Welcome to the first full week of April, ladies and gentlemen. The pickings may be a bit slim during the next seven days, but there is always something to be found worth your time. You just have to dig a little deeper to find it.
The Mortal Kombat X Launch Trailer Is Here At Last
Etrian Mystery Dungeon (3DS) - April 7 - the mashup roguelike RPG arrives featuring the best of each franchise: procedurally generated dungeons, a deep character customization system, wonderful combat and punishing (but always fair) difficulty. Full trailer here.
Bastion (PS4) - April 7 - one of the new classics (and the predecessor to the fabulous Transistor), the top down adventure game plays like Secret of Mana mashed with a Dante-esque amount of epic monologue. Defeating foes in the game is great, especially in the game's challenge stages, but the real joy of this game is listening to the game narrate almost everything you do.
Behold Gorehowl, The Legendary World Of Warcraft Axe, Now Made Real
Element4L (PS Vita) - April 7 - a previous Steam release; this indie platforming title gives you command of the four elements, each of which imbues your little hero with a unique attribute to explore and survive a vast world. There are no enemies or artificial traps to hinder your progress, but don't expect it to be "a walk in the park" either.
Affordable Space Adventures (Wii U, eShop) - April 9 - one of the very few exclusives for the Nintendo eShop, Affordable Space Adventures has a lot of weight to carry on its platforming/exploration-like shoulders, and by all accounts, it carries it spectacularly. More to the point, it is one of the few games that utilizes the potential of the Wii U gamepad.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (New Nintendo 3DS) - April 10 - the first exclusive for Nintendo's latest 'New Nintendo 3DS' system, the handheld port of the acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles finally answers a question you've had on your mind since last November: who the heck is this Shulk guy? Find out in this epic sci-fi fueled RPG title.
For the more adventurous of you, there are also a few Early Access titles hitting this week. You never know what gems you might find. Potential gems like...
Fallen: A2P Protocol (Steam) - April 6 - as long as there has been a world, there have been those who has thought of its end. Fallen is "a post-apocalyptic turn based tactical combat and strategy game where you lead your caravan in a quest for personal revenge." Sure does sound like another game series out there...
Hover: Revolt of Gamers (Steam) - April 6 - the fallacy of Hover is believing that when video games are banned, players will immediately take up parkour and engage in Mirror's Edge-esque races through futuristic cities. We do hope that's true in this single-and-multiplayer free running arcade game. Challenge friends, upgrade characters and enjoy the cacophony of neon colors in this Early Access title.
CO-OP: Decrypted (Steam) - April 6 - very reminiscent of Portal 2, guide two robots, each with their own special set of skills as they attempt to escape from a robot recycling facility.
I, Gladiator (Steam) - April 7 - Timmy, if you like gladiator movies, you'll probably enjoy I, Gladiator, a new fighting sim that is striving for such historical accuracy that the whole thing is done in Latin. I mean, consider us interested.
The Falling Sun (Steam) - April 7 - this horror game sets you in the role of a British officer who must discover what happened to an armored division after the end of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Naturally, the truth will be something better left buried and forgotten.
Fire (Steam) - April 9 - a cartoonish take on the classic Quest For Fire from Daedalic, the makers of Blackguards and the whole Dark Eye game system. After your lovable caveman Ungh lets the fire go out, he is banished and is determined to find a new source of flame for his people and will leave no stone unturned as he hunts for it across the pre-historic world. It's a game that features the Monolith from 2001, so it clearly knows where its tongue is firmly planted.
Sovereignity: Crown Of Kings (Steam) - April 9 - a new turn-based strategy game from The Lordz Games, who also provided the fun (if not graphically appealing) Warhammer 40,000: Aramgeddon last year. This new one promises much of the same, both in terms of deep gameplay and lack of visuals. You can command one of 35 separate factions, each with their own unique traits and abilities; utilize spies, heroes, even badmouth the enemy to gain an advantage. All that and so much more.
And on and on it goes, check out the list of upcoming April releases you can find on Steam today!