1. Persona 5 Royal is here to well and truly take your heart
One of the most stylish, entertaining, and engrossing JRPGs is making a big comeback with oodles of new content to get stuck into. From new characters to refreshing ways to explore the dungeon-like Palaces, Royal is the quintessential way to experience the world of Persona 5. If you've held off on getting to know the Phantom Thieves, now's the perfect time to experience everything this endlessly enjoyable game has to offer, and if you've played it before, there's plenty of great new content to hook you right in. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts will keep you invested throughout the 100+ hours you'll sink into its effortlessly slick combat and engaging storyline.
What: Persona 5 Royal
Where: PS4
When: March 31
2. Totally Reliable Delivery Service is not just an April Fools' Joke
Despite the April Fools' release date and unfortunate acronym, Totally Reliable Delivery Service is a real game, and it's just what you need to bring the gang back together in a safely distanced way. Building on the physics-based challenges of games like Human: Fall Flat, your sole objective in TRDS is to pick up packages and deliver them safely. The problem is that you're a noodly armed ragdoll, and many of the vehicles you can control are wildly ill-suited for the job. Ever wonder why Amazon doesn't use more helicopters to drop off your deliveries? Now you can find out why. Heartbreaking yet hilarious near-misses are guaranteed.
What: Totally Reliable Delivery Service
Where: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, iOS, Android
When: April 1
3. Tales From the Loop brings Swedish sci-fi to Amazon Prime
If you're not familiar with the work of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, think artwork and stories that puts futuristic robots and machines in gentle countryside environments. The work has been collected into narrative art books, and now Amazon has adapted one, Tales From The Loop, into a new series for its streaming service. The Loop of the title is a "machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe" and the series explores its effect on the town that resides above it. Legion writer Nathaniel Halpern worked on the story, and is also the showrunner. Rebecca Hall stars.
What: Tales From The Loop
Where: Amazon Prime
When: April 3
4. Home Before Dark is a mystery well worth digging into
Before binging a new show, it can be tempting to find out everything about it. If you can help it, try and buck that trend with Home Before Dark. The new Apple Plus TV series gives almost too much away in its trailers, which is a shame as its core conceit is so strong and one that should be experienced with eyes wide open and plot details kept to a minimum.
Here’s the spoiler-free skinny: a father moves back to his old hometown with his wife and child, but something’s up. Whispers are swirling, people are staring; he’s hiding a secret, one that ties back to a traumatic childhood event that I daren’t ruin here. Then, in an unusual twist, it’s left to his nine-year-old daughter to play journo and join the dots. It’s got all the makings of a compelling crime drama with a slice of small-town Americana and an incessantly itchy sense of unease thrown in for good measure.
What: Home Before Dark
Where: Apple Plus
When: April 3
5. Onward and upwards and now streaming on Disney Plus
The cinemas are closed and, as a result, new movie releases are slim pickings. Many studios, though, are taking the plunge and making their big releases available early on streaming services. Disney has already released Onward to purchase, but now Pixar’s latest offering – about two elves who go on an epic quest to bring back the other half of their Dad after a magical ritual goes wrong – has come to Disney Plus. As with all Pixar originals, Onward’s a wonderful tale that’s both heartwarming and tear-wrenching. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt co-star as the adventuring elves, Barley and Ian, and their quest is surely one that will entertain both children and parents alike.
What: Onward
Where: Disney Plus
When: April 3
Release Radar picks the best games, movies, and shows of the next seven days every Monday at 11am GMT.
