Today we’re bringing over some content from our Only Single Player special section of Escapist Magazine. OnlySP is a site dedicated to single player video games, so if you want just single player experiences, they’ve got you covered. We’ll be sharing content from OnlySP a bit more regularly throughout 2020 as we integrate more content from the site here into Escapist Magazine. Hope you enjoy!
Nick Calandra
Editor-in-Chief
2019 was a great year for gaming, but now is the time for 2020 to shine. Join OnlySP as we take a look at three single-player games to keep an eye out for in January 2020.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Release Date: Jan. 17, 2020
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
TheĀ Dragon BallĀ franchise has had pretty fine exposure to English-speaking anime fans this century ā thanks to Dragon Ball ZĀ especially. Last year, however,Ā Dragon Ball fervor went into overdrive: The English adaptation ofĀ Dragon Ball SuperĀ reached its end, the excellentĀ BrolyĀ movie was a box office success, and the phenomenalĀ Dragon Ball FighterZĀ was a hit.
Dragon Ball Z: KakarotĀ seems poised to take advantage of this surge.Ā KakarotĀ comes from the developer of the popularĀ Naruto: Ultimate Ninja StormĀ series andĀ Asuraās Wrath, CyberConnect2, and combines several genres into a promising and polished anime tie-in.
As an action RPG, the title combines the behind-the-back arena fighting mechanic seen inĀ Ninja StormĀ and otherĀ JumpĀ series with character progression and open-world exploration, including hunting, fishing, and unlocking new abilities. The game follows several story arcs of the Dragon Ball ZĀ series, though as a fleshed out RPG world, plenty of non-canon sidequests are available to partake in.
Though not as mindbogglingly pretty as FighterZ, the titleās cel-shaded graphics are much better than 2019ās inexplicably badĀ Jump Force. As last yearāsĀ One Piece: World SeekerĀ or 2018āsĀ Dynasty Warriors 9Ā both attest, the current trend of Japanese series going open world has seen mixed success. With CyberConnect2ās pedigree,Ā KakarotĀ hopefully has a much better chance of being a fun mainstream entertainer as well as a treat forĀ Dragon BallĀ fans.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions āÆFE Encore
Release Date: Jan. 17, 2020
Platform: Nintendo Switch
The original release ofĀ Tokyo Mirage SessionsĀ was a beautiful, deep, quirkyĀ Shin Megami TenseiĀ (SMT) spinoff that combined the Tokyo setting and RPG gameplay ofĀ SMTĀ with āmirageā characters crossed over from theĀ Fire Emblem franchise. In 2020, that might sound like a slam dunk, given the impressively high profile of both series ā unfortunately, Tokyo Mirage SessionsĀ released in 2015 on the floundering Wii U.
Now, the title has a second chance with an updated Switch re-release that includes mirages from more recentĀ Fire EmblemĀ releases. With a colorful and imaginative young adult story, (The original release made use of the Wii U gamepad to simulate text messaging.) Tokyo Mirage SessionsĀ has the potential to tide over bothĀ SMTĀ fans eager for SMTV and Nintendo fans waiting for any news ofĀ PersonaĀ ports.
Journey to the Savage Planet
Release Date: Jan. 28, 2020
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
Though it lacks the wide appeal ofĀ Dragon BallĀ or the die-hard audience of a JRPG,Ā Journey to the Savage PlanetĀ has plenty to recommend itself with. Comedic and first-person, the tone of Savage PlanetĀ fits somewhere in-between the satirical humor of The Outer WorldsĀ (or the originalĀ Ratchet & Clank) and the retro-camp ofĀ The Deadly Tower of Monsters.
Akin toĀ No Manās Sky,Ā Morphite, orĀ Astroneer, the adventure is focused less on combat and more on exploration, scanning, and crafting. However, unlike those procedurally generated planets, some with complex survival mechanics, Journey to the Savage Planet is more laid back and takes place on a single handcrafted world. Thanks to this more bespoke development style, the title has distinctive and detailed graphics and a tight main adventure ā more for the traditional ZeldaĀ set thanĀ MinecraftĀ fans.
Journey to the Savage PlanetĀ might not be the nextĀ Metroid Prime, but even at an indie budget it seems like a promising action adventure with a mysterious and funny world to discover.
Notable Mentions
January is a bit of a thin month for releases overall, without many confirmed releases beyond remasters and ports. Oddworld: Strangerās Wrath HDĀ hits Nintendo Switch on Jan. 23, followed the next day by the Kingdom Hearts IIIĀ DLC, “ReMind.” On Jan. 28, PC players get the remaster of Warcraft III,Ā and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players finally see a port ofĀ Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire ā Switch players will have to wait a little longer for that one. On the other hand, indie RPG SkellboyĀ is currently set to release on Switch on Jan. 30.
Let us know in the comments which games you are looking forward to, and have fun until next monthās Three Single Player Games. In the meantime, you can join in the discussion on theĀ OnlySP community Discord server.
Published: Jan 1, 2020 04:14 pm