Ten Interesting Games From E3 2019 You May Have Missed - Article
by Taneli Palola , posted on 16 June 2019 / 5,594 Views
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is once again behind us and the hype machine has gifted us with a ridiculous number of trailers and announcements to digest for the days and weeks to come. As always, most of the attention at E3 goes to the big AAA titles showed at the high profile press conferences, but somewhere beneath them there are hundreds of smaller games that often get overlooked or just completely ignored by the vast majority of people.
Yet, many of these games still deserve to be acknowledged and seen by as many people as possible. Naturally, I can't highlight every intriguing smaller title here, and there's never a guarantee that the following titles are actually going to be good, just that they look very interesting and promising at present. With that in mind, here are ten interesting titles from E3 2019 that you may have missed.
Ary and the Secret of Seasons
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Release date: Q1 2020
The 3D action-platformers that were very much in style a few console generations ago have been going through something of a renaissance in recent years, and Ary and the Secret of Seasons is very much looking to tap into that particular well. The main gimmick of the game is the main character Ary's ability to control seasons, which she uses to defeat enemies, solve puzzles, and get around other obstacles in her way.
You can obviously see the limits of the game's budget, but if the gameplay and story are well designed and engaging then things like dated graphics aren't going to be that much of an issue - for me at least. Titles like Yooka-Laylee and A Hat In Time have showed that there is definitely a market for games like this, and I think Ary and the Secret of Seasons is worth keeping an eye on.
Lost Words: Beyond the Page
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, NS
Release date: TBA
One of the most interesting parts of any E3 for me is looking for games that do something different with established game mechanics. Lost Words: Beyond the Page is at its core a 2D puzzle platformer, but adds a very interesting mechanic in using words to change the stage around you in order to proceed further.
Games where the story and gameplay are interconnected and affect each other in a significant way are disappointingly rare, so titles like Lost Words are more than welcome. The fact that the game is written by Rhianna Pratchett also piqued my interest. Indie platformers like these often live and die by their stories, but here the gameplay also looks to have some welcome depth to it. Definitely one to look out for when it eventually comes out.
El Hijo
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Release Date: TBA
An isometric stealth game with strong spaghetti western influences isn't necessarily something I expected to see at E3 this year, but I'm more than happy that I did. In El Hijo you play as a 6-year-old boy looking for his mother after bandits raided and destroyed their farm, leaving the boy in the care of a monastery. Refusing to be separated from his mother, El Hijo decides to escape from the monastery and find her somewhere in the harsh world.
There's obviously plenty of upside to a concept like that, and while we've had plenty of stealth games in recent years, the rather unique setting for one combined with a beautiful art style gives El Hijo a very good foundation at the very least. The one thing that matters now is how interesting the actual gameplay is going to be and whether the game can provide a genuine challenge.
Valfaris
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Release date: 2019
With the new Contra looking less than stellar it's nice to see that some developers haven't abandoned the kind of frantic, fast-paced, run 'n gun gameplay that Konami's once venerated series was known for. Valfraris comes to us courtesy of Steel Mantis, a relatively unknown developer, but one with undeniable talent and potential.
With games like Contral and Turrican stated as sources of inspiration, and with its gorgeous pixel art visual style, I was already intrigued by Valfaris, but it was the addition of a heavy metal infused soundtrack that really caught my attention. If the gameplay lives up to the promise the rest of game is showing, we might have something quite excellent in our hands soon.
Cris Tales
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Release date: 2020
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of classic JRPGs, from Final Fantasy to Breath of Fire and more, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that when I first heard of Cris Tales I was instantly excited for the prospect of playing a new JRPG that takes influence from a classic of the 90s. It also helps that the game itself is absolutely gorgeous, with a striking art style and beautiful animations. The idea of playing in three different time periods at the same time is also very interesting and ambitious and I'm definitely curious to see how it's going to work in action.
I also love the fact that Cris Tales is using a turn-based combat system, for as much as I like the modern, more action-focused real-time battle systems in JRPGs nowadays I still miss playing games that require more strategy and thinking than fast reactions and reflexes. This could very well be a real sleeper hit, as it's been proven several times over with games like Octopath Traveler that there is definitely demand for old-school style JRPGs.
