If you can believe it, there were over 700 games featured during all of the miscellaneous Summer Game Fest showcases. And when you consider that the heavy hitters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Gears of War: E-Day and Dragon Age: The Veilguard commanded so much attention, you can only imagine how smaller titles probably went unnoticed by many.
With that in mind, we wanted to round up some of the games that caught our eye, given that we were on the ground in Los Angeles for Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, Ubisoft Forward and more. This will be a mix of titles we got to actually see and/or play in behind-closed-doors demos, as well as those that popped up in some of the 15(!) different showcases over the past week.
Arranger
Image credit: Furniture & Mattress LLC
Platforms: PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC, Netflix Games (Android and iOS)
Release date: July 25th, 2024
Developer Furniture & Mattress has created one of the most original and clever puzzle games I’ve ever played. In it, the entire world is arranged on a grid that moves with our hero, the small-town misfit Jemma. It’s a simple (and touchscreen-friendly) control scheme that leads to some truly ingenious puzzles, some of which can be solved in multiple ways. But don’t take my word for it — there’s a demo right now on Steam!
Bounty Star
Image credit: Annapurna Interactive
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2024
Bounty Star mixes mechs with the Western genre to deliver something pretty unique. The customizable mech provides some high-octane action, while the farming and base-building balance out that gameplay loop with more relaxing elements. All the while, war veteran Clem seeks redemption in what developer Dinogod is calling a “post-post-apocalyptic” version of the American Southwest. But really, all of that is just a bonus for that sweet, sweet mech action.
Fear the Spotlight
Image credit: Blumhouse Games
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: TBA 2024
Prolific horror movie company Blumhouse has ventured out into games, and the first title it showed at SGF is this impressive indie horror title from the two-person team of Cozy Game Pals. It’s a winning mix of grainy VHS filter ’90s teen horror and PS1-style character models that lovingly call back to the likes of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. But the demo also establishes an endearing friendship between two teenage girls who unwittingly unleash a creature in a séance gone wrong, and I’m eager to see how that plays out as they try to reunite.
Flock
Image credit: Annapurna Interactive
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: July 16th, 2024
Hollow Pond’s Flock was perhaps the most refreshingly laidback and serene game I played at SGF. It can best be described as a riff on bird watching, where you must study and catalogue quirky-looking alien creatures as you soar around a gorgeous painterly landscape atop a colourful bird. Meanwhile, little touches like the smooth and graceful handling of the bird and the way she chirps along animal calls with you really endear you to your companion. There’s just a lovely cozy vibe to the whole thing, and it’s incredibly appealing.
Mixtape
Image credit: Annapurna Interactive
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (plus Xbox Game Pass), PC
Release date: TBA 2025
I’m a sucker for coming-of-age stories, and Mixtape, from Beethoven and Dinosaur (2021’s excellent The Artful Escape), looks to be one of the most affecting and nostalgic I’ve seen in a while. Set to an eclectic ’80s soundtrack that includes the likes of Devo, The Smashing Pumpkins and Iggy Pop, Mixtape follows three teens who embark on one final adventure on their last day of high school. The game looks to beautifully capture those misty-eyed feelings of savouring what’s left of your adolescence, and I’ll absolutely be there on day one.
Replaced
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S (plus Xbox Game Pass), PC
Release date: TBA 2024
This has been one of the MobileSyrup team’s most anticipated games, and Sad Cat Studios’ cyberpunk action-platformer didn’t disappoint in my demo. The striking 2.5D pixel art and cinematic presentation were as gorgeous as I expected, and the story — which involves an AI becoming trapped in the body of a human vessel — took some thrilling twists early on, especially in a thrilling police chase. But what I was most impressed by was the almost Batman: Arkham-style freeflow combat that lets you bounce between enemies while using different attacks to counter different enemy types and charge your gun for stylish executions. I need this game now.
Sky of Tides
Image credit: ESD Digital Games
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: TBA 2024
Toronto-based Lofty Sky is a prolific media company, having worked on everything from mobile games and VR to award-winning documentaries. Its latest creation, Sky of Tides, marries those cross-disciplinary skills into a game and accompanying animated series. Set in a technologically advanced world on the brink of war, you have to find your sister and heal a broken planet. What’s particularly interesting about this narrative RPG, though, is that it’s positioning itself as an “anti-RPG” where you have to try to balance different personality traits, rather than try to specialize in any given one.
South of Midnight
Image credit: Xbox
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC (plus Xbox Game Pass)
Release date: TBA
The Xbox Games Showcase was one of Xbox’s best shows in years, harkening back to the 360 era with the likes of Black Ops, Gears of War, Fable and Perfect Dark. But for our money, Montreal’s Compulsion Games had the most exciting title in the Xbox lineup, South of Midnight. It’s got an absolutely stunning Coraline-esque art style, solid-looking magic-focused combat and a compelling focus on using Southern folklore — which we seldom see in high-profile media — to tell a metaphorical story about healing trauma. This feels like it could be one of Xbox’s greatest games yet if Compulsion can stick the landing.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Image credit: GSC Game World
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC (plus Xbox Game Pass)
Release date: September 5th, 2024
After a lengthy development cycle that was further delayed by the war in Ukraine, developer GSC Game World is almost ready to release its anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. While I’d never played any of the other games in the series, I was impressed by the demo I played at SGF. There’s a palpable sense of tension and atmosphere of being in this radioactive Chornobyl zone and encountering deadly mutants and anomalies that make this feel refreshingly distinct from the many bombastic first-person shooters on the market. Throw in over 30-plus modifiable weapons and a non-linear story with several different endings and this could be a real hit.
Unknown 9: Awakening
Image credit: Bandai Namco
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2024
Unlike most games on this list, this isn’t exactly an indie title, given that it hails from Montreal-based Reflector Entertainment, a subsidiary of Japanese gaming giant Bandai Namco. But it also feels like people are overlooking this one, especially compared to Bandai Namco’s other two big SGF games, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Unknown 9: Awakening is set in a fascinating alternate-history fantasy world in which Haroona (The Witcher‘s Anya Chalotra) must wield special abilities to fight a clandestine society. In a demo, we got to see her impressive array of powers, which include possessing enemies, Force-like push and pull moves, cloaking and more. This one has a lot of potential.
What are your favourite games that you saw at Summer Game Fest? Let us know in the comments.
For a breakdown of our overall favourite games from the show, click here. Additionally, we have a roundup of the many varied Canadian titles that were featured, which you can check out here.
Header image credit: Coatsink/Annapurna Interactive/Blumhouse Games
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