It’s so weird, this April there is actually nothing fun coming your way…
April Fools!
Did I get you? Okay, so probably not. There’s a bunch of geeky stuff headed your way this month. From a TV show based on a hit video game to a video game based on African mythology, and another video game based on the world of Akira Toriyama, and finally to a new book from the author of The Three-Body Problem. There’s a lot to get excited about.
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Movies/TV Shows
April 4th
The Tearsmith
Netflix
Based off of the best-selling novel by Erin Doom, teenagers Nica and Rigel are both adopted out of an orphanage called the Grave. Both grew up on a fairy tale of the Tearmaker, a smith who crafts the fears and anxieties in everyone, who definitely isn’t real. Or is he?
Star Trek: Discovery, season 5
Paramount+
In its fifth and final season, Michael Burnham and the crew of the starship Discovery embark on one final mission, 900 years after the events of Captains Pike and Kirk. After an 800-year-old Romulan vessel is found, the Discovery is sent to retrieve it, only to have the artifact on board stolen by a mysterious enemy and igniting a galaxy spanning quest to retrieve it.
April 5th
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, season 3
Crunchyroll
Now a fully-fledged Demon Lord, Rimuru is prepared to open up the borders of his kingdom of Tempest to the other races for a massive banquet. Something that the monster-hating Captain Hinata, who has a grudge against Rimuru, and her Holy Knights of Lubelius are very excited for.
The Wingfeather Saga, season 2
Angel Studios
The Igiby children—Janner, Tink (call him Kalmar, please), and Leeli—have discovered the truth of their ancestry: they are the heirs to the kingdom of the Shining Isle of Anniera. But if they are to escape the army of Fangs that are after them, they’ll have to journey into the frozen North, avoiding Fangs, Stranders, Sea Dragons, and a sinister Fork Factory along the way.
Monkey Man
In Theaters
Starring Dev Patel, Monkey Man follows the story of a young man in contemporary India who emerges from prison to take on the corporate greed and eroding spiritual values that have taken over. But most of all, he’s out to get revenge on the men who killed his mother.
Epic Tails
Limited Release
Pattie is a small mouse hoping to become a hero. But while her cat friend Sam thinks she’s too small, Pattie knows better. So, when Zeus, the king of the Gods, threatens to destroy her city, she doesn’t hesitate to jump onboard a ship—facing baby kraken, cyclopes, and more—to save the day.
The Beast
Limited Release
In the near future, humans try to erase their feelings caused by the trauma of past lives. Gabrielle undergoes this treatment where she learns that she has fallen in love with different incarnations of Louis, first in 19th century Paris than in 21st century Los Angeles. Will history repeat itself again in violence and death, or is there a way forward for Gabrielle and Louis?
April 12th
Civil War
In Theaters
In this dystopian action film, the US stands on the brink of a new civil war. Three journalists and a photographer are at first excited to document the growing tension between the dictatorship in Washington DC and the “Western Forces” of Texas and California. Those hopes are dashed, however, once the shooting actually starts.
Shrek 2 (re-release)
In Theaters
This re-release of one of the most beloved animated movies of all time sees Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey journey to the Kingdom of Far, Far Away to meet Fiona’s parents… and the wicked Fairy Godmother and her son, Prince Charming. To defeat them, Shrek will have to team up with the famous sword fighter Puss in Boots.
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
In Theaters
The Crandell family freak out after the old (and horribly racist) babysitter that their mom hired die. Not wanting to waste their summer, and in need of cash, seventeen-year-old Tanya has to pose as an adult to get a job at a fashion company where she will have to balance new love, a stressful job, and taking care of her siblings in this hilarious remake of the cult-classic.
Fallout, season 1
Prime
Based on the hit videogame franchise, Lucy is a young vault dweller who, until now, has never seen the desolated and irradiated wasteland that was once Los Angeles 219 years ago. Now, if she is to have any chance of survival, she’ll have to work with a Squire of the Brotherhood of Steel (a paramilitary group with a white knight complex) and a mutilated gunslinging Ghoul who was alive before the bombs dropped.
April 13th
Black Butler: Public School Arc
Crunchyroll
Ciel Phantomhive and his demonic butler Sebastian are back and forced to attend the prestigious Weston College, where a relative of Queen Victoria has disappeared. Enrolling in the school, Ciel will have to investigate more than one mystery as he navigates the horrors of school life and competitive sports.
April 19th
Spy x Family Code: White
Select Theaters
Trying to keep his family together after he receives orders to be replaced, Loid helps his daughter win a cooking competition at her school. Together with his fake wife, Yor, the trio inadvertently set off a series of events (when Anya eats a chocolate) that could threaten world peace.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
In Theaters
As Nazi Germany pounds Great Britain, Churchill enlists the help of Gus March-Phillipps to put together a team of ruthless, cutthroat, and crazy S.O.B.s. Their orders: go behind enemy lines, kill Nazis, blow stuff up, and generally stop behaving like gentlemen.
Villains Inc.
