Video games are finally stirring after their annual winter doldrums. Players will get a jolt of (un)life with the release of this week’s Resident Evil Requiem, and then flourish with a multitude of exciting new releases throughout the next month. From a new brawler set in the world of a cult favorite comic and movie, to incredibly complex RPG action, to Bungie’s first new shooter in years, the spring pops up with vibrant new video game life all throughout March. Here’s what we’ll be playing.
Scott Pilgrim EX
Release Date: March 3
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
When Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game came out back in 2010, it was a solid adaptation that made good on the comic’s many gaming references, even if it was the weakest link in the multimedia Pilgrim-palooza (this was the same year the Edgar Wright film and the final volume of the comic came out). Now, 15 years and an anime sequel later, Scott Pilgrim EX is here to pick up where its predecessor left off with more beat-’em-up antics. While the project isn’t being worked on by the same studio, series creator Bryan Lee O’Malley once again teams up with pixel artist Paul Robertson, and, perhaps most exciting, the band Anamanaguchi is back to hopefully deliver another banger chiptune soundtrack. If that wasn’t enough, Tribute Games, which has been on a beat-’em-up tear as of late (Marvel Cosmic Invasion, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge), will be handling development, and BenDavid Grabinski, who co-created Scott Pilgrim Takes Off with O’Malley, will also be involved, as evidenced by the game using character designs from the show. That kind of pedigree is enough to make us think this game won’t just be a footnote to Scott’s comeback. [Elijah Gonzalez]
Marathon
Release Date: March 5
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Can Marathon beat the multiplayer shooter losing streak that has the industry reeling? If the studio that created Halo can’t pull off a launch anymore, can anybody? Bungie revisits its original series for the first time in 30 years, reviving it for a thoroughly different industry and audience. The new Marathon is an online multiplayer “extraction shooter” built around three-person teams, with up to six facing off in a single match. You run, you shoot, you… extract? (Old joke: Why’s it called an extraction shooter? Because any interest we have is extracted as soon as we hear those words.) It’s been a long time since Bungie released anything other than Destiny expansions, which alone should spike interest in Marathon, but the first-person shooter space has seen a number of high-profile flameouts over the last few years. One thing that might keep Marathon running is that it’s not free-to-play; players will actually have to put money down just to play the thing, which has become a rarity in this post-Fortnite world but was how everybody did it up until, oh, 10 years ago. A free preview this weekend will give us all a taste; will it be enough to get people en masse to plop down $40 for the cheapest edition? We’ll find out next month. [Garrett Martin]
Slay The Spire 2
Release Date: March 5 [Early Access]
Platforms: PC
While Slay The Spire wasn’t the first roguelike deckbuilder, it was the one that really took off, helping kickstart one of the most common subgenres in the modern gaming scene. In the seven years since its release, we’ve seen too many takes on this material to count, some that innovate and many more that don’t. In this context, it will be hard for the upcoming Slay The Spire 2 to have the same seismic effect as its predecessor. However, does it really need to? The original game hit a sweet spot: It was approachable enough to serve as an entry point into the genre while also offering a sky-high skill ceiling that, when combined with its many viable builds and classes, made it one of the most replayable games in recent memory. By simply adding additional playable characters, enemies, and relics, this follow-up threatens to suck us back into that same vortex, while unexpected features, like co-op, imply there will be some big swings as well. The full 1.0 release is likely a ways off, but it will be a real challenge to resist diving in on March 5. [Elijah Gonzalez]
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake
Release Date: March 12
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC
Joining in on the “remaking a beloved entry in a defunct horror series” trend, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake will bring back what’s frequently considered the best installment in a series that hasn’t seen a new entry since 2014 (since then, it’s been all remasters). Following a pair of twins caught in an occult ritual, the story centers on Mio Amakura’s search for her sister Mayu. Like its predecessors, players will use a magical tool called the Camera Obscura to solve puzzles and exorcise photo-shy poltergeists. The concept of being forced to stare down frightening ghosts as they approached was a large part of what made the original games so uniquely frightening, and hopefully, the latest version will once again capture that terror. It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time this game has been remade: In 2012, there was Project Zero 2: Wii Edition, which never came out in the United States, but received modest praise at the time. As with all modern takes on old-school horror games, a make-or-break element will be how well it translates the scares allowed by the original’s fixed camera angles into a more player-centric third-person perspective, as has been used with more recent entries in the series. Hopefully, like with Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2, this remake will prove popular and engaging enough to spark a full-fledged return for the series. [Elijah Gonzalez]
Crimson Desert
Release Date: March 19
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Crimson Desert’s demo at last year’s Summer Game Fest was one of the most confusing things we’ve ever played. At times it felt like you needed three hands to really grapple with its convoluted control scheme. The very elements that made the demo so impenetrable—the scope of its battles, the freedom afforded the player, its overwhelming complexity—could make the actual game thrillingly deep, though. That promise makes us want to see if, once we have time to dig into this huge medieval world and understand how its many systems work, Crimson Desert could be something special—an epic new action-adventure whose RPG elements are actually substantial instead of showy, and that doesn’t hew to the “soulslike” mania that has so tightly gripped game studios over the last 15 years. This one could easily go either way. [Garrett Martin]
Screamer
Release Date: March 26
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
This anime cyberpunk reboot of a 1995 racing game understands that looking cool is just as important as feeling good. Too many racing games prioritize verisimilitude, overwhelming the player with realistic options, photorealistic graphics, and a style of play rooted in real-world racing. Screamer blasts past those issues with a boost-heavy combat approach that seems to be built around ramming the hell out of other cars. It also promises drift-focused action, as well as a twin joystick control scheme; combine all of that with its stylish aesthetic, and you’ve got the kind of racing game that could easily catch on with a general audience. [Garrett Martin]