Top 5 Games to Play in April

March was a crazy month for gaming. Some top tier games that will surely be on end of the year “Best of” discussions came out, so April not being a super-stuffed month is kind of nice.

Still, for fans of certain niche genres, this might be an even better time to play as we have the long-awaited follow-up to one of the most popular RPGs in the world, as well as a Mario game, a return to platforming, some crazy Tetris, and one of the best indie games of the generation. And if you happened to buy a Switch last month and need something besides Zelda to play, April has you covered!

Persona 5

It has been eight years since the last Persona game, and it might take you that long to read all of the Wikipedia entries explaining the franchise.

This “high school anime meets dungeon crawler” holds a very special place in the hearts of many, as the narrative, dialogue, and moral complexities that develop over an 80-hour campaign tower most of the competition. Persona oozes style, from flashy graphics and fonts to the music and character design. While it may be a bit overwhelming to dive straight into the fifth game of a franchise, this looks to continue the approachable modern design Persona 4 contained. Do a bit of research before jumping in blind, but if you crave turn-based Japanese RPGs (we see you out there), know that this game is built for you.

 

Yooka-Laylee

If you are of a certain age, games like Banjo-Kazooie, its sequel Banjo-Tooie, and other 3D platformers of this ilk were the best of the best.

People who swear by Rare’s game design and sense of open-world exploration have been craving something similar to those 64-bit days of adventuring for many years. Luckily, some of the people behind those games have banded together to bring you Yooka-Laylee, a modern 3D platformer built with nostalgia in mind. Back is the kiddy look, the wacky characters, and the challenging level design, but with a solid mechanical foundation that replaces frustration with joy as you find every hidden nook and cranny. While this might be the best kids game of the month, adults who have fond memories of that crazy Nintendo 64 controller might dig it as well.

 

Puyo Puyo Tetris

This ain’t your daddy’s Tetris! Well, if you’re Japanese, it might be. Puyo Puyo Tetris combines two classic franchises (which you can gather from the name), making for fast, competitive and challenging head-to-head matches for up to four players.

Picking different characters lets you utilize different powers like wiping your board or stacking crazy blocks on your neighbors’ pile, so strategy goes beyond where to put the long skinny piece. Your classic Tetris and Dr. Mario skills will definitely translate to this one, so it's great for newbies and veterans alike. Plus, you only need one other Switch owner to use all four JoyCons, so go make a friend!

 

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Hey look, it’s Mario Kart. You love Mario Kart, we love Mario Kart, this is a no brainer. But if you are an owner of the shiny new Switch console, this may very well be the second game in your library after Zelda’s stellar debut on the system. Now this is the same game that existed on the WiiU, but not a lot of people bought that console so you might be coming to this whole thing with open arms and an open mind. If you did own or play it, don’t fret, as you get plenty of new stuff too.

Fresh tracks, characters and modes are included, along with all of the DLC that was added along the way (including Link’s dope motorcycle). Seriously, give that thing a spin while holding multiple power-ups (new to this version) and you’ll wonder why you rode Epona so much while in Hyrule.

 

Stardew Valley: Collector's Edition

Stardew Valley sort of came out of nowhere last year but left a huge impact. This multi-faceted throwback was made by just one person as a love letter to the farming-focused games of his youth like Harvest Moon. But what Eric Barone ended up with was something much more complex than just tending crops and raising cattle.

In Stardew Valley, you farm, date, explore, fight, invent, shop, hunt and live out just about every other verb an RPG could allow. This game goes places, with a level of depth not seen in years. Don’t let the cutesy graphics and whimsical (but awesome) soundtrack fool you, you’ll be hooked quicker than you can say “I have to go check on my mayonnaise machine!”

 

Want to see more lists? Check out our Everybody Loves a List! page. 

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