July was not exactly a month that had the most exciting releases of PS4 games. Probably the only thing that kept the month interesting was the release of Bethesda’s Wolfenstein spin-off, Youngblood – but it didn’t meet expectations as far as what the critics said (we’re still in the works of an official review, so stay tuned). It’s lucky that Nintendo had a major exclusive release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, good for them!
August might be another month with the utmost silence when it comes to PS4 releases, but there are a couple of titles that can potentially pique your interest.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall
Growing up playing on PC, I got really addicted to a lot of RTS (real-time strategy) games. Some of which I got to play Warcraft III, Red Alert 2, Starcraft and Battle Realms. Age of Wonders Planetfall, a turn-based top-down strategy game set in space. Where three factions fight against each other to reign supreme overall. What I really look forward to in this sci-fi strategy is the cool game mechanics and tactics you can employ, opening up almost infinite possibilities when it comes to unit management and base building.
Oninaki
I’ve always enjoyed RPGs, albeit obsessively to a point where I spend hours grinding on character levels, getting the best equipment and then starting over again to relive the grind but that’s beside the point. Oninaki is a top-down RPG developed by Square Enix. Being an RPG, you can expect the base game elements that come with the RPG package though what got me invested into wanting to try this game is it’s combat animations. The trailer showcased some of the things you can do in this game and presented just how smooth and dynamic the attacks are. Easily a must-have for me.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
Now I’m not a brave person when it comes to horror games, I mostly jump at the most minor of things, lights switching on is my limit. Developed by Supermassive Games, the company that brought you Until Dawn, Man of Medan presents itself with the same heavy decision-making opportunities present from their previous game, Until Dawn. Although what stands out here is that they managed to expand the game into a co-op horror style where you and a random or friend go online and try to survive. What really caught my attention here is what gives you that sense of trust or mistrust of others when it comes to life-threatening moments in-game. It’s definitely something I’d like to try out with my friends.
Control
Probably one that would get me hooked to play and finish immediately because of how interesting the game’s combat and the overall story looks like. You play as Jesse Faden, the new director of the Bureau of Control, an organization that fights off supernatural enemies. The gameplay trailer featured supernatural powers along with an interactive environment, and when I mean interactive, I mean destructible too, encouraging you to use the environment against your enemies. With its geometric landscape aesthetic, you’re sure to get hooked.
Remnant: From Ashes
From the developers of Darksiders III, Gunfire Games, comes a new Third Person Co-Op RPG although what makes it stand out is that it incorporates guns, with fantasy trope melee weapons in a way that it feels natural to have based on the game’s setting. Looking at the trailers, the game heavily reminds me of SoulsBorne games, not just in terms of aesthetics but also in the way the game plays out. Being able to experience a SoulsBorne-esque type game with guns as part of the core game mechanic would certainly make me want to see more of what is to come.