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daavpuke

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Top 10 Smaller Summer Game Fest 2023 Games

You know the deal: Summer Game Fest 2023 is a wrap and so it is list time. Like I mentioned, there are two distinctions this year, due to the sheer number of games that were shown.

If you're looking for the blockbusters, the big boy list has you covered. I strongly suggest that you give that one a look, also. This version will focus on games that were either shown on smaller showcases or are just not multi-million projects in general. That way, everyone that isn't a billionaire company gets a fair shot.

Here are the top 10 smaller games of Summer Game Fest 2023.

List items

  • I have no idea what people's game of the show is going to be. I never do. I always feel like I'm on the outside looking in. What I am sure of is that people need to pay attention to The Spirit of the Samurai.

    I haven't seen stop motion done this good since, possibly, ever? This game oozes confidence. Sure, the side-scrolling Souls-ish schtick has been done before, but never like this! I can guarantee it. If you can't wow someone with innovation, then a truly distinctive art style will do wonders to be memorable. I'm a huge fan already.

  • Apparently, this game has been in the works for a while, but their newest trailer had me hooked. A lot of builder simulations were shown this year and I dug most of them. I'm a sim fiend. Still, a lot of those options seem to be taking a familiar path.

    Where Laysara differs is that it thinks differently about spacing. I was really impressed by how the game utilized verticality to its benefit. As the game leans into setting up supply lines, this altered perspective will really force you to think a bit different. To top it off, even natural disasters like avalanches make appropriate use of the space. Color me impressed.

  • This game has me so conflicted about myself. I hate getting pandered to, like with the recent Crash Bandicoot game adding a "non-binary" bat. I don't know what that's supposed to mean. Yet, I can't deny that Angeline Era is literally just pandering to my PlayStation 1 nostalgia. Even the textures are kept purposely monochrome. It shouldn't have to be this way and yet I adore this.

    I dunno, maybe it's just because I want games to be playfully weird like this again. If you have to channel an actual PS1 game to make that happen, then so be it. Call me a mark.

  • If you know me, you'll know that I will eat up anything vehicular combat. If that game then channels Auto Modellista and Burnout, among other classics, then consider me hooked and sold.

    Resistor is gonna rip; I have no doubt about it. It seems as sharp as it looks vicious. My heart is just a little worried that the game will end up getting "service" disease, like OnRush did in the past. If anything, I hope that this will be more focused on singleplayer. I don't want to face off against other people. I want to have the biggest car dick on the track, so give me that!

  • There have been several real-time strategy games announced and, boy, is it obvious what the schism in inspiration is, in terms of classics. Where others tried to recreate StarCraft, which I can't imagine will end well, the more obvious choice was Command & Conquer. Westwood built this genre; this is what you should try to be!

    Even a mediocre version of something like KKND is still enjoyable, so the pixel art look and screen clutter on display in DORF fits in perfectly. The only reason why this is lower on the list is because this name is the dumbest thing I've ever heard, but kinda in a good way?

    DORF.

  • A lot of games tend to blend together in these presentations. I can't remember the name of a dozen things I've seen. Comic book art, 2D action platformer; you've seen one, you've seen them all. I think that makes the staying power of Cookie Cutter that much more impressive.

    They've crossed their t's and dotted their i's, when it comes to smooth animations and impactful action on screen. I'm not even a fan of the style as much as I'm just downright impressed by the quality of it. I think this might be one of those sleeper hits that will garner a sizable amount of fans, like a Celeste.

    "For fans of," you know?

  • Wow. The cyberpunk atmosphere in this game looks incredible. What attracts me the most is that this project leans more on simulation than action. You'll be managing businesses and trying to grow in a city much larger than yourself. Nivalis nails that small fish, big pond vibe.

    My only worry is that publisher 505 Games is incredibly inconsistent, so I could see them not supporting this vision properly. Then again, if people can like actual Cyberpunk 2077, in the state that's in, then this probably has a shot as well.

  • This could be a revolutionary game and it could also be an unplayable adaptation of The Oregon Trail. Who knows? For now, all I can say is that Pacific Drive looks like it will have an entrancing loop.

    Most of what you need to do in this apocalyptic joint is to keep your vehicle operable, Frankensteining parts from other, lesser rides. Depending on how plentiful those parts are or how tough it is to get by, we'll either get an innovative game full of suspense or a very frustrating road trip. If anything, I'm interested.

  • I recently watched the Hellboy movie reboot and hated it. Bad start; I know. I did, however, love the creepy Baba Yaga part. This game lets you play the next one in line, which includes a chicken-house!

    I don't really need more than that, but the atmosphere of this game seems to be nailing the strangely, unsettling concept of a witch inside a moving hut. I did, in fact, want to know how this house sprouted legs, so I'm very intrigued to see where this story takes us.

  • I've been looking at Paleo Pines for a while now, but it's just nice to know that it's finally happening. In a year where dinosaurs seem to be making so much of a comeback that you'd think we're back in the 90s, this is especially enticing.

    This game is Harvest Moon meets dinosaurs. That's pretty much all you have to know.

    Still, in a year where there are also a deluge of farming games chasing that Stardew clout, this one seems to be a little more relaxed. I think it's better for it.
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