I couldn’t watch last week's THQ Nordic digital showcase event live, but catching up on the announcements following the event, it was clear to see that the publisher is cooking with straight gas right now. You can watch the full showcase in its entirety right here, if you like, but allow me to hit you with a highlight reel, if you’re looking for the TL;DR version.
For starters, and perhaps most impressive, is the stunning new platformer adventure game from Weappy Studio called The Eternal Life of Goldman. You play as an elderly gentleman adventuring across a hand-drawn archipelago inspired by fables. Its announcement trailer is a must watch, if for nothing else than the striking frame-by-frame animation work. Diving into the game’s store listings also reveals a design tenet that has won me over – the game has been meticulously crafted to the point that it will not have you backtracking just for the sake of backtracking. Everything you see and do has significance, according to the developer.
Also present was Space for Sale, which is available now in Early Access on Steam. Space for Sale lets you create and build up a space realty empire by learning about the needs and desires of local alien lifeform. Research, gather resources, and build the base of some alien’s dreams as you try to become the Chip and Joanna Gaines of space.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed announced a release date of September 24th for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The remade (or rebrushed, some might say) 3D platforming classic will let you transform Wasteland as none other than Mickey Mouse. You might have heard of him.
Another one I am extremely excited about is the announcement of Wreckfest 2, the demolition derby-style racer is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It appears that Roger Clark, better known as Red Dead Redemption 2’s Arthur Morgan is lending his voice to the game, and honestly, who doesn’t want to smash up cars as Arthur Morgan? Wreckfest 2 will feature a completely overhauled physics engine, fully customizable cars, and a whole lot of twisted metal. As awesome as it sounds, no release date was announced.
If you’re looking for an action RPG looter fix, Titan Quest II might be more your speed. The first gameplay trailer for the game was shown and it is shaping up quite nicely. You’ll smash and loot across mythological ancient Greece, crafting unique character builds (or just finding a meta one on YouTube) as you take on challenging enemies. Like Wreckfest 2, no release date was announced for Titan Quest II.
My personal star of the show is Gothic 1 Remake, which looks excellent in the very first gameplay trailer. Being rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, Gothic 1 Remake brings a massive facelift to the original RPG. The trailer shows a nice look at the living world, combat, and lore of Gotchic. As someone who has never played the original game, I admit to sleeping on this one way too much – never again. Also, Skyrim, is that you?
The showcase ended with a “but wait, one more thing” moment, which turned out to be a new game from Tarsier Studios, the team behind the Little Nightmares series. We received merely a taste, with a full reveal set for Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 20th.
