If you watched any of the showcases that came on before Ubisoft’s conference, you would know that there was quite a lot shown off before E3 even really started. I don’t want to say that there was too much to cover but the Wholesome Games Showcase was firing off games almost as fast as you could blink. So instead, Sean Garmer and I named off out top 5 games from each showcase. Below, you can find our top 5 games from both of the Guerrilla Collective showcases and the Wholesome Games as well. Links provided to the trailers in our lists, just click on the names.
Guerrilla Collective Showcase
Sean Top 5 – Day 1
5. Rubi: The Wayward Mira: Rubi began life as a Kickstarter game and now it has hit that Guerrilla Collective stage. Honestly, I’m a sucker for 2D Platformers in general, but Rubi has a lot of other things going for it as well. There are some cool powers and upgradeable skills. There’s just something about its aesthetic that draws you in as well. What’s most interesting perhaps is the big baddies who are extremely varied go from a giant multi panel robot to a humongous spider. Yes, there are many other games out there like this, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of Rubi soon.
4. Ultra Age: This game has actually been around for a bit, first getting a small demo at Tokyo Game Show 2018, but I knew nothing about it until seeing it at this showcase. Simply think of it as a Hack-and-Slash game but with a futuristic setting and an awesome Sword. Sometimes that’s just all you want in a video game. Just slash stuff until it goes down and you go about your business. This game certainly looks to deliver plenty of that. Plus, the music is pretty great too.
3. Kung Fu Kickball: I had no idea this is actually already out in Early Access until I saw the trailer. I am a big fan of Soccer or (Football depending on where you are from), and then making it into almost a pixel Smash Bros-like sold me. The addition of the Kung-Fu Monkey to the game was a nice surprise too. Overall, this is very much my jam, and it looks very fun and was really the only multiplayer game shown off here as well.
2. The Lightbringer: There is just something very charming about The Lightbringer. From its colorful worlds to your end goal of cleansing monoliths with power gained by exploring. The 3D art style is splendid and it got my attention right away. Not to mention, it seems each world will have its own perils in the quest to completion. On its surface it looks like another 3D Platformer, but its themes, art style, and the variety of its worlds carry it beyond that for me.
1. Legend of Tian Ding: The comic book style is eye-catching but this was my favorite game of the showcase because it carries several different gameplay styles. It has a little Beat Em Up, some platforming, even kart traversal. Plus, there’s some kind of weird poker game too. The return of Streets of Rage last year turned it into one of my favorite games of 2020. Not saying Legend of Tianding is gonna do the same, but there is certainly a lot to like here that has me jonesing for the game’s release in October.
Day 2
5. Venice 2089: I actually went to Venice in high school and saw this beautiful city with my own eyes. One of the first things you hear any guide say (and I had to hear so many of them throughout my time there), say that there could be a time where the city winds up underwater due to climate change. In comes Venice 2089, where climate change has done that and the main character goes around on her hoverboard and not initially caring about what happens to her city, but by the end it seems she does. I get that there are many out there that don’t want games with messages or that get “political.” But screw that, Venice 2089 has a point to make and that’s great.
4. Slime Heroes: Imagine if you got to control a Kirby looking slime and they had powers and a sword. This is essentially Slime Heroes. These Alien enemies attack the world and the Slimes are there to save it. Sometimes you don’t need an elaborate setup. The slimes are cute, there’s co-op, and it has a nice artstyle, I’m down with that.
3. Trash Sailors: Take the art style reminiscent of a 90’s Nick Toon and put them in a 4-player co-op adventure about being on a raft. Suddenly these ships come by and decide to attack your only means of survival. Thankfully, these ships offload trash like no one’s business and you just happen to have a trash collector on your raft that turns trash into crafting gold. I just loved this idea of not only trying to survive, but also improving the raft and defending it with stuff built from garbage. I was very much enamored with this and hope I can find some friends to play it with when it comes out soon.
