2021 begins with a taste of what the new generation really can offer in terms of performance and visuals, but, mainly, narrative capacity. It is the month of The Medium, the new horror game from the Bloober Team with soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka (responsible for Silent Hill themes), reaching our hands bringing enigmas and terrors between realities.
For this reason, it is curious that, in the same month, we also had the long-awaited return of a pearl from the past that refers to an even older era. Years after being removed from online stores and in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the feature inspired by Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comics, the Scott Pilgrim Vs. game The World returns to the consoles of the current and former generations with a frank crap and a soundtrack Wonderful.
In a less supernatural or fanciful world, so to speak, it is stealth who will rule, with Hitman 3 taking us around the world to use different disguises and carry out murders in the most creative, stealthy and violent ways possible. Such a varied and full of possibilities approach almost refers to the launch calendar of January itself, whose most anticipated games you can see below.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition (14/01)
A celebrated update to the classic originally released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 brings back the sensations and style of an even more distant past. To portray the Scott saga in the conquest of Ramona’s love, literally going over the girl’s ex-boyfriends, Ubisoft refers to the old virtual street fights, with the title, which arrived in 2010, being a beautiful exponent of the beat ‘ in nostalgic ups in which the plot itself was inspired by the original comics.
Now, in response to requests and in celebration of the film’s 10-year anniversary with Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, as well as the game itself, Ubisoft relaunches Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game in a new version. The update includes all DLCs released throughout the original life cycle, in addition to improvements in controls and quality of life.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition will have versions for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Stadia. The original PS3 and Xbox 360 editions, however, will not be re-released – on these platforms, the game remains restricted to those who originally bought it.
Hitman 3 (20/01)
The so-called final chapter of the World of Assassination trilogy will once again put us in charge of Agent 47’s skills, disguises and capabilities. In the new game, which again arrives at the hands of IO Interactive, there will be six new locations and the already traditional import of maps and scenarios of the two predecessors, with the delivery of a complete experience.
Hitman 3 also marks the arrival of the franchise to the new generation, with versions optimized for Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5. Furthermore, it will be the first title in almost 20 years to show up on a Nintendo console, receiving a version for Switch. which will run through the cloud, in addition to compatibility with virtual reality on Sony consoles.
The title arrives on January 20 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X and S and Stadia.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy (26/01)
Another chapter in the Koei Tecmo saga, which has accumulated great success in Japan and begins to conquer its space also in the West, the sequence takes place three years before the original. The idea is precisely to serve as a gateway for new fans while the story of the original is expanded, as well as its resources.
The new adventure of the protagonist Ryza places her alongside allies in search of treasure in ancient ruins and mythological places. We have here a root JRPG, developed by Gust entitled to all the artifices of the genre, such as pets and the construction of the characters, as well as epic scenes of battles and close-ups that are not very comfortable in the intimate parts of the characters.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy has already been released in Japan and arrives on January 26 on PC, Switch, PS4 and PlayStation 5.
Cyber Shadow (26/01)
The similarities with the good old gameplay of the Ninja Gaiden franchise is the gateway to the game world published by Yacht Club Games and developed by Mechanical Head Studios. In the mix of elements of the classic franchise with other big names like Mega Man and Castlevania, comes a retro adventure par excellence.
The title, however, tries to go further with an enigmatic story, which speaks of a world devastated and dominated by synthetic creatures. The protagonist himself is a cyborg who must investigate what happened in that place and what is behind a rain that never stops falling, while trying to recover what is left of his clan of robotic ninjas.
Cyber Shadow will have versions for PC, Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, which will hit the market on January 26th.
The Medium (28/01)
The title that should be among the launch games of the Xbox Series X and S arrives in January bringing a union that, for many horror fans, is a marriage made in heaven (or in hell, to keep the theme). We have here a game from Bloober Team, the same developer of the Layers of Fear, Observer and The Blair Witch franchise, together with Akira Yamaoka, one of the most renowned composers in the gaming world and author of Silent Hill themes.
They come together to tell the story of Marianne, a medium who is able to travel instantly between the real world and that of the spirits. This is how The Medium’s story unfolds, while fighting and solving puzzles happen simultaneously between these two universes, a transition that also serves to show the capabilities of Microsoft’s new generation of consoles and, more specifically, the dedicated SSD of the console.
The Medium arrives on January 28 on the PC and Xbox Series X and S. The game will also be available on the Game Pass at its launch.
Olija (28/01)
Devolver Digital opens the year with a solitary adventure, which is also the work of one man. Thomas Olsson is the developer and sole responsible for the Skeleton Crew studio, which brings a retro-style adventure that puts players in the shoes of a castaway who ends up on an unknown island.
Faraday, our main character, meets an enigmatic being and, using his combat skills and a legendary weapon, will explore these lands, search for artifacts and meet other inhabitants (or not) in a fight for their own survival. Just taking this into account, you can already know that the journey goes far beyond just leaving this place and returning home.
Olija arrives on November 28 in versions for PC, Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.