Game Pass is an embarrassment of riches. Each month, Game Pass has delivered a glut of excellent additions, and today, we shine the light on March 2022, which saw, Tunic, Guardians of the Galaxy, Norco, and more join the service.
While 2022 may not have been as busy as previous years for big-name Xbox releases, Xbox Game Pass has certainly delivered the goods and kept us topped up with a bevvy of quality titles, so much so that we regularly have to update our best games on Game Pass list as so many decent games keep dropping into the service. We were hoping to cover all of 2022’s best Game Pass additions in one article, but there is simply too much there, so instead, we’ve broken it down by month to highlight just how good of a year Game Pass has had. Today, we’re taking a look at March, which brought Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Tunic, Norco, and more to the service.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Xbox kicked March off with a bang by announcing that one of 2021’s best games, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, was coming to Game Pass. Sure, it didn’t join at launch as a day one title, but the action-adventure game was still a massive win for the service, considering how well it went down with critics and players. Praise was heaped on the game for its enticing story and excellent visuals, though the combat was a little bit of a letdown for some.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Digital download bonus:
– Social-Lord Outfit for Star-Lord (Early Unlock)
Fire up Star-Lord’s jet boots for a wild ride across the cosmos in this third-person action-adventure game, a fresh take on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. With the unpredictable Guardians at your side, blast your way from one explosive situation to another, with original and iconic Marvel characters caught in a struggle for the fate of the universe. You got this. Probably.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
While Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII may not be considered the best Final Fantasy game out there, it was still a good addition to Game Pass. Lightning Returns dropped the party-based combat of previous XIII games for real-time combat, which largely went down well with players. One part of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII that proved divisive, however, was the overall time limit that, depending on how you look at it, could either heavily restrict your ability to explore and check out other aspects of the game or provide an exciting sense of urgency.
The world ends in 13 days, and once again its fate rests on Lightning’s shoulders. Experience the new, revamped gameplay of the thrilling FFXIII series finale!
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
The Zero Escape series finally made its debut on Xbox in March with Zero Escape: The Nonary Games. Including the first two games in the series, Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward gave Game Pass a big boost in the Japanese visual novel department and are considered some of the best games in the genre. In Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, the story follows student Junpei, who is abducted along with eight others and is forced to participate in the Nonary Game onboard a ship that will sink in nine hours. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward follows Sigma, who has also been abducted along with eight others and is again placed in another life-or-death situation. If you’re looking for an intriguing and intense visual novel experience, make sure you check out Zero Escape: The Nonary Games.
Kidnapped and taken to an unfamiliar location, nine people find themselves forced to participate in a diabolical Nonary Game by an enigmatic mastermind called Zero. Why were they there? Why were they chosen to put their lives on the line? And more importantly, who can be trusted?
Paradise Killer
If Zero Escape: The Nonary Games doesn’t provide you with enough of a mystery to solve, then Paradise Killer certainly will. Set on an island outside of reality, there has been a murder “that only ‘investigation freak’ Lady Love Dies can solve.” Summoned from exile, you are tasked with finding and bringing down the killer, but to be successful, you will need to build an air-tight case against the person you accuse. Paradise Killer provides a deep and thrilling detective experience that’s laced with humour and conspiracy, wrapped up in a delightful vaporwave aesthetic.
Paradise Island, a world outside reality. There’s been a murder that only “investigation freak” Lady Love Dies can solve. You can accuse anyone, but you’ll have to prove your case in trial to convict. It’s up to you to decide who’s guilty.
Norco
A Game of the Year contender for some, Norco joined PC Game Pass in March before eventually joining the console version of the service in November. Norco is a text-based point-and-click adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world where you are tasked with finding your brother, who has gone missing shortly after your mother’s death. Despite its somewhat basic pixel art style, developer Geography of Robots has managed to craft a gorgeous world to explore and live in. However, where the game really shines is in its writing, which really pulls you into its relatable story that continually grows as you play.
NORCO is a text-based point & click adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and industrial swamplands of an increasingly surreal and distorted South Louisiana.
Weird West
Top-down action-RPG Weird West was a day one get for Game Pass back in March. Set in a dark fantasy reimagining of the Wild West, Weird West has you unravel the intertwined destinies of five heroes, where your decisions affect the world around you. Peppered with elements from the immersive sim genre, Weird West actually plays a bit more like a twin-stick shooter, which Tom very much enjoyed in his Weird West review.
Survive and unveil the mysteries of the Weird West through the intertwined destinies of its unusual heroes in an Action RPG from the co-creators of Dishonored and Prey.
Discover a dark fantasy reimagining of the Wild West where lawmen and gunslingers share the frontier with fantastical creatures. Journey through the story of a group of atypical heroes, written into legend by the decisions you make in an unforgiving land. Each journey is unique and tailored to the actions taken – a series of high stakes adventures where everything counts and the world reacts to the choices you make. Form a posse or venture forth alone into an otherworldly confines of the Weird West and make each legend your own.
Tunic
Another Game of the Year contender graced Game Pass in March with Tunic. The cutesy and charming action game where you play as an adorable sword-wielding fox captured the hearts and imagination of many, and while it may look like an unassuming, relaxing action-adventure title, don’t be fooled: Tunic is a tough game that will challenge your combat skills and your patience. You are very much left to your own devices in Tunic. There are no quest markers, nothing is explained to you, and everything in the game, including the in-game instruction manual, is written in a different language — only when you begin to explore Tunic’s world are you able to piece things together. Exploration and discovering more about the world around you are vital if you want to beat Tunic’s bosses. The boss fights are tough, and you will need to have mastered how to dodge, block, parry, and strike at the right moment to bring them down and progress, and while you’ll likely be banging your head against the wall in frustration at times, once you do defeat a difficult enemy, it feels incredibly rewarding.
Explore a land filled with lost legends, ancient powers, and ferocious monsters in TUNIC, an isometric action game about a small fox on a big adventure.
We’ll be revisiting the best Game Pass drops of each month in 2022 in the coming weeks. Which March 2022 Game Pass addition was your favourite? Let us know below, and we hope to see you next time!
