This week in gaming: The Outlast Trials or more Final Fantasy 7?
The first week of March has arrived, and with it comes a new Genshin Impact update and more spooky shenanigans in The Outlast Trials. You might not have time for either if you’re still buried under the avalanche of RPGs released this year - but variety is the spice of life, after all. This week, we’re still riding Chocobos in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and fighting the alien scourge in Helldivers 2.
What we’re playing this week
We have a few new game releases to look at this week. First up is the extremely cosy-looking adventure game Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley (March 7). In this game, a series of ugly parks have mysteriously popped up in Moominvalley, destroying its rustic charm. The protagonist Snufkin decides to take them all down and restore nature by distracting the police, knocking over statues and so on. Sigur Ros is contributing to the game’s soundtrack, in case you need another reason to give it a look.
The co-op multiplayer horror game The Outlast Trials also comes out of early access on March 5, bringing a very different take on the franchise. Four players work together to survive in a horrific test facility filled with dangers and monsters. For fans of RPGs who still haven’t run out of RPGs to play this year (how, though?), Unicorn Overlord launches on March 8. 13 Sentinels: Aigis Rim developer Vanillaware is behind this tactical-fantasy game, which follows an exiled prince fighting to wrestle control of his kingdom away from the Zenoiran Empire.
What we’re watching this week
If you’re looking for a new TV to watch this week, Guy Ritchie’s TV series spin-off to his action-comedy The Gentlemen hits Netflix on March 7. In this show, Eddie Halstead inherits a large estate from his father, only to learn that the land has been absorbed into a massive marijuana-growing empire. The 96th Academy Awards also premieres on March 10, bestowing trophies to the year’s best actors and movie creators. Will Oppenheimer end up sweeping the Oscars? We’ll have to wait and see.
Personally, I’m tuning into episode 3 of Shogun this week, as the series’ first two episodes have proven to be breathtakingly immersive - with special care paid to its costuming and period-accurate sets. It’s really great so far!
