South of Midnight
What we know: South of Midnight like 22Bet UZ is an upcoming Microsoft exclusive arriving for players in 2025, aiming to delve into the Deep South through Gothic folklore.
Why we’re enthusiastic: The latest gameplay trailer revealed a first-person action-adventure game featuring stunning visuals. Gamers steer a character called Hazel, who casts spells and battles creatures. The narrative appears to be an homage to the classic literature we cherish, and it feels like a PS2-era action-adventure in the most enjoyable ways.
Clair Obscur: Journey 33
What we know: The initial game from Sandfall Interactive is developing into a bold RPG. It features turn-based, party-oriented combat with subtle real-time aspects (more akin to Earthbound than Final Fantasy VII Remake) and a dark-fantasy atmosphere that seems influenced by imagery from the French Revolution. A remarkable voice cast features Andy Serkis alongside Charlie Cox from Daredevil. And it will be available very soon.
Why we’re thrilled: To be honest, this resembles Paper Mario aimed at grown-ups. It appears to have a captivating and distinct world to investigate, but ultimately, we understand there will be plenty of combat. The fighting, solidly entrenched in the turn-based category with an additional reaction-driven perk, inevitably brings to mind those incredible Nintendo RPGs.
The Midnight Walk
What we know: This stop-motion indie game from the creators of the captivating and engaging Lost in Random will be released soon for PlayStation 5 and PSVR2. It resembles an interactive Tim Burton movie presented as a first-person game featuring shooting and puzzles, though we wouldn’t classify it strictly as a puzzle game or a shooter. Until we acquire The Midnight Walk, we won’t be certain what to label it.
Why we’re thrilled: I mean, just check out that trailer! The low-frame-rate stop-motion animation technique is currently in vogue, yet this elicits a particular quality we’ve never experienced in a game before. Additionally, it’s uncommon to see a new PSVR title that might genuinely be impressive.
Doom: The Dark Ages
What we know: Doom: The Dark Ages acts as a narrative prequel to the Doom series that was rebooted in 2016. It’s more of a fresh interpretation of the formula than a typical sequel, featuring entirely new firearms, a shield, and several flail-like weapons for close encounters. There’s a robot as well. And a robotic dragon.Why we’re thrilled: Doom: The Dark Ages is shifting away from the frantic gameplay of Doom Eternal and returning to horizontal battlefields, paying tribute to the original Doom games. It appears to be an entirely fresh perspective for the series, and we are excited for everything it includes.
Elden Ring: Nightreign
What we know: Before the 2024 Game Awards trailer (shown above), I could have sworn that Hidetaka Miyazaki, president of FromSoftware, informed IGN that an Elden Ring sequel wouldn’t be revealed. Nevertheless, Elden Ring: Nightreign is set for release in 2025 to turn the nightmarish challenges of repeatedly dying to the same boss into a collective experience. The focused multiplayer version of Elden Ring will be released in late May.
Reasons for our excitement: I suppose Miyazaki was somewhat truthful, as the cooperative spin-off appears to be less of a complete sequel and more like FromSoft turned everyone’s unauthorized multiplayer mods into an official release. It features a mix of elements currently trending—battle royale, rogue-like, Monster Hunter—and, naturally, it remains fundamentally a Souls game.
