Prey Stands Out in Quieter Gaming Week
Gamer wallets will finally be able to recover from the tsunami of hits in 2017 as May starts off with a more relaxed release schedule. Not to say that the hype of fans for the upcoming Steam game Serious Metal Detecting isn’t off the charts, but there are less AAA games that will grab the attention of the press this week. That said, I’m quite okay with the reprieve as we still have Prey — a game that lets you embody a cup on a spaceship. And, that’s all I can ask for if I’m skipping two weeks of grocery shopping (sorry kids!).
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd
Consoles: PC
Release Date: May 3
Hardcore 90’s JRPG fans rejoice! If you’re wrapped up with Persona 5, then try… Well, you’d probably get a better understanding of this by playing the first two games, which are on PS Vita too. First off, its pixel-powered graphics will remind you of Grandia or Suikoden. It’s also a game with excellent localization from XSeed Games as NPC have story lines that change as you move through the game. As for the battle? It’s a mix of Chrono Trigger and Grandia as you can interrupt enemy turns, move across the battlefield, and account for the range of your offense too.
The Caligula Effect
Consoles: PS Vita
Release Date: May 2
The story for this turn-based dungeon crawler is about a virtual world called Mobius that supposedly acts as a shelter for the cruel world and set in a high school setting. But, you’ll be stuck in it for three years. Our main character has a Neo moment and realizes that this is a virtual world and leads a group, “The Return Club” to escape. Admittedly, the trailer above shows some significant frame rate chug during battles. But, if it’s not an issue for you, The Caligula Effect will give you another healthy dose of JRPG on the PS Vita.
TumbleSeed
Consoles: PS4, Switch, PC, Mac
Release Date: May 2
TumbleSeed gets its name from its main mechanic that has you moving both analog sticks to balance the platform and let the seed. Well, this ain’t no LocorRoco as the game is actually a roguelike as well. This rolly roguelike has you rolling through obstacles and defeating enemies through five procedurally-generated worlds. Along the way, you’ll gain unique power-ups like filling up holes with rainwater and remove those holes as threats to your current run roll.
Prey
Consoles: PS4
Release Date: May 5
In a gaming world where we have games about tapping mayonnaise jars, it’s about damn time we as gamers get the ability to become cups aboard a spaceship. Arguably, the biggest game of this week’s recap, Prey is the first-person adventure game that has shades of BioShock and System Shock with a heavy focus on narrative. It also has a Metroidvania-style of exploration where players will gain new abilities to access new areas on the ship. On the ship, the hostile Typhon have taken over and they can shapeshift to mimic everyday objects like lamps, cups, pots, etc. That said, you’ll get your hands on plenty of futuristic guns that would make a Ratchet jealous.
World to the West
Consoles: PS4, PC, Wii U and Xbox One
Release Date: May 5
Wii U fans will get another chance to play a new non-Breath of The Wild game as this cutesy action platformer arrives. The top-down gameplay and varied cast of characters like the mustachioed strongman, Lord Clonington looks pretty promising for fans of classic Zelda games.