Geekscape Roundtable: Our Top 3 Games Of PAX West 2018!
It’s unbelievable just how quickly PAX West flew by. From a show floor (multiple floors, really) filled to the brim with more games than you could ever hope to play, to incredible offsite events from the likes of Fortnite, Twitch Prime, Bethesda, and more, to surrounding theatres and hotels hosting exciting panels well into late-night territory – PAX was amazing, hectic, and… well, we wish we were still there.
We’re back to our real lives and still working on a bunch of post-PAX content, including audio interviews with several developers and impressions for some games that won’t be released for some time. Each of Geekscape’s PAX team member’s gaming tastes vary greatly, so we asked each of them to list their top three games of the show, and to let us know why!
Thanks again to all of our readers (and Geekscape Games listeners) for coming along on this journey with us. Keep an eye out for more post-PAX content in the coming days!
Derek Kraneveldt
3. Bless Unleashed
Bless Unleashed, the upcoming free-to-play MMO from Bandai Namco, was absolutely one of the most surprising games of the expo for me. Set in the same universe as Bless Online (a game I was completely unaware of prior to this past weekend) but built from the ground up with consoles and their limited-button controllers in mind, it was clear to me from the opening moment of the ~15 minute long demo that developer Round 8 Studio was onto something special here. The combat in Bless Unleased is sleek and smooth regardless of your chosen class (though the bad-ass Ranger is my definite favourite of what was playable), and I was pretty much hooked from the first swing of my sword or shot from my bow and arrow. This game simply felt like the what I’d imagined Monster Hunter World would feel like. I had an absolute blast with this single player introduction to the game, and I can’t even imagine how great it’ll feel taking down even larger baddies with my friends.
The demo was an excellent introduction to combat and classes, and my audio interview with a PR representative and one of the game’s designers (look for it on the Geekscape Games audio feed in the coming days) amplified my interest in the god-filled story of the game’s universe. I still wonder just how the game will be monetized (again, Bandai Namco notes that Bless Unleashed is a free-to-play title), if crafting will feel complicated and cumbersome (here’s looking at you again, Monster Hunter), and just what traversing the open world will feel like (the demo was naturally very linear).
Mostly, I just want to know the soonest I can possibly play it again. Bless Unleashed launches on Xbox One in 2019.
Ancient betrayal and earthshaking disaster has led to thousands of years of enmity between the mortal and the divine. Now, heavenly whispers speak. The mad mistress of the dark, great and terrible Lumenas, will return to destroy the race of man and sink the earth into endless night. How long will she remain sealed before she breaks free to wreak havoc on the world?
Gather your allies close. As the unspeakable monsters of the world salivate for your grim end, stand fast and stoke your fury.
Your endless foes would see you weakened and beaten.
But you… You will make them pray.
2. The Blackout Club
I published a piece about just how special The Blackout Club felt just a few days back, and feel as though I’ve been rattling on about the upcoming cooperative multiplayer since the moment I put my hands on the controller this past Sunday.
The Blackout Club is you and your friends vs an army of sleepwalking evil beings (who just so happen to be your parents and neighbours). Really, these beings are the least of your worries, as there’s an entity known as The Shape determined to take you and ‘put you under’. You can only see The Shape when your eyes are closed, meaning that you’re never. ever. safe.
The game is beautiful, undeniably atmospheric, and absolutely terrifying. During my demo, it was almost as entertaining watching teamwork go out the window when The Shape appeared as it was playing the game itself. I could see The Blackout Club being huge for streamers, as it’s full of unsettling moments that are sure to garner a reaction.
In any case, I cannot wait to abandon my friends in The Blackout Club.
You are a teenager from a small, modern town. Each morning, you awaken covered in mud or scratches, with no memory of the night before. You’ve heard of sleepwalking – but this is different. Sometimes you lose entire days.
There are others like you. Your new group of friends bonded over this shared secret, forming a club to investigate the cause of these BLACKOUTS. Together, you discovered a network of bizarre underground tunnels, hidden just beneath the surface of your quiet community. An uncanny, disorienting music beckoned from below.
