Xbox Developer Direct: everything that was announced, from Avowed to Indiana Jones

The new gaming year opens with a new one Xbox Developer Direct 2024which arrived practically in the same time window as the previous edition and characterized by some great new features for PC and Xbox Series X|S, from Avowed to Indiana Jones: let's see all announcements and trailers emerged during the evening.

Avowed

Opening the event is Obsidian's RPG connected to the world of Pillars of Eternity: an in-depth video on Avowed shed light on the gameplay and release period of the game, revealing its features more clearly, which prove to be decidedly interesting.

After the trailer last summer at the Xbox Games Showcase, which was somewhat surprising for its peculiar style, Avowed showed itself to be decidedly more mature and perfected in this new video, with a higher general quality but above all greater clarity on the game.

Based on what emerged, it seems that the freedom of choice granted to the player is a fundamental element of this role-playing game, also quite in line with other productions from the same development team.

In this case, we play as a representative from the Aedyr Empire, who has been sent by the central government to investigate a mysterious spiritual plague that is spreading across the world. During the journey we will find ourselves having to solve different cases, which provide a certain freedom of choice on how to act, which also involves consequences to face.

The video also allows you to better discover the complex and profound combat system by Avowed, which seems to integrate several tactical and strategic elements, despite its first-person setting. The release of the Obsidian game is scheduled for autumn 2024 on PC and Xbox Series X|S, obviously at launch on Game Pass.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II it was the second game covered by this evening's Developer Direct: Ninja Theory's new adventure confirmed itself as a true technical spectacle. However, today's evening the official release date was (and finally) announced.

In the new presentation, some of the story is illustrated, which sees Senua trying to fight against an invasion that threatens theIceland, somehow connected to mythological giants that loom over humanity. The game makes use of various historical documents to try to be as close as possible to the legends and folklore of Iceland, which serves as the main setting.

Senua has matured since the first chapter and finds herself interacting with a greater amount of people. She continues to be the victim of visions, which can however also be useful and not just harmful. Again, a large study was carried out on Senua's psychosis, with the help of scholars and experts in the field.

On the front of the gameplay, the combat system has also been modified, rebuilt practically from scratch to be as violent and visceral as possible, with each battle representing a challenge of considerable magnitude. Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 releases on May 21, 2024.

Visions of Mana

The game surprisingly included in the Developer Direct was Visions of Manawith Square Enix revealing new details for this great return to the scene of a classic of the JRPG genre, reborn in a totally new form.

The presentation was conducted by producer Masaru Oyamara, who offered an overview of this new chapter of the historical series, which will once again see a cast of extravagant characters and a memorable soundtrack, accompanied by an action-based combat system .

The producer pointed out how the game is halfway between the old and the new, with a recovery of the design of characters and creatures from the classic but a totally modern reconstruction of the models and settings, to tell a new story.

Ara: History Untold

As scheduled, next was the turn of Ara: History UntoldOxide's 4X strategy game which has finally been revealed with more clarity and with a release date set for autumn 2024. The game seems to focus particularly on the concept of “living world”, in the sense that the map will not be immutable, but it will be a setting capable of influencing and shaping itself according to the players' choices.

Also interesting is the choice to focus on shifts that take place in parallel, so as to speed up online games and make interactions with other civilizations more unpredictable. Everything will move in the direction traced by Firaxis with its Civilization.

Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle

Finally, to close the evening, perhaps the most awaited title arrived, namely Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle, the new game based on the famous LucasFilm film series, in development at MachineGames and Bethesda, with release period, trailer and all details announced during the Developer Direct.

The game does not yet have a precise date, but it will arrive in 2024 on PC, Xbox Series The first surprise comes the first time the protagonist is framed: Indy was created in the likeness of Harrison Ford, but the game apparently will alternate the first person with the third.

There story is original and unpublished, and sees Indy once again dealing with ancient artefacts sought by the Nazis in various settings, of which we have seen Egypt, the Himalayas, an unspecified jungle and also various European cities.

In the new story, Indiana Jones will be accompanied by Gina, an investigative reporter looking for something important, although it is not yet clear what, whose path will cross with that of the protagonist. Emmerich Voss is the enemy of Indiana Jones and the ancient Circle, obsessed with the human mind and the possibility of influencing it.

Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle is set for release 2024but there is no precise date yet.