Gaming News for March of 2022
Coromon
Considering the name, chances are good that people can guess that Coromon is a monster taming game more than a bit reminiscent of the 2D Pokemon games. It has the features that one would expect, with one example being online PvP and another example being a built-in Nuzlocke option. Those who are curious should know that Coromon is expected to release for the Nintendo Switch on March 31.
Crusader Kings 3
Generally speaking, people don’t associate grand strategy games with the consoles. However, it is interesting to note that Paradox Interactive is set to release Crusader Kings 3 on both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X on March 29. In short, the game puts the player at the head of a noble dynasty in the medieval world. After which, they can pursue a wide range of goals, with classic examples ranging from eliminating their rivals to building up their realms. What makes the Crusader Kings series stand out is that every single character has desires as well as the ability to act on those desires. As such, the player’s most dangerous enemies can often be their player-character’s own relatives. After all, they often have claims to the player-character’s lands as well.
Hogwarts Legacy
The people behind Hogwarts Legacy have done their big reveal for the game that is supposed to come out towards the end of 2022. There are a lot of people who were impressed by the State of Play, which made it clear that they will be able to learn spells, explore Hogwarts as well as other fantastic locations, and use those spells to take on a wide range of enemies in a wide range of settings. However, there are also those who are less than impressed by the reveal that angry goblins will be a major antagonistic faction, which is fueled by what they see as uncomfortable similarities between the goblins and anti-semitic stereotypes.
ITORAH
ITORAH is a 2D platformer that is now available for the PC via both GOG and Steam. The titular character will need to overcome bosses, puzzles, and platforming challenges in order to figure out why she seems to be the last human in the entire world. Visuals-wise, ITORAH is interesting in that it took heavy inspiration from Mesoamerican art as well as other aspects of Mesoamerican cultures. Indeed, its setting is called Nahucan. A name that makes this connection clear in an instant.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
The Kirby series tends to be known for 2D games. As such, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is significant because it is the first fully-3D game in the series. Fortunately, the people behind the Kirby series seem to have handled the transition well. Thanks to that, Kirby and the Forgotten feels like its 2D predecessors while still making excellent use of the possibilities offered by its new layouts. Something that should come as welcome news to interested individuals.
Of course, the game has new things as well. For example, it is set in what seems to be the post-apocalyptic remnants of a human society. Similarly, there are now Mouthful abilities, which come from common objects that Kirby has gobbled up but can’t quite swallow. Suffice to say that there is much waiting to be uncovered by Kirby fans.
Rune Factory 5
The Rune Factory series was made by the same people who made the Story of Seasons series. It has been dormant for quite some time, as shown by how Rune Factory 4 came out in 2012. However, the recent release of Rune Factory 5 for the Nintendo Switch makes it very clear that the series has been revived.
Unsurprisingly, Rune Factory 5 has a lot of similarities to the Story of Seasons series. For example, people can grow crops on their farm. Similarly, people can collect ores in the mines. However, the Rune Factory series has always been distinct from its parent series by featuring combat, which is perhaps unsurprising considering its animesque fantasy setting. In fact, if interested individuals want livestock in these games, they are going to need to go monster-taming. Something that is very different from how the Story of Seasons series handles things. Regardless, while Rune Factory 5 is a clear update, it remains very faithful to its predecessors in a lot of respects. This means that even though it includes combat, it can be as relaxing as people want it to be.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
One of the most popular DLCs for Borderlands 2 was the one about Tiny Tina’s tabletop RPG campaign. It was fun, funny, and surprisingly emotional because it served as a way for the character to work out her feelings following events in the main game. As such, it was natural that Gearbox Software would want to follow up on that. However, they didn’t decide to do so through DLC for Borderlands 3. Instead, they decided to do so by making a full-fledged spin-off called Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, which is expected to come out on March 25. Having said that, this is very much a Borderlands game. Interested individuals can expect to spend a lot of time shooting their way through entire hordes of enemies, checking out what those enemies have dropped, and then comparing those drops to see whether they can do better than what they are already using. The Borderlands games are looter-shooters. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is no exception.
Weird West
Weird West is set to come out at the very end of the month. Genre-wise, it is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, which is to say, a combination of western fiction with speculative fiction. Gameplay-wise, Weird West is an action RPG centered on a set of five playable characters. Each one has their own playable story. However, they will eventually meet up with one another for the final chapter, which is more reminiscent of the classic JRPG Live a Live than anything else. Some of these playable characters are very predictable. Still, interested individuals should know that one of them is a literal Pigman who has been reduced to said state by a curse, thus making it clear what kind of setting they can expect from the game.