You hesitated. But last night, your best friend vanished – and now, a mysterious group of adults wants to eliminate you. You must strike back, capture their activities on camera and expose them to the world.
1. Artifact
Interestingly enough, I see myself as a predominately (and almost entirely) single player gamer. Somehow, each of my top three titles from PAX West 2018 are primarily multiplayer experiences.
I played Artifact for nearly 90 minutes as PAX wrapped on Monday afternoon. As I’d walked the floor in the days prior, the gigantic Artifact booth continually caught my attention. I didn’t fully understand what I was looking at, as Artifact mechanically looks vastly different from any card game I’ve played in the past. Hell, I was so out of the loop that I didn’t realize that the game was set in the DOTA universe.
Playing Artifact really made me feel like a kid again – that feeling of excitement as you draw just the card that could turn the match around for you; feeling your stomach sink when things being looking dire; figuring out a powerful new combo on the fly; winning your first match when you’re one turn away from losing miserably. Every moment that I spent with the game is memorable, and it truly is a title that took just minutes to learn, and could take forever to really, really master.
I dabbled in Hearthstone when it first came out, The Elder Scrolls: Legends hooked me through its beta with its intriguing single player campaign, and Artifact and upcoming physical card game Keyforge designer Richard Garfield’s own Magic: The Gathering had me buying cards for years (years ago), but it’s been quite some time since I’ve really, really been into a card game (physically or digitally). I’d never have expected to walk away from PAX more excited for a trading card game than any other title, but alas here we are with Artifact at the top of my list.
Deviously simple and incredibly strategic, with beautiful card art and a ton of beginner friendly features, I foresee Artifact being impossible to put down – whether its your first TCG or your 50th.
Artifact is a digital card game coming from the makers of Dota®2 and Steam®. A collaboration between legendary card game designer Richard Garfield and game and technology maker Valve (Dota 2, Steam), Artifact offers the deepest gameplay and the highest-fidelity experience ever seen in a trading card game. It features more than 280 cards in the shipping set, including 44 heroes. Targeted for release on Steam in late 2018, players will be able to buy and sell cards on the Steam Community Marketplace. Artifact will also be supported as a service through expansions, competitive events, and new features.
Honorable mentions: Pode, Observer, With Friends Like These
Mikaela Maxwell
3. Pode
As I make my top three list, I’m realizing that I kind of have a go-to type of game: something that makes you feel a little bit sorrowful and hopeful at the same time, while reeling you into the world of the game with beautiful art, colours, and sound. Pode definitely fits the bill. When I started planning and scheduling for PAX I saw a picture of this game, read the description, and informed Derek to mark his calendar cause this was a game we just had to experience, and we had to do it together. I am once again (almost) at a loss for words – I am just so excited thinking about how freaking beautiful this game is. The art style of the game is based on Norwegian art and embroidery, combining simple and complex shapes, as well as bright vibrant colours and dark spaces to create the most majestic atmosphere.
Developer Henchman and Goon describe Pode as:
The story of a little rock helping a fallen star find its way home.
As they travel through the insides of a mysterious and magical mountain, Bulder and Glo breathe life into an ancient sleeping world and explore the ruins of a long lost civilization with their unique talents and abilities. Only by helping each other can these unlikely adventure companions solve the ancient puzzles that open the secret passageways up the caverns of Mount Fjellheim. Pode is a co-op puzzle exploration game built around the themes of friendship and cooperation, with a strong emphasis on positive actions, relaxing atmosphere and beautiful art inspired by Norwegian culture.
Pode can be played solo and it would still be a blast, but is designed to be played as a couch co-op game (thank you). Each character has its own strengths, that in some instances become a hindrance, and isn’t that just the freaking way of life!? By working together they can each use their unique talents to collectively make their way through this beautiful world, solving the puzzles they need to do so along the way. They can even connect to each other to use their skills in combination or can morph into one being for short periods of time to create different skills altogether.
I really wanted to play as the star, which is bright and light and floaty, and when you shine its light all this beautiful glowing flora grows up into the caves around you, whereas Derek played as the rock who used its weight to shift landings up or down and to grow glowing gems throughout the caverns. However, there were a few times when I couldn’t quite get the lil guy to float where I wanted him to go, so instead of having to switch controllers and ask for help, we could just hit a button and switch characters for a little while! This mechanic in particular, along with the non-violent and relaxing challenges of this game show just how easy it would be to play this game with a kid, and have it be challenging and engaging for both of you.
