This October, Xbox Live Gold subscribers have some suitably spooky games to play for the month of Halloween. Microsoft recently released the Games with Gold lineup for October, with subscribers gaining access to two Xbox One games, and two Xbox 360 games playable via backward compatibility. With a mix of classics and some newer games, there's plenty to keep a variety of different gamers busy for the month.
The two Xbox One games coming to the service are Aaero and Hover, while the two Xbox 360 games are Castlevania: Harmony of Despair and Resident Evil: Code Veronica X. Obviously, the latter two horror-themed games are good picks for October, but Aero and Hover offer more futuristic and less scary gameplay for anyone not in the Halloween mood. There's also still time to claim the Games with Gold from September before they leave the service.
Aaero
Aaero was originally released in 2018 and was developed by Mad Fellows, a two-person British studio. Aaero should be of particular interest for music aficionados, as the rail shooter combines electronic dance music with relatively simple controls to create a visually and aurally captivating gaming experience. The game is a short one, at about 2 hours to finish the main quest, but does offer side missions and further exploration. It was generally well-received by critics and features music from Katy B, Noisia, The Prototypes, and more.
Hover
Originally released in 2017, Hover has players explore a futuristic, cyberpunk 3D world. With both fast-paced single and multiplayer modes, the game's mechanics are largely parkour-based. The playable character is part of a group of young rebels called 'The Gamers', who fight an oppressive regime. The gameplay is pretty low-stakes, with the parkour elements creating fluid movement, and is a good choice for the horror-adverse or multiplayer fans. The game also allows the player to switch from singleplayer to multiplayer at any time during play, and it features two songs from Hideki Naganuma.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Part of the iconic Castlevania franchise, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair came out in 2010. While multiple characters from the previous games appear in Harmony of Despair, and the environment of Hell House feels familiar, the game is actually a marked departure for the series. Unlike previous Castlevania games, Harmony of Despair is multiplayer, with teams of up to six hunting down the persistent Dracula. The game received mixed reviews thanks to a complicated and fiddly combat system, but the multiplayer does allow for some fun collaboration in hunting down vampires. Particularly for fans of the Castlevania series, this is worth playing in October to see multiple fan-favorite characters join up to defeat bosses as they explore Hell House and attempt to finally put a stop to Dracula.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X is a special extended cut of Resident Evil: Code Veronica, a game that was released for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 in 2001, and then remastered for PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011. The extended footage mainly concerns Wesker. Fans of the Resident Evil franchise will surely be aware of this side game that takes place after the events of Resident Evil 2 and during the events of Resident Evil 3. Conceived as a 'true' sequel to RE2, Code Veronica X follows Claire Redfield, united with her brother Chris. Like other Resident Evil games, Code Veronica X has numerous tropes from gothic horror and is probably the most conventionally scary game on the list for October. Unlike the others on the list, Code Veronica was extremely well received.
These games won't stay on the Xbox Games with Gold service for long though, so any interested gamers should snap them up quickly. Aaero will be available from the 1st to the 31st of October, Hover will be available from the 16th of October to the 15th of November, and Castlevania: Harmony of Darkness will be on the service from the 1st to the 15th of October. Finally, subscribers will have to wait until the 16th of October to grab Resident Evil: Code Veronica X, just as Harmony of Darkness leaves the service. Code Veronica X will be available right up to Halloween.