Weekend Announcements March 16-18th: Planet Alpha, Minit and More

By Rebecca Smith,

The last weekend was extremely busy. Not only did Microsoft announce the ID@XBox games that they were taking to GDC, including four new titles that are also coming to PlayStation 4, there was also a handful of announcements that had nothing to do with those plans. There are ten new announcements in total, and they include a girl's quest for revenge against the King's son, a hoverbike race to enable your escape from Earth, a 60 second adventure, and a quest to become a true Monster Slayer. Which of these titles will you be watching?

9 Monkeys of Shaolin

Sobaka Studio's upcoming brawler aims to invoke memories of old-school SNES or SEGA beat 'em ups. Wei Cheng is a Chinese fisherman who sees his friends and family slaughtered when his village is raided by pirates. Appearances are deceptive, though, as Cheng knows the basics of ancient martial arts, those mastered only by legendary Shaolin monks, and he's determined to avenge their deaths. He'll take on hordes of enemies in battles that carry an atmosphere akin to 70s kung-fu films. The game will be arriving on PlayStation 4 this autumn.

Decay of Logos

Amplify Creations has teamed up with Rising Star Games to bring their "third-person fantasy action-RPG" to PlayStation 4. Inspired by European folklore and high fantasy fiction, the game tells the story of a girl and her companion elk. The pair meet after one of the King's sons destroys the girl's village. Set on revenge but initially oblivious to the person responsible for her plight, she uncovers secrets about the King and his family, and not everything is as it seems. Players will find a world filled with lore and other-worldly enemy constructs that must be defeated if she's to be successful. You'll be able to accompany her in her journey this autumn.

Desert Child

Successfully funded on Kickstarter, Oscar Brittain's "hoverbike racing RPG" will now be heading to PlayStation 4 thanks to publisher Akupara Games. Players race vintage hoverbikes as they attempt to make enough money to buy their way off the Earth's surface before it's blown up. Mars is the place of safety that you have in mind, but will you raise enough funds to get there? In between races, you can sell gun parts to raise extra funds, and repair and/or customise your bikes. Don't forget to eat ramen either, because it's not only your vehicle that needs fuel. The races are due to begin later this year, although the release window is not yet set in stone.

Emily Wants To Play Too

In the sequel to Shawn Hitchcock's Emily Wants to Play, players assume the role not of a hero but of an average young male. He parties daily, and he works at a local sandwich shop to earn cash. The only strange thing about him, apart from his weird taste in art, is his constant nightmares about dolls that come to life. During one of his deliveries to an office block, that nightmare comes true. The play area is larger than the house in the first game and the title promises to be "better and scarier" than the original. You'll get to try it out for yourself on PlayStation 4 on April 24th.

Harold Halibut

Harold is a laboratory assistant and a janitor. In Slow Bros. stop-motion adventure title made out of wood, clay and metal, he's tasked with looking after an underwater community. The community formed after 200 years of enclosed space travel, but is stuck in a weird place somewhere between the influence of its launch on earth in the 1970s and the effects of the discoveries of foreign planets and their inhabitants. Not everything has gone smoothly and the community is far too fixated on being the last outpost of humanity. You'll need to talk to the residents of the world, but each conversation has a chance to affect Harold's personality. You'll need to inspect and play with the objects you find, but break something and you could upset the wrong person. See how you get on when the game is released on PlayStation 4 next year.

Jump Gunners

NerdRage Studios' upcoming arena fighter is promised to be the "definitive couch combat game". Up to four players battle to become the champion, but it's up to you whether you fight alone or whether you team up to take down your foes together. The gameplay is easy to pick up but difficult to master, and players will face multiple game modes, over 20 different weapons, environments that can be destroyed, and battles that can be customised to suit your rules. The title will be coming to PlayStation 4 later this year.

Mind Labyrinth VR Dreams

The only PlayStation VR title on today's list, Frost Earth Studio's upcoming title plans to take players on an emotional journey through fantastic dreams and landscapes as they relax in the custom-made environments. The game's environments and music combine to "produce impactful and different emotions" in every scene as players explore to their heart's content. Full motion control support is included to allow players to properly interact with each environment. You'll get to try it for yourself next month.

Minit

The development team of Kitty Calis, Jan Willem Nijman, Jukio Kallio and Dominik Johann is yet to come up with a catchy name for their quartet, but that hasn't stopped them teaming up with Devolver Digital to bring their "lo-fi adventure" to PlayStation 4. The clue to the game is in its title; each adventure takes just 60 seconds at a time. You'll need to help people, discover secrets and defeat enemies as quickly as you can, but it's up to you to find out how to lift the curse that ends each day after that period of time. Just like the game itself, you don't have to wait too long for this title to arrive — it's due on April 3rd.

Monster Slayers

The developer behind Vertical Drop Heroes HD, Nerdook Productions, has once again teamed up with Digerati to bring their next title to PlayStation 4 and Vita as a cross-buy title. Players assume the role of a hero from one of 12 character classes who joins the Monster Slayers Guild. They'll need to make their way through the Northern Valley and defeat the legendary Harbinger if they're ever to be considered a true Monster Slayer. The "rogue-like deck-building RPG adventure" lets players customise their decks to suit their play styles as they get new cards from merchants, treasure chests, and allies. Each adventure's enemies, loot and levels are randomly generated so no two playthroughs are ever the same. The title is due to be released this spring.

Planet Alpha

Planet Alpha's titular "side-scrolling platform adventure" places players in the midst of a strange alien world. Surrounded by mysterious flora and fauna that isn't always friendly, you'll need to rotate and control the planet's night and day cycle as you discover its secrets. Perhaps appearances are deceptive, because things might not be as tranquil as they first look. Players will need to combine platforming, puzzle solving and stealth if they're to succeed. You'll be able to explore the world yourself when the game comes to PlayStation 4 later this year.

Written by Rebecca Smith

Rebecca is the Newshound Manager at TrueGaming Network. She has been contributing articles since 2010, especially those that involve intimidatingly long lists. When not writing news, she works in an independent game shop so that she can spend all day talking about games too. She'll occasionally go outside.