Well, that was quite the trip – as Gamescom 2024 closes out, it’s already making headlines of all sorts. Remember how in Part One, we said Xbox turned some heads? We really meant that as loyalists found themselves shook early on when Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was announced to be multi-platform, but Phil Spencer’s “it’s just business” summation is really the best way to put it. In the end, they’ve more than likely chosen wisely given the global popularity of the Indiana Jones franchise.
Luckily, there were dozens of other thrills to look forward to. As strange as it sounds, one of the best parts of this year’s Gamescom was that a lot of titles weren’t necessarily meant for everybody and thought outside the box. Storytelling’s newest medium is certainly going through some changes, and who knows where it’s going to end up, but as long as it keeps creative people doing creative things they want to explore, we’re here to support it. Even if we don’t quite understand it.
Here are ten more things that got us truly hyped from the show, as well as a couple honorable mentions:
#10: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise
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Although we’re sure just about everybody expected a game, the premise of a graphic novel prequel to The Legacy of Rain: Soul Reaver is still a pretty sweet surprise. We have a lot of good memories with Legacy of Kain: Defiance in particular, and still wish that either that one or the original was getting a remaster, but maybe this is a good sign. That being said, for anyone on the fence, there are some amazing perks for the Kickstarter, and if you too share a… um… darker… past? You might be interested to know that Clayton aka Celldweller is running the campaign via his new multimedia company Bit Bot. That alone should have the initiated convinced that when it comes to vampiric aesthetic, whatever happens here will not be lacking.
#9: Squirrel With a Gun
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Depending on where you are, Squirrels are the kind of thing that might be a part of your every day life. Where we used to live, they would shoot up and down the tree outside and harass our cats through the window, and it was entertainment for hours. Now, picture that same exact scenario, but the squirrels have guns. Yeah. Terrifying doesn’t even begin to cover it. But for some psychotic reason, we can’t wait to try it.
Out August 24, 2024.
#8: Barkour
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For out second animalistic feature, we ask an important question: has Varsav Game Studios finally cooked up a canine equivalent to 2022’s darling Stray? While it’s a little too early to tell with no actual gameplay footage, the premise of a stylized espionage thriller from the perspective of a dog sounds like an incredible time. It would be cool to get something that throws us back to a classic Playstation 2 jaunt like Sly Cooper and The Thievius Raccoonus, but in retrospect the last time we were this stoked to see a dog with a jetpack was Jet Force Gemini, Rare’s tragically passed over sci-fi epic.
Release TBA 2025
#7: Metaphor: ReFantazio
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We haven’t played the insanely popular Persona series, but this tantalizing action RPG comes from the same pedigree being that development team Studio Zero is a subsidiary of Shinagawa’s Atlus Games. It beings that signature animation style to a whole new dimension, and when the new gameplay footage aired with the turn-based combat, we were sold, and normally that’s a mechanic we strongly dislike. Also the Vetruvian perk system seems really well designed, as do most of the HUD and UI elements, which goes a long way in such a strikingly visual game. We may never dive into the interpersonal drama of Persona, but Metaphor: ReFantazio has us ready to challenge ourselves with its fresh take on the familiar.
Out October 10, 2024.
#6: The Spirt of the Samurai
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Every frame of the gameplay we saw for Spirit of the Samurai looked like a story coming to life – handcrafted games are loads of extra work, and sometimes end up so stylized their audience is shrunk, but this one looks like it absolutely nails both style and substance. Also, we’re pretty sure you have a feline companion that assists you in bloody finishers, as well as explore certain areas. That being said it is a side-scroller so exploration will probably be limited, but the game seems like it has a lot of depth to sink your time and tiny, precious teeth into.
#5: Directive 8020
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Supermassive Games has produced groundbreaking projects that blur the line between modern cinema and classic point and click games like the Dark Picture Series, Until Dawn, The Quarry, and several more. Directive 8020 continues their tradition of spooky, player-affected narratives, but with far more involvement in terms of movement and play mechanics being that it’s being marketed as a stealth game inspired by The Thing… hopefully someone gets it when we say we cannot wait to spend the rest of this winter tied to this fecking couch.
Release TBA 2025
#4: We Harvest Shadows
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Though we were pretty curious after the game’s initial reveal, Splattercat’s YouTube gameplay footage above reveals what appears to be a relatively brilliant mashup of first-person survival horror and farmstead simulator. We saw ghosts, changing paintings, and suffered a couple of jumps cares while doing things like making chicken coups, watering plants, and reading through farming surplus magazines. On paper it might sound like a difficult marriage, but seriously, watch the footage above and you’ll find yourself rolling up your sleeves and pricing out tractors to get through this novel new journey.
Early Access on Steam.
#3: A.I.L.A
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Maybe it’s a little on the nose to call the Pulsatrix Studios offering a meta-horror, being that you seemingly play as a QA tester for increasingly unhinged VR situations, but honestly it looks like the kind of thriller we’d purchase a headset for. You know, under the condition it comes with health insurance of some kind as the game, as it looks part of the game’s overall intent is to give casuals a heart attack. We don’t know too much, but what we’ve seen blends the feel of cult-classics like Soma and System Shock while sticking to the strengths honed from their previous project, the atmospheric shooter Fobia: Saint Dinfna Hotel.
Release TBA 2025
#2: Mouse P.I. for Hire
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There’s a real storybook realism craze happening in gaming thanks to newly available artistic technology, and with Disney’s claims to the likeness of Mickey Mouse fully relinquished, we’re surprisingly getting a lot of dark stuff in the wake of people’s bloodthirsty fan-fiction fantasies. Post Cuphead, it’s not totally unusual to see 1920’s rubber hose artwork in the gaming space, but seeing Mouse P.I. for Hire take the art style to the first-person style in such an authentic feeling way had our jaw on the floor. The vintage celluloid filtering also seems to lend itself to the Doom-like combat and weapon handling, not to mention those spritely death animations. Complete with a swinging jazz soundtrack, the whole thing might feel like a morbid revisionist nightmare, but for some people, that’s just the ticket. Turns out, we are those people, and we are getting in line. Sorry, Mickey – it’s time.
Release TBA 2025
#1: Avowed
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There are a lot of high expectations for Avowed, but the project has been under a boatload of additional scrutiny since their updated gameplay trailer dropped a couple months ago. After the updated footage, many started to believe there were signs that Obsidian just might pull off the impossible task of producing a true heir to Bethesda’s immortal Skyrim. We never expected a dark or drab experienced from the game, but the Enfant Terrible video above surprised us with intriguing bits of Appalachian steampunk and vibrant high-fantasy, not to mention the diversity of mechanics on display with the different play styles. We were never not intrigued, but after seeing what the studio behind Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas has put together so far, we are on the edge of our seats.
Out February 18, 2025.
BONUS ROUND:
Kingdom Come II: Deliverance
(We have plans to go full Monty Python and the Holy Grail with this 15th century open-world RPG.)
Date Everything
(If you’ve ever wanted to date your clothes hanger or cabinet, they’ve finally made a game for you.)
Voidtrain
(Flying whales, cloning, base building, and inter-dimensional flying trains await.
Herdling
(A playful yet dark herding platformer from Okomotive, the people behind FAR.)
Path of Exile II
(Path of Exile’s upcoming sequel looks pretty darn great if we’re to believe the footage above.)
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