Nick’s Picks for January

January is not exactly a big month for games coming off the huge month of December, but this month is very different from the usual. The average January for a majority of products from advertising to the entertainment of movies, shows, and games is usually slow, so it’s odd to see this much activity. There have been many new releases, with much variety, from horror to rhythm. This suggests that this could be one of the biggest years of gaming since Covid-19. Without further ado, let us go through what the first month of 2023 has to offer.

Fears of Fathom is an anthology horror series about stories that are emailed to the creator and are then transformed into a playable experience based on the emails. The most recent deals with the Carson house, and is a step up from their past work. The concept of a home invader is similar to the first Fear of Fathom episode, but this episode has a lot more to explore, from a shopping market to a twist that you wouldn’t expect. You also have to use cameras similar to the Five Nights at Freddy’s series to try to find the home invader and where they are located. All and all, a great spooky horror game for a horror night watch can be found on Steam for $4.

Rain World Downpour is a DLC expansion to the critically underrated Rain World in which the gamer plays as 3 Slugcats in a torn-down destroyed land avoiding rain and predators. In this expansion you can play as five new slug cats: The Gourmand, The Artificer, The Rivulet, The Spearmaster, and finally The Saint.  Each one in the gameplay acts very differently, from the Gourmand being very fat and slow but very healthy, to the Rivulet having the best swim speeds and breathing capacity. When you play as different characters, the world of the game itself changes, with different seasons or other features as time periods shift. You can try out the expansion on Windows, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 for $20 on the base game and $15 for the expansion DLC. 

In Hi-Fi Rush, you take the place of Chai, a wannabe rockstar fighting a whole lotta robots with rhythm. It is a 3d beat ’em up style in the same vein as Devil May Cry with the art style of early 2000 games such as Jet Set Radio and RollerDrome. The game has a humongous skill ceiling, requiring you to time your beats to the music and make sure you don’t get hit by the robots. The other great thing about this game is dialogue, as it’s by far one of the funniest games I have played in a while. One of the craziest things about this game is the hype around it — or lack thereof — it as it was revealed and released the same day, but in the Steam Calling for the most-bought games of January, Hi-Fi Rush was in the top 10.

Pizza Tower is a 2d Wario Land-inspired game as you take place as Pepino, a chef whose pizzeria is about to be destroyed by Pizzaface. The game takes place on multiple levels, each with its own different powers in each one, with special appearances of Mort the Chicken from an old Playstation 1 game. The game has a style not seen often, where the game is pixelated, but animations make the game feel truly alive, from the background to the dancing to the music. As Pepino, you can dash into enemies at full force, wrecking their day as the Italian hero you are. There are even boss fights against Pepper Man, The Noise, and even a secret boss that I won’t spoil here, but who is truly the topping on all of this pizza, as the boss fights tests your skills.

Well, those are my top games of January! There is more to come in the following months, so be prepared for some hard-hitting games in the near future!