Typically, in December, after the big autumn releases, developer and publisher activity slows down. It’s rare that December brings interesting and well-known projects. However, December is the perfect time for niche games that would otherwise get lost in the busy autumn release schedule. Now, they have a chance to be noticed, and you have the opportunity to discover unique, stylish, and atmospheric games.
Marvel isn’t just about comics and the hugely popular films based on them. It also has games. These aren’t always successful projects: players expect not only familiar and beloved characters on screen, but also high-quality gameplay, something that’s sometimes lacking in franchise games—publishers rely on the strength of the brand.
But it seems like Cosmic Invasion’s gameplay is just fine: the developers didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but instead embraced a proven tradition—the beat-’em-up genre and the style of 16-bit retro consoles. It’s a shame they didn’t go a little further, as they did in Comix Zone, where the levels were styled like comic book pages. But even without that, the familiar gameplay feels vibrant, and the characters are recognizable.
The game features 15 characters, including the super-popular Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and Wolverine.
The antagonist is Annihilus, better known as the Fantastic Four’s arch-nemesis. The choice of this villain is somewhat surprising, given that the Fantastic Four themselves aren’t yet on the roster. And he’s not exactly a well-known villain. However, fistfights will unfold not only in New York City, but also in the Negative Zone. You can play solo or in co-op, which supports up to four players.
The Canadian team Tribute Games, which previously released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, is developing the game. That project certainly wasn’t a breakthrough, but overall it was an excellent game. It was especially well-received by those who experienced the classic Turtles franchise. Given the developers’ meticulous approach to the characters, art, and gameplay, we can expect the same meticulous attention to detail from Cosmic Invasion.
It’s also worth noting that due to its low system requirements, the game will run not only on modern consoles and PCs, but also on lower-end PCs and previous-generation consoles. And if you have a Game Pass subscription, you’ll get Marvel Cosmic Invasion as part of your subscription.
The Metroid series for Nintendo is unique in many ways. Unlike the bright, family-friendly adventures players are accustomed to, the first and subsequent Metroid games were not particularly lighthearted. On the contrary, the Metroid universe, inspired by ’80s sci-fi films, including Aliens, is a dark understatement, especially by Nintendo standards. But that’s not what made the series unique. The Metroid games largely defined the “Metroidvania” genre, in which the player cannot always access certain locations and only through leveling up can they eventually progress further or discover a useful secret.
But the project’s uniqueness for Nintendo doesn’t end there. The Metroid spin-offs, subtitled Prime, are first-person shooters, a genre rarely seen on Switch consoles, let alone in Nintendo’s own portfolio.
What does Prime 4: Beyond promise?
Naturally, another encounter with Samus Arran—one of the most alluring and dangerous bounty hunters. A new planet, covered in hot and arctic deserts, as well as ancient jungles. The story challenges us to explore this new world, investigate clues in ancient ruins and mysterious statues, and battle alien monsters to find a way home. A recent Nintendo trailer also showed off the stylish combat bike Samus uses to navigate the world.
Beyond is coming to both Switch and Switch 2. The Switch 2 is promised to feature an improved version. Overall, the graphics could probably be more modern, reflecting the limitations of the original Switch. However, the developers have done their best to squeeze everything possible out of the previous-generation console.
It’s also worth noting that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was a long-term project. Development was restarted from scratch with a change of studio several times. However, it appears there was no rush. Nintendo has strived to bring the project up to the company’s usual quality.
“Pioneer is an example to all children,” they used to say back in the days of the Pioneer organization. Unfortunately, the domestic shooter and massive online game Pioner is now difficult to hold up as a role model. However, the release will certainly attract attention. Back in 2023, the trailer for this project at Nashi Games piqued the interest of many players. The familiar style of the post-Soviet environment, zones with anomalies, mutants, and a multitude of familiar weapons—a near-home for millions of Russian players. Now from a Russian studio.
There are also two game modes: for single-player enthusiasts, there’s a story campaign, an open world (the developers promise over 50 square kilometers of space), hubs for trading and communication, and various factions. And for those looking for a more adventurous experience, there are PvP zones where you can engage not in battle with a soulless AI, but with a fellow anomaly explorer.
And, it would seem, why isn’t such a project an example to follow?
