Hellblade 2, Paper Mario, and 17 Other Games To Get Excited For In May

We’re heading into the fifth month of 2024, and naturally, we have a full calendar of days and weeks of fresh new games to dig into. This month we’re looking at the anticipated sequel to Ninja Theory’s Hellblade, the return of Paper Mario, World of Goo, and yet another game that lets us play as a cat in a big city. And that’s just skimming the surface.

May is a dense month of game releases spanning a variety of genres, so let’s dig into what we’ve curated for the days to come. More than a few of these games have demos on Steam, so you can give them a test drive prior to release. Speaking of driving, a certain spooky soulslike is also getting kart-ified at the end of the month and demands your undying attention.

Endless Ocean Luminous – May 2

Releasing on: Switch
Buy it from: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle

Unless you’re like me and suffer from sporadic bouts of thalassophobia (the fear of large bodies of water), Endless Ocean Luminous might be worth checking out. You can go solo, or team up with 29 other players to scour the depths. Maybe it’ll be less scary when you’re surrounded by so many people.

Animal Well – May 9

Releasing on: PS5, Switch, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

Based on the visuals alone, Animal Well is high up on my list of games I’m most excited about for May 2024. Animal Well is dark, yet colorful, with a lovely neo-retro vibe that’s proud to flaunt its pixel-y beauty. Gameplay-wise, Animal Well promises puzzle-solving action in a nonlinear structure that encourages exploration and collectible items.

Crow Country – May 9

Releasing on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

With graphics that look straight out of the PS1 era (just a little prettier and without the PlayStation’s signature shakey polygons), Crow Country is a murder mystery where you’ll explore a creepy, abandoned theme park. Which is good, because when I try to do that in real life, I have to explain myself to the authorities. Here, it looks like I’ll just have monsters to deal with (…though six-in-one, really).

And hey, there’s a demo you can download right now on Steam!

Gift – May 8-9

Releasing on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

Gift hits PC on May 8, with a console release the day after. Set on a sinking ship, you’ll have to survive and find a way out to avoid the horror of drowning in the ocean (seriously, easily top five fears for me ). Survival is based on puzzles, so if you enjoy figuring out tough things under aquatic pressure, maybe give this one a shot.

Little Kitty, Big City – May 9

Releasing on: Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

You’re a kitten, and you gotta get through a city. With an open-world structure, you’ll explore the world on four legs, taking on quests, finding weird hats to put on this poor creature, and even “cause a total ruckus.” They had me at that line for sure. If you haven’t touched any game since 2022’s Stray, here’s the next cat game for you.

Homeworld 3 – May 13

Releasing on: Windows
Buy it from: Humble Bundle

The next entry in the Homeworld series of RTS games, Homeworld 3 doesn’t just leave the work of managing a star fleet up to you—you can team up with three friends via online co-op to make the galaxy feel less lonely. The game also features direct mod.io integration, so there should be a ton of room for customization and expansion.

The Rogue Prince of Persia – May 14

Releasing on: Windows
Buy it from: Steam

Releasing via Early Access on May 14, The Rogue Prince of Persia features side-scrolling platforming and combat, with some very pretty visuals, too.

Braid Anniversary Edition – May 15-16

Releasing on: PS5, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

Braid returns in 2024 with a fancy new version that features completely remade visuals that play nicely with modern HD standards, as well as new levels. You can also switch between the new and old version on the fly with a dedicated button press.

Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut – May 16

Releasing on: PS5, Windows
Buy it from: Humble Bundle

Sucker Punch’s open world, cinematic samurai action game arrives on PS5 on May 16 with full DualSense haptic support, and an expansion featuring new story content. You’ll be able to carry over your save file from the previous edition. And, for the first time, Ghost of Tsushima will also arrive on PC, promising up to 48:9 monitor support. That is, in a word, nuts.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes – May 16

Releasing on: Switch, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes sets you loose in an old mansion where you must piece together a mystery by way of puzzles that hopefully lead you to finding a way out.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 – May 21

Releasing on: Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Buy it from: Best Buy

At long last, the sequel to Senua’s Sacrifice, a narrative journey through Norse mythology and mental illness, arrives in the form of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Much like the first game, the trailers we’ve seen thus far promise more of the same lush, cinematically dark vibes that made the first one such an intense experience.

Paper Trail – May 21

Releasing on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

Paper Trail tasks you with solving puzzles in a paper-made world. You’ll have to fold sheets of paper in order to explore the world around protagonist Paige in her academic pursuits.

System Shock (remake) – May 21

Releasing on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Buy it from: Amazon | Best Buy 

System Shock’s bold and graphically lush remake arrives on consoles this year on May 21. A complete remake of one of the best first-person games of the 1990s, you’ll explore the Citadel Station with the goal of ending a rampaging AI’s quest to transform humanity into mindless mutants. It’s good practice for where society is heading, trust me.

Playing Kafka – May 21

Releasing on: Windows
Buy it from: Steam

Ever used the phrase Kafkaesque but worried you don’t really understand Kafka? Well, maybe you can avoid taking an expensive college course like I did (and by extension writing so many god damn papers) by diving into Playing Kafka. Based on Franz Kafka’s work, namely “The Trial,” “The Castle,” and Letter to His Father, Playing Kafka features branching story events and puzzles with drag and drop mechanics. The game promises a mere hour-and-a-half to get through its story.

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – May 23

Releasing on: Switch, Windows
Buy it from: Steam

With a breezy 90-minute-long story, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is game with an incredible name that’s perfect perfect for quick playthroughs. You’ll have to interview and stare down NPCs with powers of de-duck-tive reasoning (that’s the dev’s term, not mine) to get to the bottom of the case.

World of Goo 2 – May 23

Releasing on: Switch, Windows

Hope you’re in the mood for more goo (if you feel gross reading that, imagine how I felt writing it), because World of Goo 2 launches on the Nintendo Switch and Windows. The first game released in 2008, so it’s been a while since we’ve gotten our hands all gooey with dripping puzzles.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – May 23

Releasing on: Switch
Buy it from: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle

Mario’s back, and he’s made out of paper again! A remake of 2004’s Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, colorful paper art springs to life as Mario is tasked with RPG action, puzzles, and boss fights.

Nine Sols – May 29

Releasing on: Windows
Buy it from: Steam

A 2D platformer with Sekiro-inspired combat, Nine Sols is set in a hybrid science fiction/fantasy world drawing inspiration from Toasim. Fused with a dash of cyberpunk, Nine Sols fashions itself as Taopunk, just in case you didn’t think we couldn’t tack -punk onto more words.

Nightmare Kart – May 31

Releasing on: Windows

How about a free game to round out the month of May with? Too expensive? What if I told you it was Bloodborne on PC…but like, a fan-made kart racing game. How can you even say no? Nightmare Kart (which was called Bloodborne Kart at one point) seems to have survived legal scrutiny from Sony, and is available via Steam and itch.io on May 31.

And that wraps our picks for which games you should keep an eye on!

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