A new year is upon us and there is holiday money to spend! Traditionally January is a time where indie games thrive. Free of the burden of trying to compete with the holiday rush of triple-A games. Games from lesser studios can use this window to cash in on the spending spirit with less competition! So what is coming out this January?
World of Magic: Rise of Magic
First up is World of Magic: Rise of Magic. Now on various sources there are discrepancies on if this is coming out in January or later in the year but either way I want to talk about it. I am always a fan of role-playing games and the scope of this one looks impressive. Boasting an adaptive world full of characters that will remember not just the player’s choices for major plot points, but what abilities the player uses and their fighting style. This could make for some interesting enemies if word gets around. Maybe they can finally stop the sneaky archer build from reigning supreme. My hope is that this game gives me the same feelings Skyrim did back in 2011 and I look forward to it coming out next year!
Bunny Rampage: History of Revenge
Am I just old or does anyone else remember when games could just be weird? I miss those days. They were good days. My next title, Bunny Rampage: History of Revenge, looks surreal. In the best of ways and I am here for it. Our hero has been transformed into a plush cyborg bunny and has to defeat an evil scientist? Vibrant colourful scenery with over the top action in what looks like an old school action adventure platformer? Yeah, sign me up! This is another game where various reports place it coming out at different times. Additionally, the Steam page just says coming soon. So here I am hoping that it is sooner rather than later.
StarRupture
Now survival crafting games are not my area of expertise. Often I find they loose my interest in the mid-game simply because when I’m left to my own devices I would rather just go play a game that is more engaging. StarRupture has an old solution to this problem that I would give a try. Simply put, good old horde mode. Give me a point, an objective, something to strive for. Even just an antagonist can add so much to a game and StarRupture looks like a fascinating combination of base building horde wave survival that I am eager to try. It also has the distinction of being the first game on this list to have a definite release date of January 6th, 2025.
Kejora
It might be the nature of the start of a year. But I see a lot of old DNA in this list of games. Next up we have Kejora. A wondrously hand drawn point and click puzzle game that reminds me of so many games I played as a kid. Going from the Steam page there is a much more serious tone to the story than anything Pajama Sam ever solved. But, that will not stop me from jumping into this title with a thirst for mystery and adventure! Look for it coming out, January 7th.
I Hate This Place
Run and gun games like I Hate This Place I feel like have not been popular since the flash days. But in what seems to be a theme of this list, classics are making a resurgence. Stylized like a 1980s comic book, thins tongue and cheek survival horror game looks like campy fun for lovers of the horror genre. Look for its release, January 29th.
Don’t Stop Girlypop
Alright, this next one I will admit. The name caught my attention and I just had to bring it up. Traditionally, I do not like arena shooters. Even in the Quake days I thought they were dull. Don’t Stop Girlypop has such a wild aesthetic and concept though. A Y2K visual style that boasts non-stop action. It might be enough for me to give this a try.
Which of these games are you most excited for? Are there any new games I missed? Make sure to let me know in the comments below and stick around for the latest under rated titles coming out.