One of my favourite moments during this demo was when I went to walk through a passage, thinking my moving on would just force Derek’s character to come along, but actually as soon as my little star got to the doorway and realized his rock buddy wasn’t with him yet, he turned around and stood there waiting until the rock was ready. How freaking sweet is that? Like this game is so full of loving it won’t even let me force it to be an asshole. This game is literally making me be a better person!
Pode is available now for Nintendo Switch, and will release on PS4 as soon as the folks at Henchman and Goon can make that happen. Probably just go watch the trailer, and then get your Switch ready, cause really how can you avoid loving this one?!
2. The Gardens Between
The Gardens Between is fun and beautiful and engaging, without out ever trying too hard. From the moment you being, the music and beauty pulls you in and the world around you falls away. This game, without any words, tells the story of two young neighbours who share an incredible bond of friendship. As far as I could tell from the short demo I played and pictures portrayed, at least one of the kids is moving away and they both are needing to climb their way through mountains of memories to share their story. As the player, you do not control or interact with the characters, however you do have the opportunity to move time around them, allowing for them to progress forward, and for you to solve puzzles to move them past various obstacles. The Voxel Agents describes The Gardens Between as:
An adventure puzzle game where you manipulate time to guide two best friends through a surreal world of mysterious garden islands.
Arina, a headstrong girl, and Frendt, a boy wise beyond his years, fall into a series of vibrant, dreamlike island gardens peppered with everyday objects that hold a special significance to the duo. Together they embark on an emotional journey that examines the significance of their friendship: the memories they’ve built, what must be let go, and what should never be left behind.
Designed as an homage to the enduring power of friendship, The Gardens Between places you in control of not the characters themselves, but the force which will change and shape their relationship: time. In the mysterious realm they find themselves transported to, cause and effect are malleable and time flows in all directions. Solve puzzles to reach the apex of each isle and light up constellations of memories, illuminating threads of a bittersweet narrative.
The Gardens Between was the first thing I played at PAX. In fact, I literally sprinted from the badge pick-up window to the show floor so I could make my appointment on time, and it was well worth it. This game is challenging enough that I got stuck trying to figure out what in the eff I was supposed to do with a saw, but chill enough that I didn’t even feel stressed out when it took me far to long to figure something out. It somehow manages to be soothing and calming, while also pulling you along as you try to figure out the story behind these experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed the music and the muted vibrancy of the colours. I can see myself either sitting down to play this for a half hour of relaxing, or spending a Sunday afternoon powering through the entire thing.
The Gardens Between launches on September 20th on Steam, PS4, Switch, and the Mac App Store, and I can’t freaking wait! In the mean time if you visit The Voxel Agents’ official website you can check out some gameplay, as well as a few ambient music videos that give you a peek into the world while also lulling you into a sense of equanimity.
1. Gris
A huge wall with a beautiful face painted on it, accompanied by 3 large screens with cozy chairs for demos, were the first thing that really caught my eye as I started to explore the show floor of PAX West on Friday. It wasn’t the first thing that I saw, but it was absolutely the first thing that literally pulled me directly to it because I could not stay away. Then I stood, entranced, watching strangers’ play for over half an hour.
Gris takes my breath away. It is one of the most beautiful and enchanting games that I have ever seen. The art in and of itself is incredible, but to have it come alive and lead you through the story of this young woman and the challenges she faces is absolutely enthralling. It is a solo platform/puzzle game from Devolver Digital, and as far as I can tell it is doing everything right. I was lucky enough to snag an appointment to chat with a developer and get a little gameplay in – during which I definitely immediately became stuck and the dude I was interviewing had to step in and help guide me through, which was okay because then I could sit back and enjoy the story without being stuck on the same challenge for 40 hours, just holding up the line.
