PRAISE!!! PRAISE AND BE MERRY!!! The conventions have returned to us. No longer will we huddle around computers hoping the next live stream event gives a morsel of new games. No, now we can go to conventions, put our own hands on the controllers and play new titles. I, for one, ventured to the grand city of Boston to experience PAX East for the first time in years. So many games to try. Alas, I did not get to all of them, but I will tell you about the ones I did play. I present some of the games from PAX EAST 2023!!!
Alone in the Dark
Naturally, when I saw a demo for the Alone in the Dark reboot on the PAX floor, I immediately jumped in line. My appetite for heart-pounding horror has certainly been satiated with the recent Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remakes, but I am always hungry for more. The demo for Alone in the Dark was brief but appeared to be a prologue to the main story. As someone who had always planned on playing the new title, the demo certainly didn’t unsell me which is probably the best it was going to do.
Yet I have a warning for Pieces Interactive. Take heed, do not just throw random horror imagery around with little care. The demo had both creepy statues and gruesome swamp monsters; both seem to have little connection. Take Silent Hill 2 as an example; most of the monsters represent James’s guilt and frustration. The game wouldn’t have the same impact if Konami just used random ghouls and monsters. I hope the Alone in the Dark demo is merely trying to drum up excitement for the full game.
Undisputed
I can’t say I am known for my opinions on sports games, and games aiming to be realistic or simulators are not really my jam. So you may be confused as to why I tried Undisputed, a boxing simulator at PAX. Well, I do try to make an effort to play more than just survival horror games, but I must confess the line for Undisputed was near the Alone in the Dark demo. Despite the two of us meeting out of convenience, I will admit I enjoyed my time with Undisputed. Punches were meaty and weighty. There is definitely some finesse involved in dancing around your opponent’s jab. If you are a fan of boxing or more technical sports games, give Undisputed a try.
Wrestling Story
From the serious simulated end of gaming, we go to something more lighthearted and playful: Wrestling Story. This game is a Paper Mario-style RPG revolving around a world built on wrestling. Five wrestling heels have taken over the land and it is your job as the young upstart to topple their empires by wrestling everyone. Equipped with power slams and dropkicks, you must fight the minions of the heels in this turn-based RPG. The tongue-in-cheek dialogue and over-the-top bravado had me smiling the whole demo. Highly suggest keeping an eye on this title.
Road 96: Mile Zero
I must admit, I was initially confused when I started playing the demo for Road 96: Mile Zero. I had heard about Road 96 as a choose-your-own-adventure game where you are hitchhiking across the country. I was fully prepared for Mile Zero to be a slow-paced character-focused title, but that was not what I played. The demo for Road 96: Mile Zero was more of a rhythm skating game where you had to skate around obstacles in time with a rocking soundtrack. I had a great time with the demo regardless of the differentiating tones between the two games. I am certainly not opposed to the genre shift, more just bewildered. Road 96: Mile Zero is out in early April.
Nocturnal
Our next game is Nocturnal, a 2D side scroller similar to Dark Souls. Now must confess, I don’t like reviewing Souls-likes at conventions. I prefer to sit back, relax my shoulders, and wade into the world and combat system of these Souls-likes. Standing there on the convention floor trying to get to grips with the combat is not ideal for me. However, where I think Nocturnal stands out is in its fire puzzle mechanics. There is a black mist that is deadly to your character, but it can be warded off by fire. You can temporarily light your sword on fire and use it to ignite enemies or torches scattered across the world. It’s a neat mechanic; if you love your 2D Souls-likes, check out Nocturnal.
System Shock
Take heed, fans of System Shock. I walked away from the System Shock demo lacking confidence in the title. Immersive sims are probably not best experienced on a convention floor, but messy is the only word I could use to describe the demo. I am not one to call out textures, but I remember some doughnuts that looked like they were from the PS2. I had to guess the code to the lock on the first door. I don’t like ripping apart the work of the developers, but it would not surprise me if the System Shock remake gets delayed. I hope for everyone’s sake it does.
Anger Foot
I can only imagine the developers hate this statement, but it is pretty easy to describe Anger Foot as first-person Hotline Miami. Much like Devolver Digital’s crown jewel, Anger Foot is fast, frenetic, and violent. Death is also never permanent as the game throws you back into the fire upon death. However, the two games differ in more ways than just camera angles. Anger Foot has a goofy charm as you kick doors into your foes; it also trades Hotline Miami’s neon haze of the 80s for a more grimy slime coating of the 2000s. I am always willing to try out games Devolver chooses to champion, so I most definitely will be trying Anger Foot.
Slay the Princess
Now I must confess, I didn’t get a chance to play this one on the convention floor. I had only heard this one was gaining cult appeal, so I tried the demo on Steam. In Slay the Princess, you are an adventurer who is tasked by a mysterious narrator to go to a cabin and kill a princess. In a choose-your-own-adventure style, you decide how to handle the puzzling princess and her strange situation. However, no matter the outcome with the princess, in the next chapter you awaken in the same forest you started in. So Slay the Princess is mixing some elements of a creepy visual novel, Stanley Parable-style self-awareness, and some sort of Groundhog Day time loops. It has certainly piqued my interest.
It has been three years since the last time I ventured to PAX East. It felt great to see all the small indie developers show off games I had never heard of. It is so easy to get bogged down by the cynical business side of gaming. However, talking with passionate developers always reminds me why I still enjoy this hobby. Even if I am the guy standing atop my soapbox shouting the end will come from excessive greed. Maybe the industry can be saved by these hopeful developers.