Here we are once again ending another month of brilliant game releases. With April now in full swing, we have more games to show you, alongside our quick recap of last month. March was another solid month for releases, we finally got our hands on Dragon’s Dogma 2, bringing back engaging enemy scenarios with enhanced graphics. We also got Hi-Fi Rush on PlayStation and have been rocking out to its soundtrack and fantastic vibes.
We were greeted with some nostalgia with the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. It didn’t go according to plan with its online multiplayer but the single-player modes, have been excellent. There was also the full release of The Outlast Trials which has been a lot of fun playing with friends in horrendous experiments. Finally, we had the release of Rise of the Ronin which ended up being an alright Ghost of Tsushima replacement.
Now we look towards April where another month of unique games are ahead of us. We have a couple of spooky games in different styles of gameplay. There’s a highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive involving a divisive protagonist design. Alongside these are some excellent indie games including one that is entirely handcrafted. Well let’s not delay any further, here are eight games to look out for in April (2024).
Withering Rooms
The first game for our April picks is the 2.5D horror RPG, Withering Rooms, developed by Moonless Formless. Set in a procedurally generated Victorian mansion, explore and collect items to fend off supernatural creatures. Withering Rooms was originally released on early access back in 2022 for PC but now all the rooms have been carefully built with a huge cast of monsters and bosses. Prepare for the horror when Witherng Rooms releases on April 2nd for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Survive each procedurally generated room with anything you can find
What We Know About Withering Rooms
Travel through the everchanging rooms of Mostyn House, a creepy Victorian mansion used as an asylum. Play as a young girl named Nightingale who was sent to the asylum by her father. Sadly for Nightingale, Mostyn House is a cursed place filled with walking corpses and other supernatural creatures. Withering Rooms doesn’t keep you locked up in Mostyn House, explore other areas such as hedge mazes, tombs, caves, churches, and ruins beyond the mansion grounds. Explore the spooky environments and collect items to survive each night, beware though, each room is procedurally generated meaning you won’t know what’s coming in the next room.
Similar to games in the soulsborne genre, Withering Rooms requires you to bide your time when tackling each enemy. Use everything at your disposal to get through each room. Gather weapons, tools for distractions, magical artefacts, keys, and crafting materials. Speaking of enemies, take on supernatural foes like the overgrown undead, invisible ghosts, devious witches, and more. Nightingale can also cast a variety of spells, create hex traps on closet doors, enchant suits of armour to assist you or create a decoy mimic of yourself. Luckily not everything on the grounds wants to get you, meet a cast of strange friends, merchants, liars, and witches with their own agendas.
Moonglow Bay
Our next pick is a port of the indie fishing game, Moonglow Bay, developed by Bunnyhug. Enjoy a relaxing fishing adventure where you’ll explore different zones on your trusty vessel. Alongside fishing, get wrapped up with the interesting locals of your remote town, while running your business. Begin your journey in Moonglow Bay on April 11th for PS4, PS5, and Switch.
Bring fishing back to the Bay
What We Know About Moonglow Bay
In Moonglow Bay, you play as a rookie angler, struggling to fulfil your partner’s final wish, while the town around you attempts to keep afloat in the face of impending bankruptcy. With only a journal and rod in hand, you must explore the furthest reaches of the ocean to uncover the secrets of Moonglow Bay. Work together with friends, family, and neighbours to hone your fishing skills, nourish relationships, and restore a remote town’s fractured community.
Discover what lurks beneath the ocean by casting your line to find all 151 aquatic species. Travel through different zones, all in stunning voxel art that compliments its memorable locations. After you’ve had a good time fishing through each zone, return to your town and either cook your catch of the day or show them off at the local aquarium. Whilst in the town, befriend the locals and accept quests through the bulletin board to help restore Moonglow Bay‘s fractured community. Fulfil your family’s wish solo or with a friend in local co-op and discover all the mysteries of Moonglow Bay.
Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets
Next, we have another entry into the horror genre with Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets, developed by TonyDevGame. This first-person survival horror has you explore a sinister amusement park filled with deadly creatures. Embark on a rollercoaster of horror when Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets releases on April 12th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Battle spooky enemies such as mannequins, animatronics, and giant spiders.
