The December 2023 games lineup involves us turning into blue aliens and harnessing the powers of a flour golem. We’ll also be helping our favorite Disney characters with farming and other tasks.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Amazon Luna
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Price: $69.99
Release Date: December 7
Trailer
The Division developer Massive Entertainment is behind the open world of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. You’ll be exploring the beautiful Western Frontier, a new area inspired by James Cameron’s box office breaking movie series. Available on December 7, this FPS has us playing as a Na’vi raised to be a warrior for the RDA but freed after 15 years. We’ll be fighting back as we “reconnect with [our] lost heritage,” according to the game’s official website.
“It’s clear this is an open-world Ubisoft game, but there’s enough different there to make it feel like a fresh experience as well,” writes our own Steven Mills in a preview of the new Ubisoft title.
This game seems similar to the Far Cry series as you craft your own gear, gain access to a variety of weapons like shotguns and assault rifles, and take over outposts. Hopefully the game will be more interesting than the first movie’s Unobtanium storyline.
Born of Bread – PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
Publisher: Dear Villagers
Developer: WildArts Studio Inc.
Price: $24.99
Release Date: December 5
Trailer
Getting anxious for the Paper Mario: The Thousand Door remake? You’ll want to check out Born of Bread while you wait. It has a vibrant art style, a similar turn-based combat system, and a story that seems just as silly. “Born of Bread puts a twist on turn-based combat tropes with a fun interaction system that will test your reflexes,” says the game’s Steam page. “This interactive system also features a weaknesss and resistance system that makes battles more strategic.”
The RPG seems memorable, as evidenced by our preview from PAX East earlier this year.
The combat system reacts to the timing of your button presses like the Paper Mario games that many enjoy. You’ll also be solving puzzles with each character’s abilities as you explore this world. It releases on December 5.
Disney Dreamlight Valley (1.0 release) – PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
Publisher: Gameloft
Developer: Gameloft
Price: $39.99 and higher
Release Date: December 5
Trailer
The 1.0 release of Disney Dreamlight Valley and the expansion A Rift In Time is finally arriving on December 5. This game is similar to Animal Crossing, in which you’re befriending Disney characters, harvesting crops, and finishing side quests along the way like making dishes for Ratatouille‘s Remy. You’re also upgrading shops and other resources available to you. Somehow, there’s an intriguing storyline that meshes all of these Disney icons together and have it make sense.
It’s a relaxing adventure, especially for those who love almost every Disney movie like me. You may want to get the Gold Edition, which comes with the DLC A Rift In Time and 5,000 Moonstones, one of the game’s currencies. And yes, it won’t be free-to-play, unfortunately. I guess it’s something else Eeyore can complain about.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince – Switch
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $59.99
Release Date: December 1
Trailer
Heading to the Switch exclusively is Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, the next entry in the long-running JRPG series. Similar to the Pokemon series, you’ll be collecting monsters and training them. As the story proceeds, the game’s environments will change from Spring to Summer and so on.
Synthesizing two monsters to make more powerful allies returns, too. “Players can experiment and eventually unlock over 500 monsters, including franchise favourites, dark lords, and completely new creatures,” says Square Enix in a press release. The game’s also online, so you can compete against your friends and foes throughout the world. I’m excited, but man, I’ll skip over the Overture theme if it plays after it playing in so many trailers. Nevertheless Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince releases on December 1.
Sonic Dream Team – iOS, Mac, Apple Arcade
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega Hardlight
Price: Free with Apple Arcade subscription
Release Date: December 5
Trailer
Last up is the Blue Blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Dream Team. This time, you can play as six different characters, including Sonic, Amy, Tails, Cheese, Knuckles, and Rouge. In this 3D platformer, you’re trying to jump and spindash your way through Eggman’s nightmare dreamscapes.
From the trailers and screenshots, it looks like a solid 3D entry, despite being exclusive to Apple Arcade. It’s far more interesting than Sonic Superstars, that’s for sure. It will be available on the subscription service on December 5. Hopefully this game heads to consoles soon after.
Honorable mentions
This month isn’t just some RPG goodness and the lightning quick speed of Sonic and his friends. There’s far more than that. Who knows? There might be some shadowdrop surprises at The Game Awards. The honorable mentions include:
- Batman: Arkham Trilogy (Switch) – December 1
- SteamWorld Build (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Switch)- December 1
- A Highland Song (Switch, PC) – December 5
- Enclave HD (PS5) – December 5
- Arizona Sunshine II (PC, PSVR2) – December 7
- House Flipper 2 (PC) – December 13
- Bulletstorm VR (PC, PSVR2) – December 14
- Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (PS4, PS5, PC) – December 14
- Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Switch) – December 14
- Raccoo Venture (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC) – December 14
- Paranoid (PC) – December 14
- Trinity Fusion (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC) – December 15
- Resident Evil 4 (iOS) – December 20