In Theaters
After their boss is killed leaving them to work at day jobs, former henchpeople Beatrix, Cain and Harold decide that it is time for them to throw off the life of under-appreciated underlings and achieve world domination on their own. So long as they can survive powerful superheroes, competing villains, a new intern, and union bureaucracy.
Sasquatch Sunset
In Theaters
This absurdist, epic, and poignant comedy follows one year in the life of a Sasquatch family. Yes, you read that right. Possibly the last of their kind, this family journeys across the misty forests of North America as they find themselves at odds with the ever-changing world around them.
The Three Musketeers, Part II: Milady
Limited Release
With his lover, Constance, kidnapped, young D’Artagnan must seek the help of his friends Orthos, Porthos, and Aramis to save her. But war is in the air as the French king sends his musketeers to the siege of La Rochelle, where D’ Artagnan will meet the mysterious Milady de Winter, a woman who will either help the young musketeer or kill him.
Rebel Moon, Part 2: The Scargiver
Netflix
Okay look, we all had opinions about part one of Zac Snyder’s grimdark space Seven Samurai, and part two does not look much different. Expect some cool visual effects as we continue the story of Kora, the Scargiver, as she and her motley band of desperadoes fight to protect a small farming community against the wrath of an evil empire.
April 23rd
The Moon and Back
VOD
Lydia Gilbert felt completely lost after her father’s passing. That is until she found her father’s old movie script for a big budget space opera. With a VHS camera in hand, and a budget consisting of pocket change, Lydia goes about trying to make her father’s movie a reality.
April 26th
Breathe
Limited Release
In a post-apocalyptic future, Maya and Zora, a mother and daughter in a survival bunker, meet a pair of scavengers who claim to know what happened to Maya’s missing husband. With the air in their survival suits running out, Maya agrees to let the couple inside their bunker resulting in an ultimate fight for survival.
Boy Kills World
Limited Release
Described as a “dystopian fever dream action film,” a young deaf man known only as Boy escapes into the jungle after his parents were killed. Now, having been trained by a mysterious mentor, and with a kickass inner voice, Boy is ready to get revenge on the ultra-rich and super-violent van der Koy family.
April 30th
Butterfly in the Sky
VOD
This documentary follows the story of PBS’s hit program “Reading Rainbow” and its iconic host LeVar Burton, documenting the trials and hardships that the children’s program faced as they tried to foster a love of reading through television.
Video Games
April 3rd
Deceit 2
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
The terrifying online game comes to consoles this month. This social horror deduction finds you trapped with friends and strangers in a world with three main groups: the Terror, the Innocent, and the Cursed. Deceive, create mayhem, and inspire fear in this ultimate team survival game.
April 4th
Freedom Planet 2
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch
Become a hero of Avalice and fight the water dragon Merga for the freedom of your fellow citizens. Play as one of four characters each with unique powers and fighting styles. Explore Avalice in adventure mode or jump straight into the fight in classic mode.
April 9th
Botany Manor
Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
A first-person puzzle game set in a 19th-century manor house, this game finds retired botanist Arabella Greene finishing her book on forgotten flora. Explore the beautiful and mysterious grounds of the manor, grow a variety of flowers, learn more about Arabella’s career, and relax!
Gigantic: Rampage Edition
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Get ready for the definitive release of the original 5v5 MOBA hero shooter. Enjoy everything from the original game and much more. There’s new heroes, new maps, as well as the chance for cross platform play between consoles and PC.
April 11th
Let’s! Revolution!
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch
In this fantastically colorful roguelite puzzle mashup you are engaged in a deadly game of hide and seek with the narcissistic king of Beebom. You can choose your fighter from six unique classes and experience this colorfully animated world with a diverse class of memorable characters.
April 16th
Grounded
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch
Fight to survive the perils of the backyard in this unique first-person survival adventure. In this game, you find yourself shrunken down to the size of an ant. But, how did you get to be this way? Who did this to you? How will you get home? Answer all these questions and more either alone or with friends in online play.
Harold Halibut
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
In this stop-motion sci-fi adventure you play as the titular Harold, lab assistant to the lead scientist aboard a spaceship sunken into an alien sea. Explore your small but vibrant world filled with colorful characters and learn more about your bosses attempts to raise and relaunch the ship. This truly unique animation comes complete with fully voiced characters and a carefully crafted script that explores the true meaning of home.
Planet of Lana
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch
This beautiful world of cold machines and strange creatures has been invaded by a faceless army. But you don’t play as a soldier or violent revolutionary; you play as a young girl using her wits and the love of her best friend (a dog-like creature) to try and keep her world safe.
April 23rd
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Get ready for a brand new JRPG experience in a war-torn world that only you can save. Funded fully through Kickstarter in 2020, this game features more than one hundred playable characters and an epic story about empire and revolution.
