Another year, another Summer Game Fest under our belt. Last week, we had the opportunity to fly out to LA and check out close to two dozen upcoming games from a handful of publishers and developers, ranging from smaller, experimental indie titles to the blockbuster-iest of the AAA world.
Honorable Mentions
As has become standard for press-focused events, a handful of the games we saw were behind closed-door demos, with no opportunity to go hands-on with them ourselves, while others were mostly cutscene-focused, with little gameplay. We did enjoy what we saw of these games, but given the limited nature of their demos, we opted to slot these into our honorable mentions section.
Resident Evil Requiem — Capcom looks to be firing on all cylinders with this one. The atmosphere is tense, the tension is high, and the central theme, according to the game’s developers, is “addictive fear.” With its option for first- and third-person cameras, and its return to one of the franchise’s most iconic locations (Raccoon City), fans have a lot to look forward to next year.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword — Even if you haven’t played an Onimusha game before, you’ll want to keep an eye on Way of the Sword. With its focus on cinematic action, timing-focused combat, and its richly-realized world steeped in Japanese folklore, there’s a lot to like here. We’re sincerely hoping that Capcom will release more gameplay footage of this one leading up to its 2026 launch.
Directive 8020 — We got to go hands-on with Supermassive’s fifth entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology, and it’s clear that the second season of horror-fueled interactive stories is going to start strong. Our demo was, admittedly, very limited in terms of gameplay, but the stealth-action section that saw us carefully avoiding a shapeshifting, nightmare-fueled space monster had us sweating bullets. For more details, as well as some insight from the game’s director, be sure to read our preview over on ComingSoon.
Bandit Trap
As a big fan of the Wii U, I have an undying love for asymmetrical multiplayer, and the developers of Bandit Trap do as well. Merging the world of cartoonish slapstick with Home Alone, Bandit Trap tasks three partners-in-crime with breaking into a house, looting it for treasure, and escaping with their lives and limbs intact. On the other hand, one lone player will take on the role of trapper, impeding the would-be bandits with hidden traps and a few other tricks. It’s a fresh take on the multiplayer heist game, and equal parts chaotic and charming.
Crimson Desert
I’ll be honest; when it comes to branding, I’m not in love with the name Crimson Desert, and when talking about it with other games media folks, they often confuse it with one of a few other titles. If we can get over the generic title, though, there’s an equally impressive and expansive open-world RPG to dig into. Combat is reminscent of The Witcher and Dragon’s Dogma (a bit sloppy at times, given how you can quickly be swarmed by a dozen or more enemies, but with a good amount of variety), and we even saw elements that pay homage to series such as The Legend of Zelda (by which I mean, expert swordsman and magic-wielding protagonist Kliff has a paraglider-equivalent). It’s a complex game to say the least (I didn’t even get into the hand-to-hand combat and wrestling moves), but for those who like games that take the kitchen sink approach, Crimson Desert might be your next obsession, assuming you don’t mix it up for another similarly-titled game.
Deadpool VR
It’s hard to understate just how happy I was to see Deadpool VR in person. Not only does it mark a return to the world of comedic games for developer Twisted Pixel, but it’s also an incredibly fun Deadpool game; a far cry from the largely forgettable PlayStation and Xbox game that graced store shelves over a decade ago (has it been that long?!)
With its penchant for humor and fourth-wall breaks (at one point, we heard the foul-mouthed anti-hero talk about the Nintendo 64 and Pokémon Snap), as well as its tight gameplay that puts movement and fluidity front and center, Deadpool VR is shaping up to be a Marvel fan’s dream game, and in a nice surprise, Neil Patrick Harris does a stellar job at putting his spin on the merc with a mouth. Unfortunately, it’s not entirely clear if this one will make the jump to the PlayStation VR2, but we certainly hope it does.
Dosa Divas
Paper Mario-esque RPG combat and mechanics? Check. A banging soundtrack and funny dialogue? Yessir. Minigames that have you assembling tasty dosas? You better believe it! Developed by the same team behind Thirsty Suitors, Dosa Divas follows estranged sisters Samara and Amani, who reunite to take down an evil fast food empire that’s drained the heart and soul from the art of cooking.
As my waistline can attest to, I’ve always been a big fan of food (from all over), but Dosa Divas taps into the community aspect of cooking and dining, and how its history, culture, and shared memories can bring together folks from all woks of life (pun intended). If you’re a fan of light RPGs that place an equal emphasis on story/atmosphere and combat, Dosa Divas might be your dish of choice.
FBC: Firebreak
OK, yes, there are already oodles and oodles of shooters already on the market, but, FBC: Firebreak breaks from the pack in a few ways, which is probably why we’re excited to get our hands on it. First off, rather than being another free-to-play live-service money grab, developer Remedy Entertainment is going a different route, pricing FBC: Firebreak as a mid-priced title, and plan to support it with plenty of free content post-launch content, with some paid unlocks sprinkled throughout. Secondly, FBC: Firebreak respects how busy all of our lives are, and doesn’t try to lure you in with daily check-ins, battle passes, or other elements that prey upon your FOMO.
