weapons he unlocks is paramount to victory.

His impressive parkour skills are as valuable to the game’s combat loop as the electrified Shurikens that eventually became an invaluable part of how we approached every encounter we had in the game. The cyber ninjas of Dharma Tower can be very deadly enemies, but for those of you who use every tool in your arsenal, they can quickly melt away in the face of your onslaught.

8. Hi-Fi RUSH

Hi-Fi Rush follows Chai, a young man who volunteers for Vandelay Technologies’ Project Armstrong in hopes of receiving a limb replacement. However, things quickly spiral out of control as he finds himself on the run from security forces, with a robotic arm and a target on his back. The game’s biggest hook lies in its rhythmic melee combat. Attacks and player actions are all synced to the beat, rewarding those who time their moves just right with extra damage and stylish combos.

9. Shadow Labyrinth

Bandai Namco’s dark and gritty reimagining of Pac-Man brings a combat loop that is a far cry from the character’s earliest appearances. Swordsman #8 might come with a limited set of skills and a distinct lack of options to heal himself while fending off enemies, but those limitations only serve to encourage a more strategic approach to the task at hand.

With exquisitely designed bosses and levels that are full of danger, this is an adventure that blends brains and brawn into a very attractive package that can keep you occupied for hours on end.

10. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

If disabling your enemies in combat is more your style, Ryu’s adventures in this Unreal Engine 5 remake of Ninja Gaiden 2 is going to be quite a treat. However, your enemies could decide to cause as much damage as they can before their inevitable death, making this game’s combat an experience in which you are in danger of dying just as much as your opponents are.

With an emphasis on completing encounters while sustaining as little damage as possible, this game is one in which you need to be on your toes at any point in a fight and come out all the more powerful for it. However, using Ryu’s Ultimate Techniques and a host of other useful additions can ensure that you come out on top while managing to minimize the damage he takes while tearing through enemy ranks.

Bonus: Bloodborne

This list of titles with great melee combat experiences feels incomplete without mentioning Bloodborne, the FromSoftware masterpiece that shook up the studio’s combat formula back in 2015. Yes, it was originally a PS4 title and runs only via backward compatibility on PS5s at 30fps.

However, for those of you who can overlook that factor, its brutal combat and a selection of extremely cool weapons can quickly make you find yourself coming back for another bout against deadly bosses and enemies who can push you to the limit of your patience and skill.

It continues to be a unique and distinct take on the FromSoft formula, requiring lightning-quick reflexes and a very aggressive approach to take down its many threats. Approach this one with caution, and you’re sure to find many reasons to spend another hour in the streets of Yharnam.

And that’s a wrap on our favorite melee games that you can play on the PS5. We hope that you enjoy playing them just as much as we did!

Lords of the Fallen 2023 

There have been a number of souslikes that have simply copy pasted ideas from FromSoftware’s games but 2023’s Lords of the Fallen is different. Set in a dark fantasy world, it features an interesting mechanic where you can essentially switch between two versions of the same world to unlock new pathways and interesting secrets. Add to that some solid combat and Lords of the Fallen 2023 becomes a great choice for anyone looking for a fresh Soulslike. 

Watch Dogs Legion on PS4 and PS5 is also worth trying out, as are Dishonored 2 and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, even if they’re PS4-only. Marvelous’s Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin on PS4 is also a good addition, providing farming and side-scrolling hack-and-slash action. Other PS4 farming titles include Rune Factory 4 Special and Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.

The latter allows downloading the game and its Expansion Pass Set or streaming the base experience. Fans of Tomb Raider can experience the entire modern trilogy with Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration and Shadow of the Tomb Raider playable on PS4.

Those who want some horror can check out The Evil Within 2 on PS4 and the action RPG Thymesia on PS5. There’s also Bus Simulator 21: Next Stop on PS4 and PS5, which is its own horror when things go wrong. Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Rain World, and Conan Exiles round out the PS4 offerings, while Lake and Soundfall are playable on PS4 and PS5. Stay tuned for more details on the PlayStation Classics available with Premium shortly.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is as perilous as any of the Souls games, but on a larger scale. Nevertheless, knowledge is power, from knowing enemy placements and patterns to weaknesses, and will ultimately tip the scales in your favor. The Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast and its asinine hitboxes can still die in a fire, though.

Fast forward a few years and we now have yet another small studio throwing its hat in the ring of trying to make a competent Souls-styled game in Thymesia. Where Thymesia differs from the others is that, rather than drawing inspiration from something like Dark Souls, it instead draws inspiration from Bloodborne.

