From killer clowns to power-hungry fortune-telling machines to angry feet, there are plenty of offbeat games to see at Gamescom. I was most impressed by the following nine titles.
The biggest game fair in the world was back on site for the first time after a two-year forced break due to Corona. I didn't have to be asked twice and travelled to Cologne for Gamescom for the eleventh time. Although I only had one day to roam the huge halls, I squeezed in as many games as I could. Here are my highlights.
"Outcast 2"
The highlight of the demo level is the game itself.
The highlight of the demo is a fight against a giant worm. There I use the hover function to shoot from the air and avoid being hit by the worm's earthquakes. "Outcast 2" makes a good impression, but Cutter comes across like an 80s action hero with his slogans and angular appearance. And I can't tell yet if it's meant to be ironic or not.
Out soon for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X
"The Fabulous Fear Machine"
To be released in summer 2022 for PC
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"Anger Foot"
Displays 2023 for PC
"Killer Klowns from Outer Space - The Game"
To be released in early 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X
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"The Last Hero of Nostalgia"
To be released in 2022 for PC and Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
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"Friends vs Friends"
Releases for PC and consoles. No date yet.
"Darktide"
Releases on 30 November for PC
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"To the Stars"
Planned for the third quarter of 2023 for PC and Switch
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"Moonbreaker"
Finally, a game for strategists and painting enthusiasts alike. "Moonbreaker" imitates the look and feel of tabletop monster battles. The game pieces are stiff figures on pedestals. When they move, it is as if an invisible hand is playing with them. Only when they attack or use their abilities do swords swing through the air or grappling hooks whiz across the board.
As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
After the HD remake, there's soon to be a full-fledged sequel to the voxel space adventure released in 1999. Cutter Slade is back on Planet Adelpha and helps the Talan fight their oppressors. In the demo, the action was in the foreground. It is more present than in the first part and makes a lot of steam. Cutter is also much more agile than in 1999, thanks to his jetpack. Not only can I make multiple jumps with it, I can even fly for a short time. But what I found even funnier was the fast travel with it. At the push of a button, Cutter glides a few centimetres off the ground. It looks kind of weird, but it's also funny. It's a quick way to explore the surroundings. There isn't too much to discover in the manageable demo level, but the lush fantasy world is worth seeing.
The most unusual game I played at Gamescom revolved around a fortune-telling machine. Those things like they often appear in American films and series. In the machine sits a fortune teller with a headscarf and a glass ball, who tells you the future in exchange for a few coins. In "The Fabolous the Fear Machine", such a machine seduces mankind and forces them to help it expand its magical power. The game principle can best be described as a management simulation. I have to try to spread fear by creating eerie legends with my agents. The system is quite tricky and a bit difficult to understand at first. Even with the help of the developer, I couldn't quite figure it out, but the game principle definitely appealed to me. Of course, the sensational graphic style, which is based on old comic books and fits the setting perfectly, helps. For that reason alone, the game is set for me.
Okay, here's where I'm cheating a bit. Although "Anger Foot" can be played at Gamescom, I unfortunately didn't have enough time to do so. But I have already played the game in a demo and already then it was clear, Hell Yeah, this will be great. "Anger Foot" is a first-person shooter with a good pinch of retro charm. Dad shooters or boomer shooters are titles like this, because these hectic shooter games were very popular 20 to 30 years ago. Whereas, as the name suggests, in "Anger Foot" I don't just shoot, I can also kick down doors or kick opponents through the air with my giant jumping boots. Frenetic action, massive sound, lots of blood and humour. Yes, it should taste good.
If you love 80s horror cinema like I do, then you should be familiar with "Killer Klowns from Outer Space". A legendarily trashy slasher flick in which aliens that look like circus clowns attack the world to wrap people up in candyfloss and eat them. That's exactly what you do in the game of the same name. Unfortunately, I couldn't play it myself, but had to rely on the developers' descriptions. But what I saw in the trailer and heard in conversation makes me clap with glee.
The makers of Friday the 13th The Game are significantly expanding the asymmetrical 4-on-1 multiplayer gameplay of the hockey mask killer. In KKFOS, seven humans face off against three killer Klowns. On both sides there are classes with different abilities and weapons. This should provide much more variety than in previous games. Unsurprisingly, the Klowns sound the most exciting with their popcorn guns that tag opponents, their jumpscares with which they can trample little humans into mud, or the aforementioned candyfloss gun. They use them to wrap opponents in sticky cocoons and then abduct them into the spaceship. Sounds like devilish fun.
"Dark Souls as a stick figure and with a British narrator's voice. These are the cornerstones of "Nostalgia". Even before the narrator starts his first snarky anecdote about the fantasy world, it's clear that I'm not in for the most serious game here. In the character editor I can move various sliders to change my appearance, but all of them do nothing - I am, after all, a stick figure. Only the design of the main character is simple, the world and the enemies are nicely modelled. The sound effects are also pleasantly powerful when I cut down enemies with my axe. This is where the "Dark Souls" comparison comes into play. From the interface to the animations to the combat principle, "Nostalgaia" plays very similarly to the notoriously heavy fantasy series. Whether "Nostalgaia" will also be as unforgiving, I have not yet been able to find out. But I am definitely curious.
Great pixel-comic graphics, groovy soundtrack, cracking weapons and surefire gameplay: small levels, two players, duel it out. What makes the first-person shooter extraordinary, apart from the colourful design, are the random maps that I can choose from when fighting. I can use them to make myself huge and get more life, or I can choose the shrunken head, which makes headshots more difficult, or I can equip the grenade launcher and hunt down my opponent. "Friends vs Friends is incredibly fun. Even after the first round, I had to laugh out loud because of all the absurdities and unpredictable moments. Probably won't be a game that devours hundreds of hours, but it's set for a few cheerful evenings with friends.
This time, the makers of "Vermentide" let a team of four players take on hordes of monsters in the Warhammer universe. In the co-op shooter, it's all about getting things done in extensive levels and arriving at the goal alive. I didn't notice much about the content or the story during my short play session. I was too busy fighting off bloodthirsty zombie orcs or armoured space trolls. There is hardly a quiet minute in "Darktide". There's always a skull to be smashed in or a Molotov to be thrown. I can't judge the depth of the game yet, but with "Vermentide", developer Fatshark has proven several times that they are masters of co-op shooters. And "Darktide" captures the dark, brutal Warhammer world perfectly. The action is brutal, the graphics top-notch, what more could you want?
To get down from the horde stress in "Darktide", I recommend a round of "To the Stars". In this super-cuddly strategy game, the aim is to spread out as quickly as possible in a network of planets. At the other end of the net, an opponent tries the same game. If units hit the same planet, the one with more units wins. I can influence the course of the game with cards that are unlocked continuously. The more planets I capture, the faster the cards are ready to play. The levels are pleasantly entertaining, the design an absolute eye-catcher and the whole vibe to melt away.
The actual game is about defeating the opposing figures. The interaction of the different units is extremely important, as quickly becomes clear in the short demo. Already on the second move, my fat hero blocks the way for my sniper. She can neither pass nor shoot through the unit. So she has to sit out a turn before she can make her move again. Then I use the grappling hook of my third unit to position two enemies next to each other. This way, my hero can take them out with a sweeping blow. Unfortunately, one of my own units is also in the attack area. Somehow I also have trouble keeping the units apart visually and the interface also takes some getting used to. The former can be solved in a creative way, because all units can be painted in the editor like real miniature figures. I'll never do that, but I think it's great.
