Gamescom is a loud, in-your-face, five day maelstrom of sights and sounds and videogamey things. It’s fun, but rather ill-suited for games which are not all about guns and competition and strife and WINNING something or other. Still, there are more than enough upcoming titles out there that celebrate the good things, that dazzle with their beauty, or that impress with their design or narrative. Here are a few of them.
Overland (Finji, when it’s done)
Sure, the world is ending and everything is bad. But grab a bunch of friendly strangers and some good dogs and go on a road trip. Overland is so meticulously and elegantly designed, and listening to Adam Saltsman talk about game design makes you want to just continually nod in agreement.
Mosaic (Krillbite, Summer 2019)
Mosaic is both searing criticism of the modern, capitalist grind and a celebration of life’s small wonders. Or at least I think it is? This is certainly going places.
Neo Cab (Chance Agency, 2019)
Granted, playing as the last human taxi driver in some fully automated near-future scenario does not sound too exciting at first, but thanks to some outstanding writing and characters that feel, well, human, Neo Cab just sucks you in.
Gris (Nomada Studio, December 2018)
The first time I played Gris pretty much exactly two years ago, I knew that I would love this unconditionally. I still do. You can do it as well, and soon. My game of the show, and probably my game of the year in a year that already had so many amazing games.
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So yes, there will be videogames. And the videogames will be good. Everything will be alright.
