Hitting the Shelves : What's to come in April 2019
A new month is upon us with some quality game releases to hit the stores, and there's definitely some things to be excited about. However, the irony is that the majority of the most exciting things aren't even brand new...they're re-releases. Some new-new stuff is coming out like Shovel Knight Showdown and Mortal Kombat 11, and even SteamWorld Quest : Hand of Gilgamech, it's standing up against re-releases like Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney Trilogy, Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster AND Final Fantasy XII : The Zodiac Age, and Cuphead.
Hitting the Shelves
SteamWorld Quest : Hand of Gilgamech
Image & Form's latest entry in the SteamWorld universe brings the exciting mech-filled world to a new genre. Already, the games have tackled Tower Defense, Metroidvania, and turn-based strategy. Here, we get a big fulfillment of a fan made request in the form of an RPG.
Once again, the game will be filled with a hefty cast of all sorts of robots that you'll surely grow to love, except this time things see them in a fantasy-themed world. Not only is this entry going to be an RPG, it's going to be card-based as well featuring over 100 different in-game cards to build your deck and use on the offense and defense in the games combat.
Expect this to hit the digital shelves on April 25th as a timed exclusive on the Switch for $24.99 / €24.99 / £22.49 worldwide. Also make note that a physical release version is in the works but as of right now there is no official date for this.
Shovel Knight Showdown
Not so much a full game release, Shovel Knight Showdown is actually a final installment in the Treasure Trove edition of the titular game. Treasure Trove takes every campaign and expansion instance from the Shovel Knight saga and compiles it into one full set.
Enter Showdown. Now, players and owners of the collection will be getting a Shovel Knight themed battle mode. Up to four players can choose their favorite characters from the entire saga, some who will be playable for the very first time, and hack it out against each other or jump into the games Story Mode.
This will be released as a FREE update to all versions of Shovel Knight : Treasure Trove on all platforms with the exception of handhelds 3DS and Vita. Showdown will also be released as it's own standalone game too. The complete edition can be found for $24.99 as a digital download or $39.99 physically on available consoles. As of this writing there isn't a specific release date (so I may be wrong following the rumors of an April release) but if you choose to get Showdown on it's own it'll be for only $9.99
Mortal Kombat 11
Storywise, Mortal Kombat 11 picks up where the previous game left off. Shinnok has been defeated. Raiden, now corrupted, seeks to protect the Earthrealm by destroying all of it's known enemies, while a goddess named Kronika, more commonly known as The Keeper of Time, seeks to bring order to the universe any way possible. Even if it means getting rid of Raiden for his tampering of with the timeline of events in the past.
Some new mechanics enter the Mortal Kombat franchise in this entry, such as Fatal and Krushing Blow moves. Both are special moves that are triggered under specific conditions. Fatal Blow is a one-time move that can deal massive damage, but it can only be used once per match and only becomes usable when a player's health is below 30%. This move also replaces the X-Ray mechanic from the previous couple of games. Krushing Blow is a more cinematic version of a special move, but depending on the fighter using it, has it's own very specific set of requirements before it can be triggered.
Releasing on April 23rd, players can expect to get their hands on the next juicy entry into one of the most well-known fighting game franchise's of all times. It will be out on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One, as well as the Nintendo Switch. However, Switch players are going to have to wait a little bit longer, as their version will be releasing on May 10th.
Re-Hitting the Shelves
Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney Trilogy
For me, this announcement was as incredible as it was un-surprising. The Phoenix Wright games have always been a top tier series on Nintendo's handheld consoles. So it's only inevitable that they finally see a compilation type release and reawaken the series in another generation of gamers. Possibly to garner some hype for a new release in the series overall? Who knows.
This compilation puts together all of the first three games in this court room puzzle and adventure game. The best part? It's expanding beyond the reach of handheld and Nintendo! That's right, players on the Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch AND PC on Steam can finally get their hands on these games. Expect this on the shelves digitally April 9th, for $29.99 (that's basically just $10 per game...how can you go wrong?)
Final Fantasy X / X-2 Remaster || Final Fantasy XII : The Zodiac Age
After seeing that not only Final Fantasy X/X-2 but Final Fantasy XII were getting released again in their remaster forms, I was extremely confused because I already own both of these remasters. The former on the PS Vita and the latter on PS4. But, then it hit me. At the time of their original releases, this trio of games was exclusive to the Sony family of consoles, and more specifically the PS2. Since then, we've seen Final Fantasy games release on all platforms (except for the newest one, the Switch, but this may simply be due to performance issues).
However, both of these remasters will be dropping on the Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch, the two families they never saw the light of day on. This is a really smart move since there was quite the success with expanding the horizons for both Final Fantasy XIII and XV.
Expect the X/X-2 remaster to hit physical and digital shelves on the 16th for $49.99, and The Zodiac Age to be out on the 30th for the same price, again physically and digitally.
Cuphead
The one announcement that probably caught me off guard the most. After E3 this year, the next time I saw this game trending I expected it to be on the release of the DLC. So to see that in fact, it was that Cuphead was seeing a release on the Nintendo Switch? I still am shocked. But in a very good way. This game is incredible. It's tough, but the art style, the music, and the old-timey feel make this an instant classic and a game that everyone must own.
Now, one more family of gamers gets to get their hands on this title. I for one almost wish I didn't already own this on Steam because I would get it on the Switch in a heartbeat. The Nintendo family can expect this hard hitting run-and-gunner digitally in the eShop on the 18th for a cool $19.99, and also the ability to play as Cuphead or his friend Mugman.
