The annual Game developers conference kicked this week in San Francisco and, as it does each year, Microsoft Xbox The brand combines a collection of Game Demos for media to try. Everything is from its partner's studios, specifically those under the ID@xbox subbrand.
I spent some time playing a number of games, talked to some developers behind the titles and came out with a list of highlights of upcoming games that were well worth the attention.
Clear obscenity: Expedition 33
The show's standout for me was easy Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an upcoming French Studio Roleplaying game Sandfall Interactive. The major highlights include the lovely -style art that showed a stunning amount of grain effects. The music of the game is quite enjoyable, especially in battle. RPG battle music is often heard over and over again during a long game and having something I hope to hear is a joy.
But the most exciting feature, and what really makes Clair Obscur standing from a typical JRPG, is the battle itself. It starts as a turn-based-the time freezes between you and the enemy that turns to attack and defense-but quickly introduces many real-time elements.
When using special skills, you can press A in specific moments to cause more damage or perform attacks at the same time, just like what you will find in a Mario paper game. You also have the ability to dodge in B, or for increased risk and reward, play RB when an enemy attack, following a counterattack. This real-time action was pushed even by allowing the player, as the battle paused in their turn and control of the Gustav character, to press the LT to aim for a ranged attack and then freely move the reticle and shoot at the weak points of an enemy.
This turn-based battle mix with real-time action sequences gives the game a very much fun flow when interacting with enemies. I'm glad to play the whole game when it comes to April 23 for Xbox, PS5 and PC.
Hotel Barcelona
The hotel Barcelona is led by Indie Super Duo's Swery and Suda51 developers, known for deadly premonition and no more hero games, respectively. When you hear those two names, you expect this collaboration to have a weird, dark tone, and that is exactly what Barcelona hotel.
This time the Devs put their creative power to a side-scroll Roguelike set within a scary film. You will fight your way through a scary sleep camp as you open the stronger and stronger capabilities. Every death sends you back to a mysterious hotel full of quirky and offbeat characters. The game was very difficult, but Swery told me that part of the design. You meant to repeat these observations and really know the battle. Swery said there is a lot to find here for fans of his previous work and that he and Suda51 are striving to make it the best game to this day.
Hotel Barcelona is currently no release date but will arrive at Xbox, PS5 and PC.
Mandrake
Mandragora is another game of action that acts, but there is a heavy emphasis on the player's customization as you level up. Our demo has three classes to choose from, while an additional three will be available throughout the game in the future. Surprisingly surprising is that your character has six different skill trees to upgrade, including trees for other classes. Want to play as a rogue that dual-wields poison dagger but still have access to mage casting? Sure, you can do that.
It is noteworthy that the battle shares more DNA with such a soul than other action games of action such as dead cells. The actions that cost the strength and priority of animation are key. You can't avoid your attack whenever you wish, so players need to be strategically when engaged in battle. When you die (and you do), a corpse run is required to collect your missing resources.
Mandragora releases on April 17 for Xbox, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Pag -Child
Herdling is definitely the smallest of the games I've played in the event. You control a child with a magic wand that can direct large, horns creatures away from you, such as a sheep sheep. As you guide the creatures through a destroyed, apocalyptic city, you find and gather more of these animals in your flock. It provides where wild things are vibes.
Puzzles are quite easy to solve and gameplay is definitely more about the contact and pursuit of your new friends. When you leave the city for a colorful, growing supposed, the game introduces the ability to have your stampede animals forward at faster speeds. The demo ends after a career through mysterious flowers as the music is crescendoed. This is a relatively short and lightweight demo and I'm interested in how the team can expand it to a whole game.
The birth will appear once in 2025 for the Xbox and PC.
In a t
Keita Takahashi Tosing to me.
From Keita Takahashi, the cult creator hits Katamari Damacy, comes from more titles dedicated to narration to a T. You play as a 13-year-old kid who spends their whole life in a T Pose (their weapons and shoulders can't bend, like a video game character that doesn't load incorrectly). From there the demo will bring you through a few mini games around what it is like living in this limitation. The child uses a special sink and an extremely long tooth brush, for example.
Despite this, the game indicates beauty and pleasure, as you expected from this creator. The world is filled with weird characters, first and most important being your friend Giraffe, who loves to make sandwiches. But for every good element, there is a more touching but darker side of the age story. The protagonist was bully on their first day of school because of their situation T.
Takahashi explained after the demo that he tells a touching story near the house, reflecting his own experiences Binu -Bully while growing in Japan. I am very interested in what a T will say and what this designer can do when the narrative is a key element in his game.
In a T will appear May 28 for Xbox, PS5 and PC.
