While 2022 has been another year without an E3, game publishers big and small haven’t stopped releasing tons of hype-filled trailers during the usual summer promotional season. After sifting through Summer Game Fest and the Microsoft/Bethesda showcase, we spent much of the week watching literally hundreds of trailers, as seen in the Future Games Show, IGN Expo, Wholesome Direct, Day of the Devs, the PC Gaming Show, and many others. We picked 25 titles whose presentations stood out for one reason or another. Scroll through for a collection of titles we’ll be checking out over the next year or so. And keep an eye out for hands-on impressions from our very own Sam Machkovech, who sampled a handful of these games at a Summer Games Fest event earlier this week.
A little to the left
Platforms: Switch, PC, Mac, Android, iOS
Planned release: 2022
links: Steam | Itch.io (with demo) | Official website
Seemingly a game for organization freaks, A little to the left prompts players to clean up by arranging books, game cartridges, spoons, lampshades, and more in nice, neat arrangements, while a mischievous cat tries to mess things up again. However, as you go through the cleanup, the basic organization tasks turn into puzzles that are “a little more surreal,” according to the trailer. There’s also a “daily tidied up delivery” for a quick hit of new organizational puzzles every day.
Agent 64: Spies Never Die
Platforms: pc
Planned release: 2022
links: Steam (with demo)
This game is not subtle to be directly inspired by GoldenEye 007, right down to the blocky polygons and limited character animations. But this unlicensed spiritual sequel also has obvious modern improvements, like a smooth frame rate and a lack of fog, meaning it should look and play as your nostalgic memories of Golden Eye instead of, uh, the actual experience of playing N64 Golden Eye these days. The ability to “create and share your own campaigns” should also provide plenty of new content well after release.
Bramble: The Mountain King
Platforms: pc, consoles
Planned release: 2023
links: Steam | Twitter
Watching this trailer, I learned that Norwegian folktales can be way more intense than their American equivalents. blackberry bush is based on stories intended to deter children from getting too close to the water and drowning, and the example here certainly succeeded this viewer. The short snippets of gameplay make the game seem like a pretty standard exploration/platform title, but strong environment and character design keep us from keeping our eyes out.
cheating inc
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series S/X, PC
Planned release: “Available soon”
links: Steam | Twitter † Alpha Login
In this stylish competitive multiplayer spy game, competitors disguise themselves to defeat their opponents and achieve important goals in a fun twist on the capture-the-flag concept. The trailer reminds us of games like death loop and spy party—or even the underrated multiplayer parts of Assassin’s Creed games – in the very best of ways.
