The many demos of Summer Game Fest 2024
Trash Goblin
Trash Goblin doesn’t even sound like a game that should work, but in the age of simulators and cozy games, it works entirely too well. Its premise is simple: uncover treasures with the tools at your disposal and flip them for a profit to upgrade your shop and get better tools and treasures to flip for a bigger profit, all while forging relationships with the customers who visit your increasingly cozy shop. Definitely not a title for everyone, as it bills itself as both a wholesome and cozy game – a genre that’s starting to become too oversaturated and saccharin sweet to handle. But I love the name, and I love the premise, and …well, basically, I love Trash Goblin. Good game.
Targeosity
Hoooo boy… listen. I love horror games. Good games, bad games. Sometimes, the worse, the better. Targeosity didn’t feel like it knew what it was doing, or like it was trying to emulate something it couldn’t quite reach, because it was blending two or three styles together in a hot mess of a game that was just flat out grating to experience. The translation wasn’t great, the font they chose to use for subtitles was nearly unreadable, the mini game you were required to play to avoid being jumpscared by this really obnoxious and lame monster was confusing and poorly thought out. Nothing made sense. I’m not even sure I lasted 10 minutes. Not worth the download, in my opinion.
Who Am I: Remedy
There seems to be this new trend in horror games that’s sort of feeding off an already existing trend of analog horror – bodycam style footage. It’s all the rage, and I guess because the newer Unreal Engine with some VHS filters on it just makes it look ultra real. I’m here for it, to be honest, and I think Who Am I: Remedy is doing everything right with the tools it has. It’s a psychological horror with a lot of Silent Hill throwback elements in its obscure puzzles and atmosphere that has me craving more. The game is set to come out this month, so I guess I’ll get to find out the answer to the question the title posits sooner than later!
Intravenous 2
I wasn’t aware of the first Intravenous, and honestly that made the demo for its sequel all the more surprising in a good way. Both games top-down stealth games, in the style of Hotline Miami, but with a dash of Splinter Cell thrown in to slow you down and make you think before you act. I honestly really loved this game, and will likely pick up both of the games after taking in what this one had to offer. I’m not the best at stealth games, but that’s what makes them so fun – the approach to trying different things can often have some hilarious results. Plus, the satisfaction of figuring out the puzzle in a way you weren’t expecting. Intravenous 2 does feel like it takes itself pretty seriously, but that shouldn’t detour people from checking it out regardless.
ASKA
I’ve been pretty vocal on my stream about how fatigued I feel on tree puncher games – open world survival craft games. I feel as though since Valheim emerged, I’ve been ruined. To me, while the game has its objective flaws, it is still perfect. ASKA is looking to sidle up alongside the likes of Valheim to be another viking-inspired co-op adventure to conquest and glory, and as much as I have stated that I’m tired of this genre… I kind of really enjoyed what ASKA had to offer, and wouldn’t mind spending some more time with it. It is out in early access currently – another trend I feel weary and fatigued on – but I might just do it. Fans of Valheim, ARK, and the like, will eat this one up. Personally, I hope that they do so that ASKA has time to flourish and become truly great. But as they say, this one has good bones.
City20
City20 was giving me strong Kenshi vibes, but set in a more present-day dystopia. The game definitely seems to fulfill what its promising, which is a world that is truly influenced by your actions. Build up a base, gain influence in factions, forge your own destiny – it’s hard to explain exactly what to expect from City20, and I think it’s not going to be for everyone. I’m curious and very interested in checking out the full release, as my time with the demo wasn’t enough to really gain footing and judge it for the depth that it offers. I spent most of my short time in the demo in a death loop trying to steal gas from a restricted area in a city, which is sort of what I expected to happen. City20 definitely needs more time to cook than you would think to let it get its hooks into you, but similar to Kenshi… I think it’s going to be phenomenal.
MORN
MORN is a fast-paced boomer shooter through and through, and I have a heavy bias for these because I love DOOM so much that I’ll play anything that takes me back to the 90s like DOOM does. What I didn’t realize is that MORN’s storyline involves vampires, werewolves, demons, and you – a minister at a church called The Hellsing Society. You know what you’re getting with this game, so if you’re not into boomer shooters, it definitely won’t be your thing. It’s not necessarily doing anything new or different within the genre either, but for most people who are fans of it, that isn’t a requirement. Certainly it isn’t for me, and so MORN gets added to my backlog upon release. I LIKED IT!
The Rise of the Golden Idol
I loved the demo for The Case of the Golden Idol, so I knew I would love the demo for this as well. In fact, this just reminded me that I needed to go back and play through the entirety of the first game. These are unique point and click mystery games that will scratch the itch of any amateur detective out there who loves true crime and relaxed gameplay mechanics. Definitely worth a visit on the demo for all, if only to decide whether or not it is for you. One might be surprised at how engaging it turns out to be!
Lost and Found Co.
This game was entirely too cute, but not in a bad way. Some of the visual novel aspects were almost too much, though admittedly by the time I got to it during my stream it was so late that nothing was cute and everything was grating. Lost and Found Co. is a point-and-click hidden object game with various quests to complete – think Where’s Waldo but in a video game – and there are CATS! Honestly a great wind-down game and something worth picking up if you need a calming alternative to literally anything anxiety inducing.
Vampire Therapist
What I loved about Vampire Therapist wasn’t just the full voice narration, but the fact that you’re using actual cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to solve puzzles and social situations presented within the game. It’s a visual novel with a lot of heart and narrative interest, and while it definitely won’t be for everyone, people like me who are constantly craving vampire games of any kind will certainly want to sink their teeth into Vampire Therapist. It comes out in a couple of weeks!