The new game releases this week may look a little familiar, but all of them attempt to push their genres or series in new directions. We’ve got a dark game about a plague outbreak where you’re finally a certified doctor instead of someone taking up the job out of necessity; a 33-player action game with large-scale battles that resemble raid fights in an MMO; and a baseball game with — wait for it — a roguelike board game mode.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the other new games out this week
This week’s games branch out in some new directions
If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
Image: Ubisoft Quebec/Ubisoft
Tyler Colp is a games writer at Polygon specializing in criticism and reporting about extraordinary players and communities.
Oh, and there’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows at the end of the week, with a story set in feudal Japan and a whole base-building system. But that will come after Pathologic 3, which starts the week off with another macabre story of death and decay. Then there’s 33 Immortals, a game where you join up with a whole legion of players trying to survive against hordes of monsters. MLB The Show 25 promises a bunch of new additions to the series, including that roguelike board game mode. And if sports aren’t for you, Reignbreaker is a game that mixes medieval weaponry with a bit of cyberpunk. It argues that your everyday javelins haven’t gone far enough and introduces “motorized” javelins that explode and launch across the screen like a bullet.
Here are our most anticipated game releases for the week of March 17.
0
Release date: March 17
Platforms: Windows PC
A plague has festered in a small town and you’re on the hunt for immortality in this narrative-focused game. With the help of some time travel, you have to do everything you can as a local healer to keep the town from being swallowed whole.
33 Immortals
$20
$20
Release date: March 18
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox Series X
This is a co-op action roguelike where 33 players pour onto the battlefield and try to survive against God’s armies of monsters. Battles are modeled after MMO raid fights and require you to rally everyone together to overcome them.
$60
Release date: March 18 (early access March 14)
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
The only major MLB simulation franchise returns with a new year, three new cover athletes, and a lot of new features. Fielding has been revamped, the Road to the Show mode now starts in high school, and Diamond Dynasty has a new roguelike game mode that I can’t wait to dig into. —Pete Volk
0
Release date: March 18
Platforms: Windows PC
I’m pretty sure this roguelike action game invented the sequel to javelins. They’re called motorized javelins and they spin, explode, and skewer the robotic monsters chasing you in every level. Put down your swords and your hammers; it’s time for the javelins.
$70
Release date: March 20
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Assassin’s Creed finally makes its way to feudal Japan. The story is split between two characters this time: Naoe is an assassin and Yasuke is a samurai. You get to recruit a whole network of spies and build a hideout like it was The Sims. This game has it all.
Wreckfest 2
$30
$30
Release date: March 20
Platforms: Windows PC
Some call it “full-contact” racing, but really it’s racing where the cars smash into each other. This game is entirely built for that, with tons of customization and a whole physics engine made to simulate what happens when metal slams into metal. Now, wrecking your car isn’t necessarily the best way to win a race, but it’s certainly the most fun.
See More:
Most Popular
- Google has its own Pokédex now
- Nintendo delays Switch 2 pre-orders in response to Trump tariffs
- A Minecraft Movie’s post-credits scene teases the Minecraft Cinematic Universe
- Dropout.tv subscriptions are about to get more expensive
- It’s surprisingly hard to find things to do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ empty world