"Rather than drawing inspiration from something like Dark Souls, it instead draws inspiration from Bloodborne. And this is really one of the first hints that OverBorder Studio—the team behind Thymesia—actually somewhat gets it."

And this is really one of the first hints that OverBorder Studio—the team behind Thymesia—actually somewhat gets it. Where most games inspired by Souls titles tend to fade into obscurity shortly after release, Thymesia is likely going to be one of the rare games in the genre not made by FromSoftware to actually get somewhat embraced by the community. And that’s mostly because of how well the team that made it actually understands its influences.

Now first things first, right from the get go, Thymesia is wearing its influences on its sleeve. It shares so much in terms of aesthetics with Bloodborne that those unfamiliar with both games could be forgiven for confusing the two. Even its combat is at a faster pace than what we see from typical Souls-likes, quite reminiscent of Bloodborne. It’s borderline impossible to not think of Bloodborne while playing Thymesia, which puts it in a difficult position—it really has to be an exceptional game to get out of the shadow of the game that it is quite obviously influenced by.

The combat maintains a delicate balance of simplicity along with a few interesting mechanics. You’ll typically have access to a quick attack button, but interestingly, enemies can recover their health automatically over time, and this is where the game’s wound system kicks in. Staying on the offensive or using a few heavy attacks is almost always necessary to make sure that the enemy doesn’t recover their health. Not only does this effectively double the HP some enemies could have, it also has another add-on mechanic, simply called Reaving.

Players can use a charged-up heavy attack to ‘Reave’ an ability off the enemy. Since this charging up time is not insignificant and will leave you open to other attacks, even the game’s tutorial recommends doing it closer to the end of a fight rather than attempting it while also juggling other enemies nearby. Doing so on specific enemies—those afflicted by a plague—gives you a Reave ability. You can now, for a single attack, use that enemy’s weapon for some extra damage.

"The combat maintains a delicate balance of simplicity along with a few interesting mechanics."

While far from game-changing, the Reave ability actually helps freshen up combat quite a bit. Not only are you now not stuck spamming the same quick attack with the default weapon, but you now also have a quick option to deal a considerable amount of damage to thin out groups of enemies.

In terms of defensive options, Thymesia gives you three: dodging, parrying, and feather attacks. That last one might sound weird, but it works quite well in this rock-paper-scissors game of trying to stay alive. Dodging can be used just about any time, and when facing multiple enemies, is the preferred way of not getting hit. Parrying lets you quickly parry an attack and deal a little bit of damage in the process. But then enemies might use a charged-up attack that can’t really be parried. That’s when you use your feather attacks.

Feather attacks will quickly interrupt your enemy’s charged up attacks and deal quite a bit of damage to them. Thymesia’s combat system is all about dealing damage, to the extent that two out of your three defensive options also deal damage. This seems like a great segue into upgrades and the skill system. Along with a Souls-styled method of leveling your stats, Thymesia also gives you a number of skill trees, all focusing on various aspects of your character. There are skill trees for your regular attacks, your heavy attacks, dodging, parrying, feather attacks, everything. And in an interesting twist, Thymesia also lets you freely re-spec your skill trees, encouraging experimentation to a certain extent.

I say “to a certain extent” because a few skills seem downright mandatory to get as soon as you possibly can. Of course, this could just be a testament to how well the skill trees have been generally designed, but I couldn’t imagine ever playing a build without a certain skill that upgrades your dodge to also be effective against charged attacks. But the true customizability of a skill build will only become evident as time goes on.

Thymesia’s storytelling is as minimalistic as you’d expect from a game of that genre. However, it is much more explicit in your more immediate goals than Bloodborne, which gives you little more than “go kill some fools” as an objective. Thymesia, on the other hand, lets you know that you’re looking for the memories of your amnesiac protagonist.

"Thymesia gives you just enough information to at least give you a vague idea of what you’re supposed to be doing, but never enough information to let you get too comfortable with your situation."

Let’s talk about difficulty. Games by FromSoftware have a reputation for being quite difficult, thanks in no small part to the marketing campaign behind the first Dark Souls’ Prepare to Die edition. We’re just over a decade removed from that point and we still have some developers misunderstanding the point of the Souls games’ difficulty. The Souls games don’t just have slow, deliberate combat because “it’d be difficult”, nor does it have harsh punishments for death as a source of its difficulty. Rather, the difficulty in these games comes from the lack of information the player has when they start playing. The further they get into the game, the more they know not only about its mechanics and the world, the less difficult these games seem. And this is an aspect Thymesia seems to understand quite well. It gives you just enough information to at least give you a vague idea of what you’re supposed to be doing, but never enough information to let you get too comfortable with your situation.