But the best part is that FBC: Firebreak takes place within Remedy’s shared universe; in fact, it’s set six years after the events of Control, and yep, you guessed it, the FBC stands for Federal Bureau of Control. During our hands-on multiplayer session, we scoured through the halls of the Oldest House, mowing down enemies that were, of all things, made up of sticky pad notes, and eventually took down Sticky Ricky, a massive, sentient pile of sticky notes that nearly wiped our team off the face of this planet.
Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long to give this one a spin. FBC: Firebreak launches on June 17, and you can check back in the coming days for our full review.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion
Marvel Cosmic Invasion was one of the standout games at this year’s show, and while we have plenty to dig into, we can’t talk about it just yet. Feel free to check back soon on our sister site, ComingSoon.net, where we’ll post our full impressions after the coverage embargo lifts.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
While plenty of attention has been placed on the upcoming collaboration of PlatinumGames and Team Ninja with Ninja Gaiden 4, fans of side-scrolling hack-and-slash games should not sleep on Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. Rather than play as series mainstay Ryu Hayabusa, players will don the tabi of Kenji Mozu, an aspiring ninja in training who must protect Hayabusa village after Ryu is called away.
Moving away from the combo-centric combat of the more modern, 3D Ninja Gaiden titles, Ragebound is grounded in the more arcade-y, speed-focused design of the original 8- and 16-bit titles. For the most part, Kenji can slice through enemies in one hit, and coupled with the ability to hang from ceilings, dash through the air, deflect projectiles, and parry off enemies and environmental obstacles, I strongly suspect speedrunners will flock to this one. Those of you on PC can check out a demo right now on Steam, but for everyone else, you’ll only have to wait another six weeks before Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound launches on July 31.
Pragmata
Despite being announced just over five years ago (with plans to launch in 2022), it seems like Capcom has finally gotten its puzzle/shooter hybrid back on track for a release sometime next year. There’s still a lot we don’t know about this one, but after our (brief) hands-on session with the game’s tutorial section, we were all in on Capcom’s vision.
In short, Pragmata is a third-person shooter with a similar setup/aesthetic to titles like Binary Domain and Vanquish (in that they take place in the future, and have you squaring off against shiny, sterile, deadly robots instead of other humans), but it does have on interesting trick up its sleeve. Rather than simply laying waste to every android in sight, you first need to hack them, which is accomplished in real-time (not in a separate menu and without pausing the main action) by completing a Pipe Mania-inspired minigame. As someone with a fondness for games that tack on puzzle elements (I write this with my copy of Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure sitting a few feet away), the thought of solving puzzles in real-time, all while trying to mow down robots with a futuristic, electric shotgun, is all I needed to proclaim “shut up and take my money.”
Ratatan
Confession time: I didn’t grow up with a PlayStation Portable, and as a result, I missed out on some rather stellar titles back in the day, such as the bonkers rhythm-action title Patapon. Thankfully, the torch has been relit all these years later with Ratatan, which serves as a spiritual successor of sorts, with both the lead designer and composer of Patapon returning to help steer the project.
The core gameplay loop will feel very similar to longtime Patapon fans — timing your button presses with the looping background track will allow you to command your legion of adorable creatures into battle, and issuing commands for attacking, blocking, using special abilities, and falling in on your location are all done to the beat of the drum, so to speak. Rather than being based around standalone missions, however, Ratatan is structured as a roguelike, and each run you embark on gives you the chance to collect different upgrades and currencies that can be used to make you and your army stronger.
I’m a bit out of practice, but in my half-hour with Ratatan, I was able to do a few runs, and even managed to take down a giant boss with seconds to spare (and only a sliver of health left). My skills, or lack thereof, are to blame, but I’ll keep hiding behind the excuse of being enamored (and distracted) by my cute, cuddly, and deadly army.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Hot off the heels of getting the platinum trophy in Elden Ring, I was perhaps a bit foolish to sign up to play a Soulslike — one that I’ve never played before, mind you — on the busy show floor of the SGF Play Days HQ building. It was only when I slipped on a pair of headphones and picked up a controller did I think to myself “am I about to get my ass handed to me?”
And, for those wondering, the answer to that question was a resounding “yes,” but only for the first 30 minutes or so. Once I began to come to grips with Wuchang’s combat, I began to fall into a rhythm and slowly made progress. If you’ve played any Soulslike in the past decade, Wuchang will feel plenty familiar. Enemies are deadly, and often have attack animations designed to lull you into a false sense of security. Health regenerating items are limited, and to restore them, you need to rest at designated areas, which also revives every fallen enemy in the world.
What Wuchang does switch up is its focus on dodging and timing. You see, dodging an enemy attack at the last moment gives you a bit of avian magic, and you can use that you unleash a powerful attack using one of your weapon’s special techniques. This sets up the core loop of dodging and attacking that feels much more deliberate (and not to mention rewarding) than simply trying to backstep or roll out of the way of danger. It takes a bit of time to come to grips with, but once you do, it makes Wuchang hard to put down.
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