Despite the high interest, it’s probably best not to rush into a purchase. The demo version of the game left a less-than-favorable impression on our authors First and foremost, the technical implementation is lacking: in March, it wasn’t even “satisfactory.” True, nearly nine months of development have passed since then, and the game is now in Early Access, but it feels like Pioneer is being released for the sake of release, rather than to gather player feedback and adjust its course in line with their expectations.
The distribution decision is particularly odd. The game is unavailable on Steam in Russia and Belarus, despite previously encouraging players to add it to their “wishlists” so the platform’s algorithms would notice and highlight it. Instead, the developers have made an exclusive release on Rostelecom Games, a platform even less recognizable than the already familiar VK Play. How GFA Games plans to collect feedback from the player community is still unclear. Even worse: the game is completely unavailable in Belarus, as Rostelecom Games operates only in Russia. It’s a strange and ugly situation.
In any case, don’t pre-order. It’s unclear how Pioneer will turn out. And do you really need another locally-brewed Steam game? We’ll see.
The console versions are promised for release in 2026. Version 1.0 will also be released then. It’s best to wait.
Sleep Awake is a first-person psychedelic horror game that “explores the tenuous line between sleep and death.” In the last city on Earth, the sleeping inhabitants risk never waking again. To avoid being completely consumed by the HASH—the inexplicable disappearance of those who fall asleep—they are willing to engage in bizarre experiments, just to keep their eyes open. Without sleep, the world takes on surreal and psychedelic qualities, and it’s no longer always clear whether what’s before your eyes is reality or the delirium of a waking mind.
The protagonist, Katerina, has experienced the loss of her family. She is the daughter of a leading sleep researcher. Her father set out to find answers to the question of what happens on the other side of sleep. But now it is up to her to complete his mission. Above all, she must survive in this strange world, explore it, solve the puzzles of this mysterious reality, and evade her pursuers—strange followers of death cults—in order to undo the horrors of the past.
Player reviews of the available demo on Steam are few, but “very positive.” The dark atmosphere and oppressive soundtrack are clearly a success. Players praise the psychedelic art-house cutscenes. In terms of gameplay, it’s largely a typical project: an atmospheric walking simulator with puzzles and hide-and-seek mechanics. If the developers can maintain the pace throughout the game, fans of the genre should take a closer look at Sleep Awake.
The legendary stealth game series Thief returns—this time completely redesigned for virtual reality. More than a decade after its last release.
You are Magpie (Magpie), a thief raised on the streets and deprived of her family by the brutal regime. For a time, thievery was just a way to survive. But the discovery of an artifact linked to Garrett changes everything. Yes, Garrett, played by Stephen Russell, returns—and accompanies you throughout the game. He doesn’t physically appear, but his presence is hinted at throughout, including in Glyph Vision, a detective-like mode. It activates naturally: you place the controller to your temple and pull the trigger. For a moment, the world comes to life—guards, wires, access points, and footprints are visible.
The gameplay promises to be a deeply immersive thief simulator. Considering it’s VR, it sounds intriguing. Magpie is armed with a compound bow, and shooting is entirely up to you: there’s no auto-aiming; you draw the bow yourself, adjusting the trajectory by feeling the tension and momentum of the arrow. Kills are extremely risky, however: some guards can be killed with a single blow, but arrows are limited.
It’s still a shame that the legendary series is returning exclusively in VR. While VR devices are now relatively widespread, the vast majority of players still use regular consoles and PCs.
But if you have a VR device, Legacy of Shadow might be an interesting purchase.
Octopath Traveler 0 is a prequel to the original Octopath Traveler from 2018. That Japanese role-playing game was well received by players, especially in the Japanese market. Players loved the retro gameplay style, reminiscent of the 16-bit console era. However, our editor, Mikhail Shkredov, was less than thrilled . Octopath Traveler featured a well-designed combat system, tense boss fights, and remarkable visuals and music. However, the story and world-building were lacking, and many were put off by the price.
The game is based on Champions of the Continent, the free-to-play prequel to Octopath Traveler for smartphones. However, in some respects, the game has been significantly reworked: gacha mechanics and free-to-play elements have been removed, and the previously piecemeal plot is now promised to be presented as a cohesive, in-depth story. At the center is your own character, whose home village of Wishvale is destroyed by fire. Now, they are forced to embark on a journey across the continent.