Ultimately, Thymesia is far from yet another indie studio trying its hand at imitating FromSoftware’s work. While it undoubtedly borrows a lot from the game that influenced it the most—Bloodborne—Thymesia does more than enough to end up being little more than a pale imitation. It has quite a few great ideas that turn combat into a fun, fast-paced affair, and the story premise is quite clever. Even its story trappings of a plague in a medieval city play quite well into the core gameplay, with the Reave ability being especially fun to play with.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

"Thymesia is all about build variety, we want the player to have extra tools to play around with on top of their basic movements, so they can better prepare themselves for the challenges that await."

Stealing diseases from enemies and using those as weapons is an intriguing premise. Can you tell us more about how that will work in terms of gameplay? Additionally, how will the raven form factor into the combat? Is it something that will also come into play with exploration and traversal?

Both the enemy health system and Corvus’ ability to steal diseases from enemies are inspired by the macabre medieval act of bloodletting practiced by plague doctors. In the past, people believe when the blood flows out, so does the virus.

Hence, whenever Corvus deals damage to an enemy, he leaves wounds on them, and the enemy emits some of their plague energy into the air. The raven form represents the plague energy part of combat in Thymesia. You can either hit the enemy with claws to absorb the energy or charge up your claws to reave enemy plague weapons. Corvus shifts into raven form automatically when he taps into the raven power inside of him.

The plague weapons reaved from enemies can only be used once, however you can collect plague weapon shards to unlock or even upgrade plague weapons permanently.

Thymesia is all about build variety, we want the player to have extra tools to play around with on top of their basic movements, so they can better prepare themselves for the challenges that await.

Audiences often have very specific expectations from Souslike titles where storytelling is concerned, especially in terms of lore and world-building. What can we expect from Thymesia in those areas and from its style of storytelling?

We’re a big fan of fragmented storytelling. We tried our best to bring all the key storytelling devices we think are essential to a good narrative to Thymesia: dialogue, item descriptions, notes, books, etc. The story of Thymesia is not as simple as it appears on the surface. We wanted players to discover the story on their own and stitch together their own version of events as they play through the game.

How much of an emphasis does Thymesia place on exploration?

We love the intertwined level design in Souls games, and within the parameters that having a small team allowed, we tried our best to make the maps that we built interesting to explore and with lots of items, story bits, and secrets for players to find.

"We love the intertwined level design in Souls games, and within the parameters that having a small team allowed, we tried our best to make the maps that we built interesting to explore and with lots of items, story bits, and secrets for players to find."

What should players expect from Thymesia in terms of its boss fights and enemy variety? Additionally, how large is the game’s world? How is it structured?

The world is separated into different levels, each has its own unique visual style, bosses, elite enemies, and some shared common enemies. Each boss has its own movement sets that bring a series of challenges to the player.

How much experimentation will Thymesia encourage where its build variety is concerned? Additionally, what’s your approach to things such as difficulty been in Thymesia?

There’s no difficulty setting in Thymesia; however, we provide players with a variety of tools to help them progress through the game. We want every player to take on the enemies and challenges in a way that best suits them.

There are different stats in the game you can increase as you level up that affect basic values like health points, attack power, plague energy, etc.

As Corvus’ levels up, players get talent points to spend, and they can learn or unlearn any chosen talents at checkpoints throughout the game. Talents can greatly affect Corvus’ basic movements and playstyle. You can choose to be very aggressive and up close, or you can do a hit-and-run kind of style, or you can maximize your energy recovery and cast plague weapons all day.

The plague weapons Corvus reaves from enemies are not all just for dealing damage, they have different effects too – some of them provide you with shields and superarmor, others can help by stunning enemies.

Potions are the final ingredient players can use to help them overcome enemies in Thymesia. You can choose from a basic potion, which heals instantly but takes time to drink, a long-lasting potion which heals overtime but heals more, or a fast-acting potion, which heals less but shortens the drinking time and increases the use amount. Potions can also be upgraded using ingredients found throughout the world, giving them extra effects on top of their base healing.

"There’s no difficulty setting in Thymesia; however, we provide players with a variety of tools to help them progress through the game. We want every player to take on the enemies and challenges in a way that best suits them."

