Monaco 2 is official
That’s right. Pocketwatch Games’ 2013 heist ’em up Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine is getting a sequel. Lead designer Andy Schatz said he wanted to make “the ultimate heist simulator” with Monaco 2, and to do that he revealed the game will be moving to “3D environments that really focus on verticality”, allowing players to scale walls, tunnel underneath buildings and rappel down from the ceiling. Crucially, though, these procedurally generated spaces are still going to be viewed top-down like the original, thanks to a new kind of fancy camera tech they’re developing. It’s an intriguing proposition, for sure, and I’m excited to see what it looks like in practice. The game is still in the early days of development at the moment, but for now, enjoy the animated teaser trailer above.
David Gaider’s musical adventure is now called Stray Gods
Formerly known as Chorus: An Adventure Musical, the next game from Dragon Age writer David Gaider has now been re-named as Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, probably so it won’t get confused with last year’s Chorus (aka: Chorvs), the space combat shooter that came out at the beginning of December. Also note that switch from Adventure to Roleplaying in the subtitle. This, according to executive producer Elie Young, is to better reflect how it’s “built on the DNA of roleplaying games”. It’s still being scored by composer extraordinaire Austin Wintory, though, who’s apparently written so much music he’d be surprised if players ever managed to hear it all. With Humble Games now on board as a publisher, the game’s been able to expand from its original two-hour length to something much bigger, with managing director Liam Esler mentioning more romances, songs and choices as being some of the key additions. All we need now is a release date.
Coral Island gets a new trailer
After raising over $1.6 million on Kickstarter last year, Coral Island is currently one of the most wishlisted games on Steam right now. Made by Indonesian devs Stairway Games, it’s a farming sim with a nautical, conservation-themed twist, as you’ll not only be farming fields, fixing up buildings and befriending the local islanders, but you’ll also be cleaning up the nearby coral reefs. There’s still no firm release date just yet, but when it does eventually come out, Humble Games will be the ones publishing it.
Moonscars is a new 2D Soulslike
My personal highlight from the showcase, Moonscars looks rad. Coming out later this summer, developers Black Mermaid had an incredible-sounding elevator pitch for their 2D pixel slasher: a union of Souls-like combat and the art of the Dutch old masters (your Rembrandts and Vermeers and the like). This I’ve got to see - as you can, too, in the trailer above. To my eyes, it looks like Blasphemous meets Castlevania, with a screen-shakingly good sword swing. No seriously, just look at that screen shudder when he swings that big axe. I can practically feel it grating against my cheek bones.
Ghost Song is a mysterious new Metroidvania
Look closely and the protagonist of new Metroid-like Ghost Song could almost be Samus’ long-lost cousin. Armed with a natty hand cannon and a similarly glowing visor, you wake up a mysterious moon that’s full of horrible monsters and secrets to uncover. From the trailer it looks like we can expect plenty of zappin’, runnin’ and jumpin’, and… big flying mechanical skulls? I also spied a rather nifty-looking hammer and sword in your arsenal too. No release date yet, but consider me intrigued.
Signalis gets a new trailer
I love the look of Signalis. A survival horror with big PlayStation 1 retro vibes, this first emerged last year as part of the Tribeca Games 2021 official selection. Now it’s got a release window and a new gameplay trailer. Coming out this autumn, you play as Elstar, a robotic technician in search of her lost dreams. I’ll no doubt be too chicken to see it through to the end - those shambling monsters look properly nasty - but cor, I just cannot get enough of those chunky polygons.
Infinite Guitars has a rocking new gameplay trailer
Talk about a 180 tonal shift, eh? In this new rhythm RPG from Nikko Nikko, you’ll be shredding jammy guitar tunes in a world that’s set in the ruins of a global mech war. As well as performing side-on rhythm solos (plus the occasional duet with your fellow bandmates), you’ll be dodging rhythm-based attacks from big monsters in top-down adventure sections. It certainly looks energetic, but will it be able to match the mad, maverick action of other rhythm favs like Ouendan and Elite Beat Agents? Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
Chinatown Detective Agency gets a release date
Chinatown Detective Agency is one of those games I’ve seen being demoed at shows for what feels like an actual decade, but now we know when it’s finally coming out. April 7th. That’s just a few weeks away! To celebrate this point and click game’s impending release, publisher Humble Games showed off another trailer that takes a closer look at some of the sus clients private investigator Amira Darma will be dealing with during the course of her crime-solving. Developer Genereal Interactive Co also revealed players will need to do a bit of real-world research to help solve the game’s cases. It’s not quite clear yet how this research (dare I say, homework?) will feed into its branching storylines, but stay tuned for our full review in the coming weeks.
The Iron Oath hits early access this April
The final announcement of the showcase, this turn-based tactical RPG from Curious Panda Games is coming to Steam early access on April 19th. In it, you’ll lead a company of mercenaries through the harsh lands of Caelum, hiring new recruits as your existing company starts to creak from old age, managing your reputation across different regions, and making sure you don’t all accidentally bite the dust from surprise skelly boys and big zombos. Think Wartales, but in pixel form with some extra fantastical powers.
