SUMMARY
- Xbox Partner Showcase 2024 showcased some expected and some unexpected titles.
- There were 3 new titles announced with 2 new shadowdrops.
Microsoft’s Xbox Partner Showcase for March 2024 is past us and it was full of announcements which were expected, and some unexpected. The showcase was jam-packed and ran a full 30 minutes.
There were 3 new titles announced and one unexpected cult classic title shadowdropped by Microsoft. Here are all the announcements made in the Xbox Partner Showcase.
Unknown 9: Awakening (Summer 2024)
An action game by Bandai Namco. The game is set in a fictional world that combines both medieval and modern elements. The enemies seem to possess melee weapons and very steampunk-looking guns that seem to be operated by magic. The main character also has magical powers that she can use in combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving.
The powers seem to be similar where the main character can project ethereal projections of herself to push and harm enemies. She is also able to create a defensive wall around her hand to prevent damage from enemies. One of the more major showcases of her powers includes possession of enemies, and jumping between enemies, while time is stopped, to create a sense of speed, much like the superheroes The Flash and Quicksilver.
The game will be released in the Summer of 2024 and is available to be wishlisted on Xbox.
Sleight of Hand
A new title from Riffraff Games. Sleight of Hand is a “hard-boiled 3rd person stealth simulator”. The game has an art style that is similar to the Dishonored series. The main character is seemingly a female thief who can use mysterious magical cards to fool and escape her enemies.
We see the thief place the cards on the ground to create mine traps, freeze enemies, and disappear into a mist. The game will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
The Alters
The Alters is a game about a character named Jan Dolski, who has crash-landed on a hostile planet. The planet revolves around a scorching star. Jan crashed and landed on the planet with a mobile base.
The premise of the game is that Jan has to explore the planet at night so that he can be inside the mobile base during the day when the star can burn him alive. However, the mobile base is far too big for him to handle alone. The planet is home to a mysterious element called Rapidium, which feels like it’s alive.
Jan creates clones, called ‘Alters’, of himself using the quantum computer on his base and rapidium. However, these clones come from different parts of his past, where they made choices that are different from Jan’s. In simple words, he creates multiversal clones of himself, each with different personalities and skills.
The player can assign these clones to work at the base while managing their likes and dislikes to avoid conflict. While the clones work at the base, Jan can go and explore the planet to find more ways to survive. The base can also be built in a similar building style to Fallout Shelter. The game will be released for Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Creatures of Ava
Creatures of Ava features the main character, known as the ‘Savior’ on an alien planet. The planet has its own intelligent and non-intelligent races. The Savior can interact with the intelligent beings in their villages.
The Savior is also able to tame the non-intelligent creatures and use them for their benefit. Each creature has different abilities and skills. The Savior is also armed with a magical staff that they can use to fight hostile creatures. The game looks to be a mix of Palworld, Fortnite, and Immortals. It will be released sometime in 2024 for the Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Roblox: Griefville Survive the Nightmare! x Chucky
Roblox just got a new game added to its massive collection. Griefville: Survive the Nightmare! puts players into the fictional town of Griefville, full of monsters and creepy locations.
Griefville is an interactive horror game that will have rotational updates. These updates will include creatures, locations, and enemies from famous horror franchises. The first update seems to be focused on Chucky, the evil murderous doll. Griefville: Survive the Nightmare is currently available to download for Roblox.
The Sinking City 2
The Sinking City is a detective game based in an open world. The game plays from a third-person perspective. The main gameplay focuses on the players trying to find as many clues as possible, which directly affects the outcomes of quests.
The first game received mixed reviews from critics but became a cult classic among fans for its unique gameplay and story that is based in the world of H.P Lovecrafts horror fiction world.
The Sinking City 2 is a sequel to the classic, which received a trailer. It featured the main character fighting and escaping multiple new creatures, and running from water, only to be faced by the big bad, directly inspired by Eldritch horrors.
