Xbox Offers Monsters, Brawlers, Explorers in January Games With Gold

The folks at Microsoft are taking it easy with January’s Games With Gold, an eclectic yet subdued cluster of spinoffs, add-ons, and sequels. While folks will be tackling their holiday video-game gifts, Xbox subscribers will have the availability to download some oldies but goodies: a familiar platform franchise and rebooted fighting game, as well as a fresh tower-defense experience and an overlooked but quirky adventure game from some very clever minds. It’s far from a banner month and contains little to get truly excited about, but there are a few goodies worth adding to the download pile. Let’s jump into the action.

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Neocore Games

Xbox One

World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap (January 1-31)

The name Van Helsing, made famous through the Universal monster-movie catalogue, should quickly draw thoughts of all sorts of mystical and magical creatures combated by the legendary hunter. It gets the right point across when reading the title World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap, a loosely connected spin-off that blends tower-defense and action-RPG gameplay, preparing those for the wild and darkly vibrant aesthetic of the game’s gothic setting. Mixing different traps and spells that players position against the “horrors of the void”, Deathtrap features both a single-player campaign and co-op modes as they take control of a trio of different characters, whom build and rebuild defenses against a broad array of enemies. World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap was released at the tail end of last year.

Killer Instinct: Season Two (January 26-February 15)

For a period in the mid-90s, Killer Instinct wedged between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter into the top spot among arcade fighting-game franchises. That pedigree is what led to its revival as an Xbox One exclusive at the system’s launch, and while it still fights for attention from its more renowned competitors, Killer Instinct has sustained a strong fanbase over the years with its brutal, zany brawling. What sets apart this version of Killer Instinct is the slow-feed of purchasable characters and other stuff along with the free-to-play framework, which can get costly if done in pieces. This add-on of a “sequel”, Season 2, beefs up the successful foundation of the base game by doubling the fighters and tossing in levels and costumes for each new character, and it also includes a copy of the original’s sequel, Killer Instinct 2 Classic.

Ubisoft

Xbox 360

The Cave (January 1-15)

Even taking their bigger hits into account, from Psychonauts to Costume Quest, Double Fine’s games typically slip under the radar for one reason or another. It’s not from a lack of personality or polished gameplay, as their efforts always blend a certain sense of humor with accessible, engaging controls that fit with the project. The Cave, a collaboration between Double Fine and Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert, fits equally as much into that mold. Platforming gameplay mixes with puzzle-solving and the brand of humor one might expect from a combo of these creative forces, compiled into the story of seven adventurers who navigate a “living” cave in search of existential knowledge about themselves. Despite its stern difficulty level and overt comedic tones, it’s a fun little gem.

Rayman Origins (January 16-31)

Continuing the gratis platform gaming offerings is Rayman Origins, Ubisoft’s revival of the side-scrolling franchise that originally found success two — well, now three — console generations ago. Origins again centers on Rayman, a hero with nothing attaching his head, hands, and feet to his body, who must battle against forces from the Land of the Livid Dead for accidentally waking up an old granny from her slumber. Ubisoft keeps things simple with the gameplay itself, one where you improve skills while also rescuing captive creatures throughout the setting, but the level design and the new high-tech artistry behind it take Origins to another level. The Xbox might not be able to offer the motion controls that other releases of Rayman Origins offered, but the visual design and engaging gameplay ideas remain intact.

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