I enjoyed writing my article last summer about the games I was looking forward to,so here I am again with a spring edition! Just to be clear, this is not a recap, I will not touch on everything announced at these events. This is just a few of my picks to pass onto you (and maybe get a review code or two!) I will try to give you a good sentence or two to describe each to grab your interest in researching them more and possibly follow their development. However, in order to save time, I may point to other MHG content instead,unless it’s a sequel… then you’re on your own!
First up was Game Dev Direct, which is a two day event focusing on indie games. It also included Paradox Insider, but I didn’t watch it since their next game wasn’t featured, Surviving the Aftermath. They did announce that Empire of Sin would launch into Game Pass though! Rain on Your Parade tasks you to use a cloud to ruin people’s day! Hazel Sky is an exploration game that you build various steam punk transportation to move around the world. Endling is a meaningful game about change, in which you play a fox. Chasing Static is a first person adventure where you track and possibly listen to ghosts. The Signifier is a first person narrative tech Noir adventure… what a mouthful!
Next was Square Enix presents… which was underwhelming. The only thing I would keep an eye on is Life is Strange: True Colors. I enjoyed the previous games in the series, and with Telltale games shuttered, it’s one of the only games of the genre still going strong. I like the idea of releasing all episodes at once, and the ultimate edition including remasters of the first two in the series is just icing on the cake for those that may not have played them!
Then we had the Future Games Show. Martha is Dead was first shown here, but I will wait until later to talk about it. Quantum Error had a game play video that was rough around the edges, but showed promise with the scifi horror FPS. It felt like another Dead Space, which I’m a fan of. Axiom Verge 2 came out of nowhere, I didn’t know that a sequel to the metroidvania was even in the works! Cris Tales, from my summer article, got a new trailer. Life of Delta seems like a cool new post apocalyptic robot point and click adventure. Artic Awakening is an episodic narrative survival adventure that seems right up my alley. Embr seems to have come a long way from the first video I watched of MHG’s own Brad playing it with his daughter, back when he had a big viking beard! I was especially interested in the announcement that it would be coming to consoles as well! I also saw Lost Words, which I will be reviewing soon!
After that was the ID@XBOX Showcase, my favorite of the shows this month! Over 60 games were announced, 22 of which are launching into Game Pass on day one! 12 Minutes resurfaced with a dev interview talking about playing a game that loops to try to get better outcomes. Alba, a Wildlife Adventure is about reconnecting with nature, which I enjoy IRL. Among US, the social deduction juggernaut, and Art of Rally (check out Brad’s coverage on the site) are both coming to consoles! I’m equally excited by both! Astria Ascending is a turn based RPG from top tier developers of the genre, so count me it! Boyfriend Dungeon is pretty much as it sounds, a dungeon crawler where you date your weapons during downtime between runs to increase their stats. Sounds crazy and innovative to me! Dead Static Drive is like an old school GTA set in a Lovecraft horror… I can jam with both of those! I’ve played a very good demo of Echo Generation, the voxel Stranger Things meets Earthbound, so it was nice to see more of it. I’ve heard good reviews of RPG Edge of Eternity from PC, so I’m excited to see it coming to consoles. Forest Cathedrals is like The Witness, but more thriller than puzzle, about the real life attempted silence o the harmful effects of DDT. I’ll just stop there on that one… Griftlands is a deck building Rogue lite where you build two decks, one for combat and one for negotiation. Lake puts you in the shoes of a woman returning to her hometown to deliver mail for a few weeks and you get to choose how the story unfolds. Library of Ruina is a turn based RPG that looks like a board or card game, which I am also a fan of. Moonglow Bay is my personal best pick with a fishing RPG, the developer interview really showed the passion that went into it. She Dreams Elsewhere takes inspiration from Earthbound and Undertale, two of my favorites. Stalker 2’s dev segment showed off a lot of new assets and it’s looking amazing! Void train may not come until 2022, but it’s interdimensional survival railroading may be worth the wait! Way to the Woods has you play as a deer exploring a post human world. Wild at Heart reminds me of pikmin, and is releasing May 20th!
Finally, we had Wired Direct, which exists in an interesting space. It only featured games from one publisher, but all those games are made by indie developers. Arcade Paradise seems a little too cool. You build the best arcade possible and get to play the games yourself! The Last Worker is a first person narrative adventure examining our place in an automated world. Tin Hearts is a puzzle game where you escort toy soldiers through levels, uncovering a story as you go. Martha is Dead had even more info presented for the first person psychological honor set at the end of WWII.
Hopefully you are excited as I am about the games coming this year and beyond. Maybe next year, I will even have an opportunity to attend one these events in person! Are you interested in any of these games? Or possibly all of them, like me? As bad as the world has been, it seems like a good year for games!
