March turned out to be one of the strongest months for video games thus far this year. PC fans got to experience one of Sony's best PlayStation 5 games in Horizon: Forbidden West, PlayStation 5 owners got Rise of the Ronin, while everyone got to have fun with Dragon's Dogma 2, one of the RPGs everyone was looking forward to for 2024.

Those looking for major, AAA titles throughout the month of April will find themselves disappointed. However, the industry has so much more to offer fans than blockbuster games, and fans who are willing to dig just a little bit deeper will find plenty of incredible titles to love. Whether it's Super Robot hack-and-slashes or classic JRPGs, there are still plenty of amazing new games to look forward to.

Updated on March 29th, 2024 by Sage Ashford: This list has been updated to highlight the most exciting video games releasing in April 2024.

10 Astra: Knights Of Veda Offers Gorgeous 2D Side-Scrolling Action

Astra: Knights of Veda is a side-scrolling action RPG with a stunning art style that has to be seen to be believed. The game takes place in a dark fantasy world known as Planis, which is suffering under the rule of Magnus, the mad king. After an army fails to defeat Magnus, the goddess Veda chooses her own champion to defeat Magnus and save the planet before it's too late.

Astra seems to have great combat to prop it up, with a focus on timing-based dodges and knowing the perfect moment to attack. Meanwhile, despite being a free-to-play game, it promises a heavy focus on stories, including some beautiful cutscenes for people to gawk at between missions.

9 No Rest For The Wicked Is The Most Breathtaking Soulslike Yet

The developers of the Ori franchise have returned with one of the most stunning games of the year in No Rest for the Wicked. The game is set in a dark, gritty world where an arrogant king named Magnus has recently taken over from his father, King Harol. At the kingdom's weakest moment, a plague known as the Pestilence appears for the first time in a millennium. The only chance for saving the kingdom lies in the Cerim, a group of holy knights who aim to wipe out the Pestilence once again. However, while fighting a plague is hard enough, it gets even harder when the hero is pulled into the raging political conflict happening in the land.

No Rest for the Wicked promises both a mature narrative and punishing yet rewarding Soulslike combat. The only downside is the game is launching in Early Access, but it also means they'll have plenty of time to fine-tune the game until it's perfect. It would not be the first amazing game to come out of Steam Early Access.

8 Another Crab's Treasure Takes Players Under The Sea For A New Kind Of Soulslike

Developer Aggro Crab presents another hopefully great Soulslike that isn't by FromSoftware. Another Crab's Treasure looks to be a Soulslike for people who are tired of dreary worlds and gross-looking monsters, but still want a challenge in combat. The game follows Kril, a hermit crab who had his shell taken away. To get it back, he'll have to traverse the dangerous undersea waters, battling tons of enemies while protecting himself by turning trash into his new shell.

Another Crab's Treasure looks like the kind of cartoon-ish platformer that was popular in the late '90s and early 2000s — full of cute enemies and environments to explore. However, cute doesn't mean easy, as there are plenty of enemies for players to test themselves against as they plumb the ocean depths. Fortunately, they'll be able to learn a number of special abilities — Umami Techniques — from the other creatures in the oceans.

7 Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Looks Like Another JRPG Franchise In The Making

From Rabbit & Bear Studios comes the long-awaited Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. A classic-style JRPG done in the HD-2D style, Eiyuden Chronicle brings three protagonists from different walks of life together for the sake of trying to bring peace to a land soon to be consumed by the fires of war.

A spiritual successor to Suikoden, Eiyuden Chronicle has everything people might expect to see from a game like this. There are well over a hundred heroes to recruit, and there's a kingdom-building/customization mechanic, just like the original PS1/PS2 titles. It also features the same six-member parties for combat, offering players plenty of chances to come up with their own unique parties. Hopefully, this joins the collection of the best HD-2D RPGs.

6 Tales Of Kenzera: Zau Is A Stylish New Metroidvania With Something To Say

Tales of Kenzera: Zau comes from Surgent Studios and Electronic Arts' EA Originals platform. Tales of Kenzera is a Metroidvania, following a young shaman named Zau. Zau's goal is to bring his father back to life, and to do so he must recover three monsters and bring them to Kalunga, the being who promised to bring his father back.

