Here is our pick of game releases that will see the light of day in May 2021:
Resident Evil Village (7 May): Resident Evil Village is an upcoming survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. It is a major instalment in the Resident Evil series and a narrative sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017). Like Resident Evil 7 (2017), Resident Evil Village uses a first-person perspective. It is set in an explorable village. The inventory management system is similar to that of Resident Evil 4 (2005), featuring a briefcase. Players can buy weapons and items from a merchant, the Duke. The players can also hunt certain animals in the village and have them cooked into dishes by the Duke, eating said dishes allows the player to get advantages such as decreasing the damage taken while blocking. The Mercenaries Mode will also return in Village. Like the previous Resident Evil entries, it will be an action-packed arcade-style game mode.
Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Stadia
Hood: Outlaws & Legends (10 May): Hood: Outlaws & Legends is an upcoming action video game developed by Sumo Newcastle and published by Focus Home Interactive. Face the merciless, unchecked state, rebels and rogues battle to claim their place among legends. To win influence with oppressed people, rival gangs compete in daring heists to hit the wealthy where it hurts. Folk hero or gold-hungry outlaw, only the best will escape with hard-earned riches. Two teams of 4 players compete to execute the perfect heist, in medieval environments patrolled by deadly AI guards. With the unique skills and mystical abilities of each character, moving in stealth to steal treasures unseen or dominating through loud and brutal combat.
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S
Huntdown (12 May): Huntdown is an action shooting game. Set in the mayhem-filled streets of the future where criminal gangs rule and cops fear to tread, only the bounty hunters can free the city from the corrupt fist of felony. Lay waste to the criminal underworld and make a killing in this hard boiled action comedy arcade shooter. Hunt solo or give suppressive fire and advance on the enemy together as you run, jump, and take cover in the mayhem-filled streets of the future
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh operating systems, Xbox One
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (14 May): Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is a compilation of the video games in the original Mass Effect trilogy: Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. It is being developed by BioWare with assistance from Abstraction Games and Blind Squirrel Games, and published by Electronic Arts. All three games were remastered, with visual enhancements, technical improvements, and gameplay adjustments. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition contains single-player base content from all three titles in the original Mass Effect trilogy: Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. The compilation also includes almost all single-player downloadable content (DLC) that was originally released for each game, such as promotional weapons, armours, and packs. Set within the Milky Way galaxy during the 22nd century, the trilogy consists of action role-playing games in which the player assumes the role of Commander Shepard, an elite human soldier who must unite the galactic community against a highly advanced race of synthetic-organic starships called Reapers. Shepard is a customizable character whose morality is determined by the player, and during each game, the player makes choices that can impact the story in various ways. These choices and consequences can be carried forward through the trilogy
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Days Gone (18 May): Days Gone is a 2019 action-adventure survival horror video game developed by Bend Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Set in a post-apocalyptic Oregon two years after the start of a global pandemic, former outlaw-turned-drifter Deacon St. John discovers the possibility of his wife Sarah still being alive, which leads Deacon on a quest to find her. Days Gone is played from a third-person perspective, in which the player can explore an open world environment. Players can use firearms, melee weapons and improvised weapons, and can use stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures known as Freakers. A major game mechanic is Deacon’s motorcycle, which is used as the player character’s primary mode of transportation as well as mobile inventory.
Platform: Windows
Maneater (25 May): Maneater is an action role-playing game developed and published by Tripwire Interactive. The game is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. In the game, the player assumes control of a baby bull shark who must take revenge on a shark hunter named Scaly Pete, who killed its mother and disfigured it. The shark has several basic attacks, including charging into enemies, siloing out of the water and whipping enemies with its tail to stun them. It can also use its surroundings for combat advantages, such as using a swordfish as a spear. The shark needs to hunt and consume other aquatic wildlife such as fish and turtles in order to obtain nutrients, namely proteins, fats, minerals and rare mutagenics. Players can also attack humans by wreaking havoc along the coast, destroying yachts and ships, and knocking people off jet skis. As the player gains enough nutrients, the shark must enter underwater grottos to unlock new abilities and increase in size, which allows the shark to take on larger and deadlier creatures. The shark will slowly evolve into an adult megalodon, and players can acquire advanced upgrades and customization options such as external bone plates, shadow armour, and electromagnetic spikes to further enhance the shark’s combat abilities.
Platform: Switch
Biomutant (25 May): Biomutant is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Swedish developer Experiment 101 and published by THQ Nordic. Biomutant is an open-world, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG, with a unique martial arts styled combat system allowing you to mix melee, shooting and mutant ability action. A plague is ruining the land and the Tree-of-Life is bleeding death from its roots. The Tribes stand divided. Explore a world in turmoil and define its fate as saviour or darker destiny.
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
Subnautica: Below Zero (14 May): Subnautica: Below Zero is an open-world survival action-adventure video game developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. It is the sequel to Subnautica. Subnautica: Below Zero set in an open world environment and played from a first-person perspective. The player controls a researcher who is studying the local environment of a nearby alien facility, on planet 4546B. Like its predecessor, the player’s goal is to explore the environments and survive in the alien environment while also completing objectives to advance the game’s plot. Players collect resources, construct tools, build bases and submersibles, and can interact with the planet’s wildlife Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
Rust (21 May): Rust is a multiplayer-only survival video game developed by Facepunch Studios. The objective of Rust is to survive in the wilderness using gathered or stolen materials. Players must successfully manage their hunger, thirst, and health, or risk dying. Despite the presence of hostile animals such as bears and wolves, the primary threat to the player is other players due to the game being solely multiplayer. Combat is accomplished through firearms and various weapons, such as bows. In addition, vehicles controlled by non-player characters will occasionally roam, attacking armed players. Rust features crafting, though initially limited until the discovery of specific items in the game’s open world. To stay protected, players must build bases or join clans to improve their chance of survival. Raiding as a clan is a major aspect of Rust. Rust supports modded servers which can add additional content.
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4
Knockout City (21 May): Knockout City is an upcoming action video game developed by Velan Studios and published by Electronic Arts. Knockout City is a team-based competitive multiplayer video game whose gameplay rules resemble Dodgeball. The player’s goal is to attack enemies from the opposing team by knocking them out with a ball. There are several types of balls in the game, including the Moon Ball, which allows the player holding the ball to jump higher, and the Bomb Ball, which is a time bomb that explodes on impact. A player can also throw another player as a ball. Players can either quickly throw the ball or charge up the ball for Ultimate Throw, which takes more time but it locks onto nearby enemies automatically and results in an more effective attack. A successful throw depends not on the accuracy or the precision of the throw, but on the player’s positioning and strategy. Players can dodge or catch a ball that is thrown at them, and they will respawn after getting hit by a ball twice. The player can also fake throw a ball, and tackle an opponent holding a ball. As the player progresses in the game, they will receive HoloBucks, which can be spent at the Brawl Shop to unlock various customization items.
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows