A brand new year means new chances to try new games. With 2024 standing before us, the team here at Boss Rush Network wanted to share what games we’re most excited for!
Visions of Mana – Josh Martinez
Developer: Square Enix
Platforms: PC and Consoles
Release Date: TBA 2024
While Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is up there, I still need to play the first one to get into that one. That’s where Visions of Mana comes in.
Square Enix announced the game during The Game Awards and I was enthralled. I first jumped into the Mana series with the recent Trial of Mana remake. Visions of Mana looks gorgeous and it’s so much fun to have a new entry in the series. The art style is gorgeous and I’ve always been a fan of the action combat.
While we don’t have a specific date, the game is slated for sometime this year. Personally, I hope it comes sooner rather than later.
Like a Dragon 8: Infinite Wealth – James Bojaciuk
Developer: RGG Studios
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: PC and Consoles
Release Date: January 25
Despite jumping genres from a brawling beat ‘em up, one of my favorite genres, to a JRPG largely inspired by Dragon Quest, the seventh installment of the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series is one of the stand-outs in the series. The latest game continues in that vein, but now Kiryu can get really impatient and break out of turn-based combat to wreck opponents in a fully realized brawl.
But will the story land?
We’re at the end of an arc that started in Yakuza 6, a game the developers didn’t particularly want to make, and tying up a storyline they have been slowly working to conclude across most of their games released since 2016. This going well is my great hope; this going poorly is my great fear.
The seeming return of Yuki and the Cabaret Club Czar minigame, however, promises to be pure joy.
Tales of the Shire – Jai V
Developer: Wētā Workshop
Publisher: Private Division
Platforms: PC and Consoles
Release Date: TBA 2024
Known for their beautiful works of art and design on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Wētā Workshop announced their collaboration with game studio Private Division on a new cozy game set in lands of Middle-earth.
While nothing outside of the official trailer has been shared, the anticipation from fellow Tolkienites and Lord of the Rings (LOTR) game lovers is palpable. The trailer itself says little, but looking at the details on the Book pages, it’s hard not to take note of visual references to hobbit holes, farming, and food.
There are signs for the Green Dragon Inn and of the two story Ivy Bush Inn located on either side of Bywater market. It was in Ivy Bush Inn that many a young hobbit would try to hear the legendary stories of Bilbo Baggins and it was at the Green Dragon that many a tale, a song, and a riddle or two would be shared about the happenings in and outside of the Shire.
Will our own heart-warming adventure begin in this very town in Westfarthing? And will Tales of the Shire take place before the great War of the Ring? Or after the Battle of Bywater as Hobbits worked to return the Shire to its pre-industrial era after it became a Free Land?
The long list of questions only increases my eagerness for more details on a new way to explore a lore I hold close to my literary heart. I can only hope that we will finally be able to enjoy our own hobbit-hole in the ground. After all, in the words of Tolkien: “that means comfort.”
Hades II – Andrew Millard
Developer: Supergiant Games
Platforms: Steam and Epic Early Access. Consoles to follow.
Release Date: Q2 2024
It took a lot for a single game to overcome the shortcomings of an entire genre. You could even call it an Herculean task. While I will gobble up pretty much anything with the permanently buzzy label “metroidvania” splashed across its description, I could never understand the popularity of the rogue genre. Loop grinding and procedural generation are absolute turn offs for me.
And then along came Hades.
Among the big names, Nintendo enjoys a reputation for making games that are simply fun to play, regardless of progression or story or unlock meters to fill up. Hades has that in spades.
It is the perfect cocktail of adrenaline and dopamine. It doesn’t matter if you have a good run, bad run, are trying a new build, or just breathing the game in; Hades is always a good time.
And between hits of pure video game joy, Supergiant went ahead and expertly added progression, story, and unlock meters, anyway. Its minimally animated characters, who are mostly represented by gorgeous static art, drip with more personality than any random handful of fully-rendered AAA franchise protagonists.
Hades II is unprecedented in Supergiant’s catalog, who are the gaming equivalent of a no-skips playlist. Their first sequel booked me on the hype train the moment its beautiful trailer dropped. Here’s hoping what they’ve learned boosts it out of Early Access faster than its predecessor!
