The Best Games of April 2018

The Best Games of April 2018

Honorable Mention: The Swords of Ditto

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Contributor Greysun Morales: While The Swords of Ditto obviously takes a lot from the Zelda series, the indie roguelike still manages to shine all on its own. Taking that classic adventure formula that we’ve seen before and putting a fun, exciting, and addictive spin on it proved to work out extremely well. After dying again and again… and again, I still found myself trying to become better for the sake of the kingdom that I was destined to save.

Even when I defeated the final boss and saved the world after having to restart the game about 14 times over, I still had this itch to go back into the colorful and vibrant world that Onebitbeyond has crafted up. There isn’t much to do after beating the game, but having those extra difficulty modes will surely be a challenge for anyone who’s up for it.

The Best Games of April 2018

Honorable Mention: Frostpunk

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Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan:  11-bit Studios have found a way to create a city-builder game and make it feel intense and emotionally draining. Frostpunk tasks players with leading a group of Londoners while building a new city from the ground up to protect them from the world, which has become a frozen apocalyptic wasteland. By building a radial city around a large generator, Frostpunk’s core mechanic lies in producing more coal to keep the generator running, while also consistently upgrading the generator to heat up more homes as your city expands. The game prevents the player from ever feeling comfortable by dipping the temperature every now and then, so you’ll have to keep upgrading the generator’s power, which means consuming even more coal.

Frostpunk does more than just place an emphasis on efficient production, however; the game mixes things up with a Law system which allows you to pass laws in your city. Every little decision in the game comes with a moral dilemma. Do you want to allow child labor so you can mine more coal, or build child shelters to educate your young? One option will ensure your survival, but it’ll cause your people to lose hope, while the other gives you the moral high ground, though your living conditions may dip. Frostpunk forces players to weigh the consequences of every action they take, and even after you’re done with the main scenario, the game gives you two other side scenarios with equally troubling dilemmas to confront.

The Best Game of April 2018: God of War

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Staff Writer Jake Green: What Sony Santa Monica has managed to achieve with God of War is nothing short of astounding. The game takes the series in a bold and fresh new direction, managing to give color and emotional depth to a character who was previously, one of the most one-note in all of gaming. God of War takes cues from narrative-driven games like The Last of Us and Uncharted 4, and combines them with excellent level design and a tactile and challenging combat system. It’s the small details that really stand out, like the way Kratos and his son exchange stories while traveling, or how Nordic runes are used to hide secrets throughout the world. It’s one of the best looking games ever made too, even managing to give Horizon: Zero Dawn a run for its money.

The real star of the show though is the combat. The simple act of throwing an axe, then hitting a button to recall it remains satisfying no matter how many times you do it. There’s a deep level of customization in Kratos’ weapons and armor, allowing a variety of possible play styles to surface. It’s an ambitious level of depth for such a story-driven game, but never once feels overwhelming. Side stories are just as engrossing as the main plot-line, giving further insight and context to the world around you. Though the story can often feel huge, filled with sparring Gods and age-old prophecies, it never strays far from the core focus of a father and son, as they learn to cope without the family member they are on a journey to honor. In short, God of War might just be PS4’s best exclusive, managing to offer an emotionally-charged story, alongside moments of top-class action.

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That does it for our April 2018 Game of the Month. Congratulations to God of War! What do you think were the best games from last month? Let us know in the comments.