Per Aspera
Platforms: PC
Release date: 2020
Strategy games have quietly been experiencing a restoration of sorts in recent years and much of that has been driven by small indie developers creating interesting gameplay experiences, often based on very familiar gameplay mechanics, but with some added element to make it fresh again. Per Aspera is essentially a base-building strategy game where you are tasked with terraforming Mars.
I'm interested to see just how vast the game's scale is, as the trailer makes it seem like you're going to be building across the entire planet at the same time, rather than being separated into individual missions, but naturally the trailer could be misleading in that regard. Whatever the case, people looking for new strategy games should keep Per Aspera in mind.
Remnant: From the Ashes
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release date: August 20, 2019
The developer behind Remnant: From the Ashes is Gunfire Games, best known for creating last year's Darksiders III, which is at once a reason to keep an eye out for Remnant as well as cause for concern. The studio has shown that it has the talent to create something truly special, but so far it hasn't really been able to put everything together in such a way.
Remnant: From the Ashes is a third-person survival action shooter, where the player takes the role of one of the last remaining humans trying to survive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland overrun by monsters. The element that caught my interest was that the game can actually be played in co-op with up to two other players. In some ways this seems like a horror version of Borderlands, and quite frankly I'm alright with that.
Songs of Conquest
Platforms: PC, Mac
Release date: Late 2020
It's honestly quite surprising that more games haven't tried to copy the Heroes of Might & Magic formula and give it a slight spin. Songs of Conquest is doing exactly that. It's a turn-based strategy game that isn't even trying to hide its influences, but there isn't necessarily anything wrong with that as long as the thing you're making turns out to be good.
The two things that initially caught my attention were the game's visual design and the music that played in the trailer. Then when I realized it's basically a new take on old-school Heroes of Might & Magic I was sold. They are some of my favourite strategy games ever after all. Unfortunately, Songs of Conquest still has quite a long way to go before it's finished, so anyone interested will have to wait for at least another year to get their hands on it.
Rad
Platforms: PC, PS4, NS, Xbox One
Release date: Summer 2019
Rad is a game that could just as easily end up being amazing as it could turn out to be forgettable. It's being developed by Double Fine, a studio with a history of inconsistency, ranging from the exceptional to the mediocre and anything in between. However, one aspect where Double Fine has always shined is in creating an interesting concept upon which to base its games, and Rad is no different.
Rad is an action rogue-like where the player must traverse a radioactive wasteland in order to bring life back into the world. The central conceit of the game is that the further into the wasteland you travel, the more the various toxins ravage the main character, transforming and mutating them. It seems that in mutating the player gains new abilities to help them on their journey, but at the cost of becoming less human in the process. Maybe there's going to be some kind of trade-off, where you have to give up something for these new abilities, essentially making the gameplay a series of increasingly difficult decisions as you balance your humanity against the skills you need to survive.
Griftlands
Platforms: PC
Release date: Fall 2020
We'll end this one with another rogue-like, although one very different from Rad. Griftlands is a deck-building rogue-like in development by Klei Entertainment. Klei is probably best known for titles such as Mark of the Ninja, Don't Starve, and Invisible, Inc., giving the company a reputation for always trying out new genres and playstyles.
Griftlands originally started life as an RPG, but after a few years in development the game's direction was shifted and it became a rogue-like deck building game with a strong focus on narrative. In Griftlands the player can approach situations in many different ways. You can of course simply fight your way through, but you can also negotiate, steal, or use a number of other methods to get to your goal. It'll be interesting to see how Klei manages to make this concept work properly, but since the game is still over a year away from release they definitely have the time to do so.
Were there any interesting, underappreciated games you came across from E3 2019 that weren't included in this list? Share them in the comments below so others can find out about them too.
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Valfaris looks superb. Definitely a day 1 buy for me.
Rad was also shown at the Nintendo Treehouse. It's not a PC exclusive. This game has a pretty impressive 80's soundtrack btw.
Several of these games look neat to me, including all of the first three games and Cris Tales! Especially Lost Words. I'd also add Spiritfarer (a management game about guiding your spirit friends to the afterlife...and also I think the E3 reveal I'm most anticipating) and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (a farming + action-platforming game with a pretty unique premise) as a couple other interesting-looking titles I saw E3 footage of that I fear most people missed.