The Octopath Traveler 0 trailers showcase a familiar approach to gameplay. It features a turn-based combat system and a retro-styled game world. There’s also settlement building. On a grid, you place buildings, fields, paths, and decorations—everything that creates the look of the new Wishvale. The more powerful your hardware, the more options you have: PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 can build up to 500 structures, Switch 2 and PS4 up to 400, and original Switch owners are limited to 250. Structures are upgraded through exploration and battle victories, and some companions join not only as fighters but also as settlers.
Another new feature: up to 30 companions, which can be formed into a party of eight fighters. The voice-acted dialogue was also a nice touch.
If you’re a fan of classic Japanese RPGs in a new guise, take a closer look.
Ferocious is an ambitious project from a small team of developers. OMYOG has taken on the challenge of a first-person survival shooter featuring dinosaurs.
We’ll explore a remote island with a unique ecosystem, home to both living dinosaurs and their mecha counterparts. The island is also “inhabited” by aggressive mercenaries who will actively hinder our communion with nature and our connection with the adorable dinosaurs. Of course, you’ll have to kill them for that. Sam, the protagonist, also needs to rescue his brother, who’s being held captive by the military conducting illegal experiments there.
The developers promise challenges at every turn: from predators to jungles and limited resources. Players are encouraged to explore this world, and for doing so, they will be rewarded with the opportunity to interact with dinosaurs and even control them.
Visually, Ferocious looks like a curious mix of Far Cry and Turok. The trailers look good, and the system requirements remain reasonable. What the graphics will be like in real life, given these requirements, remains to be seen. It’s also concerning that this is the debut project for German studio OMYOG, and the publisher, tinyBuild, while tasteful in its portfolio, is itself small.
One thing you can’t deny about Devolver Digital is their flair for unusual projects. Is Skate Story another skateboarding simulator? A simulator, yes. Another skateboarding simulator, no.
The game’s official description reads: “You are a demon from the underworld, your body woven from pain and glass. The devil has given you a skateboard with one simple condition: ride it to the moon and consume it. Then you will be free.”
You’ll skate through nine circles of hell to the hypnotic beats of the soundtrack. The saying “Seeing is believing” rings true for Skate Story. And seeing is believing in motion. The unusual, glassy protagonist, the play of light on his surface as he navigates the track, accompanied by a pumping soundtrack, is a perfect way to grab attention. Static screenshots don’t have the same energy.
You can also decorate your skateboard, interact with unique characters, and generally have a great time.
Skate Story is certainly a niche project, but I think it will be of interest to more than just skateboarding fans.
Code Violet is positioned as the spiritual successor to Dino Crisis. Violet Sinclair wakes up in a bioengineering facility filled with dinosaurs and is forced to fight her way out, shooting monsters and trying to figure out what happened there and how she got there.
Here’s what happened. The action takes place in the 25th century. After a global cataclysm, Earth became uninhabitable. The remnants of humanity resettled on the planet Trappist-1e. Faced with infertility and the threat of extinction, the Aion colony resorts to time travel technology. They begin abducting women from the past to serve as surrogate mothers to save the human race. Violet Sinclair is one of these abductees.
The game is a third-person action game with elements of horror and survival. It features limited inventory management, a variety of weapons, dinosaur battles, puzzles, and stealth elements.
The developers’ position on the PC version attracted particular attention:
“For those asking about the PC version of Code Violet… The reason we won’t be releasing the game on PC is because we don’t want anyone making mods with vulgar versions of the protagonist and other characters.
We value our actresses and actors highly, as well as the artistic vision of the game and story, and we reject any form of destruction of this through sexualized mods.
Turning our game into a ‘laughing stock’ and potentially damaging the reputations of our actors is not worth the extra money we could make [from PC sales].”
So, the game will only be playable on PlayStation 5. There will definitely be no vulgar mods there.
Burning Springs is the twenty-fifth major official update for Fallout 76. It introduces a new region, Burning Springs, located in southeastern Ohio. A new quest chain awaits, focusing on a mole rat-worshipping cult and a sentient super mutant known as the Rust King. The developers also promise new events and characters, including the infamous Ghoul from the Fallout series, once again played by actor Walton Goggins.
