March is lining up to be a biggie this year. With massive releases like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Mass Effect: Andromeda arriving, there’s no doubt some “smaller” titles will slip through the cracks.
So, in the spirit of highlighting all those that deserve some limelight, here are 5 games to keep on your radar this month:
LEGO Worlds
7 March 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC); TBA (Switch)
Essentially LEGO meets Minecraft, LEGO Worlds throws you into a playbox-type building sim that allows players to construct whatever they want – in either single or co-op play. Players can also explore each unique procedurally-generated World in the game and unlock new discoveries: from cowboys and giraffes to vampires and polar bears, to steamrollers, race cars, and colossal digging machines!
Also available to the players’ arsenal is the multi-tool, which can help shape environments and alter any World to your liking: raise the terrain to create vast mountain ranges, or enter the Brick-by-Brick editor to build anything you can imagine.
Nier: Automata
10 March 2017 (PS4, PC)
Offering a fresh blend of action and RPG gameplay styles, NieR: Automata is the follow-up to the 2010 cult hit NieR, and combines the design talents of Drakengard designer Yoko Taro in collaboration with development team Platinum Games (Bayonetta, Vanquish).
The game tells the story of androids 2B, 9S and A2 and their battle to reclaim a machine-driven dystopia overrun by powerful weapons known as machine lifeforms.
Styx: Shards of Darkness
14 March 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
Styx: Shards of Darkness is the fantasy stealth game that puts players in the boots of the Styx, a master thief who sticks to the shadows and strikes unseen against his enemies. The original game, Styx: Master of Shadows was released back in 2014 and built up quite the cult following, and the sequel is looking to improve upon all those foundations.
Shards of Darkness features more enemy varieties, larger environments, and new gameplay mechanics that will allow greater freedom to the player. The game is also said to be less linear than the original game and Styx will have new powers and abilities to take advantage of. Of course, it’s still as filthy as ever.
Flatout 4: Total Insanity
17 March 2017 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Offroad racing fans will be ecstatic to see the return of the beloved Flatout series. In addition to 27 vehicles (including a rocket-powered ice-cream van) and 20 new tracks, the studio has already promised that FlatOut 4: Total Insanity will include a number of fan-favourite modes from previous FlatOut games, such as Stunt mode, where you catapult the driver of your car through the windshield for points. In addition to six of the “classic” stunt varieties, the studio will be adding in six new stunts for player to try.
Vikings – Wolves of Midgard
24 March 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
Vikings – Wolves of Midgard is a throwback to the isometric hack-‘n-slash RPG games of yesteryear, and is looking to be a hit for fans of Gauntlet and other classic games in the genre.
It puts you in the sturdy boots of a viking (either the stronger male warrior or the faster female shieldmaiden) entrusted with defending the world against a race of ice demons who have been plunging the world into a deep freeze.
