Top 5 Games From Gamescom 2022 You Shouldn’t Overlook

The 2022 entry of the Cologne, Germany-based video games conference Gamescom has come to a close, and it is widely regarded as arguably the best gaming showcase of the year to this point. Quite a lot of high-profile games were featured, some of which you’ve definitely heard of (Dead Island 2, Sonic Frontiers, Starfield), some of which you may have been rightly looking forward to already (The Callisto Protocol, Return to Monkey Island, Age of Empires 4), some of which you really shouldn’t have been looking forward to (Hogwarts Legacy), and plenty you may not have heard of but really should keep an eye out for. Guess which one we’re going to talk about here? Oh right, you read the title so you don’t actually have to guess. Also I gave examples of all the others so you can probably guess I’m saving examples of that last one for the actual list. So fine, you figured it out, let’s get onto the list anyway.

But first, in case you’re new to this “games you shouldn’t overlook” list concept (in which case, where have you been? But like also thanks for reading I really appreciate it thanks you’re the best thanks please don’t let my sarcasm talk you out of reading the list thanks) I’m going to focus on new games rather than remakes, remasters, or expansions to existing games. Also, I’m ranking these games based on perceived quality based on what we can tell from what we’ve seen so far and a subjective assessment of their obscurity. So I guess what I’m saying is, if there’s a game you think looks cooler than something on this list that you think people might be sleeping on, feel free to leave a comment or tweet it at us on Twitter – I might have considered it but left it off the list for one reason or another, or I may have missed out on it myself.

Before we jump into the list itself, let’s start things of with some…

Honorable Mentions

Announce Trailer Games

Okay, so I’m going to lump several games together here because there isn’t much to say about any of them individually – these games are likely the farthest out, so as much as I think they bear following as they go through development, it is really hard to tell what the final product will be at this point. Quantic Dream’s Under the Waves simultaneously gave me some Abzû and Silt vibes, which is to say beautiful but foreboding at the same time. The developers behind Wyrdsong, called Something Wicked Games, have quite the pedigree having worked on the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, so it’s easy to get excited based on very little evidence so far. Phantom Hellcat looks like a slick 2D/3D hybrid hack’n’slash from first-time developers Ironbird Creations. All three of these games have tons of potential based on what we’ve seen so far, but we’ll see how they ultimately turn out since they won’t be released until likely late 2023 at the earliest.

Atomic Heart

I won’t embarrass myself by counting how many times I’ve written about this game already, but suffice to say I am greatly looking forward to Atomic Heart. Still. It’s basically my Half Life 3 at this point. Well, except we’ve actually seen this game in action and know it exists. And let me confirm, it still looks great. And weird. And oddly specific to my Bioshock + Fallout + Soviet Russia aesthetic interests. A release date would be welcome but I guess that would be asking too much. Sorry for burdening you with my hopes and expectations, Mundfish. Just make it good, please.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox

This game won Gamescom’s Most Wanted Xbox Game award, so it may not be as overlooked as I thought it would be when I first saw this game, but Lovecraftian Metroidvania isn’t exactly a stylistic mashup you’d expect to do gangbusters. There’s more than a little Ori in the art style, which if you know me at all you’d know is a very favorable comparison in my eyes, and the sinister vibes of the disembodied voice that apparently follows your protagonist throughout the game add a layer of creepiness and foreboding. Here’s hoping developer Plot Twist can successfully weave the familiar narrative structure of cthulu-tinged mystery with an unconventional gameplay style for the genre because this game looks like it should be a big hit with fans of either 2D puzzle platformers or cosmic horror, and an even bigger hit with fans of both.

Now to the top 5!

5. AEW Fight Forever

If I’m known for anything around here, and I’m probably not but whatever, it’s for being the wrestling and video games guy, so of course I’m going to kick my list off with the upcoming All Elite Wrestling video game. I write reviews of AEW Dynamite every week, for crying out loud. But beyond my excitement for a new professional wrestling video game, this one has a lot to be excited about in particular. While the other major wrestling companies have built a reputation for simulation mixed with a generous helping of jank and retro SNES-style wackiness, AEW is looking to a specific influence for its gameplay style: the all-time classic N64 title WWF No Mercy. To that end, AEW brought in developers Yuke’s, the team behind No Mercy, to basically rework its arcade-style control scheme for modern video game hardware. What that means is that this game will be accessible to players who never came to grips with WWE 2K‘s fiddly submissions system as well as anyone who’s gotten into wrestling over the past 20 years or somehow hasn’t played a wrestling game since the Attitude Era. Although the smaller roster promised at launch has led to some disappointing omissions, the stylized visuals and throwback gameplay should make up for whatever technical shortcomings there might be in the fledgling wrestling company’s first video games outing.

