With a new year beginning a new start of releases from major and lesser-known game companies will follow in the coming weeks and across the rest of the year. Since the year has just begun there will be plenty of games that are set to release this year that have unconfirmed dates or even have not been publicly shown yet. For the beginning of this year, there is already a large set of games coming out mere weeks and even days apart making quite a stacked line-up. This article will go over the major games coming out this month to look forward to now that the new year has begun.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
After a decade without a new major game in the franchise outside of a VR escape room experience and mobile releases, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown brings the series back to its 2D roots with a new action platformer. As the Sands of Time remake is still in its lengthy development, The Lost Crown appears to be a stylish Metroidvania-inspired game that makes it stand out greatly from Ubisoft’s triple-A open-world games that have been a standard for many of their high-profile releases. The game will feature a young member of a warrior clan named The Immortals called Sargon as he grows from a typical warrior to a powerful legend. His adventure to a cursed city of Mount Qaf to save Prince Ghassan with him mastering aerobatic combat and wielding Time Powers among other abilities. While the game has strayed away from many fan expectations of what the big new returning game of the series would have been, The Lost Crown appears to be a great unique experience that brings a fresh take on the franchise bringing in the Metroidvania formula as fans can also look forward to the Sands of Time remake. The game will be released on all platforms including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC through Ubisoft’s launcher on January 18th and will have a free demo to check out on January 11th.
Another Code: Recollection
Nintendo’s game release for this month is more of an unexpected one with it being a game in one of their lesser-known IPs through Another Code: Recollection, a remake of both games in the Another Code series with Another Code: Two Memories on the DS and Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories which released on the Wii. This game will bring these mystery puzzle games onto Nintendo Switch with fully remade graphics in 3D environments and full voice acting in English and Japanese. Two Memories focuses on Ashley Robins as she investigates the truth of her supposed dead father who writes to her, seemingly implying he is alive while she encounters a ghost named D. After beating the story of Two Memories, players will unlock A Journey into Lost Memories, where an older Ashley on a camping trip discovers the memories of her departed mother. This newly remade collection of these mid-2000s story-driven puzzle games is a nice release to check out for anyone who is into the genre and allows for these games to be experienced in an updated way for audiences outside of their slowly aging hardware. The game has a free demo on the Switch’s Eshop for anyone to check out before it releases on January 19th only on Nintendo Switch.
Website Link: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Another-Code-Recollection-2439372.html
The Last of Us Part II: Remastered
While not a new release, it is one worth mentioning with the series' popularity as The Last of Us Part II which was originally released on the PS4 in 2020 is getting an updated remaster for the PS5 in the same vein as the first game when it made it is jump from the PS3 to the PS4. But this release is more controversial as you can already play the original on a PS5 making it a very strange release. Thankfully owners of the PS4 version can upgrade to the PS5 remaster but it does come at a £10 cost. It does include some newly added features such as a roguelike survival mode, but purchase for this release will be more situational than most for audiences. Mainly recommended for big fans of the game or those who have not played it before and want to through the PS5 with all the enhancements. The remastered edition releases January 19th only on PlayStation 5.
Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes
Another more unexpected release for the month is a sequel to the stylized 2D anime fighting game Under Night In-Birth created by developer French Bread, which has had many updates and editions since 2012 with its Japan arcade release. While marketed as a sequel it is essentially a huge update to the original with new characters, reworked move sets and systems. The game features many individuals and groups with powers coming together under the ‘Hollow Night’ as they fight one another under different goals. Since the original game was already seen as a solid foundation and game in the more specific sprite-based anime fighting game style, there was not much of a reason to change it up. It promises to be another high-speed solid sequel to the game before being a must-buy for previous players and a good starting point for those wanting to check out this style of fighting game. The game will be released on January 24th on PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC. If you purchase the game before March 31st you gain a character for free that will become paid downloadable content afterwards.
Website Link: https://www.arcsystemworks.jp/uni2celes/en/
Tekken 8
From a niche fighting game to a juggernaut of the genre, Tekken 8 is the next game in the series bringing it into the next generation of consoles following Tekken 7 in 2015. Continuing the saga of the dysfunctional Mishima family with a now all-out war being waged by Kazuya after beating his father Heihachi, Tekken 8 appears to be another over-the-top story and another in-depth fighting system with the brand new heat mechanic being introduced. This game will include a wider variety of single-player modes with a new arcade quest mode alongside the standard single-player story and arcade mode that will ease people more into playing the iconic fighting system before heading online. Tekken 8 is the perfect next step for the series and a great starting game for those wanting to check out the feature-rich fighting game franchise. The game will be released on January 25th on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC. Currently, there is a free demo available to play for those wanting to grow accustomed to the game before the influx of skilled players on release and beyond.
Website Link: https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/tekken/tekken-8
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Another game collection hailing from the DS era for the list of games on this list, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy features three games from the Ace Attorney series being the fourth, sixth and seventh mainline games. These are full remasters of DS and 3DS games being brought onto modern consoles allowing for almost the whole series to be playable aside from Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth which only has a phone port currently. This trilogy of games starts with a new protagonist named Apollo Justice solving court cases related to murders using evidence and testimonies. The story eventually links to previous games with the main protagonist and face of the series Phoenix Wright appearing, and the following two games have a mix of focus on him and Apollo as they solve more cases and corruption within the court system. This collection is recommended for those who have played through the previous trilogy of games before it, as it continues the story setup. But new players can ease into it despite the story ties as it features a new protagonist with the first game in the collection. The game collection will be released on January 25th on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Website Link: https://www.ace-attorney.com/aj-trilogy/en-uk/
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
The latest title in SEGA’s long-running Like a Dragon series formally known as Yakuza follows up on Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s new turn-based RPG gameplay. This game will bring together the new protagonist underdog Ichiban Kasuga and the Yakuza legend on his last legs Kazuma Kiryu in a story taking place in Japan and Hawaii. It will continue to expand on the fast-paced battle system with more outlandish and stylish moves to take down basic street thugs or giant sharks. Also includes the usual crazy side jobs and missions that will leave you in amazement and disbelief. If you are looking for a fun insane game to play or want to continue the twisting emotional story of the series then this is a great game to look forward to. The game will be released on January 26th on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox and PC.
Website Link: https://infinitewealth.sega.com/?lang=en
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