It’s the beginning of the year, which means most gamers will be spending the start of the year working through their backlog. That doesn’t mean January doesn’t have a few solid games for people to get excited for, though. This January, horror fans in particular will have plenty to look forward to, as the Dead Space remake from EA Motive will be hitting the stands.
JRPG fans will also have a major title on the horizon, as Square-Enix’s long-awaited new IP Forspoken finally becomes available. With so many developers, there’s always an awesome new project in the works, meaning there are plenty of exciting titles for gamers to check out.
10/10 Fire Emblem Engage Brings Back The Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
The Fire Emblem franchise has experienced a renaissance since Nintendo released Fire Emblem: Awakening back in 2013. Since then, the series has become one of Nintendo’s most well-known franchises after their usual Mario/Zelda titles, regularly selling in the millions. Naturally, fans were excited when the next installment in the Fire Emblem franchise, Fire Emblem Engage, was announced during a Nintendo Direct.
This latest game takes place on the continent of Elyos and comes with a new mechanic: players can summon warriors from prior Fire Emblem titles to fight alongside them in battle. Although hopefully that’s not the only feature that returns in Fire Emblem Engage, many expect the game will be a major success when it releases January 20th.
9/10 One Piece Odyssey Brings The One Piece Story To JRPG Fans
As one of the longest running franchises in anime history at this point, One Piece can feel pretty impenetrable to newcomers. However, when One Piece Odyssey releases January 12th, Bandai-Namco hopes the game will become a solid new entry point for new fans.
One Piece Odyssey features a brand-new story from One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, complete with character and monster designs from him, since Bandai-Namco knows that’s one of the many things fans want to see in the game. The game will also allow players to play key moments in One Piece history via the game’s Memoria feature. Animes transformed into JRPGs don’t have the best track record, but hopefully One Piece can break the cycle.
8/10 Persona 3 Portable And Persona 4 Golden Are Coming To Modern Consoles
The Persona series has achieved an impressive level of popularity for a series of games that are near impossible to play without owning a PlayStation 2 or PlayStation Vita. For years fans have been begging ATLUS to port the games to other consoles just so more people can play them.
Now finally, as fans wait another eternity for Persona 6, ATLUS is bringing both Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden to consoles on January 19th. Considering these games are all massive time sinks, the early winter is the perfect time for these games to release.
7/10 Risen Is Finally Being Ported to Modern Consoles
Many consider Risen one of the better western RPGs to have released during the PS360 era. A title focused on an unnamed adventurer who crashed on the island of Faranga, Risen had a reputation for being a difficult game with fun systems to interact with.
However, anyone who wanted to experience Risen needed to either own a PC or dig one of the older consoles out of storage. Developer Pirahna Bytes is changing all that when Risen releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on January 24th. This updated title will come with proper gamepad controls, a better UI, and best of all, no load screens.
6/10 Hyperdimension Neptunia: Sisters Vs. Sisters Finally Gives The Franchise A Refresh
Compile Heart has made sure they kept a new version of their popular fanservice RPG Neptunia on the shelves every year for years now, but Hyperdimension Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters is the first proper RPG in the series since 2017’s Neptunia 4. Fans of the series get to make a return to the world of Gamindustri to battle against enemies alongside their sisters in the game.
This new title focuses on the return of the Goddesses to Gamindustri after spending two years sealed away on the PC Continent. Nepgear and the others will have to overcome more powerful threats than ever if they want their home back. Fans of the series will be happy to see the series return on January 24th.
5/10 A Space For The Unbound Is For Fans Of Slice Of Life And Pixel Art
Not every video game needs to be a multi-million dollar blockbuster. The indie market has been releasing incredible video games that are better than the AAA market for so long, new amazing indie games shouldn’t be a surprise. On January 19th, developer Mojiken drops their latest project, A Space for the Unbound, and it’s something both gamers and slice of life anime fans should look out for.
A Space for the Unbound is a slice-of-life game focused on a boy and girl in rural Indonesia during the 90s. With gorgeous pixel art that’s going to evoke nostalgia for anyone that grew up on 16-bit console, critics have already been raving about the game’s prologue. Hopefully, the full game will be just as enjoyable.
4/10 Monster Hunter Rise Is Coming To PlayStation And Xbox
Monster Hunter Rise has been widely considered the best Monster Hunter Capcom has released. At least, that’s how Nintendo Switch fans and PC games have been referring to it. PlayStation and Xbox fans have been unable to chime in, since the game has yet to reach their consoles.
All that changes when Capcom brings the title to both consoles January 20th. Although the wait since Monster Hunter World was long, Rise is a more complete project than it was when it released in 2021, and PlayStation and Xbox fans get to enjoy the best version of the newest Monster Hunter until Monster Hunter World 2 comes out.
3/10 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Brings Back The Hero Of Bikini Bottom
While SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom‘s remaster was considered a mediocre game at best, it was still successful enough to get fans a sequel. So, on January 31st, the developers at Purple Lamp Studios are bringing fans an all-new game set within the SpongeBob universe.
Unlike the last game, SpongeBob will be the sole main character. After SpongeBob and Patrick accidentally ripped open the space-time continuum, the denizens of Bikini Bottom are transported to different Wishworlds. SpongeBob is left to travel to all the Wishworlds to rescue them, all while dealing with a mischievous fortune-teller.
2/10 The Dead Space Remake Looks To Revitalize A Beloved Franchises
The Dead Space franchise was easily one of EA’s most beloved projects. The series featured a unique look at horror that was unlike anything else, and combined it with tense gameplay, where each combat encounter left the player on the edge of their seat.
Thanks to the developers at Motive Studios, EA is bringing back the Dead Space franchise with a remake of the original game. This new version of the game features redone graphics and wider levels that demand more exploration… which comes with much more risk. Dead Space‘s remake releases January 27th, and fans can only hope it makes up for The Callisto Protocol.
1/10 Forspoken Promises An RPG Where Players Fight Like A Mage
By now, most Square-Enix fans are aware of Forspoken, the first new AAA IP from the company in ages. The protagonist of the game is Frey Holland, a young woman from New York who gets transported to the fantasy world of Athia. Once there, she finds herself with strange new magical powers, and a talking magical cuff giving her guidance.
To get Frey back home, players will need to defeat the Tantas, strange mages who have taken over the land.
Combining the talents of Luminious Productions for the development and a writing team of screenwriting and game writing professionals, Forspoken feels like a game Square really wants to succeed. While reactions to the demo were mixed, fans get to make their own opinion when Forspoken releases January 24th.
