Five Must-Buy PS Vita Games in 2015

Though it had an initially positive reception, The PS Vita has very much fallen to the wayside of this generation of gaming consoles. Like the PSP, the Vita has struggled to compete in the face of mobile gaming on iOS and Android and, like its predecessor, has been all but abandoned by most major third party publishers. 

That said, where the Vita stumbles in the size of its library, many agree it thrives on the quality of the games it does have. There’s been a stellar string of Japanese titles for the system that have struck a chord with western audiences like Dangan Ronpa & Virtue’s Last Reward, and it has provided a great outlet for indie gems like Luftrausers and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. 

The release schedule is looking no less fantastic for this coming year- read on to find out why!

5. Persona 4: Dancing All Night

On one hand, it’d be easy to dismiss Persona 4: Dancing All Night as a cheap spin-off meant to cash in on the popularity of Atlus’ enormous classic-JRPG-cross-trendy-life sim - but in fairness, they haven’t let fans down before. Persona 4: Golden still stands as one of the best titles in the Vita’s library and the series’ recent ventures into the world of fighting games have received an outstandingly positive reception. 

Throw in the stellar soundtrack and production quality that the series is known for and you have one of the strangest, most exciting Vita titles of 2015.

4. Volume

Thomas was Alone was one of the first and strongest indie games to migrate to the Vita and the next title from developer Mike Bithell looks just as innovative and compelling. Volume is a stealth action game that’s set to reimagine the mythology of Robin Hood for the modern age. Players take on the role of Robin of Locksley as he livestreams the infiltration and sabotage of a futuristic corpocracy. 

Andy Serkis, Danny Wallace and Youtube personality Charlie McDonell are on board as voice actors and although it doesn’t have a release date just yet, it’s hard to not get on board with the game's delightfully slick presentation and Metal Gear Solid-brand of stealth action gameplay.

3. Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines

Alongside visual novels, the Vita has also become a haven for JRPGs and Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines looks like another strong addition to the system’s lineup in this regard. Taking more than a few notes from games like Infinity Blade, Oreshika will see you take on the members of a family cursed to face off against an ancient demon. 

In line with the Vita’s other JRPG offerings, it’ll be lengthy, highly replayable and bring its own twist to the genre’s conventions through Shadow of Mordor-style enemy hierarchies and a gorgeous watercolor aesthetic. Definitely one to grab when it makes an English release this year.

2. Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters

The Vita is a haven for Japanese visual novel games like the Zero Escape and Dangan Ronpa series and while fans of the aforementioned may have a bit of a wait on their hands before Dangan Ronpa 3, Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters is shaping up to be the perfect stop-gap.

As you’d expect, Tokyo Twilight will see players take on the role of a high school student interning at a magazine company-turned-secret-occult-society. Alongside its visual novel trappings, the developers are promising turn-based battles and unique investigation mechanics that will see you utilize all five of your senses to solve mysteries and presumably help restless spirits find peace.

1. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Like a lot of the indie successes on Vita, Hotline Miami was late to party but made up for it by making the most of the system’s control scheme, powerful processor and portability, arguably becoming the definitive version of the game. Exploring side stories set both before and after the original game, Hotline Miami 2 will feature thirteen playable characters (each with their own special abilities), a “hard mode” and a level editor.

Though Dennaton’s ‘murder-simulator’ does have its critics, it’s still shaping up to be one of the tightest 2D action games on offer for the Vita this year.