Here we are everyone, the final month is upon us and we have our final list of recommendations. November started to give us fewer big releases and catered to Indie games, VR and AA games. We got to create the water park of our dreams in Planet Coaster 2. This brought out a lot of creativity and excitement to manage your very own theme park. We also got the newest horror title from the creator of Silent Hill, Keiichiro Toyama, Slitterhead. This was an interesting body-hopping adventure that had unique gameplay with horrific creatures to fight.
We joined everyone’s favourite plumbers in a brand new adventure with Mario & Luigi Brothership. This colourful game presented us with fun quirky characters and a light-hearted adventure. Metro Awakening VR brings us back into the Russian Metro closer than ever before. In stunning virtual reality, we were truly immersed in the world of Metro and its inhabitants. Then we finally got our hands on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and began our journey in both a hardcore and hilariously buggy experience.
December is here and it’s bringing in some festive joy with some great releases. We have a few AAA games from well-known studios, a few ports for games many have been waiting to play and more. This month will have you roleplaying as a whip-cracking archaeologist, competing in a virtual death game based on a hit series, and teaming up with friends to defeat the forces of evil. Well let’s not delay any further, here are eight games to look out for in December (2024).
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
Our wrap-up of releases for 2024 begins with Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, developed by Fatshark. This cooperative action shooter set in the world of Warhammer 40,000 will be released on PlayStation 5 for the festive season. After releasing on PC and eventually on Xbox, PlayStation players can finally join the fun and experience the intense brutal gameplay only the developers of Vermintide can bring. Join the carnage and fight back the hordes when Warhammer 40,000: Darktide releases on December 3rd for PS5 or six days early via the Imperial edition.
You and your allies must root out this bloodthirsty enemy before the city succumbs to chaos.
For the uninformed, Darktide takes place within the city of Tertium which is currently infested by a legion of evil led by a deity of Chaos. Players take on the role of brave warriors known as Rejects and have access to four classes providing brutal gunplay, magical abilities, and bloody melee combat. Taking place from a first-person perspective, Darktide supports up to four players in cooperative play through agonisingly difficult missions against an increasingly powerful army of bloodthirsty enemies. This version of the game will include all of the content already released from the PC version, enhanced with Dualsense Haptic feedback alongside supporting 60 fps at 4K resolution on PlayStation 5 Pro.
Alongside the PlayStation release, Darktide‘s next big update, Grim Protocols goes live for everyone. In the next chapter, players will return to the sinister Carnival region of Hive Tertium for a nail-biting new mission. In Grim Protocols, stop Cultists attempting to manifest dark powers through a communion with the gods. To aid your righteous crusade, three new weapon families are made available: two-handed power swords, force swords, and the Ogryn Heavy Stubber. There’s also the new endgame experience, Havoc Mode, which pushes the challenge even higher for both veterans and novices. Completing these challenges will grant new cosmetic upgrades to show off your prowess over your fellow players.
The Thaumaturge
Similar to our last pick, another game is getting a console port. This time, it’s The Thaumaturge, developed by Fool’s Theory. Released originally on PC, The Thaumaturge is a story-driven RPG that has you explore 19th-century Warsaw on the hunt for ghosts. The game aims to provide morally ambiguous choices and a unique take on turn-based combat. The Thaumaturge will be released on December 4th for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Play your cards wisely and use your abilities to your advantage
The story of The Thaumaturge takes place in 1905 Poland, in the city of Warsaw. Play as Wiktor Szulski, who has inherited the supernatural abilities of Thaumaturgy. This ability helps Wiktor sense, interact, and command mystical beings called Salutors. Wiktor is drawn back to Warsaw by family matters, and with the help of his childhood friends and new abilities, he aims to locate and eliminate Salutors in hiding. During your investigations, you can interact and build relationships with key characters while choosing dialogue choices and decisions that will affect the overall narrative.
The Thaumaturge features RPG gameplay and turn-based combat. You investigate Warsaw to find clues on where Salutors could be hiding. However, it’s not all exploration and talking with NPCs, some of them want to fight. Engage in turn-based combat and defeat foes using human attacks and skills alongside supernatural abilities you possess. With each Salutor you discover, learn how to tame them for your own use. Use the powers Sautors provide in both combat and when exploring the world.
