Gamescom's Forgotten Scrolls: When a Digital Wizard Unpacks 17 Wild Worlds (Weeks Later)
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Weeks after Gamescom, Jeff dives into James Archer's unreleased notes from Rock Paper Shotgun, unearthing 17 curious games from sentient space whales to dog-brained rovers, offering a blend of playful skepticism and genuine excitement for the industry's diverse creativity.
Right, so Gamescom 2025 – remember that? Feels like a lifetime ago, mate. Like a digital wizard accidentally cast a 'rewind time' spell on my brain and now I'm just getting around to processing everything. James Archer over at Rock Paper Shotgun (bless his cotton socks) had the same problem, apparently, cramming ninety thousand nerds onto Cologne trams and then realising he'd seen *seventeen* more games than he had time to write about. Well, I've been rifling through his notes – with full credit to the original article by James Archer for Rock Paper Shotgun, titled 'Batman, good boys, and space whale texting: all the other Gamescom games I saw but didn’t have time to write about' – and bloody hell, there's some proper interesting stuff he dug up. Let's peel back the layers on these hidden gems, shall we? Because what he couldn't cover back then might just be the next big thing we're all obsessing over.
First up, *Super Meat Boy 3D*. Now, I'm a naturally curious sort, always wondering 'what happens if...' and when you stick '3D' on a precision platformer like Meat Boy, my brain starts doing cartwheels. The original was a beautiful nightmare of exact timing and relentless spikes, right? And apparently, this new version, despite the shiny modern graffix, still captures that 'dashed on the same spike trap fifteen consecutive times' exasperation. But Archer reckons it's got a snappy, spring-loaded quality, and those instant retries mean death is just a momentary setback. Plus, that cathartic post-level replay where your one successful Meat Boy powers through the dwindling pack? Still just as glorious, even in the third dimension. Colour me cautiously optimistic – if they nail the feel, this could be a proper treat.
Then there's *Cosmo Tales*, an unexpected one from the milsim specialists Bohemia Interactive. They've decided to whip up a Saturday morning cartoon of a space combat game, where your chirpy AI-infused rocket van switches weapons and defences by phasing through dimensions. It’s intentionally light, bloodless (enemies just glitch out!), and clearly pitched at the younger crowd with its gee-whiz dialogue. But those visual palette swaps for each dimension sound like a proper neat trick – shifting to a hyper-saturated otherworld for laser guns, or a moody noir dimension to slow time. The shoots of a decent casual action game are definitely visible, if you ask me.
Now, for something with some serious heart: *Good Boy*. A Metroidvania starring a Curiosity-style space rover, but here’s the kicker – your mind has been implanted from a deceased dog. And you're trying to find other pooch-brained rovers. My first thought was, 'bloody hell, is this going to be an unintentionally macabre take on grief?' But Archer suggests it’s a celebration of pets, inspired by the developers' own still-barking companions. Plus, tying progression into researching and upgrading your chassis for ability gating? That’s some clever design, mate, making it more than just 'capture the right bug.'
Speaking of clever, *Rogue Point* is a tactical roguelike FPS where 'teamwork is everything,' yet the demo was a solo affair. Still, that just ramped up the tension, which sounds palpable even with a squad of four. Enemies are smart with flanking and grenades, keeping you constantly on edge. What really intrigued me were the intel pickups, which map out routes and secrets for *subsequent* runs. That's a devious bit of design, isn't it? Rewards risky manoeuvres and gives a real sense of persistent discovery. Eight missions of that stress in a row? Reckon I'd need a good lie down, but I respect the grind.
More stress, you say? How about *Hell Let Loose: Vietnam*? The 'Nam-themed spinoff to the infamously unforgiving WW2 shooter. Take those vast 50 vs 50 battles and near-instant deaths, transplant them to automatic rifles and close air support, and you get pure terror, apparently. I'm always a bit sceptical of those massive-scale games where you feel like a tiny cog in a very large, chaotic machine. But the combined arms and asymmetric quality sound intriguing. The Yanks with their tanks and gunships, versus the Viet Cong whose tunnels were so effective they had to be 'nerfed'? Fair dinkum, Lyndon B. Johnson never thought to nerf the tunnels! This could be a fascinating bit of historical mayhem.
Next, the much-anticipated *Ninja Gaiden 4*, arriving a decade after the last mainline game. With Team Ninja and Platinum Games co-developing, the Platinum influence sounds crystal clear – all those 'hitherto-unflipped acrobatic flair' moves. It's still about mastering ninja tools to de-limb monsters, which is exactly what we want, right? But with optional concessions for newcomers (auto-guarding, dodging toggles) alongside a 'Master Ninja' mode for the masochists? That’s a careful balancing act. Will it be all things to all ninjas? We'll find out on October 21st.
Ever wanted to live on a space whale? *Beyond These Stars* has got you covered. This sci-fi citybuilder rejects colonial tropes, where you only settle on planets your people were displaced from. But the real kicker is the colossal, sentient space whale you call home. Archer’s demo highlighted the whale taking its polluting guests to task via 'disappointed cosmic DMs.' You can respond with acceptance or defensiveness, but pissing off the whale is a very real risk – it might even drag your civilisation off course! It’s such a wonderfully bizarre and ethically intriguing mechanic.
Then there’s *Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight*. Look, I can see the appeal: Arkham-style punch-ups remixed with comedy plastic. But Archer points out it needs a fair bit of technical work. Gliding and grappling sound clunky, and the Batmobile handling (even the Robert Pattinson model!) felt like 'trying to iron a shirt in front of an industrial electromagnet.' Still, a 'Baby’s First Brawler' take on Batman has its charm, even if the execution needs tightening up.