If you’re familiar with the Fallout universe only from the TV series, the expansion could be a great way to explore the game version of the world. Especially since the recent re-release of Fallout 4 wasn’t the best.
Elden Ring: Nightreign is a unique project. Not everyone loved this co-op souls action game, but it has its charms. Our reviewer run.code praised the dynamic combat system, the excellent soundtrack, the wide variety of classes and weapons, and the excellent battle choreography.
The Forsaken Hollows will add new locations, two bosses, and two heroes to Nightreign: one a battlemage and the other a fighter with a direct, forceful approach. The game will also feature additional content.
The expansion costs $15, but owners of the Deluxe Edition of the original Nightreign will receive it for free.
Destiny 2 is currently going through a tough time. But with the release of the Renegades expansion, everything could change. The add-on is inspired by the Star Wars franchise, and the developers worked with Lucasfilm to bring elements of one universe to the other.
Destiny 2 will feature a faction system, new story missions, and the Lawless Frontier mode. Players will be able to unlock unique, upgradable Renegade abilities and earn new weapons and gear. A dungeon will be available, along with new Star Wars-inspired weapons: several types of blasters; the exotic Heirloom solar crossbow, inspired by Chewbacca’s weapon; and, of course, lightsabers.
Nintendo’s new console boasts the performance to run modern games. Ubisoft decided not to delay the release of the port of its 2025 hit. However, it wasn’t without compromises. According to the lead programmer of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the team had to essentially redesign the world rendering and game system interactions to make the game work on the Switch 2.
The developers manually adjusted nearly every parameter for each location: draw distance, level of detail, texture resolution, and object streaming density. The number of NPCs was reduced only in the most densely populated cities—and only to the level necessary for stable performance.
Despite all the controversy surrounding the game’s marketing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a worthy representative of the series, albeit not without its flaws So if you’re the proud owner of a Switch 2, give this port a try.
The first part of RDR will receive an official free next-gen patch, adapting the graphics settings to the capabilities of modern consoles.
According to the developers, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players can expect a smooth 60 frames per second experience, improved image quality, HDR support, and resolutions up to 4K. On the Nintendo Switch 2, the team took advantage of the new hardware, implementing support for DLSS, HDR, mouse controls, and a stable 60 frames per second at high resolutions.
Owners of the PS4, Switch, or Xbox One digital backwards compatible versions will be able to update the game for free and pick up where they left off.
Yakuza 0, released in 2015 on PS4, will receive a “director’s cut.” Sega is releasing the updated Director’s Cut on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S—the game was previously released on Switch 2.
The version has received a number of improvements: new scenes have been added, English dubbing has been added, and the Red Light Raid multiplayer mode for four players is now available. And most importantly, an official Russian translation is finally available!
Mikhail Shkredov called it a monumental work:
“The creators have crafted a complex plot structure with a wealth of revelations, interconnected elements, and incredibly cool characters capable of genuine emotion. The fast, aggressive battles fit perfectly into the overall narrative and never devolve into tedious brawls. The secondary missions make you feel sad, laugh, and marvel at the bizarre imagination of these Eastern developers. This is more than enough to make you want to travel to virtual Japan and engage in an unequal battle with the yakuza.”
The fantasy MMORPG Guild Wars will receive a re-release, Reforged, which will include the Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall story campaigns, as well as a host of technical improvements.
The update brings support for modern monitors and high resolutions, new anti-aliasing options, ambient occlusion, and enhanced bloom effects. The interface has been modernized, and support for controllers and Steam Deck has been added.
Owners of the original game will receive the update free of charge. If a user already owns at least one of the three campaigns (Prophecies, Factions, or Nightfall), they will automatically gain access to all the others.
The developers emphasize: Reforged is not a one-time patch, but the beginning of long-term support for the updated version.
UNBEATABLE, a game slated to reach players in November, has been delayed until December. This rhythm game is also a manifesto for freedom for the music-loving young generation. Express your desire for freedom to the powerful soundtrack on December 9th.
The retro action film Terminator 2D: No Fate, based on the legendary second installment of the Terminator franchise, which we wrote about in our November article, will hopefully finally be released in December. This 2D action film recreates iconic locations and scenes from the film. The developers have also enlisted the original film’s actors, Linda Hamilton and Robert Patrick.
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