The new expansion for 'Diablo IV,' 'Lord of Hatred,' which is set for official release on April 28, has taken the No. 1 spot in this week's top game rankings. It is highly anticipated for its two new classes, as well as its new story, endgame content, and quality-of-life updates. Consequently, 'Crimson Desert,' which had held the top spot for consecutive weeks, has slipped to second place.
There was also significant interest in 'Imjin War: Counterattack of Joseon,' the new title from director Kim Tae-gon, a developer familiar to many for 'Imjin-rok' and 'Gersang.' It is worth noting that the final test, running for five days from April 13 to 11:00 AM on April 17, is open to everyone without restrictions. Notably, the test offers a 'character name reservation' opportunity that carries over to the official launch, which is expected to draw in gamers interested in historical strategy titles.
'Mongil= STAR DIVE,' scheduled for release on the 15th, maintained its fourth-place position from last week. During an online Game Showcase last week, the developers revealed various details, including the game's world-building and combat, and shared future update plans. Pre-registering before launch grants rewards such as the Beast-kin healer Francis, character summon tickets, and the mutant monster Sora-pyong.
Notable New Releases, Events, and Updates
Several games were released last week, including the Steam version of 'Legend of Ymir,' but the reception was somewhat lackluster. 'Musical Protagonists,' published by Annapurna Interactive, received the highest praise among last week's releases with a Metacritic score of 80, while 'The Occultist' and 'Samson' managed only 66 and 50 points, respectively.
The 'Triple-i Initiative,' which billed itself as a high-quality indie game showcase, was a fairly significant event held on the 10th. The 45-minute presentation focused on gameplay footage without hosts or advertisements. Eight high-quality indie games were introduced, including 'Risk of Rain 2' and 'Castlevania: Curse of Belmont.'
'Mongil= STAR DIVE,' launching on the 15th, revealed key in-game information during its online Game Showcase last Wednesday. It was announced that 'Esde' will be the first pickup character after launch, and events will be held to earn the character's hidden story, 3D cutscene live backgrounds, and growth materials. Various online and offline events are also planned around the launch.
This Week's ISSUE: Cute Diana, Let's Go Meet Her This Week!
More new games are preparing for release this week. 'Mongil: STAR DIVE' and the famous indie game 'Hades II' are finally set for official launch. However, I believe the most highly anticipated title is Capcom's new game, 'Pragmata.'
'Pragmata,' which depicts the adventure of the human protagonist Hugh and the android robot Diana, has garnered significant attention since its first reveal. That wait will finally come to an end on the 17th. How will the unique gameplay, which involves performing Hugh's gun action and Diana's hacking 'simultaneously,' be received?
A playtest for Wargaming's new title, 'World of Tanks: Hit,' is scheduled from Thursday the 16th through next Monday. Unlike the original 'World of Tanks,' players can expect to encounter intense, fast-paced battlefields. In particular, it features elements of a 'hero shooter' where different types of ultimate abilities can be used depending on the tank commander character, making it one of the titles to watch for test results.
What Were Last Week's METACRITIC Scores?
Let's take a look at the Metacritic scores released last week. 'Musical Protagonists' was the highest-rated game among last week's releases with a score of 80; it is a music-themed turn-based RPG depicting the adventures of pop singer Cadence. While its original world-building and combat system were highly praised, some pointed out that the story pacing felt rushed and the depth of the gameplay mechanics was lacking.
'Minos,' distributed by Devolver Digital, claims to be a unique genre: a maze-building roguelite. The name might suggest exploring a labyrinth where a Minotaur awaits, but the player is actually the one designing the maze. The goal is to prevent intruders by freely placing traps and mazes, and it recorded a Metacritic score of 77.
'The Occultist,' which follows a supernatural detective searching for his missing father, stayed at a Metacritic score of 66. While the atmosphere and narrative structure were generally well-regarded, shortcomings in quality-of-life features—such as a lack of core mechanic utilization, no map, and no chapter selection—were cited as drawbacks.
'Pokemon Champions,' an F2P game focused on Pokemon battles, received a 64. As a free-to-play title, its direction of lowering the barrier to entry for new users was viewed positively, but issues such as monetization of core content, bugs at launch, and an overly small number of Pokemon were controversial. Some critics pointed out that it is an 'unfinished platform' that requires future updates.
'Samson,' an open-world action game from Liquid Swords, led by Just Cause co-creator Christofer Sundberg, neared the lowest score range for 2026. Currently, its Metacritic score is 50, with widespread criticism regarding its overly small open-world scale, repetitive mission structure, and severe input lag. However, some users consider it 'reasonable' given the affordable price point for an open-world game.
New Game Popularity Poll
This week's poll covers games released or scheduled for release between March 13 and May 13. Accordingly, games released in March such as 'Marathon,' 'Slay the Spire 2,' 'Subnautica: Below Zero,' and 'The War of Genesis Raising' have been excluded from the poll, while games like 'Mixtape,' 'Celestial Return,' and 'Meg's Monster' have been newly added.
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