Microsoft is determined to solve one of the biggest problems it has had in recent years. Being very opaque, with communication never quite optimal, Nintendo and Sony have always seemed to have more in their portfolio simply because of more constant communication with players. Until now. Because yesterday, March 6, they held an Xbox Partner event where they gave voice to third-party developers who are making games for Xbox. Leaving us with a handful of very interesting games.
The big highlight of the announcements was The Sinking City 2. This sequel to Frogwares’ game seems to leave behind the mix of detective story and Lovecraftian horror to focus on the latter, putting us in the shoes of a new character who must uncover why Arkham is sinking into the water. With a horrifying tone, nightmare-inducing images, and otherworldly creatures, The Sinking City 2 promises to be quite an experience.
On the other hand, we were introduced to Creatures of Ava. A game by Inverge Studios, where we will have to understand and tame the creatures of the planet Ava. But unlike Pokémon, where we do it for collecting or competition, or Palworld, where we do it for the love of slavery, here we have to do it to prevent an infection that is consuming all life on the planet.
Returning to dark cities, characters in tricky situations, and water everywhere, comes Sleight of Hand. A third-person stealth game by Riffraff Games that invites us to infiltrate our old coven using a cursed deck of cards. Although we have only been shown a cinematic trailer, the noir atmosphere and the small elements of magic and witchcraft they have shown are extremely interesting.
On the other hand, not everything was news. There was also room for game ports that may not be as accessible today. That’s the case with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy, which is coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 with small gameplay changes and a great addition: the possibility of playing it with a controller. Now available separately or in a single pack, there is no better way to return to the Stalker universe in preparation for its sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
We also had a small glimpse of games we already knew. The most interesting ones were First Berserker: Khazan, an anime-style souslike based on the DNF universe, and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, a very peculiar mix of action and strategy game influenced by Japanese Shinto imagery, developed by Capcom. Showing the strength of Xbox’s catalog for this 2024.
