Including the new one from Katamari Damacy’s creator!
Just when it looked like we might be done with the showcases for the summer, here comes another one, this time from the ever-reliable Annapurna Interactive. And it was a typically strong showing for the publisher, offering a fresh look at some already announced titles – including the new one from Sayonara Wild Hearts’ studio Simogo and the fascinating Cocoon – as well as some big reveals. From stunning photographic adventures to an honest-to-goodness new Blade Runner game, there’s a lot to look forward to in the months and year ahead, and a full round-up of the showcase can be found below.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
Sayonara Wild Hearts developer Simogo’s latest is a baroque blend of surreal mystery thriller and puzzle adenture, faintly bringing to mind the studio’s iOS classic Device 6. It focuses on a woman’s search for answers, deep in a strange manor house, as players attempt to solve the enigma at its heart. There’s no release date yet, but we do it’s coming to Switch and Steam – and while we await further details, there’s a tantilising new trailer above.
Cocoon
Cacoon is the work of Geometric Interactive, a studio lead by Limbo and Inside lead designer Jeppe Carlsen. It’s a mind-bending adventure that sees players exploring multiple strange worlds that manifest as a hierarchal parade of orbs within orbs within orbs. It’s a bit of a weird one to explain, but Eurogamer’s Chris Tapsell loved what he saw during Summer Game Fest – and we now have a release date of 29th September, when Cocoon will be available on Steam, Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass.
Lushfoil Photography Sim
The first nice thing about developer Matt Newell’s newly unveiled Lushfoil Photography Sim is that it’s name isn’t messing around. Lushfoil Photography Sim is pretty much exactly that, arming players with a camera then setting them loose across some stunning – and I cannot emphasise that word enough – landscapes, from snowy mountaintops and misty glades to craggy beaches and rainy streets. There are objectives to complete and rewards to be gained by players with an eye for a good snap, and it’ll be releasing on “consoles” and PC.
To a T
Another new game! This time from Keita Takahashi, perhaps best known as the creator of bouncily beloved roll-’em-up Katamari Damacy, and his Uvula studio. To a T, described as an “episodic 3D adventure”, starts with an off-the-wall premise typical of Takahashi, introducing players to Teen – a young protagonist perpetually stuck in a T-shape, who goes about their daily life in a small coastal town with help from their dog and mother. It’s being made in collaboration with AbleGamers, and is coming to Xbox One, Series X/S, Game Pass, and Steam.
Flock
And here’s another showing for Flock, the latest collaboration between Richard Hogg and Hollow Ponds – the pairing behind the acclaimed Hohokum and I Am Dead. Flock is a relaxed co-op adventure in which players soar across beautiful landscapes on the back of a bird, figuring out ways to charm the world’s weird wildlife in order expand their flock. There are birds, floating sheep, tiny whales, and plenty more, all waiting to be discovered as part of the game’s surreal ecosystem. It’s coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, PlayStation 4, PS5, and Steam, and there’s a new trailer to enjoy above.
Ghost Bike
Next for the ‘intriguing game reveals’ pile is Ghost Bike from developer Messhof, a stylised cycling adventure through the afterlife. It sees players – in the role of a streetwise kid from Freehub City – battling ghosts in contests of speed and skill in a bid to revive the last Ghost Bike and restore the true spirit of biking to Wheel World. It’s out in 2024 and is targeting Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Steam.
Bounty Star: The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem
Bounty Star is a post-post-apocalyptic third-person action game about a “broken but powerful” ex-soldier-turned-bouty-hunter and her trusty mech. And while at least part of it is as boisterous as that premise sounds, Bounty Star is actually split into two distinct halves. On one side, you’ve got your thrilling action as protagonist Clem heads out into the wilds to bring down her targets – but the other half looks to be a lot more laid back, following Clem as she attempts to clean up her life and establish her bounty hunting business, expanding its facilities, cooking meals to enhance her focus, making cool things out of scrap, and hanging out with friends. Bounty Star launches in “early 2024” on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Steam. There’s more info in the new trailer above.
Stray
As previously rumoured, Stray – developer BlueTwelve Studio’s acclaimed exploratory cat adventure – is finally heading to Xbox. Eurogamer’s Lottie Lynn was a big fan of this one, describing it as a game about “the longing for freedom, clever climbing mechanics, and every cat’s eternal desire to knock items off shelves” when she gave it a Recommended badge last year. Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S players can finally get stuck in on 10th August 2023.
Thirsty Suitors
Developer Outer Loop has previously described Thirsty Suitors, its wonderfully vibrant action-adventure RPG, as a game about “immigrant culture, resolving relationships, family pressure, and expressing oneself”. It features an unlikely blend of skating, cooking, and turn-based battling against former lovers as players attempt to salvage the messy life of protagonist Jala after she returns to her home town of Timber Lake. We’ve had glimpses of Thirsty Suitors before, but now we have a release date: it’s coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and Steam on 2nd November.
Storyteller
Storyteller, the delightful narrative puzzler from developer Daniel Benmergui, released for PC and Switch back in March, challenging players to build a coherent yarn across a page of comic-book-style panels. Annapurna has now revealed Storyteller will be available to play as part of a Netflix subscription from 26th September, and that its mobile launch will coincide with the release of a free update for all platforms, adding – among other things – new characters, new scenarios, and “a little chaos” to the core experience.
Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth
And finally, a real surprise. Annapurna Interactive has unveiled its very first internally developed game, which looks to trade the kind of smaller-scale boutique indie experiences it’s built its reputation on, in favour of something a little more bombastically blockbusting. Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth is a riff on the dystopian universe established in Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult classic movie, sandwiched squarely between that film and its sequel, Blade Runner 2049. We know it’s set in LA after the Blackout hits, but beyond that – and the fact it’s coming to PC and consoles at some point – few details have currently been shared.
