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Game on! 8 video games releasing in July 2022 on Xbox, PlayStation, PC and Switch – Lifestyle Asia India

Video games

June brought in some exciting action-packed role-playing games (RPGs) that kept the consoles running. From cute cartoon quests like those in the Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course to blockbuster titles like Mario Strikers™: Battle League and Wreckfest, the previous month was one crazy ride. So, here is a sneak peek into the upcoming video games releasing in July 2022.

As the majority of releases are reserved for year-end, July seems to go comparatively slow with just a couple of highly anticipated games like Stray and F1® 22. However, the list has other RPGs and adventure quests that can drive the mid-year lull away.

As previous titles like — Elden Ring, raising the bar high for open-world gaming, Horizon Forbidden West and Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, with its stunning graphics, Sifu, marking the revival of Indie games, and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC, showing what massive rollouts can be like — paved the way for what’s in store for future, one can be quite excited about the games coming up in July 2022.

Here are some of the much-awaited video games releasing in July

F1® 22

Image: Courtesy EA Sports

Release date: 1 July
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

One of the major titles to test your nerves is this Formula 1 racing game. So, brace yourself for all the high-voltage action as the game’s official website says, “Take your seat for a new season as redesigned cars and overhauled rules redefine race day, test your skills around the new Miami International Autodrome, and get a taste of the glitz and glamour of Formula 1® in F1® Life.”

The game comes with ‘My Team’ and ‘Career’ modes, for you to sweat it out against friends in the online multiplayer form. You can also opt for the two-player split-screen option. Equipped with the adrenaline rush of real F1 races, you can go wheel-to-wheel among Florida’s palm trees at the Miami International Autodrome. The game also brings F1® Sprint to the consoles for the first time.

F1® 22 brings new iconic cars like Aston Martin F1 Edition, Ferrari F8 Tributo and Mercedes AMG GT Black Series to the gaming arena. It also lets players choose between immersive and broadcast-style formation laps, safety car periods, pit stops and more. Players can also visit each other’s Life hubs, and customise the looks of characters and their houses.

Preorder the game here to gain three days of early access before it hits the shelves.

Matchpoint: Tennis Championships

Image: Courtesy Matchpoint game

Release date: 7 July
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Practice your backhand and forearm strokes as you prepare for the ultimate tennis dream in this upcoming title. The new-gen game brings real-life authentic tennis simulations packed with real ball physics, stunning character animation and control features.

Players can enter the court as one of the 16 international tennis stars, including names like Nick Kyrgios, Amanda Anisimova and Kei Nishikori. Matchpoint: Tennis Championships lets you have an intense virtual tennis duel with your friends.

One of the most anticipated games releasing in July, it features a Career mode to test how you dominate the court. The feature provides a merit-based ranking system and gives an opportunity to climb up the sporting ladder.

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

Image: Courtesy Bandai Namco

Release date: 8 July
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

The new game brings back the two old favourites — Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil  which were initially released in 1997 and 2001 respectively by Namco. Marking the franchise’s 25th anniversary, the games are being remastered and launched under one name.

Players can step in Klonoa’s shoes for a journey to save Phantomile in this side-scrolling platformer, which has a colourful list of characters and stunning remastered visual graphics. Now you can jump and run using your ‘Wind Ring’ to thrash enemies.

The game also allows you to adjust difficulty levels and bring in friends for a 2-player co-op set-up in case you need help.

Preorder the game here.

Stray

Image: Courtesy PlayStation

Release date: 19 July
Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4

The game follows the journey and adventures of a cat stranded in a strange unknown city and is one July title that gamers have been looking forward to since 2020.

Life is extremely difficult for stray cats. It gets tougher when they are constantly chased by killer robots like what happens to the protagonist of Stray. The gameplay is set in a cyberpunk city, inspired by China’s Kowloon Walled City. Here, players can control the feline and its companion B-12, solving mysteries in an attempt to escape the city.

