Tekken 8 And Other Video Games Releasing in January 2024

Release date: 11 January

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

War Hospital is a real-time strategy survival management game with a unique concept. Set in the middle of World War I, its heroes are the brave men and women from the medical fraternity who worked tirelessly at the frontlines to save the injured, sometimes even at great risk to their own lives.

Developed by Brave Lamb Studio, the game lets players control the key character, retired British combat medic Major Henry Wells, as he has to make crucial decisions, ranging from rescuing the wounded soldiers from the French front in 1917 to treating them in field hospitals around which artillery shells constantly fall and their rehabilitation.

Image credit: War Hospital/@WarHospitalGame/Twitter

Release date: 18 January

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch, Amazon Luna

One of the most-awaited video games of 2024 comes early in the first month of the year. The Lost Crown is the first major instalment in the long-running Prince of Persia franchise after Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (2010). In fact, there has not been a single Prince of Persia game after The Shadow and the Flame (2013), which was just a remake.

Published and developed by Ubisoft, The Lost Crown is a 2.5D side-scrolling action-adventure game in which players take on the role of a new hero named Sargon. Being a side-scroller, the game has been generating buzz for bringing back the original style of play instead of the third-person perspective seen in the last few games in the series.

The objective for Sargon, who belongs to the warrior clan of The Immortals, is to travel to the cursed city of Mount Qaf in a re-imagined Persia and rescue the kidnapped Prince Ghassan. Sargon has to solve puzzles and battle both mythical beasts and other corrupted enemies using his unique skills, which include Time Powers and magical amulets.

Image credit: Prince of Persia/@princeofpersia/Twitter

Release date: 19 January

Platforms: PS5

Designed only for a PS5 release, The Last of Us Part II Remastered includes the first in-game confirmation of Ellie’s surname, which, according to some reports, is “Williams.” Ellie is one of the two protagonists of The Last of Us, which has had two main games so far — The Last of Us (2013) and The Last of Us Part II (2020). Bella Ramsey played the character in the television series adaptation of the game, in which Pedro Pascal played the other main protagonist, Joel Miller.

The story follows Ellie and Joel five years after the events of the first game. Their peaceful stay in Jackson, Wyoming, is interrupted by a violent event, forcing Ellie to go on a journey to find closure.

The PS5 version of the game features a new rogue-like survival mode known as No Return in addition to three Lost Levels with developer commentary, graphical enhancements, DualSense integration, and other modifications. Owners of the PS4 version can upgrade to the PS5 version for USD 10.

Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Release date: 19 January

Platforms: Switch

Created by Nintendo, Another Code: Recollection is a revamped version of two previous games, Another Code: Two Memories (2005) and Another Code: R – A Journey Into Lost Memories (2009). The first game was originally released on Nintendo DS, while the sequel was launched on Wii consoles.

The main story of the game remains the same, which involves the protagonist, a 13-year-old girl named Ashley Mizuki Robbins, searching for her father on the mysterious Blood Edward Island. The changes in the upcoming version include more puzzles with optional optical hints, new voice actors and fully explorable environments.

The original games were developed by now-defunct independent Japanese game company Cing.

Image credit: Nintendo

Release date: 23 January

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Howl is among the most artistically beautiful games that were originally released in 2023 on Switch and PC. This time, it is expanding to Sony and Microsoft’s top consoles.

Published by Astragon Entertainment and developed by Vienna-based studio Mi’pu’mi Games, Howl is set in a fantastical mediaeval world where a mysterious howl has turned all humans who can hear into feral monsters. The hero, however, is deaf and, therefore, has the task of ridding the lands of the beasts through strategy.

Players control the hero and, quite like in chess, have to chart predefined steps as they make their move to outmanoeuvre and defeat the monsters.

Image credit: Mipumi Games

Release date: 25 January

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Capcom’s Ace Attorney Trilogy is a set of three visual novel games of the Ace Attorney franchise, which is credited for having popularised the courtroom battle genre within text-based adventure games. The trilogy includes the original Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (2007) and its two sequels, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies (2013) and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice (2016).

The core of the gameplay involves the player character defending their clients across multiple court cases.

In total, the game has 16 episodes, including two special episodes previously available as downloadable content (DLC). The game features a total of 175 soundtracks, including 14 select tracks from the Ace Attorney 15th Anniversary Orchestra Concert and the Ace Attorney 2019 Orchestra Concert.

New features include the ability to freely create character models and animations besides background music and in-game voiced lines. The game, which comes with HD graphics, is available for play in seven languages — Japanese, English, French, German, Korean and Traditional and Simplified Chinese. Players can opt to mix and match text and voice languages to their liking.

Image credit: Capcom

Release date: 26 January

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Undoubtedly one of the biggest video games releasing in 2024, Tekken 8 is the eighth main and 10th overall instalment in the iconic Tekken franchise by Bandai Namco. The previous main instalment, Tekken 7, was released in 2015, which means that fans have been waiting for a long time for the upcoming title.

Tekken 8 has the unique distinction of being the first fighting game built on the Unreal Engine 5. Tekken producer Michael Murray told IGN in an interview that even though the underlying game mechanics are the makers’ own proprietary code, “all the enhancements that you see, the graphics, the lighting, and the character models, and all that stuff making the game look pretty, is handled by UE.”

Simply put, Tekken 8 boasts much more realistic graphics than its predecessor. These include the visibility of sweat on the player character’s skin and perfectly ripped muscles. Enhanced graphics also help ensure that the avatar customisation is more detailed, with anything from full body to even accessories easily modifiable.

There are several new game mechanics, such as Heat System and Rage Arts. The Heat System is particularly noteworthy, as it grants players greater control over their player character and allows them to use aggressiveness as a tactic in fighting.

In all, Tekken 8 features 32 redesigned, unique fighter characters both old and new, including iconic names such as Paul Phoenix, King, Marshall Law and Nina Williams. Jun Kazama, one of the earliest franchise characters, makes her return 25 years after her last appearance in Tekken 2.

Image credit: Bandai Namco

Release date: 26 January

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

In November 2023, Sega, with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, released Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023). The upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth follows the events of that game while acting as a direct sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020).

Players control two main characters from the previous games, Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu. The game is set in Japan and the US island state of Hawaii. The two characters will have to explore the two landscapes, engage in fast-paced RPG battles, and use strategic guile to solve their quests.

Image credit: SEGA