The rainy weather April has bestowed upon us gives us the perfect conditions to stay in and game on! This month, there are few big name games making an appearance; however, smaller game developers are delivering games that have the potential to compete with the big guys!

Persona 5 (PS4) – April 5th

Persona 5 is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus and co-funded by Sega for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Persona 5 takes place in Tokyo, Japan, following a “silent protagonist”. A silent protagonist is a character who lacks dialogue for the duration of the game. This can be to help develop a sense of mystery to the character or to help the player better identify with them. The game begins following the main character’s transfer to Shujin Academy, where he is sent after being put on probation for an assault he was falsely accused of. Over the course of the year, the protagonist and other students develop Persona powers, become masked vigilantes dubbed the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts”, and explore the supernatural Palace realm to rid “ill intent” from the hearts of adults. Critics have had mixed emotions of the game, some claiming that more realistic gameplay would require a character to speak, since in such situations, the player would naturally vocalize and the protagonist does not.

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: Atlus

Genre: Role-playing, social simulation

Outlast 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – April 25

First-person survival horror game, Outlast 2, sequel to the famous Outlast, follows an investigative, free-lance journalist named Blake Langermann. Blake, along with his wife, Lynn, are roaming the Arizona desert, exploring the murder of an unidentified pregnant woman. However, Blake and Lynn get separated in a helicopter crash, leaving Blake on a journey to find his wife while traveling through an isolated village inhabited by a sect that believes the end of days is upon them. Langermann is completely unable to fight and can only defend in scripted scenes similar to the original Outlast. Blake can hide in lockers, crouch, run, jump, walk, vault and climb, also much like the first game. Langermann carries a camcorder, which has night vision ability; however, using night vision causes the the camcorder’s batteries to drain substantially. Another limitation would be Langermann’s glasses, which hinder his vision if they fall off. The game will be available for release digitally on April 25, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Publishers: Red Barrels, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Red Barrels

Genre: Survival horror

Little Nightmares (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – April 28

In puzzle-platform, horror adventure game Little Nightmares, nine-year-old girl, Six, is kidnapped from her home and taken to work in The Maw, an underwater resort, which caters to the whims of the powerful elite. Little Nightmares was originally announced in May 2014 under the title of Hunger; however, there was no known publisher or release date. After a teaser trailer came about in February 2015, nothing was heard of the project until 2016, when Bandai Namco Entertainment announced that they had entered an agreement with Tarsier for the game, which was retitled Little Nightmares, and announced the release date to be set in April 2017.

Publisher: Bandai Namco

Developer: Tarsier Studios

Genre: Puzzle-platformer

There is a common idiom that brings joy to the rainy days of April. “April showers bring new games to our consoles!” Okay, maybe I tweaked it a little bit, however the point remains. Game developers are releasing a wide variety of game genres that will get us through rain, snow, or shine! See you in May, readers.

Also This Month:

Blackwood Crossing (PS4, PC, Xbox One) – April 4th/5th

Yooka-Laylee (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – April 11th

Full Throttle Remastered (PC, PS4, Vita) – April 18

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap (PS4, Switch, Xbox One) – April 18