We arrive at the final article in our roundup of titles showcased at Gamescom 2022 that you might not have noticed. The list excluded any titles we covered in recent festival lists or are already on sale. And it’s biased towards games that might have gotten lost in the festival’s firehose of new titles.
Even by those standards, there were tons of standout games. So if we missed something that caught your eye, you’re probably right – that should have been in these articles. Make sure to wishlist your finds and spread the word – games often succeed these days because of word of mouth. Now, let’s conclude with another ten games that stood out for us during the festival.
(Also, don’t miss Gamescom 2022 – All The Game Announcements And Trailers From Opening Night)
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide [Steam Link]
From the developers of the Vermintide games (which means intense Left 4 Dead-style action but with Warhammer flourish), Darktide aims to take Vermintide’s formula up a notch. Expect custom characters and classes, grander levels, the debut of 40k weapons, and a lot more of this series’ insanity cranked to industrial proportions.
Flying Neko Delivery [Steam Link]
Flying Neko Delivery features a cat in a witch costume, flying around on a broom and making deliveries in a sandbox world. Upgrade the broom, explore the world, make new friends and clients, and decorate your cottage. It’s Kiki’s Delivery Service with a cute(r) cartoon cat. You already know if you want this game or not.
Against the Storm [Steam Link]
You don’t often see ‘city builder’ and ‘roguelite’ in the same description. Against The Storm dares to blend the two: build settlements, generate resources, decide strategy, lay down buildings and roads, send explorers, play politics, die and start again. But over time, you can permanently rebuild and upgrade the Smoldering City, your world’s capital, against a dark plague ravaging the lands.
Blooming Business: Casino [Steam Link]
Get the money rolling in your casino. Design the joint, play to the strengths of different visitor types, and make sure the house always wins discreetly. Blooming Business brings a fun cartoon aesthetic to this design, adding some goofy personality. Visually it looks strong, and the presentation gives off a sense of good polish, which is really important in this genre.
Outcast 2 – A New Beginning [Steam Link]
Outcast was the original 3D open-world action game, today somewhat forgotten for its pioneering role in gaming’s evolution. But hopefully, the 23-year-and-counting wait for a sequel will bring our attention back to this sci-fi action series. In development by most of the original Outcast team (and several hundred new hands), Outcast 2 looks incredible.
Chained Echoes [Steam Link]
If ’16-bit SNES style RPG’ means anything to you, you’ll want to check out Chained Echoes. And if that means little, think of stunning and vivid pixel art that meets top-down questing and turn-based combat. Chained Echoes is a giant love letter to this genre snapshot and promises at least 30 hours of campaigning in a unique fantasy world.
Monorail Stories [Steam Link]
I’m a sucker for adventure games with great pixel-art visuals, and Monorail Stories is both. The train in question connects the Cities of M and L. You play two characters, one in each direction of the train journey. They can interact with other passengers – exploring narrative adventures – and their actions influence how things change on the other’s character’s next journey. The game plans an asynchronous multiplayer mode where two people can play one of the lines and influence each other’s games.
The Fabulous Fear Machine [Steam Link]
What stood out here is the pulp comic art style and Twilight Zone atmosphere. But this game defies genre conventions and is a little hard to describe. It’s part outbreak-sim in that you spread a contagion over world regions. It’s part strategy because this contagion is fear and conspiracy theory. And it’s part card game because there are, well, cards. It also tags itself as a horror and narrative game. If you like how all that sounds, dare try to be master of The Fabulous Fear Machine.
From Space [Steam Link]
They’re from space, bubblegum pink, and you better stop them from destroying humanity. Step into 4-player action with From Space, a top-down co-op shooter where firepower takes precedence over tactics. Pick classes and level your character as you progress. This game has a friendly energy and quirky art style that balances the over-the-top force.
Lightyear Frontier [Steam Link]
Taking a leaf from games such as Astroneer, this is an easy-going exploration/crafting game that sticks to one planet. After crash-landing, you and your handy redneck mech suit create a farming mecca and use your advances to explore a big mystery in your new home. It looks very slick and has 4-player co-op – Lightyear Frontier might be a contender in this heavily-competitive genre.