Playing Gris I was immediately brought back to the feels of Monument Valley, Journey, and Ori and the Blind Forest. Just thinking about those games makes me giddy inside, as they are some of the best gaming experiences I have ever had and that makes me very excited to find out more about Gris. Artistically, the game features a watercolour style with architecture and abstract trees that shape-shift to reveal paths and challenges. The movement of the colour and the morphing of the shapes and spaces is majestic, and the colours are absolutely breathtaking. I feel like I could go on and on and on, but will never be able to capture in words the feeling of seeing this game. Gris is the artistic highlight of PAX West 2018 for me, so just do yourself a favour and go watch the trailer, you won’t regret it.
Courtney Dossett
(In no particular order)
Cantankerous Cats
I’m always in the market for a new game for game night with friends, but it’s always hard to find a game that people want to play. One has too many rules and is too complicated, that one takes too many people, that one doesn’t let enough people play. Cantankerous Cats is a great game to keep around because pretty much anyone can play it. Made for 2-6 players, with games lasting 30-60 minutes, there are easy party rules for those times you’re introducing people to the game (or gaming in general), and more complicated rules for those who want more of a challenge. You build up affection points to offset any mischief you want to achieve until you earn enough mischief points to win the game.
Did I mention that it’s cat themed!?
The game was successful on Kickstarter a couple of years back, and many of the cats featured in the game are from the backers themselves! There currently isn’t a fat, fluffy black cat (boo), but you could probably make your own card and token pretty easily if you wanted.
Cantankerous Cats is available now for just $20 on Amazon.
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Driftland was one of the games I had arranged to demo at PAX, and was probably my favorite out of everything I was scheduled to look at. If you like Sid Meier’s Civilization, you’ll more than likely become addicted to this game as well. It has many of the same empire building/conquering aspects with additional racial abilities, magic, and DRAGONS. Check out my full article if you want all the details, but Driftland has already made a home in my Steam library, and I’m really hoping it comes to Nintendo Switch so I can have it with me everywhere I go.
In the face of the destruction of an entire civilization and life on the planet, warring parties decided to call a truce and tried to repair the damage. For that, however, was already too late. Using all the remaining magic resources to cast a powerful spell, they managed to keep their world in a relative balance. Many dark ages have passed, but when all seemed lost, a spark of hope shined once again: new sources of magic appeared and the whole planet began to give birth to new mages. Now, the rediscovered power can either restore Driftland to its former glory or devastate what’s left of the planet, when the old conflict inevitably returns.
Driftland is currently available in Early Access on Steam.
Felix the Reaper
I wanted to try this game as soon as I saw the poster for it in the Indie Megabooth. I loved the image of the staunch, slightly paunchy reaper Felix perroietting on one toe with a walkman and headphones and I just had to know his story. The game itself is a 3D puzzle game where you have to manipulate the direction of the sun so that Felix can boogie through the shadows in order to complete his mission – usually to kill someone. All the while, Felix is hoping to reunite with his love, a worker at the Ministry of Life, who… doesn’t know that Felix exists. This game is so much more than a 3D puzzler, and I fell in love with it only a few minutes into playing.
Felix The Reaper is set to release on PC and Switch later this year.
Jake Skelcher
As this was my very first PAX and I didn’t have many appointments (just Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics), I actually found that I didn’t play that many games. Long lineups and the sheer number of booths meant that I had to be picky, and most of the time it was enough for me to watch over someone’s shoulder to get a sense of whether I’d be interested in a particular game or not. Each of the games listed below are titles that I had hands-on time with, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to actually play more games next time!
Rage 2
Feeling equal parts Mad Max: Fury Road and Borderlands, Rage 2 is set 30 years after the original Rage, as humanity is struggling to rebuild itself after the impact of a devastating asteroid. This time-skip between titles, I suspect, is a way to soft-reboot the franchise, as I don’t recall the original Rage being extremely popular upon release.
The gameplay demo (which was the same content that was shown at E3) starts with a brief training experience which runs the player through basic controls, combat options, and abilities. The game has a powers system, and I was shown how to fast-dash (DragonBall Z-style), force-punch, and to do a flying leap with a superhero landing. After running through the basics, the game dropped me off in front of the satellite facility seen in the E3 demo and set me loose on the mooks guarding it.
