Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (also on Linux, Mac, PC)
Release Date: 2014
The original Octodad was a free game created by a group of students at DePaul University. Eight of those students went on to form Young Horses, Inc., and they’re now working on a sequel called Octodad: Dadliest Catch. As the game’s tentacled protagonist, the player must help an undercover cephalopod solve a bunch of physics puzzles while keeping his aquatic nature a secret from his human family. Comedic hijinks ensue as he tries to put on a suit, cook, or mow the lawn with charmingly disastrous results.
OddWorld: New ‘N’ Tasty
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (also on Linux, Mac, PC, PS3, PS Vita, Wii U)
Release Date: Q4 2013, TBA 2014 (PS4)
OddWorld: New ‘N’ Tasty is a remake of the 1997 platformer OddWorld: Abe’s Oddysee. Rather than remastering the PS One classic, developer Just Add Water is rebuilding the game from the ground up using a 3D engine, yet it’s keeping the original’s 2D sidescrolling game play. Although there have been Oddworld games on the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advanced, this is the first time Abe and his friends will be available on a Nintendo console (Wii U) as a downloadable eShop title.
Ray’s the Dead
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (also on Linux, Mac, PC)
Release Date: 2014
As freshly resurrected zombie Ray, players can amass an undead army and terrorize a small 1980s town as they seek answers about Ray’s demise. Why was he killed? Why was he brought back? And what’s with that giant lightbulb on his head? Described as “Pikmin meets Stubbs the Zombie,” Ray’s the Dead combines tactical game play with stealth, puzzle solving, and even some adventure game elements. Plus, its retro soundtrack and cartoony art style are adorable.
Transistor
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (also on Linux, Mac, PC)
Release Date: 2014
Bastion developer Supergiant Games’ latest project is an action/strategy hybrid about a voiceless woman named Red and the sentient sword (voiced by Bastion’s Logan Cunningham) she possesses. Together, they fight against the robotic enemies, called The Process, that relentlessly pursue them. Gameplay is a mix of real-time combat and tactical planning. With the press of a button, players can pause the action and issue a series of commands to Red, then watch her carry them out with super speed.
The Witness
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (also on iOS, PC)
Release Date: Early 2014
The Witness is the latest project from Jonathan Blow, creator of the critically acclaimed Braid. Older gamers might compare it to Myst; it takes place on an uninhabited, mysterious island where there’s no combat, no people, and no sense of urgency. The player is free to explore the island’s colorful locales at his or her own pace, solving an intricate network of puzzles that Blow says will take up to 25 hours to complete.