Symphonia
Next, we have a new platformer that chooses music over violence. Developed by Sunny Peak, Symphonia invites players to an expansive musical realm in a non-violent and poetic platformer. Use the power of your violin and platforming skills to gather an orchestra to bring the musical machinery of the world back to life. Symphonia releases December 4th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Discover various environments which combine music and machinery
In Symphonia, music acts as a source of life and energy to the world but that changed when the founders and their orchestras vanished. This caused the inhabitants to divide and the world to slowly fall into silence. You play as a mysterious musician known as Philemon who aims to gather a new orchestra to bring the world back to life. Use the power of your violin to catapult yourself through the world and complete exciting platforming challenges while re-activating the machinery that brings life and energy back to the world.
Each area in Symphonia has a distinct design, lovingly hand-crafted to fit the characters that reside there. You’ll meet prodigious musicians while assembling your orchestra with most objectives having you perform a task to recruit them. Of course with a game being based around music, the soundtrack was obviously going to be unique. The soundtrack is lovingly crafted by composer Olivier Esman, who has based it on the romantic musical period. Play engrossing concerts, each centred around one of the families of instruments and bring music, joy, and glory back to the land.
Marvel Rivals
Our next pick is possibly the next big online multiplayer game, Marvel Rivals, developed by NetEase Games. Similar to games like Overwatch and SMITE, Marvel Rivals is a superhero team-based PVP Shooter. You’ll play as numerous heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe in a multiversal brawl. Will this be the next globally played F2P sensation or will it be buried with all the others? Marvel Rivals releases on December 6th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
Marvel Rivals places you in all-out brawls featuring numerous big and small named Marvel characters
The general premise of Marvel Rival‘s narrative is that the tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future self have forced countless universes to collide, creating new worlds and unknown crises. Now, heroes and villains from the multiverse battle one another to ultimately defeat Doctor Doom and save the universe. Once released, the story will continue and evolve through each season bringing in new characters, maps, and pieces of lore. Speaking of characters, there is quite a large roster of heroes and villains to play as. From popular heroes Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Panther to devious villains like Magneto, Loki, Venom, and Hela. The roster boasts 33 characters at launch with more to come in future seasons.
As stated before Marvel Rivals is a team-based hero shooter that takes similarities with other games in the genre. You play in a third-person perspective in so far three 6v6 game modes. There’s Convergence, which plays similar to King of the Hill where players compete for control of randomly placed control points. Convoy is an objective-based mode with one team advancing while the other trying to stop you. Then there’s Domination, which will see multiple different control points scattered through the map to obtain to gain points. One unique aspect of Marvel Rivals is the Team-Up skills that involve select characters combining their power to perform special moves.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
The next pick is something I’ve been looking forward to for a while, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. Developed by Machine Games, the creators of the Wolfenstein series, play as Indiana Jones in a brand new adventure. Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in a new first-person, single-player adventure. Race across the globe to stop familiar forces from finding an ancient power and using it for sinister purposes. Begin the next adventure when Indiana Jones and The Great Circle releases on December 9th for PC and Xbox Series X.
Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles
In the year 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle. Play as legendary archaeologist, Indiana Jones in an adventure set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, Indiana sets out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artefact. You’ll join him on a globe-trotting adventure full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.
Live the adventure in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. Unlike the rampageous nature of the Wolfenstein games, Indiana Jones will mostly use his trademark whip for combat, stealth and traversal. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind
For our next pick we take a trip back to classic arcade brawlers with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, developed by Digital Eclipse. The classic early 90s show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is getting another game, this time as a 2D arcade brawler. Play as the original Power Rangers fighting against Rita Repulsa and her forces of evil. Prepare to morph when Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind releases on December 10th for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Play together with up to five players through iconic locations from the series
In the new side-scrolling adventure, play through the story of the original Power Rangers but with a twist. The futuristic villain Robo-Rita has used her evil magic to travel back in time to meet her younger self. Both versions of Rita have teamed up and are altering history to destroy the Power Rangers and rule Earth. Now the Power Rangers must pull together to defeat the two sorcerers and their army of darkness. Immerse yourself in this retro-style multiplayer imbued with some retro action in chronological combat. The Rangers will battle a series of enemies appearing in waves, including fighting enemy bosses through the game levels.
