It’s almost time for the traditional end of year rush to begin, so August should be considered the calm before the storm. That’s not to say that there’s nothing coming out this month, in fact there are a couple of games that I’d place amongst my most anticipated games of the year coming out in the 31 days of August. If you’ve got anything pressing in your backlogs though, now is the time to clear it, because after this month it all kicks off…

Rare Replay Collection

Platforms XBO
Developer Rare Entertainment
Publisher Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date August 4

While the Rare Replay Collection is stuffed with 50 classic games from the one-time leading developer, most of us are only interested in a small handful of them. They’ll no doubt be different for everyone. Personally I’m buying the collection specifically for Rare’s N64 era games. Okay mostly for Perfect Dark, one of the greatest first person shooters of all time. But there’s a lot of good games crammed on the disc; Banjo-Kazooie, Battletoads, Viva Pinata, Jet Force Gemini, Kameo, Killer Instinct…whether you’re a long time gamer with fond memories of some of Rare’s best games or are new to the hobby, the Rare Replay collection is a must-buy. And at £20 you can’t really go wrong.

Submerged

Platforms PC, PS4, XBO
Developer Uppercut Games
Publisher Uppercut Games
Release Date August 4

Tomorrow also sees the release of the quietly contemplative, combat-free exploration game Submerged. Players will take on the role of a young girl who must explore a submerged city to find the supplies necessary to save her injured brother. I can’t really talk too much about the game itself, but keep an eye out for my 30 Minutes With video on the game going live tomorrow.

Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture

Platforms PS4
Developer The Chinese Room, SCE Santa Monica
Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date August 11

Continuing a trend we’ve witnessed this summer for quietly contemplative exploration games, Playstation 4 exclusive Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture is set in one of the eeriest places on Earth; Shropshire. The game will tell the story of six people in a small Shropshire village where everyone has disappeared, with each story being  connected to one of the villages landmarks. Developers The Chinese Room, responsible for Dear Esther, have taken inspiration from places such as The Day of the Triffids and A Wrinkle in the Skin. Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture will also feature more interactivity than its spiritual predecessor, with players able to influence the story, as well as interact with doors and objects in the stunningly recreated environment.

Celestian Tales: Old North

Platforms PC
Developer Ekuator Games
Publisher Digital Tribe
Release Date August 11

Recently announced for PC release, Celestian Tales is an homage to the JRPGs of old, fusing the classic, turn based combat system of the genre with new ideas around story, choice and consequence. In Celestian Tales you aren’t playing the chosen one and the world isn’t about to end, rather you’re simply a soldier in a world at war. The choices you make won’t decide the fate of the entire planet, but will have big personal consequences for you, your friends and your family. Celestian Tales also features a multi-narrative mechanic, where you select your character from one of six possible choices, with the other five forming your party and accompanying you on your journey. They’ll interact with each character differently, so the interactions will change depending on who you choose as your main character.

Volume

Platforms PC, PS4, PSV
Developer Bithell Games
Publisher Bithell Games
Release Date August 18

Coming a couple of weeks before Metal Gear Solid V is a stealth game that draws heavy inspiration from the VR missions of the original MGS. I’ve had the distinct pleasure to try this game out twice before, and the one thing that Volume does, which is massively to its credit, is that it’s accessible while still being challenging. It’s a pure stealth game that tasks you with sneaking through all of its levels without the option to use violence. It also gives you all the visual information required to know exactly how to progress through each of its 100 levels (though executing your plan successfully is another matter entirely). After messing around with the game at two previous EGX’s I can’t wait to get my hands on the finished game later this month.

Relic Hunters Zero

Platforms PC
Developer Rogue Snail
Publisher Zueira Digital
Release Date August 18

Relic Hunters Zero is a game I had zero (heh) knowledge of before receiving a PR email with a lengthy press release and an access code for the games beta. It would have been rude not to do something with the game, so I made a video of my first impressions of it. It’s a fast paced, “twin-stick” shooter from the creators of Chroma Squad and Dungeonland, and I put “twin-stick” in quotations because I used a mouse and keyboard to play it. I enjoyed its fast-paced nature, and I’d urge you to give the game a look when it releases on Steam later this month. I forgot to mention the coolest part; the game will be FREE when it comes out later this month.

Until Dawn

Platforms PS4
Developer Supermassive Games
Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date August 28

Until Dawn has been a slow burn of hype for the past year. I was intrigued by its re-reveal as a Playstation 4 exclusive last year, and then every subsequent time I’ve seen or played the game, my hype for it has increased. The snippet of the game I played at EGX last year was enough to whet my appetite, and the E3 gameplay demo tipped my hype over the edge. They’re leaning heavily into the choice mechanics present in the game, what they’re calling the Butterfly Effect, which can apparently fundamentally alter the story you’ll get while playing. It is now one of my most anticipated games of the 2015 Fall/Holiday season, and August 28 cannot come soon enough.