Xbox’s Developer Direct event last week gave Xbox players a look at some new games that can look forward to playing by the year’s end. This is the second time Microsoft is hosting the event and last year, we saw the shadow drop of Hi-Fi Rush (review), a brilliant game. While there were no shadow drops this time around, we did get a good look at some upcoming titles. This includes five new titles from four Xbox developers and one from a major third party. This includes a look at some intriguing entries such as Avowed, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and more. Aside from the games, the event also gave us a better look into the developers and how they worked on the games.
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Avowed
Release date: Fall 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC Cloud and Game Pass on day one
Avowed is an upcoming fantasy action RPG set in an open world called the Living Lands. The gameplay shown during the event showcased a combination of melee action, guns and even wands for magic attacks. The game will also feature swappable load-outs, letting players quickly adapt to situations. As for the game world, it is described as an island with varied and diverse ecosystems.
Obsidian has a history of making great titles such as South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Outer Worlds, Fallout: New Vegas and more. So it wouldn’t be wrong to have great expectations from Avowed.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Release date: May 21
Platforms: Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC Cloud and Game Pass on day one
The first entry in the series, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice took the world by surprise. The action-adventure game did a fantastic job of depicting the psychosis of the Senua, the game’s protagonist. During the event, developer Ninja Theory spoke a bit more about how this gameplay element will continue to be incorporated into the new game. They spoke about how binaural audio and spacial audio will help immerse players into the game world. This is one game that deserves a good set of headphones.
Visions of Mana
Release date: Summer 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS4, PS5
Square Enix made a surprise appearance at the Developer Direct to talk about their upcoming title, Visions of Mana. This will be the first time in the series’ history that a title will make its way to PC and Xbox. The new game is a new RPG and the developers were quite excited to showcase their upcoming titles and a few of the game’s monsters and animal companions. They also talked about the game’s adaptive music system as well as a few new gameplay elements such as specialised items provided by Elementals that will assist the player in combat.
Ara: History Untold
Release date: Fall 2024
Platforms: PC, Game Pass on day one
Oxide Games unveiled a new turn-based strategy game called Ara: History Untold. The game bears a similarity to Sid Mier’s Civilization series but adds its own unique spin on gameplay elements. This includes a crafting system, simultaneous turns and more. As a strategy game, the title will be limited to PC. So Xbox players hoping for a new strategy game at out of luck, at least for now.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Release date: 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC Cloud and Game Pass on day one
The Developer Direct event also witnessed our first look at gameplay footage as well as the title of the highly anticipated Indiana Jones game. Called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the game will not be based on the movie that was released last year and thank god for that. The new game will primarily feature a first-person viewpoint with a switch to third-person for certain interactions. Indy’s iconic whip will feature a prominent role in the game and can be used for combat and traversal. The game’s developer, MachineGames helped reboot the Wolfenstein series so anticipation is high. The release date of the game is extremely vague, so expect more information later this year.