Blast, brawl, unleash terror, and drive through the constantly changing blend of game genres and epic moments from the Power Rangers franchise. You will meet many revered foes picked from different times in the series’ life, but that’s not all. There’s also a remix of episodes and epic events from the acclaimed TV series that boost the gameplay’s thrill. However, it’s not just your typical Streets of Rage-like combat, they’ve also included rail shooting in the form of piloting the Dinozords. Speaking of Zords, the Megazord returns for some action-packed boss battles in all 16-bit glory. If you’re interested in playing with some friends, the game offers both online and offline multiplayer for up to five players.
Squid Game Unleashed
For fans of battle royale multiplayer games and a certain Korean drama, this pick is for you. Developed by Boss Fight, a Netflix game studio, Squid Game Unleashed is a battle royale game based on the hit TV show. You’ll compete in numerous different deadly challenges all for the big cash prize at the end. Prepare to outlast numerous other players when Squid Game Unleashed releases on December 17th for Android and IOS.
Each round is a dark trip down memory lane to the schoolyard games of old
If you’re somehow not aware of what Squid Game is, I’ll briefly sum it up for you. The concept is simply a death game played by desperate citizens trying to be the last person standing. They’ll go through numerous challenges that are inspired by classic childhood activities. In Squid Game Unleashed, you’ll do this too but in the safety of a virtual game on your mobile phone. Play through familiar challenges directly taken from the hit series like Red Light, Green Light or Glass Bridge, alongside some new games. Unlike the show, players can pick up weapons and power-up boosts that assist in gaining the upper hand at crucial moments. Compete with your friends and team up against online opponents of up to 32 players.
Unlike the death games in the show, you don’t earn real cash but virtual currency. Spend your hard-earned prize money on items in the store containing new skins and more. Create the perfect contestant in the character creator and express yourself in the games with numerous outfits, animations, and emojis. As you compete through multiple contests and complete missions, you’ll advance to higher tiers where new advanced games can be played. If you’re worried about dying early and missing out on your group’s game, don’t threat. Squid Game Unleashed provides a spectator mode that lets your ghostly presence stay and watch the chaos unfold.
Alien: Rogue Incursion
Finally, we come to the very last game of 2024 that I’ll be recommending to you. This being the classic Sci-Fi horror franchise’s trip into VR in the form of Alien: Rogue Incursion, developed by Survios. The newest game in the Alien franchise is taking us up close and personal within the realm of VR. Play through a terrifying single-player adventure that boasts to immerse you within the world of the Alien universe. Turn on your motion detectors when Alien: Rogue Incursion releases on December 19th for PC, PSVR2, and Quest 3.
Armed with a Motion Tracker, Pulse Rifles and more to fight the Perfect Organism
In Alien: Rogue Incursion, experience the story through the eyes of Zula Hendricks, a resilient former Colonial Marine with a complicated past. Zula faces a dangerous mission to rescue her friend and former squad mate, Benjamin Carver. Accompanied by her synthetic companion Davis 01, Zula must fight her way to the heart of the Gemini Exoplanet Solutions research facility and confront the secrets waiting within. There she will discover new and deadly horrors that, once unleashed, could spell the end for humankind. Witness the terrifying presence of the Xenomorph, an intelligent creature that uses its environment to find the best angles of attack and can appear from anywhere around you.
Experience the horror and challenge of fighting Xenomorphs in a world inspired by the look and feel of the Alien film franchise. Audio, visuals, lighting, FX, interaction, and haptics work together to plunge players into the terrifying Alien universe. Playing in VR will test your nerves and skill as you feel the terror of facing off against deadly Xenomorphs. In addition to weapons and gear, you will also need your resourcefulness, quick reflexes, and ability to stay cool under terrifying pressure to survive. Spawning is reactive to the player’s movements, make a lot of noise and the Xenomorph is coming. In combat with Xenomorphs, death is very much an inevitable reality.
Have any other games you’ve got your eye on during December? Let us know in the comments below!
