Gamescom 2023 – New on Wishlist

I totally forgot about Gamescom, another big event to showcase upcoming games. But then I remembered it was toward the end of August. I didn’t really watch any of the livestream or play any demos since I was quite busy over the weekend. So I just scrolled through all the games and checked out trailers of the games I found interesting.

This year there were quite a few titles that caught my eye and I wishlisted all of them. Most of them are not out yet and are TBA and there are some already out. So here’s what I’ve decided to add to the never-ending wishlist.

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon

From the creators of Dark Souls, I’ll admit I’m going into this completely blind as this is a series that has not grabbed my attention until now. From what I see here, this game looks like a reboot of this series with more modern graphics and gameplay, kind of like how id Software brought back DOOM in 2016.

This game hasn’t even been out for a week yet and some of my fellow bloggers are already playing it. I did ask them what they liked but I feel like I didn’t need to because it can be summed up for one reason: Mechs.

After watching some trailers and gameplay footage and caved in and wishlisted because if there’s one thing I love, it’s anything to do with mechs and robots, no matter the size! The gameplay looks super fun and I don’t know much of the story but I’m sure it’s going to be a blast, not just figuratively but literally too!

Once a Tale

It looks like this game will be in early access when it releases and it’s basically the tale of Hansel and Gretel. It is in a third-person perspective and the devs describe it as an adventure with puzzles to solve. They took inspiration from stop-motion animated films so this will be an interesting game to play.

It appears that you can play as Hansel and Gretel simultaneously and each of them will have unique abilities to solve specific puzzles (hopefully they’re not too hard!) so I’ll have to switch between them to overcome an obstacle. I may not play this until it’s out of early access but I’m sure it’s going to be fun.

Little Nightmares III

Well well, another one of these games is coming? I still haven’t started the second one and have been procrastinating with finishing the DLC content of the first! But once I figured out how to play, I really enjoyed the experience of the first game so I might as well keep going right?

This series knows how to make things terrifying without the usage of gore, so I wonder what this one is about. The first game was about Six, the second I don’t know yet since like I said, I still have to play it, and this one follows the journey of Low & Alone. Note to self: play the second game!

Haven Park

When I saw this game, it immediately reminded me of A Short Hike since you’re playing as a bird again. His name is Flint, and he is tasked with helping run and build his grandma’s park so visitors can enjoy camping and other activities. So it’s sounds like a casual sim to me, but it also appears that there’s a story behind it as well and secrets for Flint to discover as he explores and gets to know the other campers.

This game is at a pretty good price so maybe I’ll pick it up sooner than planned, we’ll see. As far as I know, it looks really cute!

Wisper

This lovely game is all about exploring, and the little wisps floating around are very cute. For an indie game, the graphics look very well done, I can explore freely and train to become a Wisper.

It looks very charming overall and I look forward to meeting all the different wisps.

Sky: Children of the Light

So, this game has been out on platforms like the Switch and even mobile, and now it’s coming to Steam. What drew me to it was that it’s made by the same company that made Flower and Journey and it looks incredibly beautiful and adorable.

However, I was a bit reluctant to wishlist this in the first place is the fact that it’s an MMO and I’ve never been fond of MMOs due to…. well I’m sure you know by now.

So I reached out on Mastodon and Discord for opinions and heard back from several people who had played it on Switch or mobile. They told me it was a beautiful game and although there are other players present, interaction with them is suggested but not enforced if you want to play, whether you follow the main story or just explore freely. There might, however, be some things such as doors to open that you need other players present to do. They also told me that communication features are limited (and work similarly as they do in Journey) unless you add someone as a friend, so that does ease some of my concerns quite a bit, so maybe I will give it a chance after all.

Other than that, the trailer’s music was enough to give me goosebumps and the environment looks so beautiful with fun gameplay as you soar everywhere, explore the game’s world and discover secrets all with very heartwarming moments. So as much as I’m not into MMOs, this game looks so mesmerizing and I would love to try it. Who knows, maybe I might really enjoy it.

Fall of Porcupine

What I like about this game is the cute world it presents with animals living in the town of Porcupine and the main character is Finley, a new doctor starting a job at the hospital. It seems like a very story-driven game where Finley can explore Porcupine and beyond and learn that there is something very wrong occuring with the city, including the healthcare system.

So it seems there’s a lot to explore and friends to make, but there’s a lot more happening in the game that reflects a lot of relevance in our world today. I think it’ll be worth my time.

Unawake

Ah nothing like a dark fantasy to grab my attention where I’m caught in the middle of the endless war between Heaven and Hell.

Not only do I see some great first-person combat here but also the des will say the story will affect one’s sanity as they venture deeper into the unknown. That’s all I know so far but it looks fun enough for me to try.

Smushi Come Home

What a cute game! I wishlisted this in a heartbeat when I saw it. You play as a little mushroom lost in the woods hoping to find its way home. There looks like much to explore and friends to make along the journey.

I may not like to eat mushrooms in real life, but I can’t pass on a game where you get to play as a cute one with a mind of its own! Don’t worry, little guy, I’ll help you get home!

Paper Trail

This game has a rather authentic style of puzzles like turning pages in a book so I decided in checking it out.

The story follows Paige, a student starting a new life with secrets to be discovered. I’m sure this one will provide a reasonable challenge but hopefully not too difficult.

Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express

I have heard of this story before, one time the film adaptation was playing on my flight to the Caribbean years ago but I didn’t pay attention. I might read the book, but it’s always difficult to find the right version of it, especially if the author is deceased.

Anyway, maybe with a game now’s the time to consider getting into it. It seems to be a lot more modernized in setting, but the same story people will know. I can’t say for certain since I don’t know it yet. But I have no doubt this game will involve searching for clues, and it’ll be very cinematic as well.

Enotria: The Last Song

Okay, this game’s graphics are absolutely stunning. The whole setting and story is inspired by Italian folklore.

Playing as a mysterious figure known as the Maskless One, we’re tasked with saving this wotld from an unnatural form of stasis by harnessing different powers of masks that can even alter reality. Looks like this one will be challenging, hopefully exciting, too.

Moonlight Peaks

This cute farming sim is not like what I’m used to. In it, you’re the child of Dracula and start building a life of your home to prove to him that being a vampire doesn’t always have to be about drinking blood and sleeping in coffins!

From the gameplay footage, it looks like we’ll be able to turn into a bat as well as take other forms. There’s also romance options and different forms of crafting, and I can’t wait to discover more. Hell, there’s still a lot of farming sims I still have to start playing that are in my library and some that I need to return to!

And those are the games that caught my eye during this annual event, most of them are indie titles as surprisingly there weren’t many bigger games that I found interesting, or perhaps I just didn’t dig deeper. Most of these games will not have a release date yet but that gives me plenty of time to catch up on what’s in my library if life doesn’t interfere too much.

I think I should be good with system requirements for the bigger games since I just upgraded, but it never hurts to check before I buy. Some of these I could play on my Steam Deck too, can’t forget about that!

What games did you see at Gamescom that you’ve wishlisted or already bought?

👽Emily