All across the school there are many unique students with unique interests, but also many pastimes that we share. One of these hobbies is gaming,  both a relaxing and interesting activity that students enjoy when taking a break from schoolwork. Recent developments in the gaming community have led to many new releases both last winter and this spring, along with many plans for the future of gaming content later in the year.

To start with a winter recap, Hello Neighbor, a survival-horror game developed by Dynamic Pixels, was finally published by tinyBuild December 8, 2017. The advanced-AI stealth game was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One after years of development since it was released as an alpha build in 2015. This cartoonish yet tense game adds a new interesting aspect to the typical stealth game, as every time you are caught by the “neighbor,” the advance AI learns your usual movements and sets traps accordingly, making every new try more difficult.

Accompanying this lonely indie game on the quiet winter road is Monster Hunter: World, an action role-playing game developed and published by Capcom. This latest installment in the Monster Hunter series was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in January 2018, with a Microsoft Windows version currently on its way. Further down the road comes a long-awaited big return, Shadow of the Colossus. Initially released October 2005, the popular action-adventure was remastered for PS4 and the remake released on February 6, 2018, has already been a hit with both those nostalgic of the past and the new generation of gamers alike.

While winter was rather light in terms of quantity (but most definitely not quality), there have been a plethora of promising releases this spring. From the makers of the popular platformer Battleblock Theater came Pit People, an action strategy indie game by indie developer The Behemoth. It was released March 2, 2018, for Xbox 360, Windows, Mac, and Linux, and has been received exceptionally well with the charming art style and hilarious dialogue that are characteristic of Behemoth games. Another popular recent release is Sea of Thieves, a pirate-themed shared-world action-adventure game developed by Rare. It was released worldwide March 20, 2018 for Microsoft Windows 10 and Xbox One and has been a hit, especially for content providers and streamers who enjoy the open world exploration and random encounters with other players. Also seemingly popular with content creators is the co-op action-adventure game

A Way Out, developed by Hazelight Studios and published by EA on March 23, 2018. This game was the second to be directed by Josef Fares after the popular 2013 adventure game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, who does not disappoint when it comes to a captivating story line. Apparently Shadow of the Colossus is not our only big return this year, as Far Cry 5 was finally released by Ubisoft as of March 27, 2018. This newest installation of the Far Cry series follows a junior deputy sheriff trapped in Hope County, Montana, determined to liberate the area from the violent religious cult, Project at Eden’s Gate. Following closely thereafter as of April 20, 2018 is God of War developed Santa Monica Studio. Finally released five years from its predecessor, the new installment to the mythology based series has aroused interest in those new to the franchise just as much as those who remember it from years past.

When it comes to game development, there is normally no downside to playing off popular ones or even revamping fan favorites, and it seems that developers are taking the hint.

Among some of the most anticipated releases was Agony, a survival-horror game developed by Madmind Studio that puts a player in the place of a tormented soul in extreme conditions with no memories of the past and the ability to control and possess creatures one encounter on one’s journey. The game was initially meant for release March 30, 2018, but has been delayed to May 29, 2018.

Another unfortunately delayed survival indie game, We Happy Few by Compulsion Games, has been pushed to sometime this summer. Initially meant to be released in April on Friday the 13th, the psychedelic horror has been delayed for a complete rebuild of the first few hours of gameplay, along with the addition of two more playable characters in addition to the main protagonist, Arthur.

One rather far off release that has people on the edge of their seats is In The Valley of Gods by Campo Santo—the makers of Firewatch, a first-person mystery adventure known for both its engulfing storyline and stunning visuals. While this release is rather far off, fans of Firewatch (and exploration games in general) are excited to discover what exhilarating experience Campo Santo has to offer with its next release, seeing as the setting of an ancient valley in an Egyptian desert has a lot to offer in the way of storytelling.

In regards to what we have so far in terms of releases, the future looks promising for gamers and developers likewise. When it comes to game development, there is normally no downside to playing off popular ones or even revamping fan favorites, and it seems that developers are taking the hint. While the appearance of new titles these past few months has been rather overwhelming, it seems that we have a slew of even more exciting new concepts just on the horizon.