Games

OUT 18 MAR

FIRST PLAY

STRANGER OF PARADISE: FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN PC, PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1

The Final Fantasy series is no stranger to spin-offs, while the mainline games have also pivoted away from traditional turn-based battles to more action-based affairs… but Stranger of Paradise is probably its most divisive instalment yet. On one hand, it’s a dark retelling of the first Final Fantasy (hence ‘Origin’); on the other, its hero Jack Garland seems to come from the modern world: an angry young man sporting an Eminem buzzcut who’s obsessed with killing Chaos before blasting rap metal from his smartphone. Let’s just say parts of the internet have been having a perpetual field day since this game was announced last summer.

But once you get past the ridiculous tonal whiplash, this is a genuinely intriguing prospect. Stranger of Paradise has been developed by Team Ninja, who brought us the masochistic but brilliant samurai action RPG series Nioh. And that hardcore template translates here.

Weapons correspond to job types that FF fans should be familiar with, while different jobs provide an excuse to give Jack a much-needed wardrobe change. You’ll recognise some enemy types too, such as Bombs that grow closer to self-destructing each time they’re hit.

But as rewarding as the tough combat feels (particularly the parry mechanic that builds up your own meter for special attacks), you can also opt for ‘story mode’ difficulty and play it as an enjoyable hack-and-slash romp. The premise and tone may be all over the place but, on the strength of its gameplay, you’d be a fool to rule this one out.

FIRST LOOK SCROTAL WAR

SNIPER ELITE 5

PC, PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that killing Nazis never gets old – and it doesn’t get more brutal and creative than in homegrown developer Rebellion’s flagship Sniper Elite series. This is, after all, the game that pioneered the ‘bullet cam’ view, where special kills see you travel with the shot in X-ray vision as it rips through a Nazi officer’s internal organs – the testicle shot remaining a favourite.

That creative brutality was expanded in the last instalment to include shrapnel kills and a close-quarters knife to the skull. Bringing bullet cam to even more weapons may risk diluting the sniping aspect of the game, but there’ll be plenty of terrain to get behind the scope as Sniper Elite 5 takes elite marksman Karl Fairburne to France in 1944 in the series’ largest open-world map to date, featuring recreations of real-world locations.

Besides the expansive campaign, there’ll also be multiplayer options such as intense 16-player battles and co-op survival. The most exciting addition, however, takes inspiration from Dark Souls and Deathloop: you can invade another player’s game as an Axis sniper. Note that if you’re invaded yourself you can always call for backup from another player.

SE5 is planned for release this year, so you won’t have to rest that trigger finger for long.

BEST OF ODDBALL INDIES ON THE HORIZON

WEIRD WEST

PC, PS4, XB1 The Wild West reimagined as dark fantasy where gunslingers are more likely to hunt grotesque creatures than outlaws? Yes, and each adventure’s story arc will be nothing like the last thanks to a freeform sandbox approach. Delayed from 2021, it finally comes out on 31 March.

THIRSTY SUITORS

PC This story-driven adventure from hip indie publisher Annapurna Interactive is part Scott Pilgrim – as Jala faces her exes through turn-based RPG battles – and part everything else, from skateboarding to Indian cooking. It’s a unique game about culture, family, relationships and more.

SLITTERHEAD

tba That’s a pretty on-the-nose title, as you’ll be encountering people whose heads slit open to reveal something monstrous within. It’s just the kind of body horror you might expect from the creators of Silent Hill and Forbidden Siren, although the teaser also hints at an action edge.

INCOMING

MARCH

● TINY TINA’S WONDERLANDS ● GRAN TURISMO 7 ● TRIANGLE STRATEGY ● GRAND THEFT AUTO V (PS5, XSX)

APRIL

● LEGO STAR WARS:

THE SKYWALKER SAGA

● ADVANCE WARS 1+2: RE-BOOT CAMP ● 13 SENTINELS: AEGIS RIM (SWITCH)