Lunar Lander: Beyond
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
In this unique management game you play as the newly appointed captain of the Pegasus corporation. While delivering cargo, gathering resources, and saving stranded pilots, you’ll also need to keep an eye on your own guys. Long haul solo pilots are prone to space madness and you’ll need all the help you can get out there in the void.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Check out this Metroidvania-style adventure inspired by the Bantu mythology of Central and Southern Africa. You play as Zau, a young shaman bargaining with the god of death to bring back his recently deceased father. Explore the beautifully animated world where you’ll defeat restless spirits with the powers of the mysterious Moon and Sun masks.
April 25th
Another Crab’s Treasure
Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Set in an underwater kingdom on the verge of collapse, this soulslike adventure sees you playing a down-on-you-luck hermit crab who’s just had his shell repossessed. With over 50 different pieces of trash to choose from as a temporary shell, you’ll need to fight off other sea creatures as well as the encroaching pollution from the world above.
SaGa Emerald Beyond
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC, iOS, Android
A completely new story in the beloved series promises a unique story for each player created through your choices and actions. Travel to 17 separate worlds with six leading characters and countless NPC’s to create a story that is totally SaGa and totally you.
April 26th
Sand Land
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC
In this arid world created by Akira Toriyama, you play the demon prince Beelzebub who, along with the humans of this world, search for the Legendary Spring hidden somewhere in the desert. An action-RPG that involves vehicle builds, mechs, and the creation of a city for the displaced people of the desert sounds like an adventure for the ages.
April 30th
Sea of Thieves
PlayStation 5
The smash-hit pirate adventure finally makes its way to the PS5. Vanquish sea monsters, plunder treasure, and battle governments and pirates alike in the classic swashbuckler from Rare Ltd.
Books
April 2nd
- Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco–Book 2 in Remy Pendergast, Fantasy, LGBTQ
- Darker by Four by June C.L. Tan–YA, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
- Toll of Honor by David Weber–Book 18 in Honor Harrington, SciFi, Action Adventure
- Draw Down the Moon by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast–YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
- Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead–SciFi, Space Opera
- The Ghost Forest by Sayantani DasGupta–Book 3 in Secrets of the Sky, Kids, Fantasy
- House of War and Bone by Leia Stone–Book 2 in Gilded City, YA, Fantasy
- A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu–SciFi
- Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio–Book 6 in Sun Eater, SciFi, Space Opera
- Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John–Fantasy, Historical Romance
- Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie–SciFi, Action Adventure
- A Thundering of Monsters by S.A. Patrick–Book 3 in Songs of Magic, Kids, Fantasy, Horror
- Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew–YA, Fantasy, Horror
- Admiral and Commander by Charles E. Gannon–SciFi, Action Adventure
- No Escape by Maren Stoffels–Horror, Mystery
- This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca–Horror
- The Black Girl Survives in This One edited by Desiree S. Evans–Horror, Anthology
April 9th
- Catchpenny by Charlie Huston–Dark Fantasy, Mystery
- Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier–YA, Action Adventure, Fantasy
- Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan–Horror, Mystery
- Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes–Horror, SciFi
- A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan–Kids, Fantasy
- The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence–Book 2 in The Library Trilogy, Action Adventure, Epic Fantasy
- Myrrh by Polly Hall–Horror, Thriller, Crime
- Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton–SciFi, Action Adventure
- Lyorn by Steven Brust–Book 17 in The Vlad Taltos Novels, Action Adventure, Epic Fantasy
- A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland–Fantasy, Mythological, LGBTQ
- Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone–Book 2 in The Craft Wars, Action Adventure, Fantasy
- Against the Darkness by Kendare Blake–Book 3 in Buffy: The Next Generation, YA, Horror, Fantasy
April 16th
- Deep Is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson–YA, Fantasy
- King of Dead Things by Nevin Holness–YA, Fantasy, Mythology
- The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar–SciFi, Space Opera
- The Lady of Rapture by Sarah Raughley–Book 3 in Bones of Ruin, YA, Fantasy, SciFi
- Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro–Fantasy, Gothic, Horror
- The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver–YA, Suspense, Horror
- Merciless Saviors by H.E. Edgmon–Book 2 in Ouroboros, YA, Fantasy, LGBTQ
- To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang–Action Adventure, Epic Fantasy
April 23rd
- Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker–Book 2 of Blood Debts, YA, Fantasy, LGBTQ
- Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu–Book 1 of Soulbound Saga, Action Adventure, Fantasy
- A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall–Fantasy, Historical
- Necrobane by Daniel M. Ford–Action Adventure, Fantasy
- Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta–YA, Dark Fantasy
- The Sky Was Ours by Joe Fassler–Fantasy, Literary
- Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin–YA, Fantasy Romance
April 30th
- Relics of Ruin by Erin M. Evans–Book 2 in Books of the Usurper, Epic Fantasy, Action Adventure
- Return of the Vengeful Queen by C.J. Redwine–Book 2 in Charis Willowthorn, YA, Fantasy
- The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson–YA, Fantasy
- Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt–Horror, Thriller
That’s April
That’s April, folks!
We’ve got a lot of stuff to look forward to this month and even more stuff to look forward to next month. Sign up for Geek Alerts to be the first one to hear all about it.
Keep it Geeky!