We’re fresh into the new year, and already 2022 is shaping up to be huge for the video game industry. We can’t wait to get our hands on all kinds of great games coming out this year. However, each month typically comes packed with some new game announcements. In this list, we’re highlighting the best games revealed during January of 2022.
#10 Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem
- Platforms: PC
- Release: January 25, 2022
Serious Sam just received a new mainline installment in December of last year with Serious Sam 4. However, it looks like the IP wasn’t quite finished with getting more content out into the marketplace. January of 2022 saw the announcement and even the launch of Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. This is another standalone installment for the franchise, and it doesn’t change that much up. The gameplay with these games is more or less the same. Developers toss players into a world where you’re constantly fighting off a flood of enemies. However, if you enjoyed the franchise or, more specifically, the previous release mentioned, then this might be another installment to pick up. Again, the gameplay is the same, but we’re tossed into Russia, where we’re going through desolate forests to abandoned villages this time. Meanwhile, the end goal is to hunt down General Brand, an antagonist we dealt with in Serious Sam 4. This game is also a recent release as it just launched on January 25th, but the reception from fans of the franchise have felt that this was the step in the right direction.
#9 Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection
- Platforms: PS4, XBO, NS
- Release: February 17, 2022 NS
Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection has been available for a few years now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, during January, we finally got word that Ubisoft would bring this collection over to the Nintendo Switch. The Assassin’s Creed franchise has a rather lengthy history now, so if you missed out on the earlier installments or just want to replay them, this is a collection worth grabbing up. Players are going through the Ezio saga with the collection, which spans three games. You’ll get the start of the saga with Assassin’s Creed II, followed by Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and lastly, Assassin’s Creed Revelations. With that said, the game has been tweaked and enhanced. You’ll not only get to replay the games and their DLC, but you’ll find that they have been optimized specifically for the Nintendo Switch. There’s HD Rumble, a touch screen interface, and a new HUD.
#8 The Company Man
- Platforms: PS4, XBO, PC, NS
- Release: January 21, 2022 NS
The Company Man is a 2D platformer that pins players into the role of a struggling employee. You’re working towards your way up the corporate ladder, but in your way is a slew of disgruntled coworkers and challenging bosses. To climb that ladder and work your way to becoming a CEO means going through these opponents with your trusty keyboard. Give your coworkers a devastating blow with your keyboard or fire off a barrage of emails for ranged combat. Just remember to stop for those regular coffee breaks when you need a pick me up. This game has been available on other platforms, but we finally received The Company Man on the Nintendo Switch platform this past month.
#7 Forever Skies
- Platforms: PS5, X/S, PC
- Release: 2022
Forever Skies is an upcoming survival game that puts players into the role of a scientist. The game is set years after the collapse of Earth, where disasters struck, leaving toxic dust to settle within the ground. As a result, the last of humanity has quickly built skyscrapers to live above the clouds. Eventually, humanity left on Earth had been killed off, and you’re now returning years later to learn more about what happened. Armed with an airship that you can customize and upgrade, the goal is to study the planet. You’ll go through old ruins searching for information and learn about the dust that struck the planet. More importantly, you’ll want to learn what lies beneath the dust now. Being a survival game, you’re also seeking resources to keep your vitals up while further upgrading your ship.
#6 Leap
- Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4
- Release: NA
Leap is an upcoming futuristic FPS where up to sixty players will battle in giant team matches. Players step into the role of an elite mercenary fighting for nothing more than profit. You’ll use a vast arsenal of weapons and tools to establish victory on the battlefields. So far, we know that there’s a lot of focus on traversing the map. Developers include mechanics from hoverboards to mechanical beasts to quickly explore the area and close the gap between you and the enemy. Meanwhile, you’ll also have a few notable abilities, such as bringing out a shield to protect yourself against oncoming fire or signal for a laser strike to clear out an area. The more you win, the more you’ll get to customize your character with new skins, vehicles, and weapons.
#5 Kao the Kangaroo
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S, NS
- Release: 2022
Kao the Kangaroo is not a new IP as this platformer series has been around since 2000. However, after 2005, there’s been a long-dormant period, and that’s finally changing this year. Kao the Kangaroo is back and is made to be a reboot for the series. This is a traditional 3D platformer where players jump around different obstacles, dodging enemies and gathering collectibles along the way. Players here are taking the role of a Kangaroo named Kao, who sets off on a journey to find his missing sister, Kaia. However, alongside his journey, he’ll uncover new family secrets. If you’ve been a fan of the series or have some nostalgia from playing the games back in the day, you’ll find that the same development team is working on this reboot, Tate Multimedia.
#4 Underworld Dreams: The False King
- Platforms: PC
- Release: NA
Fans of the old-school survival horror games might want to look into Underworld Dreams: The False King. This is the first installment to an anthology series based on the works of both Lovecraft and Robert W Chambers. In this first installment, the game is set within the 1980s. Here players will take the role of a man seeking his missing brother. His journey will lead him to an abandoned building where sinister evil awaits. Again, the developers are inspired by the works of past survival horror games. That ultimately means scarce resources, health, and designated save spot locations. You’ll need to conserve your ammo and know when to fire at an enemy or when to run away.
#3 Showa American Story
- Platforms: PC
- Release: NA
Showa American Story offers a look at a post-apocalyptic America. Japan’s economic growth has allowed the purchase of America, leading to more immigration and Japanese culture. However, years later, disaster strikes with the undead taking control. So far from what we know, players are taking the role of a revived teenage girl on a journey for truth and revenge. It’s quite a bit like Dead Rising, where you’re battling out a swarm of undead, whether it’s through melee or ranged weapons. However, you have some over-the-top bosses popping up along the way. Then there are the likes of Yakuza families to deal with. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t have a release date just yet, so we’re not sure just when we can get through this B-movie-rated style game.
#2 Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Platforms: PSVR2
- Release: NA
Horizon Call of the Mountain is the next installment to the Horizon franchise after the release of Horizon Forbidden West. Guerrilla Games unveiled this new title earlier in January, which is an exclusive PSVR 2 title. Unfortunately, details are very scarce right now, and the trailer just offers a small glimpse of the game. Essentially, the player is traveling down a small river where they encounter a Tallneck that nearly tramples them. What the premise will be and how this might connect to the latest upcoming release, Horizon Forbidden West, remains to be seen. Still, since this is a PSVR 2 exclusive game, we’ll first have to wait for the hardware to make its debut into the marketplace first.
#1 Crysis 4
- Platforms: NA
- Release: NA
Finally, we have Crysis 4. The game franchise is a big one for Crytek, and fans were given a remastered edition of the trilogy in 2020. Unfortunately, Crytek wasn’t willing to give up any juicy details quite yet. But hey, at the very least, we know a Crysis 4 is coming. Development is still in the early phases, so it might be a good while before we see anything about this installment. As for the trailer, the announcement doesn’t offer much. What we get are some effects that reflect the nanotechnology from the series. This is just a teaser to unveil a new installment for fans of the IP, so we’ll need to wait for anything substantial to get unveiled.