Metaphor: ReFantazio – Blake Thaggard
Publisher: ATLUS
Developer: Studio Zero
Platforms: Steam/Windows/PS4/PS4/Xbox Series S/X
Release Date: Fall 2024
With the genre-shaking Persona 5 in the rear view, I know most JRPG fans are awaiting a new entry in the series. While I’m plenty excited for it, there’s a new IP coming out of the publisher’s Studio Zero, and given what we’ve seen so far, it’s more than got my attention.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a bit of a mouthful, but the promise is relatively simple: a sprawling fantasy epic with all the hallmarks of the Persona series, including systems resembling social links, social stats, stylized turn-based combat, and the same artists and composers that have brought the modern iterations of the series to life.
While we’ve seen no small number of spinoffs from their core Megami Tensei franchise (of which Persona is the best known), there’s something about the spectacle of Metaphor that really draws my eye; airships, city streets, monoliths, gorgeous cutscenes, towering opponents. It brings me back to the imagery of Xenogears and older Final Fantasy titles, and I can’t overstate how excited I am to see that sort of dazzling, anachronistic grandeur in all the trappings of a modern JRPG giant.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – Michaela El-Ters
Developer: Square Enix
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Release date: February 29, 2024
I played Final Fantasy VII for the first time in college, and at the time, felt it was over hyped. For me, the original was held back by localization issues, a largely unlikable cast of characters outside of a few, and important character development locked behind side quests. I remember thinking Final Fantasy VII would be added to the list of popular games I would never understand.
Then came along the trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake in 2019 after years of silence following its initial announcement, and I was genuinely shocked at how excited it made me feel. The Remake proves itself to be more than just the original game in a new coat of paint. It ingeniously expands on the story, characters, and world building of the game’s first act in Midgar, and it’s incredibly well done.
In addition, the Remake addressed many of the challenges I had with the original game, serving as an extension of the original game while breathing new life into the characters. I was extremely impressed by it, making my expectations for its sequel very high with Rebirth on the horizon.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s numerous trailers (such as the Release Date and Theme Song trailers) earlier this year have been dazzling.
Gorgeously rendered and full of humor, heart, and emotion, I can’t wait to see where Rebirth goes. The story is somewhat up in the air, but I expect we will follow the same major plot points. But in what order, and what may change therein, is anyone’s guess. It’s part of the remake’s appeal: by positioning itself to exist alongside the original game, it’s not trying to supplant it. It’s a complement to it, and it keeps it mysterious for newcomers and veterans alike.
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain – Mary Helen Norris
Developer: Chibig Studio
Platform: Switch/Steam
Release Date: Q1 2024
This is one I wish I had found while it was still on Kickstarter but I discovered it later. From the moment I saw the trailer, this game spoke to me. From it’s cute art style to the images of gameplay.
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is a fantasy adventure about an aspiring witch who delivers packages to the townspeople of a small island. Explore every nook and cranny and soar through the sky with your magic broom.
If there’s ever been a game I’ve been tempted to stream, it’s this one. Knowing my hand-eye coordination, it’s going to be an interesting learning curve to manage this game but I’m excited to deliver packages and spend hours mastering how to control that broom.
Gori: Cuddly Carnage – The Madpharmacist
Developer: Angry Demon Studio
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series and One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: TBD 2024
I played the demo at PAX East 2023 and immediately fell in love. Do I have an obsession with orange cats? Sure. But it’s more than that. I swear.
Gori: Cuddly Carnage promises crazy, mindless violence in fantastical ways, which makes it perfect for unwinding after a hard day’s work. You play as a cat named Gori, and you surf the post-apocalyptic streets on your sentient hoverboard. It’s something that is fun to sink your teeth into and doesn’t take itself too seriously. You hack and slash as well as rack up combo points with sick tricks. Finally, I’m always down to support an indie studio that dares to be different!
While an exact release date is still elusive, a recent tweet hinted at a 2024 release.
Check out this insane trailer!
Here are some of our picks! What is your most anticipated game of 2024? Please share your pick with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord!
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