More Games for the 2024 Calendar

Greetings! 2024 appears to have one of the busiest gaming schedules ever. I’m seeing why the current industry is unsustainable. Now that’s I’m finished with Rise of the Ronin, I’m looking forward to the next round of releases. Let’s take a look at several upcoming games on my radar this year. At the moment, I’m focusing on games with actual release dates. Enjoy!

Adam Wolfe
Release Date: 5/28/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Switch
This collection of point and click adventures features a hard boiled detective who’s uncovering several mysteries. It might sound very simple and trite, but point and click adventures can be surprisingly fun. They’re usually a low key experience with intriguing puzzles. Most likely, Adam Wolfe will be short and very similar to most point and click games. Give it a shot if you’re tired of stressful games with high difficulty. 

BlackSad: Under the Skin
Release Date: 7/12/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Xbox
The original version of this game came out several years ago. Now it’s getting a port or remaster on modern consoles in July. BlackSad is a detective adventure that features humanoid animals in a noir setting. That might sound unsettling to you, but I don’t think it sounds any worse than Planet of the Apes. I heard the original release was very buggy, so let’s hope the new version sorts out those issues. 

Dave the Diver
Release Date: 4/16/24 
Platforms: PlayStation+
It seems like Dave the Diver took the world by storm last year. Now it’s coming to PlayStation+ in just a few days. Some people might call it a cozy game, but it seems to be a combination of different genres. During the day, Dave explores the ocean and catches fish. He completes missions and side quests for other characters. Some of the underwater missions include combat. At night, he works at the seafood restaurant, which adds a cooking simulator element. I also heard this game is quite funny. Ultimately, I’m looking forward to this one. 

Endless Ocean: Luminous 
Release Date: 5/2/24
Platforms: Switch
I never had the pleasure of playing the previous Endless Ocean games. Luminous seems relaxing and interesting with many biomes to explore. It has a multitude of underwater species to encounter and study, including real, extinct, and mythical creatures. Judging from the trailers, I doubt this game has combat or a significant RPG system. It also has a multiplayer option if you want to play with friends. Sometimes it’s nice to play something different and laid back. 

Girl Genius: Adventures in Castle Heterodyne 
Release Date: 5/7/24
Platforms: Switch
As you already know, I’m a huge steampunk fan. The Girl Genius comic book series is quite entertaining and it’s nice to see an interconnected game coming soon. Initially, this game probably looks like a generic adventure game. However, Girl Genius features a young lady who invents all kinds of gadgets, gizmos, and automatons. The gameplay features puzzles, combat, exploration, and stealth sections. You’ll take control of several small robots who can open doorways, explore vents, fly to higher locations, and activate specific weapons. The game looks a bit rough, but it might be fun nonetheless. 

House Flipper 2
Release Date: 5/3/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Xbox
Maybe I’m going through a cozy kick. The next House Flipper game looks relaxing and oddly fun with the ability to fix and tinker with various households. You can sell these houses on the market, repair them, and learn about various backstories regarding the previous owners. I’m pretty sure some of the houses belonged to serial killers and people who were afraid of nuclear warfare. House Flipper 2 might be a good escape from action driven games. 

Lempo
Release Date: 9/30/24
Platforms: PlayStation
I’m not very good at stealth games and survival horror titles with unarmed protagonists. Regardless, I’m probably checking out Lempo anyway. It takes place in a creepy forest with inspirations from Finnish mythology. This game has both literal and psychological horror elements with various monsters, specters, and mythological figures. It probably includes stalker enemies, puzzles, and other mind bending elements. Hopefully, it won’t be too confusing for me.  

Mike Mignola’s Hellboy: Web of Wyrd
Release Date: 5/24/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Switch
Technically, this game came out last year. Granted, I’m a big collector of physical media and the disc release is coming out in May. I’m pretty sure Hellboy flew under the radar in 2023, so this might be another chance to reach broad audiences. It’s an action game with a roguelike structure, which seems a little strange for this type of game. I can’t tell if this game will click with me or not. Hellboy had unfortunate luck in the movie space and I’m hoping it will have better adaptations in gaming. 