4. Blacktail

This game nearly ended up on the honorable mentions list because we didn’t get a great look at it, but considering it is set for release in December, I’m guessing that’s more due to developers The Parasight not wanting to give away too much about the game’s twisted take on the Baba Yaga mythology of Slavic folklore and less that they don’t have much to show off. The trailer highlights the idea that there are two witches within the main character, and apparently it will be up to the player to guide her toward one destiny or the other as they fight their way through the enchanted (or perhaps cursed) forest using a bow and magical abilities that will presumably be unlocked along the way. I’m a sucker for under-explored mythology being highlighted in video games, which is probably why this game gives me more combat-focused Hellblade vibes, and from what we’ve seen so far it seems like indie super studio Focus Entertainment will deliver a faithful yet unique take on a tale that has not often been told in western media.

3. Park Beyond

Have you ever played Planet Coaster and felt disappointed with the constraints of earth physics? Ever played a Roller Coaster Tycoon game and wished you could send a coaster flying off the track without killing all the guests onboard? Ever played Parkitect? I haven’t, but it looks good. Well anyway, Park Beyond is here to set you free from both of those first two issues by introducing physics- (and safety-protocols-) defying elements like a cannon to launch coaster trains across huge gaps in the track to land safely on the other side or pinball-style launchers to sproing them backward onto another section of track. You can probably make theme park rides that would actually work in reality, and ultimately it seems like much of the gameplay will be focused on park management like the other games I previously mentioned, but developers Limbic Entertainment seem to be taking the approach of “what if you weren’t limited by real-world constraints? What would you build if you could make something that would only work in a video game?” And at the end of the day, isn’t that what video games should deliver – experiences we couldn’t have in real life?

2. Pentiment

If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t play a ton of murder mystery games – I thought LA Noire was fantastic back in the day, for instance, but often the solutions to the cases seemed obvious if you were thorough in your investigation – but Pentiment will seemingly add two significant wrinkles to set it apart from your run-of-the-mill whodunit. First, the game is set in medieval Bavaria with an art style inspired by manuscript illustrations of the time period, so it looks entirely unique. Secondly, developers Obsidian Entertainment have talked about how solving the mystery may not even be possible – depending on the choices you make for your character’s background, traits, and skills, you may be led to accuse a different culprit, but there’s no way of guaranteeing you’ll be able to identify the guilty party. That leads to another aspect of the game that sets it apart from other murder mysteries – replayability, as players will likely want to see how different choices play out and what effects those choices will have on your preferred theory of what happened. You might argue that this game is unlikely to be overlooked as it is being published by Xbox Game Studios and will be released day 1 on Game Pass, but I figure the art style and narrative-driven gameplay will have their detractors. However, I hope the fact that it is on Game Pass will persuade people to give it a try even if they might otherwise pass it by. Haveth thine scribe annotate thy calendar for 15th November, year of our lord two-thousand twenty-two. (Or just mark your calendar for November 15th, if you aren’t into old-timey speak. Or if you don’t have a scribe.)

1. Lies of P

I’m not sure which I would have had a harder time believing if you had told me a few years ago – that someone would make a Souls-like game based on Pinocchio or that I would be massively hyped for it to the point that it’s one of my most anticipated games of 2023. I was immediately hooked the first time I saw Bloodborne‘s Gothic Victorian take on the Dark Souls formula, and Lies of P has me similarly engrossed by its “what if that but also steampunk” aesthetic. Also, I love the bold casting choice of a scruffier Gary Oldman from Bram Stoker’s Dracula as Gepetto and Timothee Chalamet as Pinocchio. (Not really, but with a Dune game also on the horizon, surely a digital Chalamet isn’t too much to hope for, right?) The idea of lying as a sort of humanity-like resource and the reimagining of fairy tale characters like Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy should be fascinating additions to the formula, and of course if developer NeoWiz can nail down the Soulsborne combat formula (admittedly not an easy feat, but the combat we’ve seen so far looks promising) this game should be riding high on the momentum of this year’s Elden Ring. Unsurprisingly, Lies of P was not the only Souls-like featured at Gamescom, with a Lords of the Fallen sequel/reboot inventively titled *checks notes* The Lords of the Fallen and a Sekiro/Ghost of Tsushima-esque game set in Ten Kingdoms-era China called Where Winds Meet both being shown off as well. (Yes, those are two extra bonus games you shouldn’t overlook as a reward for reading this far.) With that said, however, Lies of P looks more polished and likely closer to release than either of those games, and it’s one of the games I know I’ll be obsessively keeping watch on until it releases sometime in 2023. And that’s…no lie.

Those are the games I think you should keep an eye on based on what we’ve seen at Gamescom 2022, but overall I think it was a show full of intriguing games that are somewhat off the average gamer’s radar. It was hard to narrow it down to just 5! …Or 10, or 12, but who’s counting, really? Anyway, if you want more recommendations for upcoming games that should be on your radar (or maybe even some games that have already been released that you should be sure not to miss) check out my list of games not to overlook for 2022, and make sure to check out all our great entertainment content on FilmIronic.com!