Understatement of the year, but there’s no shortage of games at Gamescom. With every booth sold out this year, there were thousands, upon thousands of titles to try across every genre.
Many of the games on the main showfloor are near impossible to try without a media appointment, unless you are willing to sacrifice hours of your time at the event waiting. Even some of the indie titles had a queue.
So while I played a lot, there’s still more I wanted to try. And no wrap of this event (including this one) can be comprehensive as a result. I likely missed some absolute gems. Before we delve into what I did actually play on the show floor, it’s worth noting what wasn’t here, as the list is quite significant and telling in and of itself.
As I clearly pointed out in the headline: there was no Grand Theft Auto VI demo or display, despite its reveal via Netflix on Thursday night. And fair enough, it’s a game that needs no promotion. Nor was there a demo of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, which is a real shame given it demoed heavily during Opening Night Live. Interestingly, Marvel’s Wolverine put up ads for the game across Cologne, but didn’t have a stall or activation at the event.
Nintendo was here in full force, taking up almost half of one of the halls. But no demo for Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, which is out in a matter of weeks. They showcased Nintendo Switch Sport Resort, which will be released in October, and a number of other mature games, perhaps trying to show that the Switch 2 can handle them without turning into a miniature heater.
Now, on to what I did play. Starting with my favourite of the show.
Indie demos
Cassette Beasts 2002
Bytten Studio (UK), published by Raw Fury
Standing in yet another long queue this week at Gamescom, I struck up a debate with another punter. He argued that sequels are universally worse than the original. I begged to differ. I said that many ideas from the earlier game that didn’t make it into the final product get a chance to live on in a second game, and they are better for it.
Less than a day later, I tried the next title in the Cassette Beasts franchise. It made my argument for me. For those not in the know, Cassette Beasts is a Pokémon-like monster tamer that brings some interesting and mature themes to the genre. It’s brimming with British humour and a banging soundtrack to boot, with killer vocals from singer Shelby Harvey. I briefly reviewed it ages ago for this column.
The success of their last game has given Bytten Studio the ability to invest heavily in this title, and it shows. Straying away from its isometric roots, the world of the game is rendered in 3D, combat animation is that much sharper, and Harvey is back for another round of bangers too.
They’re also shooting for the moon with a nemesis-style system, similar to what we first saw in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. When you defeat a monster, it’ll potentially mutate into an enhanced version and escape. That new form will eventually seek you out for a boss-style battle. Or, occasionally, it’ll appear when you’re in trouble and help you out (because it wants to be the one to defeat you). It’s a cool flourish, and one they heavily showcased in the demo.
Cassette Beasts was an outlier when it launched, but the sequel arguably faces stiffer competition this time around. Since Palworld broke the seal, showing that games of this genre can be successful outside of Pokémon, many other developers have been moving in on the segment. While I’m not giving out prizes, this is my demo of the show. I’m psyched for the release of this game in March 2027.
Box Knight
We Made A Thing Studios (Australia), self-published
So many of the games I’ll discuss here will be coming out next year. Many don’t have a release date to boot. But how about one that’s available to play right now? Box Knight basically launched at Gamescom and it hails from Adelaide, the same city that brought us Hollow Knight. Set in an office tower that’s literally gone to hell, you play as a worker fighting your way to its summit, slaying monsters and freeing your coworkers in the process.
It’s a multiplayer 2D, stage-based brawler game, similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. But this isn’t just your average hack-and-slasher. Enemies grow increasingly sophisticated as you climb the tower. Taking inspiration from Doom and Halo, the developers designed it so that each later floor requires you to take certain foes out in a particular order to succeed, gradually dismantling their ranks. Combined with a deep upgrade system and some roguelite mechanics, it adds a layer of strategy to what could otherwise have been an exercise in button mashing.
It’s a tough game. And it’s one that, as its developers admit, has flown under the radar. But it feels fun to play, with a unique art style to boot. What more do you want from an indie game?
INFERNUS
Lucid Rain Studios (Canada)
Keeping on the theme of horror, this Canadian-themed deck builder aims to blend horror and stealth with strategic card play. If The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can blend action with cards in Gwent, why can’t they?
It leads to a very interesting game that oscillates between tense stealth segments and strategic deck-building and card play themed around tarot, all set in the pits of hell, of course.
Its demo was a little short on substance as the game is still early on, but the trailer hinted at some wild-looking foes, including the return of Alien-adjacent face-hugging enemies. This is a horror title through and through, so it won’t be everyone’s bag.
But hey, plenty of people didn’t come to The Witcher 3 for Gwent and ended up Gwent players regardless. No release date yet, but it could launch as early as late 2027.
Other indies that caught my eye
Frostliner: The only Australian title on the Gamescom dev show floor, handpicked by the organisers to demo at the event. It’s an unofficial tribute to Snowpiercer, bundling resource management mechanics with strategy-based gameplay.
