March Editorial Review | Zing

Martin is closed

March marked the end of the financial year for a number of global publishers, and you could tell by the fact that they still managed to get some major titles out to market at the last minute. Whether you were traveling through historical Japan in Rise of the Ronin, playing The Lord of the Rings in Dragon’s Dogma 2, wandering alone in the dark in Alone in the Dark, or taking on the lead role in a stage play. Princess Peach: Showtime, I hope you’ve enjoyed this busy month as much as we have. I’ve had to hold back from finishing Dragon’s Dogma for the third time, and instead I’m finishing up a review of the challenging strategy game Unicorn Overlord. However, my attention has already begun to be consumed by April’s hopeful Stellar Blade, whose demo I was thrilled with and began to believe in the game quite strongly.

While PlayStation players probably have a pretty clear idea of ​​what April’s big event will be, PC players will have a slightly more difficult decision to make, as they’ll have some very promising Early Access games to look forward to – from the Diablo-meets-souls genre in No Rest for the Wicked, to the Slovakian GTA-style rampage in Vival Slovakia, to the grand strategy game Manor Lords. It’ll also be interesting to see how the Xbox games (Gounded and Sea of ​​Thieves) fare when they hit competing consoles in April. But beyond that, we should also see some exciting announcements in April, so there’s definitely a lot to look forward to, and we’d love for you to join us.

Daniel Jarocki

In March, I continued playing the excellent and, most importantly, largely original survival game Pacific Drive. After a longer break, I returned to the Czech strategy Last Train Home and its additional expansion called Legion Tales. I also spent a decent amount of time on the latest version of Forzy Motorsport, which received its biggest update to date in mid-March. In addition to new cars and races, players saw a significantly reworked system for upgrading individual vehicles.

For example, from the April range of games, my attention was drawn to the medieval strategy Manor Lords, which has long been one of the most anticipated games on Steam. I am also looking forward to the return of the TopSpin series, the continuation of which players had to wait 13 long years. The new release will also be interesting because it was created in the Czech branch of the studio “Hangar 13”. But with the expected name in the form of a city event “Vivat Slovakia” will also be remembered by our Slovak neighbors. On paper, the megalomaniacal project from the indie studio Team Vvat will enter the Steam Early Access program in the middle of the month.

In addition to the games mentioned above, there are two more games that I would like to highlight. First of all, this is the promising isometric RPG Broken Roads, which draws inspiration from the original Fallout series and takes players to a post-apocalyptic Australia. The second planned game is a new title from the creators of the Ori series from the Austrian studio Moon, who will release the isometric action RPG No Rest for the Wicked in Steam Early Access.

Jan Urbanczyk

Like the previous two months, March certainly didn’t suffer from a shortage of games, and the end of the month was extremely eventful. But as far as new games go, I only got around to two. The first is the excellent reboot of survival horror Alone in the Dark, which I really enjoyed despite some major flaws, and I’ve played it through three times. The developers are still working on fixes, and I’m definitely excited to return to the game in a few weeks and finally try out the alternate endings that were denied to me due to a bug.

Then I played Princess Peach: Showtime on Switch at the same time! A fun platformer/action game and all, with each of the ten minigames being a different genre. The variety is definitely this game’s strongest point, but unfortunately it also shows that it wasn’t made directly by Nintendo. In any case, it’s a perfect game for families and young children.

Otherwise, I spent a lot of time in Banishers, but at the time of writing I have not finished it yet, although I am very far and close to the end. The gameplay has gradually been livened up by interesting mechanics, but the combat has become “boring” and I would have preferred the game to be a little shorter. In any case, the story and dialogue continue to drag on, and I am very curious about the ending.

April was initially the first really dry month of the year for me. But that all changed when I tried the Stellar Blade demo on Friday (technical info here) and came away absolutely hyped. While I had no intention of buying it before trying it out, I am now convinced I will be getting it on release day. Other than that, I am looking forward to the Frostpunk 2 closed beta and am also very curious about No Rest for the Wicked from the creators of Ori. I am just sad that it is in early access, I would rather wait for the full version.

Philip Svoboda

I played a surprising number of games in March. First up is the post-apocalyptic Highwater, but I won’t write about it in detail here. Instead, I’ll link to the review. Among the smaller games, I also finished the epic Open Roads, a nice, intimate story with a great cast, and Return to Grace, a genre-defining but very different experience, this time with a sci-fi twist.

I played Alone in the Dark and really enjoyed it. I liked the mix of space horror and the Twin Peaks vibe. I also played Persona 3 Reload, which I like a little better than a 5, mostly because of the more linear progression and overall simplicity of the mechanics. I also tried Evil West, which is on Game Pass. Wild West with vampires is pretty cool.

April is a slightly drier month, but at least there will be time to play. Beyond that, there is plenty to discover. For example, I am drawn to the visually beautiful Harold Turbot, whose demo I recently recorded some impressions of. Of course, I am also curious about how Stellar Blade turns out.

Pavlina Nouzova

In March, I was reminded of how good Disco Elysium was. I slashed through it like a superstar scythe, but somehow it always fell apart at the most important moments (i.e. when the going got tough, I rolled two 1’s every single time). It was refreshing, suddenly it was a genuinely fun game that only occasionally made me smile sadly. Then I gave an older game called Pathless a try, which I wasn’t too impressed with – a bit more forgettable in the indie clutter. But at least the movement across the landscape was top-notch, as you slid down hills with a bow and arrow, and it was a joy to control on a handheld.

At the end of the month, I also got around to Rise of the Ronin, a somewhat forgotten game in the past. And that was either through the visuals or through the content of the quests, when many of them are de facto just about “find, kill, bring”. But everything is saved by an excellent combat system, forcing you to alternate between certain types of weapons and positions, and the realities of the period. Many elements (a map full of repetitive actions or real-life characters) immediately remind you of Assassin’s Creed. In April, I am looking forward to several smaller works, such as the metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: Zau or the famous puzzle game Braid in a new coat. And, of course, Stellar Blade.

Ondrej Zeman

March is almost over, so it’s time to look back and see what it brought. I have to admit, it was a crazy month indeed. During which one title after another hit the scene, and along with it, a number of interesting records were released. In the video game department, Outcast – A New Beginning was enough for me, but I missed a few minutes of Dragon’s Dogma 2, which I’m still poring over. In terms of board games, I’d say I really enjoyed Dark Lands. However, the Sky Team: Smooth Landing collaboration is also worth checking out.

At least for now, April seems a little leaner to me than this month, but there are certainly plenty of titles with potential. Personally, I’m probably most looking forward to Manor Lords along with No Rest for the Wicked. However, there are undoubtedly more interesting projects in the industry. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next few days.