Here are the most exciting games that were not on show at Xbox, Ubisoft and Co .
Even far away from the Xbox and Ubisoft events, there were many exciting games to see. Here are our highlights from the PC Gaming Show, Wholesome Direct and Co.
Over 500 trailers and almost as many games have been unveiled around Summer Game Fest. The loosely organised E3 follow-up event rallies more publishers and game studios each year. Colleague Domagoj Belancic has rounded up all the livestreams taking place over around two weeks. About the Xbox Games Showcase, the Summer Game Fest Showcase and the Ubisoft Forward we've covered separately. Find out what else you can gamble on besides the big blockbusters here.
"Dread Pilots"
The studio behind "Don't Starve" and "Griftlands" takes on outer space. Inspired by "Sid Meier's Pirates!", you'll explore alien planets and meet all sorts of weird alien creatures in this 2D action-adventure game.
Wann:
Dread Pilots is a space adventure game.
When: 2024
. Where: PC
"Nivalis"
Nivalis is the name of a vibrant cyberpunk city in the clouds. The neon-coloured pixel world is the setting for a so-called "Life Sim". You run your own little pub, be it a ramen stand or a bar. In addition, there are various side jobs and people to meet. An AI assists you in all of this. It's still difficult to tell what the gameplay will be like, but the premise is exciting.
When: 2024
. Where: PC
"Jumplight Odyssey"
The game is wrapped in an 80s cartoon design. You control a spaceship in search of a new home. Tactics are required in the numerous space battles. You decide where your crew is needed most urgently and which protective doors have to be closed. Your goal is to start the jumplight drive as quickly as possible and disappear. Looks like a mix of the tactical combat of an "FTL" and the scurrying organisation of a "Two Point Hospital".
When: Soon
Where: PC
"I Am Future"
Things are much more relaxed in "I Am Future". The calm reggae sounds already make that clear. In a colourful post-apocalyptic world, you build a cosy home out of leftovers, look after your little garden and defend it at night from ravenous attackers.
When: 8 August 2023
. Where: PC
"D.O.R.F"
For "Command & Conquer" fans and all those who long for explosive mass battles in 90s style, "D.O.R.F" is just the thing. Set to groovy metal sounds, there are epic battles between huge battle tanks, laser drones and rocket zeppelins.
When: unknown
. Where: PC
"Slime 3K"
You want more "Vampire Survivor" and would love to be a grinning slime monster? Then I have the game for you. In "Slime 3K" you fight never-ending waves of enemies with ever better weapons, as is typical for the genre. In this case, they are failed clone experiments. Looks like entertaining fun.
When: 2023
. Where: PC
"Parcel Corps"
The trailer is worth watching for the chief developer alone, who mimes the over-motivated bike courier. But the actual game also looks original. With your bike, you race physics-missing through a colourful city and join one of three rival messenger services, all of which are on the police's hit list.
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When: unknown
. Where: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5
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"The Invincible"
On an alien planet, you must find out what happened to your missing crew. With all sorts of retro-futuristic equipment, you explore the planet in search of answers. The game is inspired by the story of the same name by Polish sci-fi author Stanislaw Lem. You can hear my first impression in the Tech-telmechtel podcast.
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When: 2023
. Where: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5
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"Stormgate"
Another game that fans of real-time strategy games should have on their radar is "Stormgate". The studio behind it consists of former "Starcraft" and "Warcraft" developers. The parallels are recognisable at first glance. The typical elements such as base building and the fog of war, which only makes the area with own units visible, are also present in other respects.
When: unknown
. Where: PC
"Ferocious"
Realistic graphics, giant dinosaurs and lots of gunfire abound in "Ferocious". Inspirations include films like "King Kong", "Jurassic Park" and games like "Far Cry" and "Crysis". And the game looks exactly like a mixture of all of these.
When : unknown
. Where: PC
"Last Train Home"
Real-time strategy games seem to be making a comeback. Here you try to escort a group of Czechoslovakian soldiers safely home in an armoured train. The objective is to cross Russia in 1917, which was ravaged by civil war. On the one hand, you fight smaller tactical battles. On the other hand, you manage the train by organising your soldiers correctly. It makes an original impression.
When: soon
. Where: PC
"TerraTech Worlds"
Build your own vehicles and bases and explore alien planets. Alone or with friends, gather resources, dig up the landscape and engage in battles with bandits. Looks like creative multiplayer fun.
When: soon
. Where: PC
"Bloomtown: A Different Story"
"Bloomtown" is another cuddly retro pixel game. There are a lot of those around lately, but it looks beautiful. At first glance, it looks like a cosy "Stardew Valley"-style adventure game. But soon you realise that there is something wrong with this world. Turn-based battles with robot dinos and golf club-wielding owls are then not far away.
When: soon
. Where: PC and consoles
"Breathedge 2"
This sci-fi survival game has a much more humorous touch than is usual in the genre. Although the aim here is to explore planets, mine resources and manufacture things, you also have to take care of a small enemy. But you also have to take care of an immortal chicken. Why it needs your attention when it can't die is something you'll probably only find out as you play.
