While E3 is a thing of the past for the last few years, the summer game showcases have not stopped. In fact, its lined up a lot of smaller conferences aside from the main players to bring attention to certain groups as well. This year certainly was no different with an incredible amount of games being showcased from AAA titles through to the Indie developers
Of course for ourselves it was these indie titles which had us most excited so here’s our list of games that have us most excited for their future releases
State of Decay 3
Four years on from its initial announcement at the Xbox Games 2020 Showcase this new trailer helped to remind us that the game is still in development which dropped a few moments of gameplay in a largely cinematic trailer though sadly still no release date announced. Here’s hoping it manages to nail the survive and scavenge spirit of the previous games which made them stand out from the wealth of zombie blasters.
Project Dosa
Coming from Outerloop Games (Thirsty Suitors + Falcon Age) their latest title was announced as part of the Outersloth slate, a new indie development fund from the developers of Amongst Us Innersloth.
The game will you see play sisters Samara and Amani as they collect ingredients to create delicious meals to help repair relationships with their family while also piloting a customisable mech and engaging in narrative turn based combat.
Doom Dark Ages
There is always going to be some part of us that will always be excited about a new Doom release and certainly the franchise has certainly been holding its own since the 2016 reboot. Of course the mention of Medieval Doom instantly brought to mind Hexen: Beyond Heretic the trailer shows that id Software are still going have players raining down dragonfire weapon blasts on the demonic hordes while also showcasing the mecha-dragon aswell as the Chain Shield which is a blend of a chainsaw and a shield.
At the same time the focus for the setting is going to be on more ecologically diverse environments aswell as denser and flatter combat arenas while all powered by the latest idTech engine.
Crab God
An atmospheric strategy game from Chaos Theory games which will see you building your own crab colony as you venture ever deeper while repairing and protecting the coral reefs.
Bringing a unique visual style the game certainly looks lighthearted especially with the cartoon design though whether it has lastability or any depth outside of what we saw in the trailer remains to be seen.
Cairn
Coming from The Game Bakers who previously were behind Furi and Haven with this climbing game which has a similar feel to as Jusant though with a stronger focus on survival than that game leisurely climb as you attempt to scale Mount Kami a summit which has never been scaled.
The game will allow the player to choose their own path while solving problems of how to scale problematic sections with each fall being highlighted by the path taken previously encouraging players to experiment with new paths as they venture ever upwards.
The Blumhouse Games
While Blumhouse might have spent the last few years helping revive Indie Horror while providing an alternative to the arthouse leaning of A24 they are not the first horror studio to attempt to venture into making games with Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision having previously attempted to crack the market. However showcasing a slate of six games with a wide variety of styles certainly they managed to capture our interest especially with the first person marionette shooter Cristol Theatre of Idols and the Stardew Valley esq Grave Season being noteworthy standouts.
N.O.D.E
Set in a Cold War era nuclear complex, N.O.D.E is a 2.5D puzzle platformer where you navigate a robot originally designed for the Mars mission but send into this heavy radiation location maneuvered through a series of navigation sequence commands that you must input to make sure it avoids various obstacles to reach its next checkpoint. The story also offers a choice-based narration between the robot and the main control as it helps to investigate the things it encounters.
With a demo currently available on Steam to try out, the demo quickly dives into a dark and abandoned complex with a focus on amplifying the environment sounds while giving a tutorial of all the controls the robot will need for its timeline navigation execution. It’s a unique game mechanic that takes patience to achieve the perfect timing but for a game set for release in 2025, it’s a well-polished and effective demo.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Life is Strange with Max and Chloe in its first game was a truly endearing game that has been the reason for a fondness for anything Dontnod Entertainment offers now. While the follow-up Life is Strange games and its similar styles of games have had its fluctuating feelings, it’s always a welcoming thought to see the game focusing back on the franchise’s titular character Max and her time-manipulation ability and boasting a new timeline shifting skill to discover. With a new location and a new friend being involved and developed by Deck Nine Games (Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Life is Strange: True Colors, etc), we can only hope that they still manage to capture the immersiveness of its first game and deliver another great narrative gaming experience. It’s not even that long of a wait as its release date is October 29th, 2024.
Rooster
Set in ancient China, Rooster tells the story of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac gathering for dinner for Lunar New Year and Rooster’s bad attitude makes Dragon conjure a potion to send him back in time to learn some lessons as he bonds with a little human and traverses 12 levels to regain the friendship of his fellow Zodiac animals through a variety of gameplay. The game itself offers a look into Chinese culture and uses an art style inspired by Chinese brush painting and offers a simplicity that will hopefully be accessible to everyone to play the game.
Tiny Bookshop
With the rise of cozy management games, Tiny Book Shop is one that offers an experience of running a tiny bookshop caravan by the sea but can also move across different locations. In the game, you can decorate the Tiny Book Shop with items collected while also recommending books to readers and make friends with the residents in the town while learning its history. There are secrets to discover, books to stock and people to meet in Tiny Book Shop.
Lost and Found Co.
The success of Hidden Folks has seen a rise on quirky hidden object games. This year’s offering which ticks those boxes is Lost and Found Co which is a hidden object game that takes place in various magical locations full of bad Jujus, Instapix moments and objects to find. Most things in the map can be interacted with which helps with immersiveness and the maps can flicker through different levels like floors to layer on top of each other. For a hidden object game, there does seem to be a lot of heart and attention to detail.
Gurei
Flaunting a style and atmosphere similar to Hollow Knight and having their own hand-drawn world, Gurei is an souls-like action platformer where you play as a human spirit Rei with a duty of challenging mythical creatures inspired by Japanese mythology. Set in a backdrop of black and white palette, there are hints of colors that pop in the visuals, this is a boss rush game at its core where the player gets complete freedom to challenge as they see fit for their skill levels.
While Waiting
Optillusion (Moncage) has returned with their gaming project which is basically a waiting simulator as you navigate a person through multiple waiting situations and finding the joy in the mundane to achieve the various tasks or you could choose to do nothing which is always an option in the game. While it seems like a silly idea, its not hard to fathom its genius as it follows the steps of successful games like Unpacking and A Little To the Left.
Naughty Geese
Play as a biker goose in this 2D pixel platformer that pays homage to many classics of this genre as Dad goose tries to protect his little goslings safe from predators as they also are naughty and need to be rescued. The game offers an interactive map to discover and move around on a motorcycle. The motorcycle is customizable as well.
Mixtape
Beethoven and Dinosaur’s follow-up project to the wonderful music adventure The Artful Escape is Mixtape which tells the story of three friends who go for one last adventure on their last night of high school as they head to a party. Playing through a mixtape of their memories and lives filled with an assortment of activities, this game is inspired by coming of age films and features music from some great artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, etc.
Hotel Galactic
Inspired by Studio Ghibli’s films, Hotel Galactic is a cozy management game where you build an intergalactic hotel and turn it into a tourist destination. On the magical island, you get to harvest the unique resources and have a unique cooking system to create dishes as well. There are friends to make and a quirky staff to manage.
That’s our top anticipated games announced during the conference weekend. Did you watch any of the conferences? What games are you most excited about?
Game Warp 