Of course, this does not mean that there are no interesting games to watch. According to a first impression, these eight games could be exciting in the coming months.
“MetalHellsinger”: Carving demons to the beat
It was perhaps the most sensational single event at Gamescom 2022: a metal concert with a large audience took place in hall six. The performance was an advertisement for “Metal Hellsinger” (Funcom), on the stage there were musicians and a musician who participated in the soundtrack.
The game combines first-person shooter with rhythm game: there is a driving metal soundtrack running, in which the players move demons out of the way to the beat. If you hit the beat exactly with a sword or shotgun, you will do more damage and have the chance to regain life points with a special action. The game will be released on September 15 for Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
“Minecraft Legends”: strategy, but with “Minecraft”
“Minecraft Legends” (Mojang/Xbox) wants to combine the cube world of Minecraft with strategy. First of all, the perspective is interesting for the players: unlike in classic real-time strategy games, you don’t see the world from a bird’s eye view. Instead, you first control a single character.
This figure, in turn, can give instructions to other figures, for example, let them mine resources or erect buildings. Units can then be formed in the buildings, to which instructions can then be given again. Thus, gamers push back the Piglins who have invaded the game world. The game should be released next year for all current consoles and PC.
Real-time strategy in the style of “Command &Conquer”
It is more classic with “Tempest Rising” (THQ Nordic). The developers have been heavily inspired by old genre greats such as “Command &Conquer”. In a world after a nuclear world war, there are only a few factions left fighting for rare resources. These have individual units and differ greatly from each other. For example, the Global Defense Force (GDF) emerged from Western states.
The fight is over the so-called tempest, a kind of red-hot mineral that can be found in the nuclear-contaminated areas of the world. For the individual factions, there will be campaigns with 15 missions each, and a multiplayer mode is also planned. The game is expected to be released for PC in 2023.
“Floodland”: the world after the climate catastrophe
Post-apocalyptic is also “Floodland” (Vile Monarch/Plaion), but in a different scenario: the climate catastrophe has flooded and devastated large parts of the Earth. However, new clans are emerging in the rubble, trying to rebuild civilization.
The players start with a few survivors on a small island full of ruins. First of all, they must ensure their basic supply of food and water, such as fishing and small water treatment plants.
Gradually, more survivors can be found who can join. And the new clan begins to develop technologies. But the bigger the tribe gets, the bigger the problems get. The game will be released for PC on November 15th.
Detective reappraisal of National Socialism
The studio behind “Through the Darkest of Times” (Paintbucket Games) has their upcoming title at Gamescom: “The Darkest Files”. In it, players take on the role of a lawyer who wants to bring Nazi criminals to justice after the Second World War.
While the lawyer is fictional, the cases are based on actual charges of Nazi crimes in the 1950s. In the game you view files and interrogate witnesses. With the knowledge gained, the crimes are then reconstructed and appear in court in the respective trials. “The Darkest Files” has no release date yet and should be released for the PC.
Talking guns with the creator of “Rick and Morty”
Especially bizarre and very funny is “High on Life” (Squanch Games), in which you go on a bounty hunt for aliens with talking weapons. In the screech-colored game world you are mainly accompanied by the slime gun Kenny. This is voiced by Justin Roiland, who also dubbed the two main roles in the series “Rick and Morty”.
As in the animated series, things are very cynical in “High on Life”. It is questionable whether the whimsical humor can be translated into German even nearly as well. “High on Life” will be released on December 13th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
“Sonic Frontiers”: with the blue hedgehog through open worlds
Great expectations lie on “Sonic Frontiers” (Sega). It is the first attempt to transport the blue hedgehog to an open world. A daring concept, since the classic Sonic games are all about mastering a level as well as possible and running through it at top speed, while open-world games are more about discovering.
Thus, the game world, which has already been seen in trailers, is somewhat abstract: for example, metal structures float in the air, over which Sonic can slide as if on rails (grinds). However, the structures are not very naturally embedded in the world. Whether the concept will work out will turn out on November 8 – then the game should come out for all current consoles and PC.
Who You Gonna Call?: “Ghostbusters”!
“Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed” (Illfonic) enters the trendy area of asymmetric multiplayer games. Four ghost hunters compete against one ghost. While the paranormal being tries to haunt a building as completely as possible and drive the people in it away, the Ghostbusters want to capture the ghost.
At Gamescom you could see the level brewery, in which a pink ghost is doing his mischief. He has various abilities to drive people away or to defend himself against the hunters. In addition, he can hide in objects such as chairs or lamps. The hunters, in turn, have various devices to capture the ghost. The game is scheduled to be released on October 18 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, as well as for PC.