2. Fire Girl: What’s special about Fire Girl is multifaceted. There’s the graphics that stand out obviously, but also its gameplay aspects. Yes, you do put out fires and rescue people, but also you try to rebuild, restore, and upgrade these same places where Fire Girl has gone and performed these heroic deeds. So there’s more than just answering the call to put out the flames, there’s also a care for the city as well and that’s pretty cool too.
1. Loot River: When I first saw Loot River I was hooked immediately. I’m not the best Tetris player or anything, but I respect it and the fact that you are in control of the platforms feels special. It is something different that you don’t really see. Put on top the great pixel art and the combat and I’m sold. There’s just so many different combinations of ways to take out what’s in your way that it has me excited to get my hands on it already. Having the top down element is also neat and although I’m not the biggest roguelike person, there’s just something about Loot River that has me captivated, and I know there are a lot more folks like that out there too.
Kyle Top 5 – Day 1
5. Legend of TianDing: It is just hard to not love the manga inspired art style in this side-scrolling action game. The artwork reminds me heavily of that featured in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The game is also based on Liao Tianding, the man known as the “Robin Hood” of Taiwan and I’m always up for an entertaining history lesson.
4. Ultra Age: If you ever asked for a hack and slash game akin to Devil May Cry with robotic enemies that feel like they were pulled straight out of Binary Domain, this is your game. It just looks like a lot of fun. You can really see where the developers’ influences came from and I appreciate that sort of love letter.
3. Omno: The world just needs more games that are similar to Journey. Omno tasks you with exploring the ancient ruins of a lost civilization using their forgotten technology to help you along your on your quest. Unlike Journey however, Omno is a single player game but it looks beautiful and peaceful. The perfect way to unwind after dealing with cheaters in Warzone.
2. Trifox: Much like TianDing and Ultra Age, Trifox just looks like a lot of fun. Who doesn’t want to play as a talented fox on a quest to save his home? It is a twin stick shooter where players can choose a class to play as or combine them to cause some extra chaos. I love it.
1. Endling: The theme of my favorite games from Day 1 is clearly that I love foxes. Endling however, puts you in the shoes (or paws?) of a mother fox and one of her three pups has been taken. Set in a dystopian future where you play one of the last Foxes in existence and it’s up to you to raise your pups while trying to survive in a harsh world. It is a unique premise and I look forward to getting my hands on it.
Day 2
5. UnMetal: UnMetal embraces its’ Metal Gear Solid and 80’s action movies as influences as tightly as it can. Taking the description directly from google, “UnMetal is a 2D stealth action-adventure that pays homage to the classics with a healthy dose of humor and satire. You play as Jesse Fox, who is definitely NOT an elite commando, under arrest for a crime he didn’t commit, and must escape a covert military base using his wits and fists.” The trailer made the game look like it was going to be a hilarious adventure and I want in.
4. Venice 2089: Unlike Sean, I have never been to Venice. However, my family came to America on a boat directly from Italy when he was a child. It has long since been a dream of mine to return to those roots and see where a part of my family comes from. While Venice 2089 won’t actually get me there, I’m intrigued by the concept of riding a hoverboard around the sinking city of Venice.
3. BPM: BPM stands for “Bullets Per Minute” and the gameplay expects you to shoot, dodge and reload to the beat of the music. While I’m not a big fan of Rogue-likes, the concept of a rhythm based FPS sounds ridiculously fun. I actually wish more action movies had sequences where the action was in-sync with the beats.
2. Aragami 2: I was a huge fan of Aragami when it was first released and I’ve bought the game on multiple platforms. In the first game, you play as an undead assassin, summoned into the world by a captive named Yamiko and must help her escape. After the first title, I didn’t expect there to be another but I am glad to see the developers are making a sequel. Especially since the sequel seems to be getting closer and closer to Tenchu. Stealth games are a dying breed in this day and age so I’m more than happy to support games like these.
1. Sable: What won Sable over for me was its art. The game looks absolutely gorgeous and if you just showed me a screenshot, I don’t think I would have believed it was an actual video game. Sable is being marketed as an open world exploration game where you guide a young girl named Sable on her “gliding”. A rite of passage that will see her traveling across vast deserts, mesmerizing landscape and many ancient wonders.
