Opinion: The Coolest Games You Missed During Summer Game Fest

Even most hardcore fans might not realize it, but Summer Game Fest is more than the showcase Geoff Keighley puts on annually. Plenty of other platforms gather around the same time to show off their titles as well. With nearly a dozen different “showcases”, literally hundreds of games are highlighted every year. Everyone but the most eagle-eyed fans are bound to miss more than a few.

Originally a project from Kickstarter, developer/publisher Crytivo’s Autonomica is an open-world survival game that’s balancing a ton of different elements at once. On first glance, it looks like a cozy game with some sim/survival elements. Looking deeper though, it’s clear there’s far more going on underneath the cozy survival elements.

Autonomica looks to provide an open world game where players explore the mysteries behind a broken world. With customizable mecha, a full PvE story, and a PvEvP extraction mode, the real question is whether this game is doing too much. If it can balance it all though, this could easily become another massive hit in an ever-growing landscape.

During Day of the Devs after Summer Game Fest, Annapurna Interactive revealed Snap & Grab, a new heist game. It follows the adventures of Nifty Nevada, a fashion photographer who also happens to be an infamous burglar.

Snap & Grab combines puzzle elements with stylish settings to create a unique title that stands out even amidst the hundreds of games shown this summer. It even features a fun romance element between Nifty and the detective chasing her down, Rio Rivers. If queer romance, fashionable characters, and puzzle-solving is up your alley, Snap & Grab should probably be on your radar.

Now that people have again been convinced that turn-based RPGs aren’t dead — this time thanks to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 –hopefully people can give respect to games like Dosa Divas: One Last Meal. It focuses on Samara and Amani, a pair of sisters who rely on a giant robot to help them battle against an evil fast food empire. On top of getting your revenge against a video game version of Yum Foods, players can also gather ingredients to make their own food to serve to their local villagers. Dosa Divas is a reminder that turn-based RPGs don’t have to only come in hyper-polished packages to be a great time.  I mean, how many games let you beat up corporate empires in a giant robot?

Shown during Day of the Devs, Relooted is set in an afro-futurist world where players pull together a heist crew to steal back African artifacts from Western museums. This is the kind of idea that you’d think would’ve been done already, and feels especially relevant in our current era. With momentum-based parkour gameplay reminiscent of Speed Runners, Relooted looks like it has tons of potential.

Developer Mykur Games re-debuted their title, Echoes of the End, at the Future Games Showcase this year. A narrative-driven, third-person RPG, players become Ryn, a warrior wielding incredible magic powers. Working with scholar/explorer Abram Finlay, Ryn works to save her brother while also learning about a dangerous conspiracy that threatens their land. This trailer was probably the biggest surprise of the showcase, as its rare to see a game with these production values with a release date of “later this summer.” Placing an importance on both combat and puzzle-solving, if this is as good as it looks, it’ll be one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Developer Dreamhaven co-op rogue-lite title, Lynked: Banner of the Spark made multiple appearances at both the Wholesome Game Direct and the Future Games Showcase. At the Wholesome Direct, they made a point to show off the game’s town-building elements, where players can help improve a community. They’re able to fish, farm, and craft all to build up their town, which will eventually help them in combat as well. At the Future Games Showcase, the game’s combat was spotlighted, from the weapon customization to the battles against endless robot enemies. The game has already exited Early Access, with version 1.0 boasting new chapters, a new biomes, and even new weapons and skins.

Ancient Forge takes a bit of inspiration from Studio Ghibli for their cozy hotel management title, Hotel Galactic. Within the game, players can build up their perfect hotel, designing not just the layout of rooms but their insides as well. It’s not just about designing the rooms though, as players will also have to learn how to cater to the guests, each of whom has their own unique demands. Basically, this is for everyone who wanted to live out their dreams of a safer version of Spirited Away. This game launches in Early Access on July 24th.

Owlcat Games is one of the most respected CRPG developers in the industry, but they’re trying something different this time with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. It’s a new title, but its more of a classic, over-the-shoulder third person RPG set within The Expanse universe. The title places the player in the role of a former mercenary who builds their own crew to survive a massive, solar system-wide conspiracy. The game seems intent on exploring tons of different elements of the universe, promising trips to Ganymede, Ceres, Mars, and Luna — some of the series’ most iconic areas.

Fans have been wanting another Mass Effect for a long time. Owlcat going from CRPGs into AAA RPGs is a big step, if they can pull it off it could easily satisfy that goal for sci-fi fans everywhere. That said, with no release date in mind currently, this game is clearly a long way off. Nonetheless, it’s actually a surprise that Future Games Show managed to reveal this game instead of it popping up at Summer Game Fest.

Though these are just a handful of the games you might’ve missed during Summer Game Fest, its also worth checking out The Mix Summer Game Showcase, Wholesome Games Celebration, and the Future Games Summer Showcase on Steam for a deeper dive and a chance to expand your wish list.