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It’s been another one of those months on Game Pass where it seems the games are never going to end. I’ve struggled to keep up with the Triple A titles and it felt as though I was skipping from one game to another daily.
Deathloop and Immortals Fenyx Rising have long been on my Wishlist, but I’ve never pulled the plug because I don’t particularly want to pay for games that I ‘sort of want to play’. Whilst I appreciate the tremendous effort that goes into developing games, there’s so many to choose from that it’s become impossible, quite literally, for me to keep up with new releases. Both monetarily and temporally.
And so here’s a curated selection of new additions to the Game Pass library — many of which are games you might have wanted to play but never had the chance. Now you do.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
A rebranding of sorts has accompanied Odyssey’s inclusion on Game Pass. All of the Assassin’s Creed titles now have a gold and black design that captures the essence of the title. Never has the franchise felt so aligned.
In Odyssey, you play as either Kassandra or Alexios (sister and brother) — both characters are well-rounded and have distinct traits that will appeal to different people. I chose Kassandra because, well, I like playing a female in the digital realm. Plus, I think Kassandra’s more natural and a little cooler than Alexios.
Odyssey is set in Ancient Greece (duh!) and not only seeks to tell real stories from the past, but to enlighten the player through the myths told by Homer and other popular writings from the time.
Combat and mechanics follows the Origins formula and isn’t quite what I expect from an Assassin’s Creed game, but it still manages to entertain. The world is glorious, if a little oversized, as are the graphics, which are now 60fps, even on the Series S!
Immortals Fenyx Rising
From one game set in Ancient Greece to another set in a land of Gods, where each area is inspired by those myths of the past — which basically resemble Ancient Greece. What surprised me most about Immortals was its excellent narrative. It might not be the equivalent of The Odyssey, but it does retell old tales in a gripping manner.
The writing itself is smooth and the dialogue, though often comedic, is almost addictive. A game is doing something right when it makes you want to delve deeper into the culture of what inspired the game.
It’s a shame then that the game is let down by loose, repetitive combat. That said, it’s workable, and the setting and story is enough to keep you going. This is a perfect example of a game I’m so glad I didn’t pay full price for; a game that feels incredibly valuable on Game Pass.
Ni No Kuni Wrath Of The White Witch Remastered
Ni No Kuni is a beautiful reminder of the fun I had playing Final Fantasy VII as a ten-year-old — that was then, playing on a Compaq Presario 5060 (the one with speakers attached to the monitor!).
Set in a world where everyone has a soulmate, Oliver’s quest is to defeat Shadar and hopefully save his mother. Animated sequences were produced by Studio Ghibli and even the score was co-composed by Joe Hisaishi. This lends the game an incredible amount of charm that urges you to keep playing.
The Pokemon-esque monster collection mechanic helps to maintain the feeling of adaptability during battle; however, the game does begin to feel a little childish.
The game is simple and doesn’t provide any challenge, which takes away from the brilliance of the rest of the game. Either way, this is one of those games that you won’t regret playing: it evokes sentimental feelings for older RPGs and still offers enough to bring some originality to the genre.
Deathloop
I remember saying to a friend, ‘I’m going to buy Deathloop as soon as it releases’. I say that a lot and I mean, a lot. I didn’t buy Deathloop and I don’t regret buying Deathloop because I got to play it on Game Pass!
Annoyingly, I never quite got into Dishonoured (I know I spelled spelt it right wrong) despite playing both. I played them multiple times in an effort to force myself to enjoy the game but something didn’t click. I did end up blasting through Prey however, and Deathloop has intrigued me since its release.
You take on the role of an Assassin stuck in a time loop and… hold on a second. No. Forget it. You’re tasked with taking out eight targets called Visionaries before midnight. It’s like Cinderella being directed by Quentin Tarantino.
It’s a wonderful game that encourages you to replay, learn the world from top to bottom and execute the perfect run. Graphics are classic Arkane, gameplay is Arkane and so is everything else. What I’m trying to say is, Deathloop is a polished AAA experience that doesn’t disappoint. Now, I need to reinstall Dishonored.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Hardspace is a space simulator that has you exploring wreckages and dismantling abandoned spacecraft. You’ll search for useful materials that you’ll use to ‘gain’ credits. At the same time, you’re working to tackle the labour relations issue with Lynx Corporation — your exploitative employer.
You start the game in debt. Massive debt! I thought this was a rather interesting theme. Paying off debt feels remarkably satisfying and if you enjoy space sims, sims in general, taking things apart and watching numbers move, you’re in for a real treat.
What Am I Playing?
It’s finally happened. After four years of playing Sea of Thieves, I’ve finally reached the milestone of Pirate Legend. A milestone that, admittedly, isn’t that difficult to reach and has taken me far too long. However, I’ve been saving my gold and ancient coins for this very moment: I went on a splurge at Ancient Spire Outpost — my favourite outpost — and treated myself to a fancy set of clothes and a new skin for my sloop, HMS Impunity. My ship looks Kraken… Ba dum tss.