Final Fantasy XIV Online
Final Fantasy XIV Online is an online MMO RPG based in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy world. It was released worldwide for PS3 and PC in 2013. The game also subsequently released for MacOS, PS4, PS5.
The MMO RPG is now coming to Xbox Series X/S on March 21, 2024.
Stalker Legends of The Zone Trilogy
One of the biggest announcements and shadow drops in the showcase was Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy. This trilogy is a remaster of the original Stalker trilogy that includes Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Skies, and Call of Pripyat.
The trailer showcased some new features coming to the game including better graphics, a weapon wheel, new textures, sounds, and new physics. However, even with all these editions, Legends of the Zone stays faithful to the original trilogy by keeping the original looks.
The Legends of the Zone trilogy is available now for the Xbox.
Monster Jam Showdown
Monster Jam Showdown is the next in line in the Monster Jam series. The game brings back the racing, off-road action and freestyle the series is beloved for. It also showcased some of the most beloved monster trucks including the Grave Digger.
Monster Jam Showdown is coming to the Xbox sometime in 2024.
Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis and Expansion Pass
Persona 3 Reload, the remake of Persona 3 is getting an expansion pass and a new final episode called Aigis. The expansion pass is set to release in 3 waves.
The first wave will be released on March 12, and it will feature BGM sets from Persona 5 Royal and Personal 4 Golden. The second wave is set to release in May 2024, and it will feature a Velvet Costume set and another BGM set. The final wave will release in September 2024 and will feature Episode Aigis -The Answer-.
The First Berserker: Khazan
The First Berseker: Khazan got a gameplay trailer that gave us a look at the upcoming Xbox title. Khazan is a soulslike that combines elements from From Software’s genre-defining titles including Sekiro and Bloodborne with an anime aesthetic.
We did not get a release date for The First Berserker as the game looks far from finished with the trailer being run at 20-30 FPS only. Watchers of the stream were not satisfied with the FPS to say the least and they hope that the final game will have 60 FPS.
Tales of Kenzara: Zau
Tales of Kenzara: Zau is a side scroller that is very similar to Prince of Persia and the Lost Crown. It is an EA Title with support from Critical Role, and Ridley Scott Creative Group.
Zau, the main character, has two distinct masks in his arsenal, called the Mask of the Sun and the Mask of the Moon. Both the masks have a different set of abilities, with Sun focused on melee one-on-one damage while Moon focused on ranged, crowd control.
The player can gain more abilities as the game progresses, along with skill unlocks. These abilities help in combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving. The game is set to release on April 23, 2024.
Frostpunk 2
The super-hit brutal city-building surviving game Frostpunk is receiving a sequel. It received favorable reviews and also gained the status of a cult classic.
Frostpunk throws players in an alternate reality where an ice age has struck the planet and they are tasked with building a city that can survive the harsh cold, no matter what it takes. The game has a very dark undertone that can give rise to extreme slavery and human shields among other brutalizing endeavors.
Frontpunk 2 will release on July 25, 2024 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Players can pre-order the game and play the beta.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
One of the most unique-looking games in the announcement, Kunitsu-Gami is an unholy mixture of action and real-time strategy.
The player is tasked with guiding the Maiden through roads that are corrupted with Defilement. The players can purge the defilement to clear the path for the Maiden, who is a Priestess. Players can rescue villagers and give them roles in your team as builders or fighters. All of these tasks are done during the daytime as nighttime turns it into Dark Souls.
During nighttime, evil spirits and Defilement-corrupted beings appear, that the players have to fight through. For bigger boss battles, the players can strategically place the rescued villagers and then fight the bosses to defeat them.
The main premise seems to be escorting the Maiden to Defiled Shrines and exorcising the corruption to repair the shrine and the surroundings. The game mixed action in between RTS to create a unique blend never seen before. Kunitsu-Gami will be released sometime in 2024 for the Xbox.