Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: 8 Games To Welcome December With

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Become fluent
Buy it from: Humble Bundle

I’m currently racing to finish smaller 2023 games that came to me highly recommended but which I couldn’t fit into my schedule earlier in the year. Chants of Sennaar is at the top of that list, and it hasn’t disappointed.

It’s a linguistic puzzle game in which you decipher languages to help people communicate, otherwise known as “The Tower of Babel: The Game.” Its retina-frying color palette and low-key soundtrack are just set dressing for the enormously engaging and rewarding gameplay trick of negotiating multiple perspectives and the space between. You do this by seeing alien phrases and attempting to associate them with the correct ideas, even when they’re contested.

I don’t normally like linguistic puzzles. They can be wishy-washy and too open ended. What I’m loving most about Chants of Sennaar so far is that it doesn’t feel like a guessing game at all. Instead it feels precise and meticulous in a way that breeds revelation rather than bewilderment. — Ethan Gach

Check out Chants of Sennaar’s demo

If Chants of Sennaar has piqued your interest, you can try it out via a free demo on all major platforms.

Play it on: Xbox 360, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Current goal: Replay the campaign
Buy it from: Amazon

It’s been a while since a new, mainline Gears of War game—2019’s Gears 5—so I’m hoping Microsoft will announce a new entry in 2024. And in my endless desperation for a new Gears of War game, I’ve decided to distract myself by replaying all of the previous ones. At this point I’ve played all of the mainline games at least once, though I’ve played the older ones a few more times than that.

But this time, I’m bringing along my wife. She’s only played the first and second Gears of War games, so for her, this is a whole new journey. For me, it’s like returning to my old hometown. I remember long ago beating these games with my brother in co-op. Now I’m back with my wife and replaying them. The more things change…

Over Thanksgiving break, we knocked out Gears and Gears 2 and had a great time with them. The games, which are Xbox 360 titles, run better now thanks to the FPS boost on the newer Xbox consoles, but it’s still a shame all of these older Gears games never got proper Xbox One or PC ports.

Personally, I’m very excited about Gears of War 3. It was my favorite back in the day and the one I played the most. I’m curious how well it holds up in 2023, and if my wife will be as into this entry as I was back when it came out. Gears of War 2 was still a blast to play, so I’m hopeful about 3. — Zack Zwiezen

Yay, Gears of War 3 is on Game Pass

If you’re a Game Pass subscriber, good news: All of the Gears of War games, including 3, are available as part of your subscription. Note that while the entire series is available to play on Xbox, only Gears of War Ultimate, and Gears 4 and 5, are on PC.

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Finally get to the expansions
Buy it from: Amazon | Humble Bundle

Few games this year (if not the last five or 10 years) grabbed me like Alan Wake II did. And as soon as the credits rolled, I knew I wanted to continue to ride the high I get from this world and from developer Remedy’s storytelling.

But Alan Wake II was a bit rough on my machine so I’m thinking a proper return is due after a substantive upgrade, when I can enjoy it with more of the stunning graphical features maxed out. That makes this weekend a perfect time to continue my revisit of Remedy’s 2019 Control, which was easily one of my favorite games of the 2010s.

Having never played Control’s expansions, I’m very much looking forward to experiencing some new (to me) narrative developments, especially the material that ties Control in more closely with Alan Wake. And while I loved the gameplay of Alan Wake II, the explosive intensity of Control’s frantic combat is a whole other level of excitement and action, satisfying that part of my brain that loves overstimulation and the joys of watching video game physics go absolutely bananas.

Control is the kind of game that interfaces directly with my brain. It’s absolute, 100 percent immersion for me. The delightful linguistic play at work in the dialogue, use of vivid imagery and symbolism, and a plot whose secrets are always just out of reach yet demand my attention with its compelling mystery, sync with me like little else. Alan Wake II didn’t disappoint in those areas (and in many ways exceeded what I got from Control), but damn if Control doesn’t do a great job of reminding me why I love video games so much. — Claire Jackson

Control comes with PlayStation Plus

If you’re a PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra subscriber, you can play Control: Ultimate Edition (which includes the expansions) as a part of your subscription.

Play it on: Windows (VR required)
Current goal: Don’t punch my damn window again
Buy it from: Steam

I love how VR can make video games physical in ways they’ve never been before. Consider Climbey. Here’s a game all about scaling large structures, and you get to do so with your hands, arms, and (if you have body trackers) feet. You can also leap like a Brooklyn plumber, but not with a button. Instead you use both hands to grip the air in front of you and then violently fling it downward, hurling yourself upward with a velocity congruent with the gesture. This satisfying, intuitive action is both tactile and rife with subtleties, offering a very high ceiling for not just mastery, but accidental comedy.

Like many of my favorite games, Climbey makes movement fun. In fact, the movement is the fun. Even its arm-swinging walking method is unusual. In addition, Climbey’s lack of regard for conventional realism sets it apart from more sedate, boxed-in VR climbing experiences. More akin to a 3D platformer, this is as artificial a game world as has ever existed, with abstract obstacle arrangements limited only by creators’ whims. You’ll clear the 15 built-in levels in short order, but over 1,000 player-built courses await on Steam Workshop.