What We Know About Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets
As the title advertises, you’ll play as Jack Holmes, who after a long period of unemployment, is forced to join the family business. Jack will embark on a macabre adventure filled with living puppets, uncontrolled animatronics and more nightmarish beings. Explore numerous environments like a somewhat abandoned amusement park, a sinister-looking house where horrible experiments are performed, and spooky mines home to giant spiders. It may seem all doom and gloom but on a positive note, you can go on all the rides.
With Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets being a survival horror, managing ammunition will be key to staying alive. Explore each area and gather weapons and resources to tackle each deadly encounter. There are various types of enemies with different mechanics alongside stress-inducing boss fights. Navigate each park and enjoy all the attractions with the game’s spectacular graphics, thanks to Unreal Engine 4.
Harold Halibut
If you’re looking for something unique to play in April then Harold Halibut should be on your radar. Developed by Slow Bros, Harold Halibut invites you on an aquatic journey set in a vibrant retro-future world. One of the biggest things that makes this game special is that everything you see is hand-crafted. The developers meticulously created everything using traditional sculpting and model-making techniques. Explore the world of Harold Halibut when it releases on April 16th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Harold Halibut is a handmade narrative game about friendship and life on a city-sized spaceship submerged in an alien ocean.
What We Know About Harold Halibut
It has been 250 years since the ark-like spaceship the Fedoras, fled the Earth searching for a new home. You play as Harold Halibut, one of the many residents of this city-sized spaceship, submerged in an alien ocean. Harold is a young lab assistant to the ship’s lead scientist, Jeanne Mareaux. Currently, their goal is to find a way for the Fedoras to leave the alien world they’re stuck on and find a more habitable home. However, after one fateful encounter plunges Harold into a world no one could have imagined.
In the handmade narrative adventure, meet all the wacky residents of the ship. Get to know their personalities, quirks and stories through meaningful conversations. They’ll assign tasks for you to perform that will keep you busy throughout the story. All the characters you’ll meet come to life with the full English voiceover, elevating the game’s narrative to cinematic proportions. The general gameplay is of the likes of many point-and-click adventure games of old. However, the captivating narrative, underscored by a carefully orchestrated script will pull you in throughout the journey.
No Rest For The Wicked
Next up is the newest game from Moon Studios, the award-winning developers of Ori and the Blind Forest. Their new game, No Rest for the Wicked is a visceral, precision Action RPG that aims to reinvent the genre. Discover a mature, dark narrative on the harsh shores of Isola Sacra. Cunning rulers and ferocious rebels fight for the throne, while an ancient plague sweeps across the land. Begin a new adventure when No Rest for the Wicked releases in early access for PC on April 18th.
Chaos will pull you in every direction as you seek to cleanse the land of wickedness and shape the kingdom’s fate.
What We Know About No Rest for the Wicked
The story of No Rest for the Wicked takes place in the year 841, the king is dead and his arrogant son Magnus now rules. Alongside this, an unholy plague known as the Pestilence has returned after a thousand years. Sweeping across the land, corrupting everything and everyone it touches. Play as a Cerim, a member of a group of mystical holy warriors imbued with remarkable powers. They are sworn to defeat the Pestilence at any cost. However, the task will be challenging with the vast political struggles and the plight of the people entangling you throughout the story.
Explore a painting come to life with No Rest for the Wicked‘s meticulously built art style. Beauty radiates in every frame, from the dappled sunlight of the Lowland Meadows to the viscera-smeared, twisted shadows of the Nameless Pass. Each new location provides new people, problems, hidden treasures, and secrets to unearth. Hone your combat skills with a challenging system that wants you to deliberate and strategise on the fly. Feel the weight and speed of each weapon through their own unique move sets. Battle against gruesome creatures, enemy soldiers, and punishing bosses in tense visceral combat. Share your world and progress with up to three friends in the campaign’s online co-op mode.
Sker Ritual
Our next pick is a spin-off of the horror game Maid of Sker developed by Wales Interactive. Their new game Sker Ritual, changes focus from the scares to the action with it being an intense zombie survival FPS. Shoot your way through relentless waves of vicious horrors using grand weapons and abilities. Take on the hordes when Sker Ritual releases on April 18th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is currently available for PC in early access.
