Strategy game, role-playing and action games, “comfortable game”: here are five different upcoming video game adventures worthy of watching at the start of the year.
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
The legendary strategy game series in which players advance a civilization through history – from small ancient cities to modern-day metropolises – to conquer the world is getting a seventh installment this winter.
Known for offering an alternative version of the story in each game, the pillar of the genre is changing things this time. Instead of developing its civilization through several eras — ancient, medieval, etc. — like his predecessors, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII offers three ages: Antiquity, the Age of Exploration and Modern Times. These are longer and culminate in a significant event at each transition. The result is a greater emphasis on the narrative that players create during their game.
The Firaxis Games game arrives on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X&S, Nintendo Switch and PC, Mac and Linux (Steam) on February 11.
Avowed
Swords, guns and magic will be there for the next role-playing game from Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind The Outer Worlds et Fallout: New Vegas. Set in the world of games Pillars of Eternitywho contributed to the success of the American studio, Avowed offers a new story influenced by the choices made by the player. Several companions will also join the character created from scratch by the player and will be part of the heart of the adventure.
As one of the games that inspired it, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Avowed can be played in first or third person. But unlike Skyrimthe latest from Obsidian Entertainment does not offer an open world, but limited areas to explore, which allows it to further highlight its story and its characters.
Avowed arrives on February 18, 2025 on Xbox Series X&S and PC (Steam).
Monster Hunter Wilds
Sequel to the very popular Monster Hunter: Worldthis new installment in Capcom’s action game series puts players in the shoes of a monster hunter who must track down and fight various beasts in their natural environment, from desert plains to rainforests.
Each ecosystem present in Wilds features unique creatures, whose behavior changes depending on the weather and seasons. Using the fruits of their hunt, players can upgrade their equipment to take on increasingly fearsome beasts — a proven (and near-infinite) gameplay cycle that makes the series so successful. And, once again, Monster Hunter Wilds allows players to hunt alone or in groups of four online.
The release of Monster Hunter Wilds is scheduled for February 28, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X&S and PC (Steam).
Split Fiction
Hazelight, the studio that designed the Game of the Year 2021 according to the Game Awards, It Takes Twooffers a new completely cooperative adventure mixing science fiction and fantasy.
To arrive at this atypical mixture, Split Fiction tells the story of Mio and Zoe, two authors who both find themselves captive in a simulation bringing their stories to life. Except that Mio writes science fiction and Zoe writes fantasy. To get out of it, they will have to travel between the two universes while getting to know each other. Lightsabers and spaceships will meet dragons and magic in a game that promises to renew its playability at each level.
Split Fiction should be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X&S and PC (Steam, EA app) on March 6. It will obviously be possible to play it with two people on the same screen, but also online – all with a single copy of the game.
Tales of the Shire
Gone are the adventures of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins braving the dangers of Middle Earth. Tales of the Shire instead promises to live the peaceful life of a Hobbit: gardening, fishing and two lunches included. It’s a little Animal Crossingbut in the green County of JRR Tolkien.
The players embody a customizable Hobbit who settles in a small developing village and who will, through exchanges of goods, meetings with his neighbors and various activities, personalize his house with the round door – his hole of Hobbit — and forge your own story. Part of the popular genre of “soft toy games”, Tales of the Shire immerses players in its fantastic world and above all gives them time to explore it at their own pace.
Developed by Wētā Workshop, which notably worked on the costumes for the films of Lord of the Rings, Tales of the Shire arrive sur PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X&S, Nintendo Switch et PC (Steam) le 25 mars prochain.
