February 2021 looks to be another excellent month for video games, with an incredibly varied and exciting slate of titles lined up for nearly every platform and genre. Whether it's an enhanced port of one of Nintendo's most beloved platformers or a pseudo-sequel to one of the most critically-acclaimed RPGs in years, February's line-up has a little something for everyone to help pass the time indoors.
Destruction AllStars
Releasing February 2 for PlayStation 5
First announced as a PlayStation 5 launch title and set to release alongside the console in November, developer Lucid Games' vehicular combat spectacle Destruction AllStars was delayed a month before its original release date. Even more surprisingly, Sony announced that the game would no longer be strictly a $69.99 retail title, and would also be available for free to PlayStation Plus subscribers for its first two months.
Destruction AllStars features a roster of 16 charismatic AllStars for players to choose from, each one armed with their own unique, game-changing special abilities and signature rides that power up throughout each match based on the amount of mayhem left in their wake. While taking enough damage will leave your driver on foot and exposed, each AllStar can take advantage of powerful skills and parkour to outmaneuver their enemies and perform pulse-pounding takeover attempts to turn the tide. Destruction AllStars looks like a shot of pure, unadulterated adrenaline that has the potential to recreate the success of Fall Guys through its PlayStation Plus release.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
Releasing February 2 for PlayStation 4
The ninth entry in developer Nihon Falcom's long-running action-adventure RPG series, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox sees the return of series protagonist Adol Christin and his companion Dogi. They arrive in the city of Balduq, a land recently annexed by the mighty Romun Empire, and Adol is arrested and thrown in jail in the moment he arrives. There, he meets a mysterious woman named Aprilis, who turns him into a supernatural being called a Monstrum to defend Balduq and its people from the threat of a shadowy alternate dimension.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a third-person action-RPG with fast-paced, fluid real-time combat that heavily relies on special abilities, blocking and countering attacks, and utilizing each party member's fighting style to exploit enemy weaknesses. As with every Ys game, Monstrum Nox emphasizes exploration and getting to know the colorful cast of playable characters while telling a self-contained story that makes it a perfect entry point for newcomers.
Little Nightmares 2
Releasing February 11 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
A sequel to 2017's unnerving indie horror hit Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares 2 sees the return of the yellow raincoat-clad main protagonist Six, as well as the introduction of a new character: Mono, a boy with a paper bag over his head. The pair sneak through the terrifying and disturbing world of Pale City, solving platforming-based puzzles while trying their best to avoid detection by its horrifying, television-addicted inhabitants.
Mono and Six must work together to traverse the increasingly disturbing locations of Pale City and reach the Signal Tower, where a mysterious figure called the Thin Man has corrupted the citizens by spreading his sinister transmission through their television sets. Little Nightmares 2 looks every bit as suspenseful and horrifying as the original, while introducing new platforming mechanics, more varied locations to explore, and a nightmare-inducing cast of Residents to outsmart and survive. If horror games are your thing and you're looking for an experience that gets your heart pounding and keeps you up at night, then Little Nightmares 2 should not be missed.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Releasing February 12 for Nintendo Switch
Nintendo is bringing yet another great Wii U game to the Switch's massive audience with the launch of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. The base Super Mario 3D World experience is a three-dimensional take on the classic course-based Mario formula. Each level is selectable from a vast overworld map composed of twelve vibrant and distinct worlds, presenting players with a linear series of platforming challenges that they must clear to reach the goal pole at the end.
What makes this game special is that it includes four-player multiplayer (both locally and online), with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad and Rosalina each providing unique advantages, like Peach's float ability for easier platforming or Rosalina's spin attack that allows you to defend yourself without an item. It's a fantastic platforming experience -- either solo or with a group -- and still holds up as one of the very best games in Mario's extensive catalog.
However, if the excellent original wasn't enough to draw people in, the port also includes a new mode: Bowser's Fury. This is a completely different beast from the linear-based courses of 3D World. Instead, Bowser's Fury drops players into an open-world sandbox more akin to Super Mario Odyssey's kingdoms. Here, players will explore a series of islands with Bowser Jr. as their companion, collecting Cat Shines so Mario can transform into Giga Cat Mario and defeat the kaiju-sized Fury Bowser that's terrorizing the world. It looks to retain the same charm and razor-sharp platforming of the original game while offering up an exciting cherry-on-top to an already phenomenal platforming adventure.
Persona 5 Strikers
Releasing February 23 for PC, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4
Persona 5 Strikers is the long-awaited localization of Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, which first released in Japan last year. Set six months after the events of the beloved RPG Persona 5, Strikers sees the return of everyone's favorite band of thieves as they reunite to spend their summer vacation together. However, not long after their reunion begins, the gang is tied up in a series of mysterious events taking place across Japan and are forced to take up the mantle of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts once more to stop a new crisis from plunging the world into chaos.
Unlike its predecessor, Persona 5 Strikers is not a traditional turn-based RPG. While it retains much of the same charm and visual style that Persona 5 nailed, developer Omega Force has revamped the series' trademark Persona battles with a unique real-time combat system that borrows from the Dynasty Warriors franchise. While its combat primarily focuses on slashing your way through hundreds of on-screen enemies, it also incorporated Persona 5 mechanics like elemental skills and All-Out Attacks, giving gameplay a tactical edge. Fans of Persona 5 will absolutely want to check out this continuation of the Phantom Thieves' story.
Bravely Default II
Releasing February 26 for Nintendo Switch
While called Bravely Default II, Square Enix's latest fantasy RPG epic is actually the third entry in the Final Fantasy-inspired series that began on the Nintendo 3DS. Set in a completely different world from the first two games, Bravely Default II takes place on the continent of Excillant, where four Heroes of Light must unite to find a set of stolen Crystals and save the land from ruin. The main characters are the young sailor Seth, the refugee princess Gloria, the traveling scholar Elvis and the mercenary Adelle, who utilize a unique form of turn-based combat and a deep job customization system to fight the evil threatening their world.
Bravely Default II's combat puts a twist on the classic turn-based formula: at the beginning of each character's turn, players can choose to Brave or Default, with the Brave command using up a Brave Point to perform an action, and the Default command forgoing an action but saving up one Brave Point. You can bank up to four Brave Points, then unleash them all at once, allowing your character to perform up to four attacks in succession that can turn the tide of any battle, providing a new level of strategy to combat. You can also expand your pool of skills by customizing a character's individual abilities through an extensive list of jobs, like white mage, monk and vanguard.
While not much is known about Bravely Default II's story, it's sure to tell an exciting fantasy adventure set in a stunning, picturesque world much like the previous entries in the series, which were praised for their art direction and classic RPG elements. The best part is that this title is a standalone experience, so no previous knowledge of the series is required to enjoy it. This is definitely a game for those who love classic JRPGs with a twist like Octopath Traveler.