Take on never-ending hordes of enemies with steampunk armaments and Celtic magic
What We Know About Sker Ritual
It’s 1914, Elisabeth Williams has conquered Sker Island and seeks full domination with a broadcast of the Siren’s Song. Her daughter, Arianwen opposes her and after you are mysteriously awakened, you join her crusade against her mother. You’ll assist Arianwen in thwarting her mother’s broadcast and saving the world from descending into hell. Sker Ritual may be a spin-off but it is a continuation based on the evil ending of Maid of Sker. Inspired by other wave shooters, Sker Ritual provides players with creative weapons, unique enemy types, and even Easter Eggs to uncover.
Sker Ritual is a round-based survival FPS that can be played solo or with up to four players online. Shoot your way through relentless waves of vicious horrors with high-octane objectives, upgrading steampunk weapons, collecting Celtic God powers, and surviving the onslaught of the Quiet Ones. Speaking of the Quiet Ones, they’ve recruited new elites, each with their own set of abilities that will force you to adapt on the go. Customise your characters with interchangeable masks inspired by all forms of horror like gothic, science fiction and more.
Sand Land
If you’re a fan of the works of Akira Toriyama (R.I.P. King) and action RPGs, then Sand Land is our pick for you. Developed by ILCA Inc., Sand Land is based on the popular manga of the same name. Sand Land aims to transport players into a realm where humans and demons collide in the face of extreme water storage. Explore a vast desert, pursuing an extraordinary treasure when Sand Land releases on April 26th for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Become the saviour the world needs
What We Know About Sand Land
In the world of Sand Land, play as a demon named Beelzebub, a fiend prince. You’ll embark on a quest to discover a hidden legendary spring that holds the key to restoring hope in this arid realm. You won’t be alone on this adventure, players will be joined by his chaperone Thief, and the fearless Sheriff Rao. You’ll lead your company of heroic misfits and explore the legendary world of Sand Land. Throughout the adventure, players will encounter a diverse range of characters with unique quirks and stories to discover. Some of them will provide quests for you to go on to further immerse you in Akira Toriyama’s world.
Sand Land offers a beautifully crafted open-world environment for players to explore. How will you explore it? Either on foot or by using imaginative vehicles like battle tanks and Jump Bots. You’ll be able to customise your vehicles with different load-outs, levelling various mechanic parts including weapons, engines, and suspensions. Beelzebub can also utilize their abilities to overcome challenges using either superhuman strength or telepathic abilities. This will all be needed to take on the many dangers the world throws at you. There is currently a demo available on the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Marketplace.
Stellar Blade
Finally, our last pick is the all-new story-driven action adventure Stellar Blade, developed by Shift Up. In this hack-and-slash adventure, explore a post-apocalyptic Earth filled with deadly alien creatures. The combat seems to merge the stylised gameplay of Devil May Cry and the intense combat of a FromSoftware title though with Nier: Automata vibes. Prepare for another great adventure when Stellar Blade releases on April 26th exclusively for PS5.
Play as the swordswoman Eve, in an action-packed tale to reclaim the Earth
What We Know About Stellar Blade
The story of Stellar Blade is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth after being devastated by alien invaders known as the Naytiba. You’ll take on the role of Eve, a soldier of the Eve Defense Force. Tasked with the impossible mission of reclaiming Earth from the clutches of the Naytiba, by defeating all the hostile forces. You’ll be joined by various companions, such as Lily, an engineer who can upgrade equipment, and Adam, a survivor of the invasion who becomes your guide to the last bastion of mankind, Xion. Journey through the last remnants of humanity to become the saviour of Earth.
In terms of gameplay, Stellar Blade‘s combat has a wide range of attacks that can be strategised for deadly combos. There are plenty of skills for you to use, allowing unique fighting styles that will suit your preference. Stellar Blade has a semi-open world similar to games like God of War, allowing freedom to explore the game’s beautiful environments. One thing that might have put some players off is the possible familiarity with games by FromSoftware. Luckily Stellar Blade has numerous difficulty levels available, helping you pick the level of challenge you desire. Nevertheless, players can expect numerous boss fights that will test your skills throughout the battle. There is currently a demo available for Stellar Blade on the PlayStation Store.
Have any other games you’ve got your eye on during April? Let us know in the comments below!
