Xbox has once again given us an approach to four of its studios so that we can access the development of as many of its most anticipated upcoming games, in a Developer Direct which has included a surprise with a game that was not announced until now. At that point and with that expected announcement the event has started.
Ninja Gaiden 4
Team Ninja, creators of the franchise, and Platinum Games, responsible for monuments to frenetic action such as ‘Bayonetta’ or ‘NieR:Automata’ have brought back ‘Ninja Gaiden’, giving continuity to the saga with even more style. futuristic. Ten years have passed after the last installment, and we will have a new protagonist, Yakumo, from the Crow Clan, although the legendary Ryu Hayabusa will also make an appearanceamong other unspecified cameos from the franchise.
With two combat styles for the hero (Raven and Nué, between which you can switch), we are promised a “dark and hardcore atmosphere” in a world in decay where buildings collapse before us. A reformulated combat where the touch of Platinum is detected is the great attraction of this game that is committed to verticality and executions, and which will arrive in autumn 2025 on Xbox, but also on PC and Playstation 5.
As a tip, Team Ninja has said goodbye with a gift for old-school fans of the saga: a remake in Unreal Engine 5 of the 2008 classic ‘Ninja Gaiden II Black’original for Xbox 360. It is now available and free for Game Pass users on both Xbox and PC
DOOM: The Dark Ages
The legend of first-person action is confirmed as a true brutality capable of continuing with dignity the superb ‘DOOM’ from 2016 and ‘DOOM Eternal’ from 2020. The setting is a refreshing turn for the style of the series, with everything which brings about the reinvention of the arsenal and also the reformulation of the settings and the plot, which tells of a savage medieval war against hell.
id Software has decided that this delivery will be a good gateway to the series for new players and has tinkered with the hardcore style of the franchise to make it more accessible: plot that is explained in cinematics, configurable combat to make it simpler if desired (don’t worry the most hardcore slayers) and a control system that reduces the buttons for executions. It has been seen with items such as the saw-shield, which is used to attack, protect and make parriesbut contextually according to the situation and using a single button.
We have also seen a preview of game elements such as the Slayer’s 30-story-high mecha or the flying dragon, in a game that promises to be one of the most gargantuan of the year. It will arrive on May 15 on multiplatform.
South of Midnight
From Montreal, Compulsion Games has presented an immersive and almost poetic third-person adventure gameset in America’s deep, gothic south. It tells the story of a young woman who is separated from her mother in a flood, and on her journey to find her again, she acquires powers that allow her to visualize another reality and detect echoes of the past.
As you progress in your quest you will find tools such as hooks or staffs that will allow you to plan, climb or confront enemies. With an interesting catalog of final enemies inspired by southern folklore, a setting of farms, swamps and even the Appalachians, and animation based on the techniques stop motionthis game promises a relaxed and atmospheric adventure. It arrives on Xbox and PC on April 8.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
We travel to France, where Sandfall Interactive has presented this very careful RPG with turn-based combat, with a fantasy setting but based on the country’s Belle Epoque. It is inevitable to think of games like ‘Final Fantasy’ seeing the group of motley adventurers, each with their own motivations and desires, and all with a common goal: in this case, ending a kind of enchantment that causes everyone to die at the age of 33.
Certainly, in these times of accessible mechanics for impatient fans, it is brave to jump into a game whose combat takes place in turns, although Sandfall has polished it so that it is not frustrating, with real-time elements. Although the most attractive thing about the game, without a doubt, is the impressive fauna it exhibits, with creatures like the Gestrals, who understand battle as a form of meditation, or Esquie, a kind of god who moves like a hot air balloon. It will arrive on April 24, and from day one on Game Pass.
In Xataka | The best video games of 2025 and the most interesting ones to come