Here at GateCrashers, we’re big fans of finding the latest and greatest in video games. It only makes sense to share that love and hop on the Wishlist Wednesday train to bring you our recs for upcoming titles to add to your list of games-to-get-hype-for. Don’t forget to share your own awaited games in the comments!
Little Witch in the Woods – May 16, 2022
Little Witch in the Woods tells the story of Ellie, an apprentice witch. Explore the mystical forest, help the charming residents, and experience the daily life of the witch.
I’m stoked for this game to go live. The previews boast a cutie protagonist apprentice witch, a magical and epic soundscape, and the most ambient atmosphere to whisk off into—just in time to escape the too-hot summer and hole up in my home, dreaming of fall. I’m fond of the pixel styling they use: it feels familiar, but has a fresh take and interesting tropes. Similarly, the sprites are adorable and ripe with emotion. It’s been on my wishlist since August of 2021, so next month is a long time coming! – Moth (@m_othball)
Forspoken – October 11th, 2022
Forspoken follows the journey of Frey, a young New Yorker transported to the beautiful and cruel land of Athia. In search of a way home, Frey must use her newfound magical abilities to traverse sprawling landscapes and battle monstrous creatures.
I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine while playing FFXIV, Stranger of Paradise, and FFXII, it went like this:
Me: “I think Final Fantasy may be one of my favorite franchises.”
Them: “Yeah, I could’ve told you that.”
I mean, they aren’t wrong. I just never stopped to think about it. How does this relate to my excitement for the forthcoming PS5 and PC exclusive, Forspoken? Well, the team behind one of my favorite Final Fantasy titles (FFXV, yes, I know, I’m that person) is the team behind Forspoken, that being Luminous Productions. So, that alone excites me!
Before going into what exactly excites me, let me put some things into perspective. I do my best not to judge games before they release, especially from trailers months/years before release. I used to and realized that’s not so smart with how much games change. Lastly, I’m no visual snob. If a game looks insanely gorgeous, that’s cool. I, however, care more for the games that have a visual style that looks different, unique, or has an amazing level/set design. Plus, it needs to run well and be fluid. That said, holy shit, does Forspoken look gorgeous. Plus, the landscape reminds me of Dragon’s Dogma (one of my favorite games, which needs a sequel). On the fluid side, director Takeshi Aramaki said that Forspoken will “focus on terrain traversal speed and fluidity.” so as much as nice graphics fancy people’s jimmies, here’s to hoping that the game runs well.
Nonetheless, you are asking why I am excited? I mean, have you seen the gameplay!? Forspoken looks like a combination of the speed and traversal of Infamous: Second Son, the level/city design of Dragon’s Dogma, and the action of FFXV but with more of an emphasis on magic. I mean, holy hell, what isn’t to love about this!? I’ve been trying my best not to watch trailers, as once I know I like something, I try not to watch more about it as I want to be surprised, plus I hate waiting. Be that as it may, sneaking a peek here and there, the gameplay thrills the hell out of me. I love when traversal in video games is fast because the last thing you want to do is walk around an open-world insanely slow. And by golly Batman, Forsaken traversal is as speedy as me running to the bathroom after Taco Bell!
Okay, so what about negatives, Jason? To that, I say, “eh, fuck off.” This is Wishlist Wednesday, not Negative Attitude Wednesday. Hell, that doesn’t even have a nice ring to it. How about the story? Well, Forspoken is the classic; female protagonist from New York City transported to a fantasy world who is trying to find her way home. Yeah, a classic tale. One I’m stupidly excited to see play out!
All that said, October 11th can’t come here soon enough! – Jason Jeffords Jr. (@JJRwrites)
OXENFREE II: Lost Signals – 2022
Five years after the events of OXENFREE, Riley returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious radio signals. What she finds is more than she bargained for.
The first OXENFREE is one of my absolute favorite games ever made, and if you haven’t played it yet, I don’t know what you’re waiting for.
It scratches an itch for a very specific kind of horror that functions around mystery and weirdness, which I simply love. Not only that, but everything it sets out to do, it excells at. The art style is gorgeous and unique, while adding to the overall atmosphere that is bursting with tension, utilized perfectly by the side-scrolling nature of the game, and not once taking away from how real everything feels, thanks to the standout voice acting and dialogue, which might just be the best naturalistic dilogue in any videogame. It also has some nice interactivity to it, as you have your typical dialogue options, that even offer silence as an option with appropiate reactions for it.
The bits and pieces we’ve seen between the teaser announcement and the six minutes of gameplay released hint at OXENFREE II: Lost Signals deepening everything we experienced in the first game while maintaining what worked. And I can’t wait for it. – Gabrielle Cazeaux (@gabrielle_doo)
Red Frost – 2022
Embark on an exciting adventure in this story-driven, survival and exploration game set in the rough winter climates of last century’s Russia after a nuclear event has taken place.
Over the past couple years, I’ve edged more and more into being a survival genre fan, with the two most notable games being Chernobylite and Frostpunk, especially in regards to Red Frost making its way onto my radar. The horror-ish elements mixed in with the base-building and basic-RPG mechanics, all wrapped together in a very personally appealing snow-heavy winter aesthetic. What can I say? I live in the American Midwest, I feel at home in the snowy winters. Add in a little zombification, and at the very least, you have a package I’m very interested in checking out. I’ve had my eye on it for a while, but so far, the only release news we have is sometime this year, but I’m hoping it’s either sooner rather than later or right around the Holiday season so I can look out my window at the snow outside and then look at my screen as I’m being mercilessly hunted and slaughtered in virtual snow. – Luke Nally (@Luke_Nally)
2 replies on “Wishlist Wednesday: April 2022”
[…] at GateCrashers, we’re big fans of finding the latest and greatest in video games. It only makes sense to share that love and hop on the Wishlist Wednesday train to bring you our recs for upcoming titles to add to your […]
[…] at GateCrashers, we’re big fans of finding the latest and greatest in video games. It only makes sense to share that love and hop on the Wishlist Wednesday train to bring you our recs for upcoming titles to add to your […]