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of Thymesia be?

For this kind of genre, it really depends on the skill of the player. For example, how deep they dig into the lore, the optional elites they take on, hidden secrets they uncover, and how they choose to fight the bosses. As with all Soulslikes, playthroughs can vary quite a lot depending on if players are new to the genre or if they’re veterans who’ve played every one out there!

What frame rate and resolution will the game target on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S?

We’re targeting 4k on both PS5 and XSX with dynamic resolution hitting 60fps. The XSS runs off a very similar profile to XSX just with some changes to anti-aliasing.

Publisher Team17 has announced with a brief new trailer that Thymesia will also be available for the Nintendo Switch upon launch in a few days’ time, having previously been announced just for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. There is a catch though- as is the case with most multiplatform releases on the Switch these days, it’ll be a cloud-exclusive version of the game, and it doesn’t seem like there are any plans for a native launch. You can check out a brief announcement trailer for the Switch version below.

Thymesia will launch on August 18 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

SETTING

One of the main drivers behind Thymesia’s comparisons to Bloodborne is its setting and the gothic horror vibe. The game is set in the Kingdom of Hermes, which was once thriving due to its advancements in alchemy, but the practice came at a catastrophic chaos, swallowing the kingdom in chaos. The realm is now crawling with hellish beasts and nightmarish creatures, disease and decay, and the few who survive have locked themselves in. It’s all very Yharnam, and if it can make good on its exciting promise, it’s going to be a solid setting for the game.

PROTAGONIST

You play Thymesia as Corvus, a mysterious man with a past shrouded in mystery, though he’s supposedly the only one who can now pull the kingdom back from the state it finds itself in. Appropriately enough for the kind of game its trying to be, it’s clear that Thymesia’s story is going to rely heavily on mystery and revealing bits and pieces through lore drops. It remains to be seen how Corvus’ own story intertwines with that, though- or how much it intertwines with that.

MEMORIES

Corvus’ past is being used in Thymesia as an interesting gameplay mechanic as well. His memories are splintered, and they’re scattered all throughout the kingdom. That, of course, means that exploring environments and finding those memories becomes key, because only with those can you understand what’s going on and unlock every mystery in the story. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did something similar, but it remains to be seen if the idea’s execution is going to be different in Thymesia.

ENDINGS

Soulslikes are known for having multiple endings more often than not, and given that (and the fact that it seems to be evoking Bloodborne so heavily), it’s no surprise that Thymesia is going to feature multiple endings as well. Developer OverBorder Studio hasn’t talked about exactly how many endings the game will have, but we do know that which ending you get will depend on several factors, such as whether or not you’ve been able to acquire specific items, and how many of Corvus’ memories you were able to find and witness throughout your playthrough. Hopefully there will be enough variation across those endings to make them feel meaningfully different, because that can be a bit of a hard balance to strike.

COMBAT

Enough about the game’s world and story though. Let’s get down to the meat and potatoes of the experience, which, like any other Soulslike, is the combat. While Thymesia is very heavily reminiscent of Bloodborne in terms of its setting and tone, when it comes to the combat, it’s much more similar to something like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice- in style, at the very least. Encounters rely largely on fast and frantic melee and ranged attacks, with quite a bit of emphasis placed on dodges and parries. Essentially, it looks significantly faster than the typical Soulslike. Whether or not it’s actually fun to play once you get your hands on the controller remains to be seen, though we’re certainly keeping our fingers crossed.

PLAGUES

Here’s the central mechanic in Thymesia– or at least the central mechanic in the game’s combat system, at any rate. The Kingdom of Hermes is ridden with diseases and pestilence, but Corvus has the unique ability to turn them to his advantage and use them as very literal weapons against his foes. Bosses and special enemies will carry different plagues that you’ll be able to take for yourself after defeating them, and then use in the form of different weapons, like claws, scythes, and more. It sounds like a novel concept, so hopefully Thymesia will be able to execute it well.

RAVEN

Another unique ability that Thymesia will feature in combat is being able to shift your form. Corvus can turn into a raven during combat, and in this form, he has access to several useful abilities, like performing executions, interrupting enemy attacks, throwing dagger-like feathers at foes, and more. There are some important things that haven’t been mentioned yet- like whether or not the game will place any kind of a limit on how frequently and freely players will be able to use this ability, or if it’s going to be used for exploration and traversal purposes as well. If the game gets those details right though, it could be an interesting mechanic.