The gunplay is very similar to Doom (2016), which makes sense since id Software recently completed work on its acclaimed flagship shooter. I’m not complaining – Doom’s gameplay loops are some of the best in the FPS genre in the last few years. The addition of the dash, punch, and leap abilities build on top of the already solid foundation of Doom’s gunplay. Armored enemies can withstand a close-range shotgun blast, much to my chagrin, and the ragdolling effect meant the shotgun felt much less satisfying than I’d hoped. It’s worth noting there is also an overpower mode that can be triggered once you’ve filled the bar (rage meter?), this seems to be similar to quad-damage in other id games, but I found that by the time I’d triggered it, I was practically done any particular encounter. There was no vehicle combat in the demo I played, but the trailer that was being shown at the booth made it look both engaging and fun. Hopefully Avalanche’s driving mechanics deliver a solid successor to their 2015 Mad Max game.
While I can’t say for sure if it will be a day-one purchase, Rage 2 looks to be one of the premiere single-player experiences for 2019. I had a great time playing the demo, and I’m excited to check it out upon release.
Rage 2 launches on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 31st, 2019.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
I stumbled upon Ace Combat 7 at PAX almost by accident on the first morning we were there. I had been hoping to have a chance to try the game out in VR prior to release, but Bandai Namco only had the standard PS4 version on display, and for some reason the line was short! The Ace Combat franchise takes place in the fictional world of Strangereal, and each game is entirely stand-alone. Ace Combat 7 tells the story of player-character ‘Trigger’ and his influence on a war between the countries of Osea and Erusea.
There were two missions in the demo that was being shown at PAX. The first involved attacking a base in between some mesas in the desert. After doing a couple rolls and getting a feel for the F-14 Tomcat I was driving, I went to work taking out the multitudes of AA guns and SAM sites. This mission felt like a standard score-attack, and my showboating in the sluggish Tomcat resulted in me crashing hard into one of the mesas that dominate the level. The second mission involved a fierce dogfight with unmanned drones in a stormy region with tall mountainous pillars that resembled China’s Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Flying through clouds restricts your visibility to a terrifying degree and the lightning effects splash shadows across your cockpit-glass. The game looks and feels gorgeous, and feels right at home in Unreal Engine 4. Old-school fans of the PS2 Ace Combat games will be happy to hear that Ace Combat 7 is a return to form after 2011’s Assault Horizon. The Call of Duty-aping cutscenes and control-robbing ‘Close Range Assault’ (dogfight) mode that dogged Assault Horizon are nowhere to be seen, and instead players are greeted with anime melodrama and classic Ace Combat gameplay that builds on the foundation established by the classic games. It’s worth noting that I was already excited for this game, and this just cemented that I’ll be impossible to get ahold of that third week of January.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown flies onto PC, PS4, and Xbox One on January 19, 2019.
Keyforge: Call of the Archons
I played a game of Keyforge against Courtney first thing on Monday morning. She trounced me, so hard. It’s similar to (but is definitely not, we swear!) Magic: the Gathering (which I haven’t played all that much of), but each deck is utterly unique thanks to the magic of procedural generation! Each deck is a combination of a specific hero, and three random ‘houses’. Each house has distinct cards that are unique to it, and so you end up with 4 random factors that make up any individual deck. The rep I spoke to said the number of deck combinations was explicitly in the quintillions (like more than 104,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)! The other quirk of the game that I thought was interesting, is that you have to ‘declare’ for a specific house, which only allows you to use cards from that house, and makes you think tactically before you even start your turn. I’m always looking out for off-screen hobbies, so I’ll probably pick this up once it’s out later this year.
Honorable Mentions
PIZZA TITAN ULTRA – Crazy Taxi, except instead of a taxi it’s a giant robot, and instead of people you’re delivering pizza. It’s cel-shaded and extremely fluid. I didn’t have a chance to play it, but it looked like a whole lot of fun! This is already out on PC and PS4, and is coming out soon on Xbox One and Switch.
STAR RENEGADES – It’s a roguelike with JRPG combat and some heavy customization and gorgeous purple pixel-art. It’s trying to do something different and looks easy to learn but hard to master.