*Turok: Origins* offers some encouraging signs for a reboot. Thwipping arrows into dinosaurs is a timeless pleasure, and Saber Interactive seems to be handling the 'Native American/indigenous power fantasy' carefully. However, much of the demo sounded like a dozen other co-op FPS games already clogging up my Steam library, with so-so shooting against regular dudes. The Mantles – super-suits with creative abilities like dumping a thousand hungry insects down an enemy’s pants – sound like where the real fun's at. But again, class powers aren't exactly novel, are they?
Speaking of novel, *Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival* is certainly... something. Archer admits Hellraiser's specific body horror is 'Not My Thing,' and honestly, same here – all flayed skin and impaled nipples isn't exactly my cup of tea. It's gross, but is it *scary*? Apparently, not strictly, given the surprising emphasis on combat. But then, being pursued through the Labyrinth by a teleporting Chatterer, just because he thought it’d be a laugh? *That's* scary. Let's hope those moments of genuine dread don't get lost in the squelchy stuff and knife fights.
In a pleasantly surprising turn, *John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando* takes the ultra-dense horde shooter formula (think *World War Z*) and mashes it with the weighty vehicular play of *RoadCraft* and *MudRunner*. And credit where it’s due, it *works*. Archer’s favourite moments involved the crew's adopted 4x4, ploughing through zombie crowds and winching open supply caches. By the end, the vehicle felt like the fifth member of the team. Who would've expected that kind of genuine attachment in a love letter to meathead 80's action flicks? Optimistically chaotic, that one.
Then we have *Romestead*, which sounds like *Stardew Valley* meets polytheistic mythology. I appreciate Archer's note on how brisk it feels – wood becomes buildings, buildings become towns, all at a clip. And the path from cutting down undead to fighting a giant demigod is remarkably short. The Roman gods get involved too, offering boons for prayers. But new building types? C'mon, Jupiter lad, you can do better than that! I'm hoping for some proper magical mishaps from the deities, not just structural upgrades.
Now, Archer admits 'roguelite strategy autobattler' combines three things he's barely interested in typing out, let alone playing. Yet, *Flask* showcased enough personality to be genuinely compelling. You're an indebted alchemist sending homunculi (great word!) into battle to harvest monster blood. The core mechanic involves equipping five empowering flasks, stacking elements for powerful effects. Plus, a neat asynchronous multiplayer where bosses are other players' alchemists, complete with their last-equipped flasks. No cost for losing, but a 'nice, capitalistic leaderboard' tracks blood-harvesting prowess. Sounds like a clever twist on an otherwise crowded genre.
*Daimon Blades* from Streum On Studio (their first game since regaining independence, apparently a prequel to *E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy*) has one key selling point: *you can be friends with the swords*. Yes, you heard that right. It’s a *Darktide*-style first-person melee slasher with a roguelike structure. Each blade is possessed by a demon, granting bonuses for glorious bloodshed, or debuffs if you keep dying. Maybe it’s just a twist on weapon XP, but the idea of a sword being disappointed in me for being rubbish? That's the kind of irreverent detail that makes me curious.
Born of Covid loneliness, *The Lonesome Guild* is a family-friendly ARPG about forging bonds before slapping bad guys. You don't just grind XP; you have to *chat* to party members around a campfire to level them up. The buddy system carries into combat, with powerful team-up specials deepening as friendships grow. Archer notes it might look a bit 'kiddywink,' but battles require 'sound striking and dodging fundamentals,' and the ability to possess any pal makes for respectable dynamism. A charming premise with some solid gameplay hooks, then.
*Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf* looks to make everything bigger, including the puzzles. You're still juggling Lana and her cat-monkey Mui, but Mui can be directed almost anywhere, expanding the scale of those conundrums. An underwater maze with Lana and a Mui-hypnotised fish sounds properly mind-bending. Archer worries this greater complexity could slow the pace, which was a strength of the original. But hey, even if you get stuck, at least you've got another game's worth of lovely, painterly background art to stare at.
Finally, *Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era*. Archer, without a 'HoMM-playing bone in his body,' didn't hate it. That's high praise for a strategist-focused game! He praises its richly colourful overworld and elaborate battle animations, and found its strategic layers 'comfortably frictionless.' He admits he was 'crap in fights' (same, mate, same), but the new Arena mode sounds like a fantastic idea: drafting hodgepodge armies for practice without affecting your main campaign. Anything that lets you 'make action figures fight' without consequences gets my vote.
And there you have it, folks – a whirlwind tour through the Gamescom goodies that almost slipped through the cracks. Massive thanks again to James Archer at Rock Paper Shotgun for these initial peeks; his piece really got my wizarding gears turning. It’s wild, isn't it? From befriending sentient claymores to negotiating with disgruntled space whales and zipping through dimensions in a chirpy rocket van, the sheer breadth of creativity out there is something special. Sure, there's always a bit of marketing fluff to wade through, and some ideas will inevitably fizzle out like a poorly aimed firebolt. But digging into these stories, seeing the genuine heart and clever design behind them – that's what makes this gig so bloody good. Keep your wands at the ready, because the next big adventure could be lurking anywhere. And I, for one, can't wait to see what unexpected chaos comes next.
Tags: Gamescom, Indie Games, Game Previews, Gaming Industry, Hidden Gems
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun