Microsoft rolled out their 2nd Developer_Direct video presentation, and much like the first we got a clear roadmap of what future releases from team Xbox are rolling out. We were originally expected to get updates from Obsidian (Avowed), Ninja Theory (Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2) and Oxide (Ara: History Untold), however Microsoft surprised us with a special appearance by Square Enix, who were there to give more details about Visions Of Mana.
This Developer_Direct focused on the teams and less so on giant reveals, so let’s take a closer look at what was shown at the showcase.
Avowed
The Outer Worlds studio Obsidian Entertainment showcased gameplay from their new first-person fantasy action RPG Avowed. Obsidian showed off how the Avowed combat system works. We get a wide variety of weapons and spells as well as firearms. There is no linear hacking and slashing, you will need to focus on how to get out of combat situations. You will be familiar with how Avovewd deals with character interactions as they are very similar to Fallout: New Vegas. Obsidian showed off the region of the Living Lands, which was a colorful and dull blend.
Avowed is expected to release in the Fall of 2024, and it will be available on Windows PC and Xbox Series X, and will launch on Game Pass on day one.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Ninja Theory showcased a long deep dive into its much anticipated sequel of it’s 2017 hit Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The latest look into the game puts a spotlight on steps the dev team took to immerse a player in Senua’s journey. Taking place in 10th century Iceland, the game uses binaural audio to immerse you in Senua’s mental battles. This takes you to the darkest parts of her mind. The game is expected to use combat and puzzles to get through it and it is expected to take you 7-9 hours to beat, very much like the first game.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is set to be released worldwide on May 21, 2024 and is confirmed to be digital-only, at a price of $49.99 USD.
Visions Of Mana
Square Enix’s Mana team made a surprising appearance at the games showcase. The Mana team gave viewers a glimpse of the latest installment of their work: Visions of Mana. They revealed new and returning creatures, as well as your own animal companion created by the father of the Mana series Koichi Ishii. The dev team worked closely with composers to make every moment in the game feel unique and interesting.
Visions Of Mana is expected to release this summer and is slated to release on Xbox Series X, Windows PC, PS5 and PS4. See our preview with additional details and media, here
Ara: History Untold
Oxide games gave us a look at its historical strategy game: Ara: History Untold. They are poised to set themselves apart from the other historical strategy games out there with crafting systems, a procedurally generated earth and different leaders to run your different nations.
Ara: History Untold is Set to release this fall on PC
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle
The main event of this showcase was the first gameplay look at Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. Wolfenstein developer MachineGames and Bethesda studios showed off their first person adventure Indiana Jones game which takes place between the events of “Raiders Of The Lost Ark” and “The Last Crusade”, The Great Circle will send Indy on a worldwide adventure.
MachineGames showed off the game’s villain, named Emmerich Voss, who’s in a race to gain the same treasure as Indiana Jones. The footage showed off how some of the first person gameplay worked, such as puzzle solving, gunplay and whip mechanics. This game is set to show off a bunch of amazing locations, setpieces and immerse you in your own Indiana Jones adventure.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to release sometime this fall on Windows PC, Xbox Series X and will launch day 1 on Xbox Game Pass. See our preview with additional details and media, here.
This was great presentation for Xbox who gave us a much more clear roadmap for their offerings in 2024.
Developer_Direct 2024 – Recap: