Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face. That’s according to Mike Tyson, someone who knows a little about the topic. It’s an apt description for games that focus on action: can you take the blows and respond quickly, hitting your target when and where it matters?
Action games come in all shapes and sizes, and Summer Game Fest 2022 showcased a large variety. Here is a selection of action games headed our way. If you’re wondering, first-person shooters will feature in a separate article.
Gotham Knights [Steam Link]
The people who made the Batman Arkham games decided they wanted a multi-character brawler. So they employ the Batman ‘family’ (sans the Dark Knight, who is dead, apparently): kick ass with Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin, thwarting another plot against Gotham City.
Batora: Lost Haven [Steam Link]
Half of Earth lies destroyed, and you are the one to save humanity in this action RPG game with twin-stick shooter mechanics. Batora will be full of action, but the developers also promise exciting puzzle mechanics. The art style looks fantastic, amplified by what looks to be a wide variety of locations. Watch out for this one – it could be the year’s sleeper hit.
Midnight Fight Express [Steam Link]
I love a no-holds-barred action brawler where you kick, punch, and shoot through hordes of hapless enemies. Midnight Fight Express fires on all cylinders: you beat your way across a city, aiming to stop some crime overlord. Something like that – who cares about the plot? Look at the action and environments, rendered in a sleek low-poly style that suits the over-the-top action.
Goat Simulator 3 [Epic Link]
I haven’t played the previous Goat Simulator games and have only been vaguely aware of their reputation. But I am familiar with the reputation of actual goats: they climb anywhere, eat everything, and are generally not to be messed with. So, giving them things like guns and flamethrowers sounds like an excellent idea for a game.
Fueled Up [Steam Link]
Fueled Up is a hyper-manic disaster-avoidance co-op game more typically found among cooking games. But instead of making omelettes and desert at breakneck speed, you and three other players have to fix problems on rapidly-failing space ships. It looks crazy, as these games should be, and the art feels appropriately cartoonish.
Bail or Jail [Steam Link]
Tag and hide-and-seek games are a lot of fun, but they can quickly become a drag for either side. Bail or Jail wants to fix that by limiting sessions to intense 3-minute runs. The Burton-esque art style fits the fun gothic fairytale atmosphere, and this could be a title that brings both casual and hardcore gamers together.
Die By The Blade [Steam Link]
It’s all in the name: Die By The Blade is a parry-based swordplay 1v1 fighter where futuristic samurais attack each other with lethal steel. It looks pretty hardcore – single blows will kill an opponent, so better work on your dodge and block skills. The samurai punk setting (I didn’t know that’s a thing) adds plenty of neon-lit rainy streets and back alleys to decapitate enemies. There can only be one!
Divine Knockout [Steam Link]
Hubris is when you challenge the gods and lose, divine destiny is when you win. Keep those heady concepts in mind when you play Divine Knockout (or DKO), a game where you literally knock gods off the level with your brawling powers. If you yearn for the button-bashing combos of a Super Smash Bros, put DKO on your wishlist.
Thymesia [Steam Link]
Thymesia describes itself as a ‘gruelling action-RPG’, and the gameplay video reinforces that idea. Step into a dark plague-ridden world where disease makes up part of your combat. Intelligent moves and combat tactics will be necessary to defeat the various heavies you face in your quest to save the world.
Aliens Dark Descent [Steam Link]
The lacklustre Aliens: Fireteam Elite dampened my enthusiasm for Alien games. But Dark Descent could revive it with a claustrophobic and intense squad-based single-player experience. The trailer only gives a tiny taste of actual gameplay at the end. But it’s about time the Aliens universe gets a squad shooter that looks this promising…
Reptilian Rising [Steam Link]
I’m not sure if David Icke or Alex Jones is helping develop this game, but they will appreciate the plot about reptiles trying to take over the world. Thank goodness you have major historical figures to fight the scaly invaders in this turn-based combat title with time-manipulation mechanics.
Serial Cleaners [Steam Link]
The best crimes are the ones that leave no evidence behind. But criminals are lazy and sloppy, so you are hired to clean their mess in this stealthy action puzzle game. Combine guile, speed and timing to scrub gore and remove bodies right under the noses of the cops. It’s unclear if this is a sequel to 2017’s Serial Cleaner (or even the same developers). But they are very similar, which isn’t a bad thing!