Tales of Kenzera is Surgent Studios' first game, helmed by Abubakar Salim, previously known for his work in Assassin's Creed: Origins as the lead character, Bayek. It's already one of the most visually striking games coming out in 2024, pulling from a number of African cultures for its inspiration. If the game is as good as it is pretty, it's going to be one of the better games of the year.

5 Megaton Musashi Wired Looks To Capture The Soul Of Super Robots

Level 5's Megaton Musashi was originally released in 2021 in Japan, but it's taken an additional three years to come to the West. In that time, the game has received a number of upgrades and downloadable content, turning into a more complete experience. In Megaton Musashi, the planet has been taken over by giant alien invaders, and only the giant robots known as Rogues have a chance of reclaiming it for humanity.

A hack-and-slash RPG at its core, Megaton Musashi is made for all the Super Robot fans. The DLC has added Super Robots from the '70s like Mazinger Z, Combattler V, and Getter Robo for players to enjoy while they play the game. Moreover, it's the rare giant robot game with an actual story for fans to enjoy, a rarity with giant robot games these days.

4 SaGa: Emerald Beyond Revives One Of Square's Original Franchises

The SaGa franchise is one of Square-Enix's oldest franchises, with roots dating back to the early '90s. Though the series hadn't been a major priority lately, with SaGa: Emerald Beyond that looks to be changing. SaGa: Emerald Beyond places players in charge of six different protagonists, as they explore seventeen worlds connected to a realm known as The Beyond, aiming to bring balance to all the worlds.

SaGa: Emerald Beyond is the kind of weird JRPG that the industry needs. There aren't many franchises where a vampire king gets to team up with a songstress robot, yet in the SaGa franchise, these sorts of team-ups feel not just normal, but expected. Hopefully, Emerald Beyond is able to live up to the same standard of quality as Scarlet Grace.

3 Sand Land Brings A Lesser Known Classic To Life

Sand Land was the first manga Akira Toriyama attempted after finishing Dragon Ball. Though it ran for only a single volume, it was beloved enough for Bandai-Namco to create an open-world RPG based on the series. It follows the demon prince Beelzebub and his allies, Rao, Ann, and Thief, as they try to discover a new water supply to aid the water-deprived citizens of Sand Land.

Where Sand Land looks to stand out is its focus on vehicles. Not only used to get around the massive desert wasteland, vehicles can also be customized and used in combat against enemies. Basically, it's like a shonen version of Mad Max. Fans curious about this should've already checked out the game's demo, but with only a few weeks remaining until release, people might be better off waiting it out.

2 Stellar Blade Gives All Nier: Automata Fans Something To Look Forward To

Stellar Blade is easily the most high-profile game coming out in the month of April. From developer Shift Up, it's been the subject of discussion since it was announced back in 2022 for its unique approach to characters and art design. The game focuses on a young woman named Eve, the last chance humanity has to fight back against alien invaders and reclaim their planet. While not much had been shown in the way of gameplay, fortunately, Shift-Up released a demo that has seemingly assuaged most players' concerns over the game's quality.

Stellar Blade looks to be exactly what Nier: Automata fans were looking for in between getting their next Yoko Taro masterpiece. Everything from the lead character to the world design gives off strong Nier: Automata vibes, but drawing inspiration from one of the best games of the last generation is a solid idea.

1 Manor Lords Combines City Building With Classic Strategy Battles

Manor Lords comes at the tail end of April, allowing people to live out their fantasies as an ancient feudal lord. While most games might allow players to either build their own city or defend their existing city from outside threats, Manor Lords does both.

Created by a solo developer, Manor Lords is truly a testament to what developers with a focused vision are able to achieve. The game seems to have deep systems for both city building and combat, while also thinking about how each aspect of the game should interact with one another. The result looks to be an engrossing experience that captures both the exhilarating and treacherous sides of running a medieval city.