Monster Hunter Stories Collection
Release Date: 6/14/24
Platforms: Switch
In the past, I never played the Monster Hunter games because it just seems like you’re killing all of the animals. However, Monster Hunter Stories looks more like Pokémon with the ability to raise monsters and use them in combat. I’ll gives this collection a shot, even though I don’t usually enjoy turn based games. With that said, I usually make exceptions for Pokémon and Monster Rancher. This collection gives players a chance to customize their protagonist and various monsters. It sounds like fun and hopefully, the turn based system won’t make me rage quit. 

Sandland 
Release Date: 4/26/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Xbox
I’m intrigued with this anime RPG. It appears to have an open world environment, a big emphasis on creating vehicles, customizing weapons, and completing missions for NPCs. What kind of game is Sandland? The answer isn’t clear to me and maybe it’s an amalgamation of several genres. The story also looks really weird with demons, soldiers, bandits, and a post-apocalyptic world. It sounds weird enough to check out. 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl 
Release Date: 9/5/24
Platforms: Xbox and Game Pass
We’ve been waiting a long time for the next S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It seems like this long awaited sequel is finally coming out in September. The marketing looks very promising with a supernatural post-apocalyptic setting, a sharp FPS system, and a base building mechanic. I must say, building bases is one of my least favorite things to do in video games. That’s why I never played Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Maybe the other elements will be strong enough to motivate me. 

Star Wars Outlaws
Release Date: 8/30/24
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Ubisoft+
Ubisoft just recently announced the release date for this Star Wars adventure. At this time, it seems like Star Wars Outlaws is going to be an RPG with an open world environment. The protagonist is a smuggler, which is a less typical perspective in Star Wars games. Right now, the general structure and gameplay feels unclear. I suppose we’ll learn more about this game within the next few months. Don’t forget, you can play this game day one on Ubisoft+. 

Stellar Blade 
Release Date: 5/26/24
Platforms: PlayStation
Controversy is surrounding this game for some reason. In my opinion, it seems like Stellar Blade is similar to NieR: Automata with an android who wears sexy attire while slicing and dicing monsters in a post-apocalyptic environment. No judgment from me. The gameplay looks fast, challenging, and visceral. I strongly dislike most soulsborne games, but this one might be a little more accessible to mainstream audiences. We’ll see how it goes. 

System Shock
Release Date: 5/21/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Xbox
The horror classic, System Shock, is finally getting a remake for consoles. It was the progenitor to both BioShock and Dead Space. The PC version released last year and parts of it sound quite vexing with challenging enemy encounters and confusing puzzles. I might be wrong, but it seems like the PC version didn’t have a map either. System Shock leaves players to their own devices in traditional horror fashion. Let’s see if I sink or swim with this game. 

A Tale of Paper: Refolded
Release Date: 5/3/24
Platforms: PlayStation
This inventive puzzle game and side scroller is releasing on PlayStation consoles in May. Take the release date with a grain of salt because it already moved a couple of times. Anyway, the protagonist is an amorphous origami animal. It shape shifts into different creatures who have unique abilities. Birds can fly to specific locations, frogs can leap across tricky platforming areas, etc. The puzzles and platforming might be challenging, but it should be a nice break from first person shooters and similar genres. 

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
Release Date: 9/9/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Xbox
Honestly, this game might be too intense for me. However, I’m still very curious. The new Space Marine game is taking cues from Doom and various multiplayer games, such as Halo: Infinite. It’s going to be an intense shooter with a bombardment of hostile enemies. That means your weapons need to be powerful enough to mow down countless alien creatures. I might not be good at this game, but it sparked my interest. 

Whisker Waters 
Release Date: 4/26/24
Platforms: PlayStation and Switch
The cozy genre is experiencing quite a renaissance. This game combines elements from fishing simulators and action RPGs. You customize a cat who will go fishing and then barter with vendors. It also has a light RPG system with upgradeable fishing equipment. Whisker Waters includes a little bit of combat and character specific missions. I don’t know anything about the story, but the game looks cute. 

That’s all for now. I will post more release dates later in the year. My current list has a lot of smaller titles, but these indie games are going to be a major part of the market in the future. After all, we’re definitely getting fewer AAA releases in subsequent years. AAA games aren’t disappearing completely, but we’re going to have less of them. Who cares? It only matters if games are still good. What are your most anticipated games of the year? How do you feel about these inevitable changes in the gaming industry? Leave a comment. Everything is going to be okay. Take care of yourselves and have a good week.