For the last few console generations, March has consistently proven to be the first month of the year that truly delivers on the big-budget, hype-inducing video games that players are starved for during the barren winter release window. Last March alone brought us games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Nioh 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal, Half-Life: Alyx and Persona 5 Royal, just to name a few.
When compared to that stellar lineup, March 2021 is severely lacking any sort of major studio releases save for a Nintendo-exclusive Monster Hunter title along with a smattering of ports and next-gen upgrades of existing games. To fill this void, however, there are a handful of charming and unique indie titles coming out that can finally take center stage without being overshadowed by the AAA experiences that usually dominate the conversation.
Revita
Releasing March 3 for PC
Coming to Steam Early Access on March 3, Revita is a twin-stick platformer roguelike created by one-man development team BenStar and published by Dear Villagers. Featuring a gorgeous retro aesthetic, catchy soundtrack and fast-paced side-scrolling action, Revita follows a nameless child who awakens in a monster-infested subway line and sets out on a quest to reach the distant clocktower and recover his missing memories.
Revita features many of the familiar trappings of the roguelike genre, including procedurally generated levels, unique power-ups and weapons that drastically change each playthrough and a mysterious storyline that slowly unfolds as you climb further and further on each subsequent run.
But what differentiates Revita from other roguelikes is the ability to sacrifice health for power, transforming your character into a glass cannon and adding another layer to the game's surprisingly detailed customization settings. It seems that just about every month brings about yet another entry in the ever-growing roguelike genre, and Revita is shaping up to be the one to look out for this March when it hits Steam in Early Access.
Minute of Islands
Releasing March 18 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch
Minute of Islands might just be the most eye-catching and intriguing game on this entire list. Created by German indie developer Studio Fizbin, which prides itself on producing story-based experiences featuring unique characters and original tales, Minute of Islands certainly looks to exemplify the studio's creative focus with beautiful, hand-drawn visuals and a dark, unnerving adventure that follows a young mechanic named Mo as she journeys into the depths of the ancient machines that protect her world in an effort to repair them and prevent the world from collapsing.
A narrative puzzle platformer, Minute of Islands features story-based environmental puzzles and platforming that Mo must traverse using a powerful tool called the Omni Switch. The machines she's tasked with fixing were created by an ancient race of giants in order to suppress a forgotten threat, yet a deeper mystery lies beneath the surface of the islands Mo traverses along the course of her journey.
The promise of a fully narrated, emotionally poetic story, multiple beautifully handcrafted islands to explore and a cast of odd characters and creatures to encounter make Minute of Islands one of the most exciting titles releasing this month.
Balan Wonderworld
Releasing March 26 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch
The first game from Square Enix subsidiary Balan Company, Balan Wonderworld is a collaboration between director Yuji Naka and character designer Naoto Ohshima, the veteran creators behind Sonic the Hedgehog and Nights into Dreams, respectively. Balan Wonderworld is an action-platformer reminiscent of classic collect-a-thons like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, infused with the charming characters and visual style that made both the Sonic the Hedgehog and Nights into Dreams franchises so memorable.
Balan Wonderworld's story is told through a series of twelve tales set in a fantastical theatre-inspired land known as Wonderworld. Protagonists Leo and Emma are brought here by the maestro Balan to recover something precious to them and heal their wavering hearts. Each of the game's explosively colorful levels is filled with collectibles, as well as equitable costumes that imbue players with unique abilities similar to the power-ups of the Super Mario Bros. series.
With over 80 different costumes to unlock, collectible Balan statues that can open up new worlds and customizable creatures called Tims to assist players, Balan Wonderworld looks to bring back the nostalgic era of the collect-a-thon platformer for a modern audience.
It Takes Two
Releasing March 26 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X
The second title by charmingly eccentric director Josef Fares and developer Hazelight Studios, It Takes Two is the follow-up to the well-received 2018 co-op adventure game A Way Out that embraces the same multiplayer-focused puzzle-solving that made its predecessor so successful. A genre-bending platforming adventure with no single-player option, It Takes Two follows Cody and May, a couple whose relationship has hit a rough patch shortly before being turned into dolls by a magic spell. To return to normal, Cody and May must follow the whims of love guru Doctor Hakim, who tasks them with completing an increasingly wacky series of challenges in order to save their relationship and return to normal.
It Takes Two emphasizes constantly evolving gameplay mechanics and set pieces to keep the game feeling fresh throughout the course of Cody and May's romantic comedy-infused adventure. Each challenge is strongly tied to the narrative while forcing players to rely on each other and adapt to the ever-changing gameplay to progress the story.
Because It Takes Two is solely a co-op experience, developer Hazelight has included an exciting feature called Friend's Pass, which allows the owner to invite someone else to play with them for free. This feature allows anyone to join in on the fun without having to buy a copy of the game, ensuring that you'll always have a Cody to your May whenever you want to jump in for some more multiplayer platformer goodness.
Monster Hunter Rise
Releasing March 26 for Nintendo Switch
By far the highest-profile game releasing in March 2021, Monster Hunter Rise is the sixth installment in Capcom's popular and long-running action-RPG series and the follow-up to 2017's smash-hit Monster Hunter: World. Employing the same seamless open-world design as the previous game along with all 14 weapon types and many of the iconic monsters the series is known for, Monster Hunter Rise takes the excellent formula of World and infuses it with several of its own new ideas and features to create a fresh Monster Hunter experience exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.
The most game-changing new feature to gameplay is an emphasis on verticality, with new rideable companions called Palamutes that can be used to quickly scale obstacles and used to directly attack monsters. There's also a tool called the Wirebug that allows players to grapple and swing across the environment to gain a height advantage over their prey before swooping in for the kill. This, combined with the vast selection of weapons and abilities that hunters can take into battle, allows for limitless potential in how players approach each encounter.
Monster Hunter Rise also features a unique visual aesthetic that sets it apart from World and further embraces the ninja's concept of freedom of movement, employing a medieval Japanese-inspired world design as well as a new hub area called Kamura Village, complete with traditional hot springs and cherry blossom trees around every corner. Monster Hunter Rise certainly looks to be doing everything it can to set itself apart from its predecessor while introducing fresh and exciting new ideas to the series, a fitting way for the franchise to make its return to its portable roots when it launches for the Nintendo Switch on March 26.