ENEMIES

Enemy design and variety is crucial in any combat-focused game, but that’s doubly true for Soulslikes. Boss battles are the bread and butter of this genre, and Thymesia seems promising on that front in particular, given its bosses and special foes who carry diseases and use them as weapons. From what we’ve seen of the game so far, the more regular enemies are going to put up plenty of challenge as well- which, of course, should work well with the more fast-paced nature of the game’s combat.

PROGRESSION AND BUILD VARIETY

This is another area where Thymesia distances itself from Bloodborne. While the latter was famously much less focused on build variety than FromSoftware’s previous games had been, Thymesia is promising much greater flexibility. According to the developers, players will be able to play in a variety of different ways by being able to upgrade and modify Corvus’ movement and abilities in different ways, and having multiple plague weapons to use and upgrade. On paper, it sounds like Thymesia will allow a much greater degree of freedom in building your character in a variety of different ways, so hopefully, there will be enough depth to the progression systems to make good on that promise.

PC REQUIREMENTS

When Thymesia launches a few days from now, it will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S as well, but many in the PC audience will be glad to know that the game isn’t going to be a very demanding one on their platform of choice, from a specs point of view. On minimum requirements, Thymesia will need either an Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5, along with either a GeForce GTX 950 or a Radeon HD 7970, and 8 GB of RAM. On recommended settings, meanwhile, the game requires either an Intel Core i7 or an AMD Ryzen 7, along with either a GeForce GTX 1060 or a Radeon RX 580, and 16 GB of RAM. On either setting, you’ll need about 16 GB of free storage space.

Rollerdrome

OlliOlli World developer Roll7 is known for its chill skating experiences but Rollerdrome goes down a more violent route. Described as a “skating game where you’re not just skating” and a “shooting game where you’re not just shooting,” the story is set in 2030 where esports, social media, flat-screen displays and more have never been invented. Instead, the public gets its entertainment from Rollerdrome, a bloody arena sport where combatants skate and gun each other down. As Kara, players battle snipers, hooligans, armored foes, and even robots to make their mark.

The mechanics are fairly straightforward – shoot enemies to recover health, perform tricks to regenerate ammo. Each arena is a skate park with numerous possibilities, as one skillfully dodges attacks, slows down time for precise shots and chains combos together. Rollerdrome is out on August 16^th for PS4, PS5 and PC. PlayStation Plus subscribers and PC players can get it at a reduced price for the first two weeks.

Two Point Campus

Two Point Studios brings its zany humor and management sim shenanigans into the world of education with Two Point Campus. Create your own university by placing various decorations, fences and vegetation, and then hire staff to teach your students. These aren’t your typical courses though as students will attend Knight School (with full medieval armor and jousting), take on Wizardry for magical duels and potion-crafting, or Spy School to root out any rival spies.

As you know more about the students and their personalities, you can organize different clubs and events to better foster their development. Two Point Campus is out on August 9^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Rumbleverse

Following its work on Seasons 2 and 3 of Killer Instinct on Xbox, Iron Galaxy Studios is back with a brand new melee-focused title in Rumbleverse, which releases August 11^th on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Unlike the combo-tastic 3D fighter though, this a free-to-play battle royale where 40 players are dumped into the map and must fight to the end. Close quarters brawls are the name of the game, as you unleash basic and strong attacks, and acquire magazines to learn more powerful special moves and takedowns.

Use weapons like baseball bats, climb anywhere and stay within the circle to ultimately emerge victorious. Along with a Battle Pass, it includes micro-transactions for different cosmetics to customize one’s avatar with. It may not feed the combo-breaker crowd but Rumbleverse looks intriguing, if nothing else.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, the critically-acclaimed, multi-million selling open-world title, finally comes to PC on August 13th. It features Peter Parker as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, having battled villains for years and protected Manhattan. Things take a turn though when Mister Negative and his gang start causing an uproar. Who else but Spider-Man to stop them?

As an enhanced version of Insomniac’s 2018 title, the remaster adds new suits, ray tracing and 4K resolution support. Ben Jordan also replaces John Bubniak as the face of Peter Parker. The PC version offers a number of options and features including higher-quality ray tracing, unlocked frame rates, Ultra-wide monitor support, mouse and keyboard controls, and Nvidia DLSS and DLAA support. If Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War (2018) are any indication, then Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered should be another PC hit for Sony.

