Summer Game Fest is a time I always look forward to. It reminds me of a simpler time, when I was aptly paying attention to E3 coverage and taking notes on what looked exciting for the future. A time when the Xbox Summer of Arcade was fresh to me. A time when gaming felt like it was new and exciting for me, as I had reinvested myself in paying attention to it more than I ever had before in life. Of course, E3 has since gone away, and Geoff Keighly’s attempts to keep the spirit alive with events like Summer Game Festival have taken up the mantle of exciting summer time game announcements. Last week, gamers across the world were saturated with presentations, announcements, extended looks, and trailers for upcoming titles – some to the point of exhaustion. Things we learned?
Everything is coming out in September to avoid being in the shadow of GTA 6
Elder Scrolls 6 is still a myth
The console wars feel like they about to return
Remakes and remasters are still pretty hot
Indies are still king
It felt like, while a lot was announced this year, there was still less than years past from the bigger, flagship events like Sony’s State of Play and Xbox Live. Don’t get me wrong, they had plenty of exciting stuff to show. Something felt more subdued from the showings of each this year, perhaps because of fatigue in the market, and perhaps because of the shakiness of the AAA industry as a whole. My go-to show every year is always The PC Gaming Showcase, which usually has a really strong selection of smaller indies to show off, but most of the indie showcases were great this year: The Horror Game Award’s Midsummer Night’s Scream, Future Games Show, Day of the Devs, and Wholesome Direct all had an insane amount of titles to showcase. I stocked up a big list of indie titles I can’t wait to check out demos for in the next week, if they exist, and wishlisted the rest. I’ll try to get a post done about some of those in the near future.
From big names to smaller titles, here are a list of some of the most highly anticipated things that managed to catch my eye, and get me excited, for the next year in gaming. I tried my best to whittle this down into a top 10, with an additional 10 honorable mentions (it was hard!)
10: Alien Isolation 2
This one wasn’t exactly a new announcement, but a new trailer certainly breathed life into the previous announcement like a shot of adrenaline. It has been 12 years since the first game shook the gaming industry with its cassette futurism aesthetics and signature xenomorph hide-and-seek mechanics. While we got no confirmed release date at this time, I feel confident that the time to replay the first game is nigh.
09: Tenebris Somnia
This is a title that I’ve had my eye on for a while. I’ve been patiently awaiting any news about it, having played the demo a couple of times over the years, I knew it had to be going through something to have otherwise gone into radio silence. Thankfully, indie horror legend Airdorf came along and assumed the position of executive producer on this exciting blend of pixel retro and full motion video, and alongside developer Andrés Borghi and Saibot Studios shot out a release date for us all. October 16th! Happy late birthday to me!
08: Silver Pines
I’m a big fan of Twin Peaks, so games that even try to invoke the spirit of David Lynch are already on my radar. Silver Pines looks like yet another fantastic addition to the weird and wacky world of Lynch-likes alongside esteemed and legendary titles like Alan Wake and Deadly Premonition. Plus, it’s a side-scroller with a really great art style. October is shaping up to be a great month for me!
07: The Alighieri Circle: Dante’s Bloodline
This is one of the standout titles mentioned during the Midsummer Night’s Scream presentation for me. I’m a sucker for a good detective story, especially when you mix in eldritch elements and The Divine Comedy. This is the kind of darkness I am so often drawn toward in gaming, so to see what’s going on here has me excited. Coming out in September like everything else, I know where I’ll be on the 10th.
06: End of Abyss
I know absolutely nothing about this game other than it looks like a great isometric space/sci-fi horror game with body horrors and all manner of cool grossness. I am sold! The less I know the better is usually my philosophy about going into a game experience, so I’ll be patiently waiting for the release of this Epic Games exclusive, which is also set to come out in October.
05: Senua
I’ve long enjoyed the Hellblade series, and have found it to be one of the more viscerally palpable and emotionally driven narratives in gaming today. I can’t be alone – which is why I don’t think I was alone in finding the announcement of a new title named after the lead lady herself, Senua, to be a pleasant surprise. Hellblade II felt like it took ages to come out (the pandemic did not help) so I guess I wasn’t expecting news, let alone another game. I’ll take it! No news on release date, but that’s ok. I’m patient. I can wait.
04: Vampire: The Masquerade – Eternal Whispers
Another shocking announcement, but in a good way! I’ve been talking for a WHILE about how much I would love a CRPG set in this universe, and while I know one was made several years ago by Entalto Studios called Vampire: The Masquerade – Heartless Lullaby (which I still need to play), Eternal Whispers looks like it’s dripping with the polish and style that I’m really seeking out. I hope that it’s got the depth I’m craving. No set release date, but I’ll be keeping an eye on this project.
03: 1666: Amsterdam
Witches AND cats? I can’t think of a game more “me coded” than this one! Another title I wasn’t expecting, and knew nothing about. I did have time to check out the prologue on Steam recently and was more than ready to continue with the story presented. Though there’s no set release date yet, the Steam store page suggests the game will go into early access later this year. I’ll be there day one.
02: Until Dawn 2
This announcement was a legitimate surprise! I’m a big fan of Supermassive’s cinematic horror games – Until Dawn 1, The Dark Pictures Anthology, The Quarry, Directive 8020. I even enjoyed The Casting of Frank Stone. Directive 8020 just dropped, so I don’t think myself, or quite frankly anyone, was ready to see them show up with another big title. I’m glad I managed to get ahold of a Playstation 5 several years ago, because I’m definitely picking this one up on day one. Another 2027 wait, but time is flying so that will be here before we know it!
01: Resident Evil: Veronica
This one is an absolute no-brainer for me. A few years ago, I did a full series playthrough of Resident Evil. I’d played some of the games before, scattered in order, and really wanted to invest in figuring out how to piece together the unhinged story of The Umbrella Corporation from start to finish. The task did not disappoint, but I found myself, once again, hating on tank controls as a person who did not grow up having to endure them in this capacity. I would do it again, but I joined the cries of many during that playthrough who longed for an updated version of this essential story to the Resident Evil saga. Lo and behold, our cries were answered. 2027!
Honorable Mentions
I had such a hard time compiling a list of things I found enticing to rank on a list for this post, but here were some other stand-out titles that I either, mostly, first heard about over last week, or was just pleasantly surprised to hear more about at SGF:
Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis: HUGE fan of Tomb Raider as a series, so this one has me excited.
Dreadmoor: Fishing horror games are so hot right now.
House of Saturn: The demo gave me a fun taste of this PSX-styled walking sim. Big fan.
The Sinking City 2: I’ve been eagerly awaiting this title. LOVED the first game.
Blood of the Dawnwalker: We knew about this one, but vampires for me = instantly buying.
When Sirens Fall Silent: True crime from the creators of Martha is Dead and The Town of Light, which means it’s going to be brutal.
Hellraiser Revival: We also have known about this game for quite sometime, and I’m saying that October is going to be SUCH A BUSY MONTH FOR ME!
Virtue and a Sledgehammer: This game looks WILD. I’m eager to try the demo out this week.
Perceptum: This one looks like everything I was hoping to get from The Occultist that I simply did not receive. Finger’s crossed!
Where Dolls Hang: We couldn’t decide which doll river this was in chat, but I don’t think we need to know because any doll river is a creepy one. I’ll be there!
