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March is always a fun part of the year. It is too late for Christmas sales, but too early for Summer so often ends up with new games to fill a backlog until you have time for them. Both lucky and unlucky for us, March 2020 is stacked with incredible titles. They range from brutal shooters, Tough-as-nails RPGs, and games so cute they shoot endorphins straight into your brain. Well, consider us at Nerdstash, your endorphin dealer, as we take you through 10 great games out in March.
1. Murder By Numbers:
This title is a fascinating mix of picross and Phoenix Wright and appears to be just as wacky as this sounds. It has a lovely Anime style and takes clear inspiration from visual novels. With titles such as Dr. Kawashimas Brain Training and Hatoful Boyfriend under their belt, one can assume two things from Murder By Numbers. It won’t pull any punches stylistically and will inevitably achieve a cult-like following. Yes, I know I should have played Hatoful Boyfriend already, stop telling me. Out on the 5th for Switch and 6th for PC, if you’re looking for something to play in the meantime, check out Phoenix Wright, it’s great.
2. Ori And The Will Of Wisps:
With some pretty mediocre all family exclusives in their past such as Blinx and Super Lucky’s Tale, We weren’t expecting much from Ori. It had an obviously Gorgeous art style, but their past suggested it might not live up to what we see. Boy, we were we wrong. Ori and the Blind Forest was one of the most charming and heartwarming tales of the last five years. That’s why we’re so excited to see Ori and the Will of Wisps finally come out this month. If its anything like its predecessor, it will feature a lovely soundtrack, stunning visuals, and intelligent narrative design. Nonetheless, we cannot wait. Out on PC and Xbox on the 11th March, you should check out the previous Ori game and Child of Light for some pretty visuals and sound design. Furthermore, it’s available on release with Xbox Game Pass and absolutely worth your time. Here’s our coverage of Ori’s E3 2018 trailer.
3. Dead or School:
I’m divided on how I feel about this title. One part of me sees it as an odd excuse to dress a girl up in a school uniform and fight things, the other sees a visceral Hack and slash RPG. It appears to attempt both, but whether or not it pulls that off is yet to be seen. It appears to have been funded with a fairly small budget, and while this may show, one can hope it’ll achieve indie gem quality and not asset flip quality Well, see on the 13th March which of those two things prevail. If you’re looking for something to play beforehand, check out the recently released Skul: The Hero Slayer for an example of a good indie Hack and Slash.
4. Nioh 2:
The original Nioh way back in February 2017 was one of a few choice exclusives that made me glad to be a PS4 owner. It felt like Dark souls with its impeccable level design and moreish difficult combat but managed to stay fresh and unique with its narrative and spins on the genre. Nioh 2 attempts to further polish and adapt this formula in great new ways. Its focus on rhythmic combat and Ki moves is something truly unique in recent action RPGs. A simple scroll through Team Ninja’s works in the past should make it clear of the pedigree that they hold. With titles such as Fire Emblem Warriors and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, one can hold a certain amount of faith in them. This was solidified in the demo we were lucky enough to receive in November last year. Out on the 13th, I’d advise making your way through Nioh and Sekiro just because they’re genuinely fantastic. Here’s our coverage of Nioh 2.
5. Doom Eternal:
Doot doot shoot shoot. Doom Eternal doesn’t attempt something deep and branching. It knows exactly what it is and exercises that to a tee. It’s a visceral fast shooter with brutal glory kills and the odd explosion or five. 2016’s Doom offered many interesting callbacks that modern shooters had just forgotten about. It mostly did away with ADS in favor of movement, and this movement focused design is prevalent throughout your entire playthrough. It offered a welcoming level of difficulty, and its glory kill system enforced a heavy risk-reward system that often pushes you into your next encounter underprepared to secure some of that precious loot hiding inside the bones of your enemies. Luckily for you, You have fifty ways of extracting it. Punches, Kicks, explosions, neck snaps, and all of this is encompassed in a heavy soundtrack just encouraging you to rampage. Out on the 20th March, If you’re looking for something to play in the meantime, check out the Doom as mentioned above and Titanfall 2 because it’s excellent, and I wanted an excuse to recommend it. Here’s our coverage.
