With February ending soon, Microsoft announced their Games with Gold coming to Xbox Live Gold subscribers in March.
For Xbox One owners the month starts with Layers of Fear, a survival-horror game from Polish developer Bloober Team. Starting on March 16, Xbox One owners will be able to download team-based multiplayer shooter Evolve: Ultimate Edition for free. Evolve will remain available until April 15.
Xbox 360 owners will get access to the Diablo-inspired shooter/RPG hybrid Borderlands 2 from March 1-15. After that, arcade style shoot-‘em up Heavy Weapon will be free for Xbox owners. These games will also be available on Xbox One through backwards compatibility.
The highlight of the month is Borderlands 2. The loot-based shooter from Gearbox currently holds an 89 rating on Metacritic. Evolve: Ultimate Edition is an interesting choice as the game has gone free to play on PC. It remains to be seen if the game’s free release will give it a new lease on life; developer Turtle Rock Studios stopped supporting the game in October 2016, a little over a year after release.
Layers of Fear is a first-person horror game that promises to offer a story focused experience in a Victorian setting. The game bills itself as psychedelic horror and offers a sanity system that alters gameplay. “A sense of insanity means each turn of the camera may completely change the look of your surroundings,” said developer Bloober Team on the game’s website.
Heavy Weapon was developed by PopCap and is a dual joystick shooter. Players control a tank as they try to battle against the forces of a fictionalized Soviet Union. The game can be played with up to four-players in co-op mode.
The full release schedule for the March Games with Gold can be found below, including Metacritic scores in parentheses. Games will become available starting on March 1.
Xbox One
March 1-15: Layers of Fear (78)
March 16-April 15: Evolve: Ultimate Edition (74)
Xbox 360
March 1-15: Borderlands 2 (89)
March 16-31: Heavy Weapon (77)