When: unknown
. Where: PC
"Mullet Madjack"
At least one bloody and over-the-top retro shooter belongs in every decent listicle. Today's entry is called "Mullet Madjack" and looks like an anime from the 90s. From a first-person perspective, you run, slide and race through neon-coloured levels and paper the walls with the blood of your opponents. You only have ten seconds to reach the end of a level. You can extend the countdown with kills. If you know "Post Void", you know what to expect.
When: unknown
. Where: PC
"Europe"
The absolute opposite of this adrenaline pack is "Europa". You explore a colourful natural paradise on the moon of the same name by flying through the air or gliding across the water. But the magical world is not just for relaxation; there are also puzzles to solve and the story of the last humans to be discovered.
Wann.
When: 2023
. Where: PC
"Remnant 2"
The first part was among my highlights of the year in 2019. The sequel is once again set in an alien world that mixes fantasy, sci-fi and World War II elements. Alone or together, you fight your way through a wondrous world full of terrible creatures. The Roguelite element ensures that your excursions are rarely relaxing.
When: Summer 2023
Where: PC, PS5 and Xbox Series
"Iron Meat"
The model is unmistakable: "Contra". The co-op actionfest from the Super Nintendo still has its fans today. And they should have a lot of fun with "Iron Meat". Alone or in pairs, you fight your way through two-dimensional levels in which bullets fly around your ears. As you should, you respond in kind and shoot until your fingers ache.
When: 17 October 2023
. Where: PC
"Deadlink"
Roguelite, cyberpunk, first-person shooter, all terms that don't come up for the first time in this list. It's all in the mix, and Deadlink looks like a brilliant action game. All kinds of futuristic shooting irons, a colourful range of abilities and lots of enemies that promise non-stop ball-busting fun.
When: 27 July 2023
. Where: PC
"Lil' Guardsman"
You play a twelve-year-old girl with an impressive red mane who decides who is allowed into the castle and who is not in a fantasy world. The colourful visitors consist of shady goblins, smuggling gravediggers and stoned wizards. Thanks to various tools such as X-rays, you have to find out what they are up to. Reminiscent of a colourful version of "Papers Please"
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When: Summer 2023
Where: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5, Switch
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"Gori: Cuddly Carnage"
Gorgeous whacky looks "Gori: Cuddly Carnage". You play a cat on a hoverboard with razor blades and a rocket launcher. You race and skate through a colourful fantasy world full of satanic unicorns and spider wind-up boxes.
When: 2023
. Where: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5, Switch
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"Viewfinder"
Colleague Domagoj Belancic raved about it extensively on the Tech-telmechtel podcast. It is a particularly wacky puzzle game. You use photos to progress in the world. Place the photo with the bridge on it at the right angle in front of you and you can walk across it. Generator has no battery? No problem. Just walk into a photo of a battery, take the battery with you and you're done. Later you can take photos yourself. Promises lots of WTF moments.
When: 18 July 2023
. Where: PC and PS5
"Helskate"
This skate game is clearly based on "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater". Only here, in addition to nosegrinds and frontside heelflips, you beat up monsters with your hammer and send knives crashing down on them. So you fight your way through branching levels to defeat the skate gods at the end.
Wann.
When: unknown
. Where: PC
"Station to Station"
In a beautiful voxel block design, you build a rail network in manageable levels. The more connections you create, the more the environment grows. Looks like a cosy, not too complex building game.
When: unknown
. Where: PC
"Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson"
With powerful instruments and legendary riffs, you must save the world from Rick Riffson and his diabolical helpers. This is done in tactical, turn-based battles, wrapped in enchanting pixel graphics.
When: 2024
. Where: PC
"En Garde!"
En Garde! looks refreshingly original. In it, you take on the role of the swashbuckling heroine Adalia De Volador. In the style of the three musketeers, you fence your way through the consorts of a tyrannical duke. The battles feel dynamic and you can incorporate the environment by leaping over tables or dropping chandeliers on enemies.
Wann.
When: August 2023
Where: PC
"Antonblast"
"Antonblast" pays homage to Game Boy Advance games. This hand-drawn 2D platformer promises explosive action in the style of a "Wario Land"
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When: soon
. Where: PC
"Cocoon"
From the designer behind "Limbo" and "Inside" comes this interesting looking title. In a mysterious world, you solve environmental puzzles as some kind of bug creature. In the trailer, this mostly involves placing balls in the right position to activate platforms.
When: soon
. Where: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5, Switch
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"Mars First Logistics"
Help Martians build their new home by transporting cargo around in vehicles you construct yourself. Makes a playful impression, the editor allows for crazy constructions and the design is appealing as well.
When: 22 June 2023
. Where: PC
"Arctic Awakening"
If you've already explored every corner of "The Long Dark", this frosty adventure game might appeal to you. After an involuntary crash-landing, you find yourself stranded in the Arctic. You and your therapy robot search for your co-pilot and the secret that lurks beneath the ice.
Wann.
When: 2023
. Where: PC
"The Precinct"
As an 80s cop, you engage in car chases with bank robbers and shootouts with gangs. "The Precinct is a sandbox game. This means that you have a lot of freedom in how you go about your missions on foot, by car or by helicopter. Looks fancy.
When: soon
. Where: PC and PS5
Have you noticed any other gems around Summer Game Fest? Then write it in the comments column. My wishlist is insatiable .
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.