Games galore: ‘Ryse’ and more major titles go free in April via Xbox Live Gold

By Danny Cowan Published June 15, 2022

Xbox Live Gold subscribers are gearing up for a busy month in April, as Microsoft will give away free copies of standout games like Buy Now and Buy Now to service members through the end of the month.

Xbox One owners can also expect to see The Walking Dead: Season 2, continuing an episodic zombie apocalypse narrative that many players first experienced when The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season was given away to Xbox Live Gold subscribers in 2015.

Recommended Videos

Originally a launch title for the Xbox One, Ryse: Son of Rome is a third-person, hack-and-slash action game that borrows its mechanics from classic arcade brawlers. Assuming the role of Roman general Marius Titus, players slice their way through hordes of attackers as they attempt to breach enemy strongholds.

Though Ryse: Son of Rome won praise for its impressive graphics, its gameplay ultimately didn’t measure up. Critics slammed Ryse over its inconsequential quick-time events, repetitive gameplay, and tacked-on microtransactions, making it what many consider to be one of the most disappointing launch titles of the last console generation. If nothing else, its upcoming Xbox Live Gold giveaway will allow curious gamers to sample its gameplay without committing to a purchase.

Xbox One owners with an active Xbox Live Gold subscription can also download Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season 2 free of charge between April 16 and May 15. Spreading its gameplay across five playable episodes, The Walking Dead: Season 2 features a narrative that branches sharply depending on choices players make throughout the adventure.

Microsoft will additionally deliver a pair of free Xbox 360 games next month, both of which are also playable on the Xbox One via the platform’s backward compatibility feature. THQ’s The Legend of Zelda-inspired action-RPG Darksiders will be up for grabs between April 1 and April 15, while Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will be free to download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers from April 16 through the end of the month.

Former Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Topics

Gaming

Loved Expedition 33’s combat? You should try this indie rock RPG

An evil corporate throne room in Fretless.

It's been over a month since I finished everything there was to do in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and yet I still found myself craving more. I had my qualms with what direction the story took in the final act, but the combat had me hooked and never let go. The satisfaction of mastering parry timing and crafting the perfect build with the Pictos and Luminas was more than enough motivation to finish the story and take down every optional challenge the world had to throw at me.

While I could go back and mess with the difficulty modifiers for a new challenge, I instead found a hidden gem of an RPG that scratches that same itch for tactical but reactive combat, but with a few unique twists that have more than filled that void.

Gaming

How long is Donkey Kong Bananza?

Donkey Kong and Pauline blast the enviornment in Donkey Kong Bananza.,

We only had to wait one month after the Nintendo Switch 2 launch to get our first shiny new 3D platformer. However, it isn't a new Mario game like you might've assumed, but DK taking center stage. Donkey Kong Bananza is all about smashing and digging your way with Pauline to the planet's core while facing off against a cast of villains. Being able to terraform the levels completely changes the pace of a normal platformer, but does it mean you can bypass everything and finish the game in a few hours? What if you are the type of person who wants to get every collectible there is? In either case, you might be surprised at how Donkey Kong Bananza actually is. After playing the game from start to finish, here's how long you can expect to spend playing Donkey Kong Bananza.

How long to beat Donkey Kong Bananza?

Gaming

Apple has launched a new puzzle game that might give Wordle a run for its money

A word puzzle with emojis.

Wordle has been the puzzle game to beat for years, but Apple just released a new competitor game that could be a smash hit. Emoji Game was released today for Apple News+ subscribers and gives players a set of daily puzzles that revolve around using emojis to uncover different phrases.

Starting today, July 17, anyone with an Apple News+ subscription will find Emoji Game added to the suite of other word and puzzle games on the service. Games will feature three phrases that players will need to decode based on a selection of emojis that represent each part of the phrase by dragging them to the correct spots to fill in the blanks. For example, you might be given the beginning of a word as PINE and the emoji of an apple. By dragging the apple into the space, you create PINEAPPLE. You only have six turns to solve the puzzle, but you can also use a built-in hint feature if you're feeling stuck.