Persona 5 (PS4) – April 4
Persona 5 is the sixth installment of the Japanese RPG series Persona. The widely successful series combines elements of role-playing, social interactions and dungeon exploration as your party battles supernatural enemies.
After years of delays, Persona 5 was finally released in Japan in September 2016 to critical acclaim, with many near-perfect scores and some reviewers even calling the game a masterpiece. After suffering its own delays, the North American release will finally be coming this month. Even though the Persona series is still gaining traction in the west, Persona 5 is one of the most anticipated RPG releases of 2017.
Yooka-Laylee (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – April 11
In 2012, a group of former employees of game developer studio Rare — famed for series such as Donkey Kong, Banjo-Kazooie and Battletoads — announced their intentions to create a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. Fast forward to May 2015 and Yooka-Laylee became the fastest-growing video game Kickstarter on its way to raising over 2,000,000 pounds in funding.
The developers, now under the moniker Playtonic Games, have stated they won’t be satisfied resting on nostalgia and won’t be creating a Banjo-Kazooie knockoff; instead, choosing to focus on recapturing the style and tone of the original series.
Described as a “love-letter to Nintendo 64 memories” Yooka-Laylee shows promise behind developers who, out of pure love, are trying to breathe life into an esteemed decades old series.
Outlast 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – April 25
Outlast 2 is a first-person survival horror. The original Outlast released in 2013 garnered praise as one of the few first-person horror games to successfully tackle the genre without a combat system, but rather, focusing on escaping and hiding from your enemies. While the game had its cheap jump scares, Outlast was still effective in scaring its players.
This style of gameplay will return in the sequel, where you will play as a journalist exploring the Arizonian deserts searching for your missing wife — armed only with your camera.
The camera has a nightvision mode to help you navigate through the pitch-black night, but once the battery is drained, you will be left helpless against the enemies lurking in the dark.
Outlast sold over 4 million copies as the debut release of Red Barrels. Along with Outlast 2 demos receiving high praise, this is a game which deserves to be on people’s radar.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) – April 28
Who at this point hasn’t played the much loved racing series? The world’s most famous plumber has been bringing generations together with Mario Kart for decades.
Previously released on the Nintendo Wii U in May 2014, Mario Kart 8 is being ported to the newly released Nintendo Switch console along with some added features. All previously released DLC will be included along with a new battle mode, new characters and items and new Joy-Cons, which will be sold separately.
Many consider Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U to be one of the best in the series and with the Mario Kart lending itself perfectly to the portability and couch co-op ability of the Switch, fans are excited for this re-release.
Little Nightmares (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – April 28
Little Nightmares is puzzle-platformer horror game brought to you by the same developers who were involved with the LittleBigPlanet series, Tarsier Studios.
Playing as a little girl trying to escape an underwater labyrinth, you will have to puzzle your way through the creepy and deranged setting. Using a dollhouse perspective, Little Nightmares focuses on creating horror by trying to be as unsettling and suspenseful as possible, with a beautiful yet disgusting artstyle and a setting reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie.
Little Nightmares is April’s most intriguing game and may be one of the most unique releases of the year.
Yooka-Laylee is set to be released April 11.