The multiplayer’s good, too. Offer a friend a helping hand upward, or just cling to their back as they traverse a tricky spot. I’ve enjoyed two Climbey sessions with a pal so far, and it’s proven a great venue to just hang out and shoot the shit as we engage with the endless procession of hand-over-hand climbs, controlled falls, and all-or-nothing leaps. VR needs more open-ended, creative, highly physical games like this. If you’ve got someone to play with Climbey’s well worth the eight bucks, and it may also be if you don’t. — Alexandra Hall

There’s a demo...two actually!

You can try before you buy on Steam. There also a Meta Quest Climbey demo on SideQuest. Alas, the full game only ever came out on PC/Windows. The Quest demo’s fun though!

Play it on: Android, iOS
Current goal: Reclaim Blackrock Mountain

For me, the biggest revelation that came out of BlizzCon was Warcraft Rumble, an adorable mobile action-strategy game set within the Warcraft universe. Having initially written it off as a Clash of Clans clone, l can now happily report I’m hooked. (On a related Blizzard mobile gaming note, I’m also back into Hearthstone after a year away but that’s a blurb for another week.)

The minis you collect and brawl with are oh so cute, oozing with that old-school Blizzard charm and audio quality that makes them a joy to collect. When I drop down a Darkspear Troll I am greeted with a supremely satisfying “Taz’dingo!” As my Defias Bandits slip into stealth you hear that unmistakable “swhooosh” effect.

My go-to army has Rend Blackhand, formerly a World of Warcraft baddie (and awful Hearthstone card), as its leader. Their passive effect gives you cost reduction on all flying units when he’s in play. I’ll be angling to restore the Horde’s true Warchief to their rightful perch atop Blackrock this weekend.

If you’re not feeling the fliers, Baron Rivendare’s constantly spawning skeletons is also a great leader choice, providing you lots of push power in those battle lanes.

One quibble I have with Rumble is that the upgrade tiers for leveling up your minis and outfitting them with impactful “talents” feel way too steep, going from 3 to 10 to 25. This serves to make the experience feel very grindy in mid- to late-game scenarios, and is something I hope the developers consider flattening out going forward. But overall Rumble’s been a very pleasant surprise in this absurdly stacked year. Now…where the hell is Warcraft IV? — Eric Schulkin

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: Find the Severance Reaper scythe
Buy it from: Humble Bundle

While folks continue clamoring for a Bloodborne remaster, developer Kumi Souls Games’ The Last Faith might be the closest thing we get to a new Bloodborne outside of the excellent Lies of P. A Soulsvania—Metroidvania and Soulslike—The Last Faith sees you controlling the amnesiac Eryk, who embarks on a quest to uncover his past after emerging from a dungeon prison. The story is fine, but what makes the game compelling is its blend of Metroidvania exploration with Soulslike combat, creating something that’s been dubbed 2D Bloodborne on account of its gothic setting and macabre enemies. There are a handful of weapons, from axes and maces to whips and swords and even guns, but I’ve got my eyes on one specific weapon.

I’m a sucker for katanas, and The Last Faith has two of them you can acquire in the late game. However, relatively early on is a badass-looking scythe that scales with my current build. It’s called the Severance Reaper, and it’s giving Bloodborne’s Burial Blade, my fave weapon in that game. It’s easy to get—found in a chest once you get two movement skills you pick up about a fourth of the way through the campaign—and hits pretty hard. What makes this weapon awesome, though, is its Bloodborne-like moveset. Like FromSoftware’s gothic RPG, The Last Faith’s Severance Reaper has an alternate attack pattern that breaks the weapon in half, letting you attack with just the blade portion in a similar fashion as the Burial Blade. This flurry of strikes is faster than the base combo and ends with a wind gust that deals extra damage while also, on some occasions, pushing enemies back. It rules, and it must be mine. So, I’m hunting. — Levi Winslow

Play it on: Windows (Steam Deck OK), macOS
Current goal: Get existential
Buy it from: Steam

Mediterranea Inferno, an adventure game starring three queer italian twinks, is one of the most immediately compelling games I’ve played in 2023. I’m playing it as part of my indie catch-up marathon I’m working through as we near GOTY talks, and what starts as three friends reconvening after covid lockdown has immediately taken dark turns in its first hour. It has me by the throat. The game is already exploring the vapid, performative excess of some queer spaces. While my initial knee-jerk reaction was to find its protagonists grating for all that vapidity, as it peels back the existential layers as I explore the Italian town they’re vacationing in, it’s reminding me that there is more than meets the eye to everyone you meet. — Kenneth Shepard

Play it on: Windows (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: See what’s over the horizon
Buy it from: Blizzard

Blizzard shared a ton of World of Warcraft news at BlizzCon earlier this month, with the reveal of the game’s three upcoming expansions getting the most attention. However, it was a different announcement that perked up my ears: World of Warcraft Classic, the faithful recreation of the landmark MMO as it was in its early years, was getting new seasons that’d toss some game-changing new elements into the mix. The first of these, called Season of Discovery, has just launched, and I’ll be hopping in this weekend to see if it can lure me back to Azeroth.

I won’t sum up everything the season is doing to change up the classic WoW experience—this video does a fine job of that if you’re interested—but I will say that the emphasis on exploration is particularly appealing to me. The star of World of Warcraft, for me, has always been Azeroth itself, with its varied and beautiful zones, its immaculate fantasy vibes, and its rich sense of history. If Season of Discovery can rekindle the feeling that Azeroth still holds secrets waiting to be discovered, well, I just might find myself spending way too much time roaming its lands once again. — Carolyn Petit

And that concludes this week’s weekend guide. What games are you playing?