Stray is a third-person game and has several open-world elements. Along with a lot of platforming, players have to solve many puzzles. Also, the trailer introduces the ‘Antvillage’ — a village built around a huge reservoir. Jam-packed action and combat may not take the centre stage, but it is all about the furry hero defending himself. He is equipped with a number of tactics and one of them is a bucket, as revealed in the trailer. However, with progress, players can acquire some fighting skills and use shopping trolleys to fight robots.

As Dusk Falls

Image: Courtesy Xbox

Release date: 19 July
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

A series of betrayals, sacrifices and resilience experienced by two families become the basis of this upcoming video game. Released as a part of Xbox Game Pass, it takes you to 1998 Arizona, where a robbery goes wrong. Players can control life-like characters — extremely relatable, but far from being perfect humans. Every decision affects the characters’ lives.

As you delve deep into this mystery-solving video game, only time will tell if you can escape from the family’s toxicity, what has to be sacrificed for your loved ones, and whether your character can leave their past behind.

As Dusk Falls takes co-op playing to a new level and allows a maximum of eight players to come together online, locally or even in a mix. The As Dusk Falls app also makes decision-making quite easy. Just download it on your mobile or tablet and vote for or against your friends.

Wayward Strand

Image: Courtesy Playstation

Release date: 21 July
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Another of the long-awaited video games which finally has a release date, Wayward Strand is set in Australia in the 1970s and takes you to a flying hospital. Gamers play as Casey, a teenage girl and journalist for her school newspaper, who is visiting the place for the first time. She has to spend three days in the aged-care ward, where she learns the mysteries and workings of the airship in which the hospital is being constructed.

Bringing the iconic open-world experience, Wayward Strand is not about riddles and puzzles. After getting dropped into this real-world setting, players interact with the residents and staff to know more about them or even eavesdrop at times. From Esther Fitzgerald to Neil Avery, there are a dozen characters whom Casey can meet.

The catch is that while Casey follows one character and interacts with them, the others continue with their daily chores, giving a more real-world feel, where everything continues simultaneously.

Hell Pie

Image: Courtesy Nintendo

Release date: 21 July
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

A June 2022 highlight at the Guerilla Collective, Hell Pie is one of the big games treading on the lines of grotesque and obscene humour. Developed by Indie outfit Sluggerfly and published by Headup, this 3-D platformer takes weird taste to the next level.

In this video game, releasing in July, players join the cute devil Nate and his angel companion Nugget, on a journey to gather ingredients for Satan’s birthday pie. And, on the way, he causes ruckus and mayhem. Because, if Nate fails he has to pay a hefty price in hell.

The brainchild of the developer behind the 2015 grotesque title Ben and Ed, Hell Pie banks on its crude and silly comedy and graphics. It stands out from the crowd of July titles and makes a mark in the genre. Clearly, this upcoming game has been successful so far as Ben and Ed did not get a Switch e-shop release, while Hell Pie jumps to hybrid consoles.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Image: Courtesy Nintendo

Release date: 29 July
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

As per Nintendo‘s official website, “The latest entry in the long-running role-playing series, which connects the futures of the two previous mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games, invites players to embark on an epic adventure with “life” as its central theme.”

Gamers can show off some fierce moves as protagonists Noah and Mio, who journey through the world of Aionios, where the two nations — Keves and Agnus — are broiled in conflict. The two characters are joined by other characters from these nations, with their eyes set on Swordsmarch, a piece of land pierced by a sword.

The six main characters, Noah, Mio, Lanz, Sena, Eunie and Taion are soldiers, living for a ‘term’ of only a decade and Mio has just about three months left in her term. The new interlinking feature allows them to pair up and form giants called Ouroboros. Every Ouroboro has its own moves and skill set which can become a deciding factor in winning.

Another noted feature of this awaited video game releasing in July is that players can change the characters’ class to customise their party and use their specialised skills. Noah is a swordfighter, skilled in close-range combat, and Mio is a Zephyr who tactfully gains enemy attention while dodging air strikes.

(Main image: Courtesy EA Sports; Featured image: Courtesy Matchpoint game)

Source: https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/gear/tech/video-games-releasing-this-july/