Guide

Game highlights this February

1/2/2024

Translation: Katherine Martin

Antiheroes, foam fighters and pirates are all vying for your precious time this February. So, better get your calendar out – the range of games on offer is once again enormous.

January was a fairly quiet month for games. Apart from the runaway success of Palworld, there were few surprises. February’s set to be a different story.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

Fight alone or alongside up to four people against powerful astral beings in a fantastical Sky Realm. The game promises epic real-time battles. Part one was only released for mobile devices. Relink, however, is a fully-fledged JRPG for consoles and PC.

When: 1 February
Where: PC, PS4, PS5
Multiplayer: online co-op for up to 4 people

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

The previews are anything but flattering. In its latest game, Rocksteady, the studio behind the Batman Arkham series, is clearly flirting too much with live service, Battle Pass and the like. Likely at the expense of a satisfying core game. On paper, joining the crazy Suicide Squad and roughing up your opponents alone or with friends sounds like fun. You’ll soon be able to form your own opinion.

When: 2 February
Where: PC, Xbox Series, PS5
Multiplayer: online co-op for up to 4 people

Foamstars

The easiest way to describe Foamstars is to say it’s like Splatoon, but with foam instead of paint, and played on the PlayStation, not the Switch. In multiplayer games, two teams of four fight each other with all manner of whacky foam guns. You can also use the foam to create jumps or platforms you can whizz over on a surfboard. The game comes included in the PlayStation Plus subscription package.

When: 6 February
Where: PS4, PS5
Multiplayer: online, 4 versus 4

Helldivers 2

The first Helldivers instalment, released 2015, was a surprisingly entertaining, cooperative space shooter. As a titular Helldiver, you land on dusty planets, slaughter aliens and try to recover certain items. The sequel brings the camera closer to the action, but remains chaotic at its core. I’m stoked.

When: 8 February
Where: PC, PS5
Multiplayer: online co-op for up to 4 people

News Tower

Are you the type to get nostalgic about newspapers? With News Tower, you’ll finally have the chance to become a media tycoon. In this business simulation set in 1930s New York, you get to run your own publishing house – including everything from the toilet to the printing press.

When: 13 February in Early Access
Where: PC
Multiplayer: n/a

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Don’t Nod, the creators of Jusant and Life is Strange take you into an alternative version of North America in the 17th century. Team up with ghost-hunting couple Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith as they investigate supernatural occurrences – a journey that sees Antea herself become a ghost. As is always the case in Don’t Nod games, your decisions influence the plot.

When: 13 February
Where: PC, Xbox Series, PS5
Multiplayer: n/a

Ultros

Buckle up, things are about to get weird. Ultros is a psychedelic metroidvania set on a cosmic uterus. A demonic being named Ultros is trapped inside. Your mission is to explore this world and either become the destroyer of the cycle or the link between destruction and rebirth. Looks like a wild ride.

When: 13 February
Where: PC, PS4, PS5
Multiplayer: n/a

Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior

At first glance, Lysfanga looks like just another Diablo spin-off. In this game, however, blindly slaying monsters doesn’t get you anywhere. Instead, you can manipulate time to create clones of yourself, which you also control. The battles are more like puzzles than skill-based passages.

When: 13 February
Where: PC
Multiplayer: n/a

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered

Nostalgic fans and gamers who’ve always wanted to know what it was like to play the original Tomb Raider are about to have their dreams come true. The remastered collection contains the first three games, including bonus content. All the graphics have been given a little refresh. Including Lara’s iconic triangles, which are now slightly rounder.

When: 14 February
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch
Multiplayer: n/a

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

This Game Boy Advance rerelease throws tricky challenges your way. The objective? To retrieve all the Mini Marios that Donkey Kong has stolen. Thanks to the co-op mode, you can play the game’s more than 130 puzzles with friends.

When: 16 February
Where: Switch
Multiplayer: local co-op for 2 people

Skull and Bones

An open game world, a wide selection of unlockable, customisable pirate ships, and a host of other privateeers just waiting to take a full broadside. The pitch of Skull and Bones sounds promising – even if it’s been postponed umpteen times. We’ll soon find out whether it was worth the wait.

When: 16 February
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Multiplayer: up to 20 people, with or against each other

The Thaumaturge

In the Polish city of Warsaw in the early 20th century, you play Wiktor Szulski, a man who can see ghosts and make them fight for him. Use his gift to puzzle and fight your way through this story-driven game. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, it looks really cool.

When: 20 February
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Multiplayer: n/a

Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance

A dark, real-time strategy game set in the Terminator universe. It’s made of various factions, including the soulless machines, who you’ll fight for supremacy over the dystopian future in multiplayer games.

When: 21 February
Where: PC
Multiplayer: online multiplayer

Last Epoch

After five whole years in Early Access, the official release of the time-travel action role-playing game is now just around the corner. It’s unlikely to disappoint fans of Diablo or Path of Exile. Five classes with a total of 15 mastery specialisations and over 120 skills promise a great deal of in-game freedom.

When: 21 February
Where: PC
Multiplayer: online co-op for up to 4 people

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story

Probably the last League of Legends spin-off. Sadly, Riot Games has announced that their game offensive has failed and that it’ll be refocusing its efforts on its biggest crowd-pleaser in the future. Bandle Tale looks like a wonderfully cute crafting RPG, and comes from the same studio that brought us Graveyard Keeper.

When: 22 February
Where: PC, Switch
Multiplayer: n/a

Sons of the Forest

A survival construction game where you don’t just gather resources and build pretty forest cabins. You also regularly need to fend off attacks from creepy forest dwellers. This game strikes the same chord as its predecessor The Forest. It’s been available in Early Access for some time now.

When: 22 February
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Multiplayer: online co-op for up to 8 people

Nightingale

A survival game set in a colourful fantasy world where you can embark on adventures alone or with other players. Explore mystical portals, marvel at wondrous creatures and sail through the air with an umbrella. Of course, there’s also crafting, base building and everything else that comes with it.

When: 22 February in Early Access
Where: PC
Multiplayer: online co-op

Pacific Drive

Your aim here is to try and escape the Olympic Exclusion Zone – home to anomalies, electrical storms and drones that want to steal your trusty vehicle. You use the latter to explore the surreal landscape in search of upgrades and clues on how to escape.

When: 22 February
Where: PC, PS5
Multiplayer: n/a

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake

If you haven’t played this gem yet or would like to revisit the story, you’ll soon have the opportunity to do so. In this story, you join two brothers on their fantastic journey. The game works with an unusual control concept involving two analogue sticks to control both brothers. There’s also a co-op mode.

When: 28 February
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series
Multiplayer: co-op mode for 2 people

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

The second instalment of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy continues telling the story of Cloud and his friends. After escaping the dystopian city of Midgar, they hop on Chocobos and explore a much more colourful landscape.

When: 29 February
Where PS5
Multiplayer: n/a

Teaser image: Nightingale

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.