Once Human
PCs, smartphones; Studio with stars; Release: July 9
The market is already saturated with open-world multiplayer survival games, but this post-apocalyptic epic adds cosmic horror to the mix. Its vast world is filled with grotesque Lovecraftian monsters – including a live bus like the benevolent catbus in My Neighbor Totoro, but only terrible. You have been warned.
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Flintlock: Siege of Dawn
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X; Games A44; Release: July 18
An action role-playing game from New Zealand with intriguing combat similar to Bloodborne. You use an axe, dodge and a pistol to intercept the attacks of your powerful enemies and gain the upper hand – but this animated world is much brighter and less gloomy, inspired by the Antipodean setting of the developers of her.
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Kunitsu-Gami: The Path of the Goddess
Xbox, PC, PS4/5; Capcom; Release: July 19
I’ve never seen anything quite like this upcoming game from Capcom: you control a warrior protecting a priestess as she slowly dances her way through monster-filled Japanese mountain scenes, clearing her environment as she goes. During the day you rescue people and station your troops; at night you attack monsters, hoping to keep him safe. It’s like tower defense meets Onimusha.
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Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
PC, PS5, Switch; Furniture & Mattress; Release: July 25
Genre mash-ups are popular in the indie scene, and this is one of the most interesting – a block sorting puzzle crossed with an RPG. You play as Jemma, a young adventurer whose every move also changes the row or column she stands on, so exploration becomes a series of geographical puzzles.
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steamWorld Heist II
PS4/5, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox; Image & Form; Release: August 8
The SteamWorld games are all beloved variations on a theme: Dig is a Spelunky-style puzzle platformer, Quest is an RPG, Build is a city management game, and Heist is a characteristic turn-based strategy fighter where you control a fun team. pirate robots. Between cutscenes you zoom in on a spray submarine, exploring the seas.
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Black Myth: Wukong
PC, PS5; Game Science; Release: August 20
The sixteenth-century Chinese novel Journey to the West has inspired countless anime, movies, and video games, and this is the latest adaptation: an action role-playing game with certain tendencies like spirits, it pits players against a wealth of monsters from Chinese folklore . in a luxurious ancient landscape.
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Phoenix Springs
PC; Calligram Studio; Release: September 16
A point-and-click detective game for the 21st century, in which the player collects concepts and conversations instead of objects, and the inventory is a mind map rather than an endless suitcase; you use the words and ideas you came up with to ask people for more information. The visuals have the bold, hyper-stylized beauty of a quirky pop video or new wave animation.
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UFO 50
PC; Mossmouth; Release: September 18
A collection of 50 independent games created by a true indie developer. Designed to resemble the software library of a fictional 8-bit console from history, UFO 50 has everything from sports sims to shoot-’em-ups. Bringing modern game design sensibilities to an imagined alternate gaming history is a fascinating idea.
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Slitterhead
PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X; Bokeh Games; Release: November 8
Red-eyed children, parasitic brain worms and deserted city streets: it can only be the latest horror adventure from Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama. Early footage suggests gallons of lies and a currently very sleek PS2-era aesthetic.
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Wanderstop
PC, PS5; Ivy Road; Publication: TBC
The latest project from The Stanley Parable creator Davey Wreden sees retired warrior Alta abandon her broadsword to run a cozy tea shop. You’ll be serving customers and growing all of your ingredients – but the trailers suggest that Alta’s past won’t go down without a fight…
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Critter Cafe
PC, Switch; Sumo Newcastle; Publication: TBC
When developer Sumo Newcastle held its in-house game, Critter Cafe was such a popular entry that it was chosen for a full release. It’s all about rescuing cute creatures from a magical rift and then letting them roam your sweet little cafe, charming guests and making friends. It is likely to be one of the healthy hits of the year.
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Neva
PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox; Nomada Studio; Publication: TBC
From the team behind the ethereal, melancholic Gris comes another emotional adventure, this time about a young girl and her wolf who wander a beautiful but dying world. Drawing parallels between ecology and parenthood, and featuring some sublime natural settings, Neva looks set to be a poignant yet hopeful experience.
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Unknown 9: Awakening
PC, PS4/5, Xbox; Reflector Entertainment; Publication: TBC
Starring The Witcher 3 actress Anya Chalotra, here’s an epic fantasy adventure that follows young warrior Haroona, who has the ability to enter a mysterious dimension and supernatural powers – earning her the attention of an evil secret society. It reminds us of both Dishonored and The Darkness, which is no bad thing.
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Fear of the center of attention
PC, PS4/5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch; Cozy Game Pals; Publication: TBC
The PlayStation 1’s low-key mid-90s aesthetic is back in a big way, and it really plays into the creepiness of this unusual horror game from a small team of two. Two teenage girls have an ill-fated date in their school library at night, and what happens next is predictably alarming – solving touch puzzles as you crawl around the school in the dark really brings to mind those brilliant early days of survival horror.
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