Games are a terrific escape from reality when needed, a retrospective allegory for our world and society and everything in between. Now is the perfect time for all of that. Luckily, April has a fantastic range of horror, RPG and so much more. These are our choices for the best games out in April 2020. Let’s get into it.
Resident Evil 3
After a surprisingly solid entry in 2017 and the impeccable remake early last year, it’s indisputable that Capcom has come back as the king of horror. Needless to say, with the direction of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, the landscape of horror was much more terrifying than the actual product for a while. Luckily for us, both the indie and triple-A scene have been spectacular. Unluckily for me, I have to make my way through them. I both cannot wait and an underprepared. Check out impressions on the recent demo here! If Resident Evil 3 is anywhere near as good as last year’s Resident Evil 2, it’ll be a game of the year contender. Scheduled for release on the 3rd April, if you’re looking for something to play beforehand, check out last year’s game of the year contender, Resident Evil 2 Remake.
HyperParasite
From one parasite to another comes HyperParasite, a rogue-like twin-stick indie game. Unlike Resi, you are the bad guy this time around. The central gameplay loop is based on body-snatching humans in order to slowly move up the food chain. You then use the privileges that body gives you to possess even tougher and more prioritized people in the aims of possessing the president, pushing the red button and one-upping the human race. This has a wonderful way of turning our preconceived ideas of narrative on its head. Making the good guys non-existent and the bad guys… uh, you? It is an interesting idea that brings me back to playing destroy all humans back in 2005 or watching the trailer for Carrion last year. Out on April 3rd, make sure to check out Destroy All Humans and Stubbs the zombie, a few classic titles.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Since its release way back in 1997, Final Fantasy 7 has set a pedigree that even modern RPGs have struggled to match. It was charming, creative and just genuinely fantastic. Final Fantasy 7 Remake attempts to take what’s great about this and update it for modern audiences. If the demo is anything to go by, we can guarantee some smooth and visceral combat and fantastic visuals. You can read our thoughts here or watch the video here! Out on the 10th of April, I wouldn’t advise playing the original. This is a story that’s best when fresh. Instead, check out Final Fantasy 15 for some spectacular visuals and sure, Parasite Eve because it also deserves a remake.
Someday You’ll Return
With Kojima Productions shutting down speculation for Silent Hill, it seems to be in an even worse state than we imagine. Luckily, this is where Someday You’ll Return comes in. It wears its influences on its sleeve and the main influence is Silent Hill. Someday you’ll return is a narrative-focused psychological horror game about a search for your missing daughter deep in the woods you swore you’d never return to. Between this and Resident Evil 3, you can’t get enough horror. Out on the 14th April, check out the entire Silent Hill franchise as it’s (mostly) incredible.
Trials Of Mana
Going from one Classic RPG remake to another is Trials of Mana. This 3D remake of the original way back in 1995 is something I’m very excited about. Although it may be a little strange starting on the third title in the Mana series, it is guaranteed to be worth your time. It aims to tweak some aspects and add content but promises to stay faithful overall to the original. You control three of six protagonists, each with their own narrative and reason for being there. Prepare for lots of charm and even more character. Out on April 24th, Make sure to check out the Secret of Mana remake from 2017
Predator: Hunting Grounds
Maybe in this time of uncertainty and isolation, you, like us, are looking for something more social. Hopefully, Predator: Hunting Grounds can scratch this itch. It is a multiplayer asymmetric shooter set in the Predator franchise. This will be the first Predator game in over a decade and frankly, I’m surprised a game like this in the Predator universe hasn’t existed before. The great, but ultimately disappointing, Evolve seems like a great thing to take inspiration from for a game like this and hopefully, this can prove why. Out on April 24th, check out Evolve and Dead By Daylight, both of which can be picked up for very cheap
Deliver Us The Moon
April is shaping up to be a terribly good month for horror. Resident Evil 3, Someday You’ll Return and now, Deliver Us The Moon. Following in the footsteps of us recommending “Moons Of Madness” last month, this only felt fitting. Deliver Us The Moon is a sci-fi thriller set in an apocalyptic near future. In this future, Earth’s resources are depleted and you are a lone astronaut sent to the moon to save humanity from extinction. This promises two crucial styles of horror: On-screen horror that gets your heart racing. Existential horror that forces you to think of the world around you. Spooky. Out on April 24th, make sure to check out the aforementioned Moons Of Madness and Dead Space because it’s great
Moving Out
Team 17 have somehow cemented themselves as a developer with a talent for making conceptually simple but hard to master games for all the family to play. Just look at the last two Overcooked titles and the classic Worms for an example of this. Moving out seems to be no exception. In moving out, you become a “certified removals master” responsible for uhhh moving out? It seems to be a wacky self-aware puzzle title with a focus on cooperative playing and moving out. Out on April the 28th, make sure to check out Overcooked and Worms, preferably with a few friends or family
Sakura Wars
We’ve had two long-awaited remakes in this list, why not a long-awaited reboot. Sakura Wars is the sixth mainline entry in the franchise and a soft reboot of the entire series. Sakura Wars is an interesting crossover between a dating sim, an RPG and a visual novel. It hopes to be a great inclusion for new fans to the series but faithful enough to bring in the core fanbase. Time will only tell how successful this is. Out on April 28th make sure to check out Valkyria Chronicles and the Persona series for some truly great PlayStation titles
Minecraft Dungeons
When I think Minecraft, I certainly don’t think dungeon-crawling action-RPG but that is exactly what Minecraft Dungeons offers. This is kind of fascinating. Invoking Diablo as their influence instantly appealed to me and if it’s a fraction as good as that sounds, we can guarantee a fun game for the entire family. It doesn’t offer crafting or building and doesn’t have a set class system. This suggests it will be fairly simplistic but for what it seems to be offering. This is by no means a bad thing. Out on April 30th, check out Diablo 3 and Minecraft to give the broadest range of recommendations in this entire list
And that’s the entire list. There are so many different styles of game and narrative. April has managed to shape up to be a surprisingly strong list for horror and RPGs. Don’t let that go to waste. Make sure to try out even some of the titles outside of your comfort range. Expect news, reviews, and opinions on them right here on TheNerdStash over the next month. Stay safe and enjoy
What are you playing? What are you looking forward to playing? Will you be taking any of our recommendations?
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