Microsoft wasn’t playing around with its ID@Xbox Showcase on March 16, with more than 90 minutes of game news and announcements. Many of the games shown are coming to Xbox Game Pass, and we saw everything from wrestling role-playing games to virtual escape rooms and interactive films. These were the biggest games from the ID@Xbox Showcase.
Tunic
The long-awaited adventure from Andrew Shouldice and Finji is finally here, and better yet, it’s free with Xbox Game Pass on both Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. A Zelda-like adventure starring an adorable fox, Tunic takes a decidedly less morbid approach to discovery and exploration than, say, Elden Ring, but you still get a sword and a lantern. Yes, they’re basically the same. Can’t even tell them apart now.
Immortality
Sam Barlow has made a name for himself with his interactive live-action adventures like Telling Lies and Her Story, and his new project Immortality looks like his most ambitious yet. Releasing this summer for Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass, the game will be an “interactive film trilogy” focused on locating a missing woman named Marissa Marcel. You’ll be using found footage to solve the case, and given the quality of Barlow’s past work, the bar is set pretty high.
Flintlock: Siege of Dawn
The developers of Ashen–itself a Game Pass day one release–are back with the gun-focused open-world action-RPG Flintlock. Aside from hyphenated descriptors, the game features a mix of “vengeance, gunpowder, and magic” and will see hero Nor teaming up with sidekick named Enki. It looks to be a bit more vibrant than the desolate and dying Ashen, albeit still in a world on the brink of complete destruction.
Escape Academy
Escape Rooms are fun. Going to one during a pandemic isn’t always a great idea. With the new game Escape Academy, you can play through a collection of virtual escape rooms designed by real escape room experts as you train to become an “Escape Room Master.” As with physical escape rooms, the whole experience can be played cooperatively, both online or in split-screen mode, or you can put your own skills to the test by trying to escape on your own.
WrestleQuest
No, not WrestleFest! This is WrestleQuest, a combination role-playing game and fever dream starring the late WWE superstars Randy Savage and Andre the Giant. Using a detailed pixel art style and featuring some of the biggest names to ever step into the ring, it looks to be a unique take on retro-style wrestling that doesn’t take itself too seriously–or seriously at all. Now, where is the mod to add in the Skyrim dragon?
Paradise Killer
The acclaimed detective adventure Paradise Killer is coming to Xbox consoles–or rather, it’s out now on Xbox Game Pass for both console and PC! The game was originally only released for PC and Nintendo Switch back in 2020 and offers a nearly unprecedented level of freedom in how you approach a case and who you decide to accuse. It’s also weird as hell, so you don’t have to worry about any brooding, shadowy investigator wearing a trenchcoat and smoking a cigar here.
