This month’s release calendar isn’t quite as explosive as recent months, which had titles like Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Civilization VII, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, among others.
And some of those are big enough that you might still be playing them.
But that doesn’t mean May doesn’t have some interesting releases. There are a few high-profile ones in here, along with some smaller games that shouldn’t be missed.
The biggest game this month is Doom: The Dark Ages, which bridges the gap between Doom 64 and Doom (2016).
Dark Ages takes the Slayer back in time to an age before space-age weapons. Which is not to say the weapons are boring here. There’s a gun that crushes up demon skulls.
But there’s also a new game from the mind behind Katamari Damacy, a multiplayer take on one of the best games of 2022, and heroes we traditionally associate with action being taken down the tactical route. We’re going to have plenty to play this month.
The Midnight Walk
Release Date: May 8Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5
This adventure game is worth it just for the art, if nothing else.
The team painstakingly modeled the environments and monsters from real-life clay and animated them in the style of stop-motion movies.
The art is ghastly and ghoulish, just like we’d hope. The look evokes spooky stop-motion animation, like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Phil Tippett’s Mad God, and every image and video looks stellar.
Revenge of the Savage Planet
Release Date: May 8Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
This third-person action game is the follow-up to Journey to the Savage Planet. Now, though, you’ve been abandoned by your corporate overlords and must scrape, survive, and build your way back up to take revenge on them in this satirical sci-fi adventure.
You can play co-op across platforms or with your favorite fellow gamer right there on the couch. What’s not to like?
Doom: The Dark Ages
Release Date: May 15Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Doom: The Dark Ages takes us back in time, but not at the cost of fun. You won’t be stuck using boring old swords, despite the name.
As the slayer, you’ll have a throwable shield with spinning blades, a gun that crushes up and fires demon skulls, and a giant mace to club through enemies the old-fashioned way.
This game bridges the fiction between Doom 64 and Doom (2016), because yes, the Doom games have an ongoing story, if you want to bother with such things.
You can go in and put the fear of the Doomslayer into the hearts of demons everywhere without worrying too much about that.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown
Release Date: May 22Platforms: PC (Steam)
One of the things that most TMNT games struggle with is that they’re single-player action games, meaning that you have to pick a favorite turtle and battle with just them—none of your brothers are by your side.
Tactical Takedown is the first game to put the Turtles in a tactical game, and one of the few that lets you bring the brotherly camaraderie to life as you battle enemies like the Foot clan, Mousers, and other new threats across 20 levels.
Finally, we can experience true Turtle Power.
Onimsuha 2: Samurai’s Destiny
Release Date: May 28Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), PS4, Xbox One
In the early 2000s, Capcom brought us Onimusha, a series combining the undead battles of Resident Evil with the sensibilities of Japanese Samurai. More than just “Resident Evil with swords,” though, Onimusha established its own identity as a unique style of action game.
A new Onimusha game is on the way, and that means it’s time to get the old ones back in front of our eyeballs.
You won’t have to play Onimusha 1 and 2 to make sense of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, but if you remember Onimusha fondly, this remaster should give you everything you’re looking for.
To a T
Release Date: April 8Platforms: PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X
Keita Takahashi, creator of the Katamari Damacy games, isn’t content to keep replaying his hits even as they’re republished on every possible gaming platform.
He’s always doing new stuff meant to push the boundaries of gaming or to, at the very least, just get weird. To a T is a narrative adventure game about a 13-year-old kid living in a coastal town and just trying to navigate life.
The twist is that this teenager is stuck in a T-pose, the default pose for video game character models, and you have to navigate life, doing things your way, whether that’s petting a dog, brushing your teeth, or getting through doors.
Keep it up, Keita, never stop being weird.
Elden Ring: Nightreign
Release Date: May 30Platforms: PC (Steam), PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
If you haven’t been paying attention, don’t let this one catch you off guard.
Elden Ring: Nightreign is a three-player cooperative game with a roguelike structure, where you and two friends or strangers will hunt down a boss of your choice over three in-game days using pre-established characters.
It’s not a sequel, and it’s not DLC, and it’s not really like any other game developed by FROM, either. But it still looks like a blast, and a must-play for fans of FROM games.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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