The Easter holidays are upon us! But on the other side of it, unfortunately, exams and essays await us. So, you could definitely do with some gaming relaxation over your time off…
While you may be flocking to a beer garden on April 12, you can unwind and relax in your own home by booting up that console and putting on a game. Here are some recommendations you may want to pick up over the holidays, from new releases to some old favourites.
Coming Soon
The highly anticipated Outriders hits the stands April 1, where you can create your own character with unique skills and touch down on Enoch; a planet ravaged by an energy storm that has given its inhabitants superpowers.
Elsewhere this month, after 20 long years, on April 30, we are finally getting a sequel to Pokémon Snap – New Pokémon Snap, where you take on the role of a Pokémon photographer studying the inhabitants of a new region, featuring over 200 different Pokémon to snap.
For sports fans, MLB The Show 21 is out on April 20 for all you baseball fans. New to the game is a ballpark creator feature, where players can create their own stadium and share it with friends.
Jump Back In
For me, I spent a lot of my childhood collecting Wumpa Fruit and being killed by Nitro Crates, so picking up Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time sent me right back to the golden days. This time Crash and Coco are on a mission to save the multiverse, featuring nostalgic gameplay and introducing new features such as Quantum masks to change the way you play levels. What a fun and challenging way to spend your Easter holidays!
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a great place to spend some time this Easter, with a new Zombies map just being released and a new season beginning for Warzone. Firebase Z is the new place to fight the undead horde, taking us to a Vietnam research facility, while featuring a new Wonder Weapon to get your hands on. Alternatively, you can drop right back into the Warzone and compete to be the last man standing.
While we wait for its sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still the definitive game for Nintendo Switch players. Taking place in a beautiful open world, Link must journey around Hyrule, defeating Divine Beast and ultimately saving the world from Ganon. It’s a game where you can progress however you want, go straight for the bosses in any order or roam the land to level up and experience the hidden secrets it has to offer.
If you’re a subscriber to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold, you can also expect a few free classic games for this month. On PlayStation, you can get the brand new Oddworld: Soulstorm or old favourites Days Gone and Zombie Army 4: Dead War. While over on Xbox they’re offering Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, Truck Racing Championship, Dark Void and Hard Corps: Uprising.
Fresh content to look out for…
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is in the midst of its Ostara Festival, where your village celebrates the beginning of Spring with various activities including an egg hunt and crowning a May Queen. The game itself follows a Viking named Eivor as their clan settle into Anglo-Saxon England, building a community and making alliances or rivalries with the various kingdoms they find. Valhalla features a giant and rich open world; this is a great new instalment in the Assassins Creed series for both die hard fans and new players.
If you fancy something relaxing over the holidays, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the way to go. You can move to a deserted island and fill it with whatever you want, making your island unique to you. Move in your favourite villagers, catch bugs and fish, or even remodel the whole land. There are various ways to play to cater for everyone and it offers hours of serene and calming gameplay. Animal Crossing is full of seasonal events, where you can check out the thrilling Bunny Day event, which is currently running, where you are able to collect eggs and craft them into a range of cute collectables.
Finally, we jump forward to the year 4041 in season 4 of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, the hit battle royale game that took the world by storm in summer 2020. Players can conquer through a variety of mini games, from assault courses to team games, where you aim to be the last man standing out of 60 players. The current season features new futuristic themed games to enjoy and new customisations for your character.
Whichever game you choose to play this Easter here is an endless list for you to play, pick up that controller and make the most of your well-deserved time off. Happy gaming Easter!
By Kyran Wood
Feature image: GamesRadar