6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons:
Doom Eternal has somehow found an unlikely ally on the internet. That ally seems to be Animal Crossing and, in particular, Isabelle. My social feed has been filled with a mixture of the Doom Slayer in cute pictures and Isabelle in mean ones, and honestly, I can’t get enough. In hindsight, this makes total sense; Animal Crossing is the perfect antithesis to Doom. After a hard day of stomping, shooting, and slashing his way through demons in hell, I’d like to imagine the Doom slayer curled up on the couch listening to soft rock and smiling when he finally pays off his fifth extension on his house and adds three flowers outside the door. Furthermore, seeing Isabelle in a more angry mode adds a three-dimensional layer to her personality. As franchises, they manage to achieve something more human than they otherwise would….. Or it’s just a cutesy game I like way too much. Regardless, give it a go and try not to crack a little smile. Out on the 20th March, check out Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Doom because the internet is unpredictable, and everyone needs something a little different. Here’s our coverage.
7. Half-Life: Alyx:
Another thing that made no sense to the internet was the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx. The joke waiting for Half-Life 3 has been going on so long that people know it more for the joke than the game itself. That’s why it seemed so strange that not only is the next Half-Life game coming out, it’s going to be entirely in VR. This does make sense financially given the rampant hype to hear from Half-Life again, almost justifies the price of VR alone, not to mention all the great titles available on it. Unlike what people thought it might be, it seems to work as a story before the events of Half-Life 2. As the title suggests, you take the role of Alyx Vance as you fight an occupying alien combine. Out on the 23rd, I’d suggest looking into the original Half-Life games and the recent VR gem Boneworks. Here’s our coverage.
8. Bleeding Edge:
When Ninja Theory was acquired by Microsoft last year, the logical guess wouldn’t have been a multiplayer arena melee combat game. Still, Ninja Theory doesn’t tend to do what is expected. The phenomenal Hellblade released in 2018 was a masterclass in exploring mental health and audio design. Their, often overlooked, gem Enslaved: odyssey to the west made strides way back in 2010 and Heavenly Sword three years prior established a cult following that still demands a sequel today. This shows that Ninja Theory is well-liked, and impressions from the beta suggest it will be worth playing. It’s also on GamePass, so you have no excuse. Set to release on the 24th, make sure to check out the impeccable Hellblade for an example of their work and Overwatch for a solid arena shooter.
9. Moons of Madness:
Cosmic horror is infamous for being dealt poorly in video game form. Moons of Madness made some waves last year with its release on PC, its release on Xbox and PS4 attempts to make an ocean. It’s a first-person narrative-driven experience based on the scientific exploration of Mars. In this, you must explore to piece together the story. Nothing is forcing you to move forward but you. If you don’t want to take that next step, you don’t have to. If you don’t, its intense narrative will practically tease you with its tongue out to just move forward a little more; then, it gets you. You are hooked. This is the great appeal of cosmic horror. It doesn’t promise jumpscares. It promises a narrative just intriguing enough to justify its oppressive atmosphere. Moons of Madness stalks it’s way to Xbox and Playstation on the 24th. If you’re looking for something to play, check out the intriguing but underwhelming Sinking City and the practically terrifying Alien: Isolation.
10. Persona 5 Royal:
Atlus always manage to ooze enough surplus coolness to even make this list ever so slightly cool. With a fantastic soundtrack, rewarding gameplay loop, and intriguing narrative, Persona 5 offered possibly the pinnacle of what a JRPG could be. Royal makes a bold attempt to further this with a new hangout spot, new enemies, and a whole new Phantom Thief. Persona 5 features over 100 hours of gameplay and features a day and night cycle filled with activities to do and friends to make. Never before has school seemed so cool. Never mind, even Persona 5 can’t make this list cool. Persona 5 Royal Attempts to steal your heart on 31st March. If you’re looking for something to play beforehand, don’t check out Persona 5; instead, try and get your hands on Persona 4 Golden. Here’s our coverage.
And that’s the list. If you somehow get through every one of these games before the end of March, I don’t believe you. In case
I do make sure to leave a comment about it, and you’ll receive some recommendations in return. Make sure to follow the page on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!