Hope in the City: Another theme from this event: Canada really is on a roll when it comes to making indie games. Hope in the City is another example. It’s an excellent mystery point-and-click adventure developed by a Canadian studio but set in northern China. Hope arrives home to find her family’s apartment trashed and her parents missing, and it’s up to her to figure out what happened using her artistic sensibilities. Its art style, grounded storytelling and strong voice acting made the demo a standout.
Into the Dead: The Darkest Days: A love letter to anyone who enjoyed Telltale’s The Walking Dead series, or even horror survival game Dead by Daylight. This New Zealand game has you control a group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse, but it plays as a simulation game, managing their hideout and resources as you plot an escape from the city. Think Fallout Shelter, but with undead. Currently in early access on Steam.
Major game demos
Path of Exile II
Grinding Gear Games (New Zealand)
I don’t know how it took me this long to get aboard the Path of Exile train. First off, it’s a New Zealand–made game, and secondly, I enjoy Diablo. It’s similar, but I’m sure fans would slay me if I even hinted the pair are the same. For those looking for a clearer contrast: Path of Exile II feels heavier than its Blizzard counterpart. There’s less dodging and more parrying and blocking. From what I saw, there’s more complexity and customisation too.
The 20-minute demo had me play as the new duelist class, the first (and only) sword-wielder they’ve introduced to the game. I won’t go into detail, as there are dedicated fan sites that will absolutely cover everything revealed and why it matters. But I will say it was a blast to play, and easy to pick up as someone whose only point of reference is Diablo. Count me in for giving the 1.0 version a try on December 11.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
KONAMI (Japan), Evil Empire (France), published by KONAMI
After playing a myriad of indie titles ranging from outstanding to a little undercooked, this game felt like sinking into a warm bath. Its demo was tuned to perfection. Its map: well honed, in that you can explore but are gently guided to the right spot. Combat: intricate but still simple to pull off. Bosses: difficult initially, until you learn their patterns and tells. If the end product is anything like the demo, this will be a fantastic metroidvania. If that’s your jam, look out for it in October.
Mega Man: Duel Override
Capcom (Japan)
This was my first time playing a Mega Man game, and I learned the hard way that they are not easy. Pitted against the firework-wielding Twinkle Girl, this demo has you complete three rather tricky stages before a devious final boss. The custom chipset mode — which lets you customise Mega Man’s abilities ahead of each stage — allows you to somewhat m
\oderate the difficulty.
But I have some gripes. Falling off any cliff or obstacle leads to instant death and restarts you at the nearest checkpoint. That’s fine in most games, but this title packs in some difficult platforming challenges that I wouldn’t expect to see in a demo. Don’t take it from me: I watched several players before me simply give up on the demo and move on, if that’s any hint of the challenge it poses. I can imagine the difficulty only goes up from here, too. This one hits shelves sometime next year, with no release date as of yet. Gird yourselves.
Hands-off previews
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
Crystal Dynamics (US), Flying Wild Hog (Poland), published by Amazon Game Studios
This was a gameplay demo offered to media ahead of the game’s launch in February next year. It’s a faithful but graphically updated recreation of the 1996 original. As you would expect, it looks fantastic. But out with the old, in with the new: the tank controls the old title was known for are gone, and a new gathering and crafting system now replaces finding random med-packs to heal. And Lara’s iconic dual pistols are supplemented by other weapons, such as a shotgun. These are just a few of the modern changes.
But all the settings and scenarios from the base game are here. The demo toured a reimagined version of the Sword of Damocles puzzle from the Greece section, where Lara manipulates giant (and dangerous) stone swords dangling from the ceiling of a tomb to solve a puzzle and escape.
While we weren’t shown much of the story, I do wonder if they’ll attempt to carry over some of the characterisation built for Lara Croft in the last trilogy. Her character was a lot more straightforward in the 90s, seemingly engineered for the covers of gaming magazines. But between the newer games and the recent TV series, she’s since been given some real grit, and a lot of heart too. Whether that translates remains to be seen. But from what I saw, this looks like a fantastic action-adventure that fans of the earlier titles, or of the Uncharted series, may be keen to give a go.
Soulframe
Digital Extremes (Canada)
I’ve often wondered what a massively multiplayer online game would look like if a developer started today. Most of them are built on engines and foundations that are decades old, and both gameplay and graphics have leapt forward significantly in the past 10 years.
That fact alone makes Soulframe one to watch. I never really got into its sister game Warframe — it feels like a title that would appeal to the same crowd who love Destiny. Soulframe, on the other hand, is a softer open-world fantasy title, with intricate real-time combat mechanics and a gentler narrative around protecting its whimsical world and saving animals.
It feels like pure fan service for those who are into high fantasy. And when it does launch, much like Warframe, it will be free to play. The developers are still adding and building out the game, but you can register to try the early build through their access program. I liked what I saw, but I’d prefer to wait until its first formal release before passing any real judgement on it.
Were there any games here that caught your eye? Or any you’d like to know more about? Finally, are there any that I missed? Let me know in the comments.
