THQ Nordic has an impressive array of games coming out this year, but there are four in particular that have really caught our eye. Darksiders III, Biomutant, Fade to Silence and This Is the Police II each look uniquely interesting and exciting in their own ways.

Best of all, two of the games are brand new IPs in a time when there are remakes and sequels as far as the eye can see. 

What it is:  

Biomutant

“Biomutant is an open-world, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG, with a unique martial arts styled combat system allowing you to mix melee, shooting and mutant ability action. […] Your actions play a major part in the unfolding of a story where End is coming to the New World. A plague is ruining the land and the Tree-of-Life is bleeding death from its roots. The Tribes stand divided, in need of someone strong enough to unite them or bring them all down…”

Why we’re dying to play it:

First of all, the game’s visuals are stunning. Second, the whole thing, from the story to your ability to ride a jet-ski as a raccoon-type animal, feels like a breath of fresh air. Biomutant looks like it might be this year’s version of Horizon Zero Dawn and it could finally be the massive hit THQ Nordic has been searching for. 

Biomutant doesn’t yet have a confirmed release date, but we expect there to be one soon.   

What it is: 

This Is the Police 2 

Interpret the law as you see fit in This Is the Police 2, sequel to the acclaimed noir drama This Is the Police! Run the sheriff’s department, manage your cops, investigate, interrogate, incarcerate, make tough decisions – and try to keep out of prison yourself! – in this story-driven mixture of adventure and strategy, set in a cold border town riven with violence.

 

Welcome to Sharpwood, where people know their neighbors by name and faithfully keep to their traditions, no matter how barbaric those traditions might be. Smugglers, gangs, and screaming populists call this town their home. Despair grows like a cancer, hand in hand with violence. It’s a hell of a job for the new sheriff, Lilly Reed (voiced by Sarah Hamilton, of the celebrated adventure saga The Longest Journey). She’s struggling to maintain order and peace, while her subordinates are uncouth men who aren’t used to taking commands from a young woman. But everything changes when a mysterious stranger calling himself Warren Nash appears in Sharpwood. And no one knows what he’ll bring to the town: salvation or perdition.

Why we’re dying to play it:

This is the Police! was a great game and we’re suckers for a good story. It might not be the flashiest game out there, but if This Is the Police 2 can build on the foundation of its predecessor and wrinkle out some of its bothersome flaws, then get ready for one hell of a game.

This is the Police 2 is scheduled to be released sometime later this year.  

What it is: 

Darksiders 3

Why we’re dying to play it:

We’re so excited about Darksiders III that we already wrote a lengthy piece all about it. If you don’t have time to read it, the TL;DR is that the Darksiders franchise kicks ass and has never let us down before.

Darksiders III is scheduled for release later this year. 

What it is: 

Fade to Silence

Why we’re dying to play it:

Right off the bat you should know that Fade to Silence is already available as an Early Access title on Steam, but we’re not saying you should run over and play it right now. In fact, unless you’re a fan of Early Access and know exactly what it entails, you should probably steer clear. As it is right now, the game is a little clunky and has a lot of kinks that need to be ironed out. 

That being said, if they can fix all of those things before the game gets a full-release, Fade to Silence could be a fantastic horror/survival title. The hunger and cold meter keep the game moving as you fight to battle monsters, the elements and time itself; the visuals are engaging and attractive and best of all, it’s found that rare survival game balance of being agonizingly difficult but not outright impossible. 

Fade to Silence is currently available on Steam Early Access and is expected to be released later this year.