Two Very Different Releases Come to Xbox Game Pass Day One Next Month
With Xbox Game Pass featuring a rotating library of over 100 games, there’s room for a lot of variety. From slow methodical RPGs and indie releases to bombastic first-person shooters and AAA blockbusters, there’s something for everyone on the service. In June, however, two of the most diametrically different releases are coming to the service as day one grabs. The comforting life-sim ‘Rolling Hills’ is coming on June 4th and the terrifying thalassophobia simulator ‘Still Wakes the Deep’, which is set to release on June 18th.
Image by Catch & Release LLC
Starting with something a little more light-hearted, ‘Rolling Hills’ is yet another game in the massively popular ‘cozy’ subgenre. This game has a bit of a twist to it, however. Its split into a typical social sim experience to Animal Crossing but also a restaurant manager where you serve customers with recipes gathered throughout your town. This seems to have a similar gameplay loop to Dave the Diver, which was an indie game of the year contender last year. With the ability to customise the sushi you serve and upgrades coming from relationships formed in your community, you can also make Rolling Hills your own thanks to extensive customisation options typical from this type of game. Hopefully, it manages to separate itself from the wave of other cozy games when it launches next month.
Image by The Chinese Room
Taking a complete 180, the next game coming to Game Pass day one in June, ‘Still Wakes the Deep’, is a horror experience that seeks to harness the unknown to terrify its players. With thalassophobia (the fear of open water) being fully on show with the setting of an abandoned oil rig, don’t be too surprised to see some H.P. Lovecraft Cthulu-inspired works in this release. If developers ‘The Chinese Room’ manage to recapture the fear of the ocean, this could be one of the best horror releases of the year- especially in how non-horror games such as ‘Subnautica’ and even ‘The Outer Wilds’ instil so much fear from the unknown. If you think you can handle this horror/mystery set in the North Sea, you can pick it up on June 18th.