Thymesia

Though it seems like just another Souls-like, OverBorder Studio’s Thymesia embodies a horror atmosphere with its plague-ridden setting. As a mysterious character named Corvus, players explore the fallen Kingdom of Hermes, battling infected creatures that roam the streets. Corvus is capable of fixing things (hopefully) but must rediscover lost memories to learn the truth. In the meantime, one must fight their way through, wielding plague weapons and using a raven form, complete with executions, to slay foes. Thymesia releases on August 18^th for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

Madden NFL 23

Another year, another slate of EA Sports titles, kicking off first with Madden NFL 23 on August 19^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Featuring John Madden as the cover star in honor of his passing last year, features like Face of the Franchise, Ultimate Team, and more return for another run. There are plenty of changes though, like Motivations and Tags that can influence Free Agent negotiations, the new Free Agency Hub, and new Scouting features for a more “efficient” process.

Current-gen versions also get FieldSENSE, which offers new control mechanics and branching animation technology for mid-air knockouts and Skill-Based Passing. It sounds all well and good but will this year’s edition finally carry the franchise forward? We’ll have to wait and find out.

Saints Row

Saints Row marks the first mainline title in the series since 2013’s Saints Row 4. However, instead of following the 3^rd Street Saints and fighting aliens, Volition’s newest open-world epic is a reboot. Set in Santa Ileso, it sees The Boss starting out as a grunt for Marshall Defense Industries. Eventually, they work with Neenah and Kevin, disgruntled members of Los Panteros and The Idols, along with entrepreneur Eli to form their own gang.

Don’t let the whole “start-up company” approach fool you though – Saints Row still features plenty of chaos, from establishing businesses to front for illegal activities like heists to sandbox rampages. Customization is more in-depth than ever, starting with The Boss and extending to your fellow gang members, weapons, cars, and much more. With nine districts to explore, tons of side activities (including old favorites like Insurance Fraud), and drop-in/drop-out co-op, Saints Row looks to be a fun time. It releases on August 23^rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia.

Soul Hackers 2

If you’ve been itching for some more Shin Megami Tensei-style gameplay, then Soul Hackers 2 should fill that void. Releasing on August 26^th worldwide for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC, it’s set in the future where two factions of summoners are at war and civilization as a whole is on the decline. After predicting the end of the world, the mysterious Aion sends two agents – Ringo and Figue – to stop it.

Many elements of the franchise – like fusing demons and summoning them in battle – are still a thing here. But each character relies on COMPs with different effects, exploiting enemy weaknesses for Stacks, and then using these for massively damaging attacks. In between exploring dungeons and upgrading COMPs, players will also hangout with different party members, increasing their Soul Level to unlock new abilities.

Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed

Following up on the Destroy All Humans! remake from 2020, Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed is a remake of Pandemic Studios’ 2006 sequel. Crypto returns, blasting his way through a myriad of locations like Tunguska, Takoshima, Bay City and Solaris. Weapons like the Meteor Strike for calling down meteors and the Burrow Beast which summons an underground monster to consume enemies, are available. Or you could use the flying saucer’s Quantum Deconstructor and Anti-Gravfield to wreak destruction on entire cities.

Abduct humans to upgrade your skills or hop into local split-screen co-op and play through the entire story with a friend. Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed arrives on August 30^th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

F1 Manager 2022

A proper management simulation for Formula One has been a long time coming but Frontier Developments’ F1 Manager 2022 could be the one. Based on the 2022 Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships, it offers an extensive Career Mode with long-term goals and seasonal targets. As you build up your team, you’ll manage drivers, staff, finances and car design – emphasizing performance or a more balanced approach.

This is in addition to features like a strategy editor for scheduling pit stops and pace, regulation changes that can suddenly emerge, a realistic presentation, and commentators like David Croft, Martin Brundle, and Karun Chandhok. F1 Manager 2022 is out on August 30^th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC.

Announced in a statement on Steam, the reason given for Thymesia‘s delay is to ensure a better player experience after getting feedback from a recent demo that was released on Steam.

“After listening to the community feedback from the recent Steam demo, we’ve made the difficult decision to push the launch date for Thymesia back by a few days to the 18th August,” says the statement.

“We are 100% committed to making Thymesia the best experience possible, and those few extra days allow us to do this by implementing changes and fixes that were asked for across all platforms.”

Thymesia will be coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Set in a plague-infested fantasy kingdom, Thymesia has players take on the role of Corvus, embarking on a journey to recover your lost memories.

Even a glimpse will make the Bloodborne inspiration in Thymesia quite apparent. For more details on that, here are 9 reasons why Bloodborne fans should keep an eye on it.