Wholesome Direct
Sean’s Top 5
5. Yokai Inn: If you want to keep things simple and say this is just another Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, sure go ahead and do so. However, I don’t think foxes have ever looked so cute before though. Getting past that, the main character is crafting, cooking, farming, and doing all those typical things. But there seems to be a bit of a mystery here too. Why is she buying masks and that cliffhanger ending makes me wonder if there is a little more in store.
4. Unpacking: Yep, this is a game about literally unpacking stuff. Sure, many will probably go “where’s the fun in that?” And normally I’d say the real form of unpacking totally sucks. However, in video game form it takes on a whole new meaning. This is really the true point of Unpacking. You get to know about someone’s life and how they’ve changed through various years of moving out and into a new place. Imagine if you had a photo album of a loved one that had pictures in it that spanned a decade. This is essentially that but you are also arranging their stuff and understanding how they’ve changed over time. I find that kinda interesting and also props for just calling the game Unpacking too.
3. We Are OFK: The Game Awards last year showed a teaser of this and I thought it was cool that the band was diverse and certainly had something it wanted to say. Then, I discovered they actually had a video of the entire song as well, which is super catchy. However, we still didn’t really know much about the actual game. The story trailer here shows that this is a making of the band narrative point and click game. Where the characters are certainly front and center, whether it is the Piano player Yumi, the scary J, fellow Keyboard player Carter, or the singer Luca. I love the artstyle too of the game. So this should be a big hit when it comes out.
2. Battlecakes: Did someone say Turn-based RPG? My absolute favorite genre? And it involves being a cupcake? I’m there with those words. However I should note that there is demo footage of this game you can go seek out if that first line didn’t convince you. This is very much an RPG. Explore various towns, get items from chests, find NPC’s, and turn based battles, although you can befriend and not just battle too. The cute world is certainly a plus too. But as I mentioned, RPG’s are my thing so I’m so down when anyone wants to make one.
1. Moonglow Bay: This has been an indie darling ever since the ID at Xbox showcase months ago with great reason because it combines a Minecraft type look with an RPG and the main mechanic is fishing. At the same time you are trying to help your little town avoid bankruptcy. Quite frankly the amount of dedication going to all of the fishing stuff is astonishing. They really went for that and managed to wrap it into this nice story as well. It feels like a great relaxing game you can go back to when you just need to unwind for the day or night.
Kyle Top 5
5. Beasts of Maravilla: As a kid, I was a huge fan of Pokemon Snap. I played that game so much just to take pictures of Charizard and Mew that my parents probably thought I was going to go into wildlife photography (sorry mom and dad). While I haven’t played the new Pokemon Snap, I was more than happy to jump into Beasts of Maravilla on my Nintendo Switch. Snap’s problem on the N64 was that you were on rails and exploration was limited. Maravilla Island, however, allows players to walk around and fully explore the island which gives the players more opportunity to make the game all the more memorable.
4. Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight: Tasomachi is another game exploring a far eastern world. As a young girl named Yukumo, you’ll delve deep into dungeons in order to collect the parts she needs to repair her airship. The game sports unique visuals and despite the concept that you explore dungeons, the game seems like a relaxing journey.
3. Lego Builder’s Journey: Lego Builder’s Journey was only briefly shown off at the end of Wholesome Game’s showcase but it absolutely caught my eye. It’s puzzles and lego. I love the concept of using lego bricks on the map to move around and get to your objective. Plus, I just love Lego. Puzzles and Lego just go hand in hand.
2. Para Lives: There wasn’t much said about Para Lives but it looks like a game that wants to be the Sims rival. On that statement alone I am particularly interested in it. It’s been too long since we’ve had a game like the Sims and I can’t name any other game like it.
1. We are OFK: This is another game that lacked a whole lot of detail but I’m a sucker for a good point and click game. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard any music from the indie pop band OFK, but I am more than interested in this “making of the band” storyline it has going for it. Adding on it’s excellent looking visuals and soundtrack is just the cherry on top.
Author’s Note: Big thanks to Youtube and everyone who has these trailers ready to go.
