Here's a Rundown of Everything At The Future Game's Show [25/06/2021]

Amongst the maddening rabble of conferences and nothings that was day two of E3 2021 lay GamesRadar’s Future Games Show. Thankfully its offering was designed as a brisk, hour-long run-through of games of varying shapes and sizes, giving us plenty to run down. Laura Bailey and Troy Baker were the hosts for the evening and gave us a solid if unspectacular look at numerous titles. 

If the movies have thought me anything, this can only end well.

Instinction

Beginning with some tension there was an atmospheric trailer for Instinction. This is a title where players must navigate a lush prehistoric setting containing dinosaurs, dense grasses and your character, a woman with plenty of weaponry to tackle the most dangerous reptiles.

The secondhand stress in the gameplay demo was palpable, with the game seemingly transitioning nicely between third-person adventuring (similar in visual style to Death Stranding’s mountain wanderings) to a first-person perspective in interiors to provide better shooting opportunities.  Developer Hashbane’s first game seems like an intriguing idea on the surface. The game is currently “expected in 2022”. 

Grow: Song of the Evertree

From developers, Prideful Sloth comes a game with ideas of harmony and natural connections at the fore. Grow: Song of the Evertree asks players to explore the world of Alaria, where natural elements and species have faded, and to cultivate a new ecology teeming with life around said tree. 

Big mushrooms are a pretty good sign that your terraforming is going well.

It’s certainly easy on the eye, with a very light colour palette. The trailer showed off crafting mechanics to help rebuild the world. Add to that, some farming and exploration, and you’ve got what looks to be a relaxed adventure. The game will arrive on all platforms later this year.

Jurassic World: Evolution 2

After the Summer Games Fest’ reveal of Jurassic World: Evolution 2, which you can read about in our rundown here, game director Rich Newbold was on hand at this show to discuss the game further. (I liked the dinosaur-themed start to this show)

I told you this always ends well!

Some nuggets of info were dropped here, including that the title will see more characters from the films making an appearance, beyond the tutorial narration in the first game being done by Dr Ian Malcolm. Hopefully though we don’t have to deal with the forgettable leads for the recent films. The addition of more flying and marine species of dinosaurs was also confirmed. It ended with a field guide on the triceratops which is fine. 

Future Games Virtual E3 Show Floor

Following that, we got a tour of the expensive-looking Virtual Show Floor, a download on Steam where demos can be accessed for the following games:

• A Tale of Paper - This is an indie platformer where you play as a paper hero in a dark world full of monsters somewhat reminiscent of Little Nightmares

• Get Packed: Fully Loaded - Next was a cooperative multiplayer game, where you can play in co-op to move furniture and tables aplenty out of homes across a number of levels. Think a larger scale Moving Out.,

• Gatewalkers - This new action-RPG looks to be giving us a slice of traditional dungeon crawling. It will see 4 players teaming up and tackling procedurally generated worlds.

• Gamedec - Fourth up was a single-player cyberpunk RPG where you will be solving crimes across numerous virtual realities with your decisions changing the story around you. Think of it as Disco Elysium and Cyberpunk 2077’s weird baby.

• Backbone - This was arguably the most impressive title in the Virtual Show Floor. It is set in a dystopian Vancouver with plenty of noir detective goodness, however, the world is only inhabited by animals. Also, the detective is a raccoon! 

• Beacon Pines - An intriguing adventure and puzzler set within a fairytale book. The game will see you collecting words that will then shape the narrative. This game looked massively different to almost everything else shown.

• Trifox - This is a new entry in the ever more niche top-down twin-stick shooter genre. You’ll play as a fox with three classes that can be mixed and matched to fight waves of enemies.

• Timberborn - This is a building sim set in a beaver society. Yep, that’s what we said. You manage a new beaver society building their world together and that sounds great!

• Riftbreaker - This is a title featuring plenty of classic hack-and-slash action. In it, you’ll play as a scientist in a mech suit charged with building up a base and performing research.

The streets are harsh these days. I have to eat from the trash most nights… Actually I’d do that wherever I live.

The character creator better let me make Goku!

Esports Boxing Club

Next up on the docket was some boxing! It’s been a while since we’ve had a truly great boxing franchise (the Fight Night series springs to mind), but Esports Boxing Club hopes to bring back the age of fun boxing sims.

Steelcity Interactive certainly has something intriguing on its hands for this year. The game has 200 real fighters signed to its roster to result in a selection of boxers ranging from heroes of the past like ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson to current stars like Canelo Alvarez. Additionally, it's welcoming to see a women’s roster as well as create-a-boxer modes and trainers being spoken to in order to mo-cap realistic knockdowns and boxing moves. The game currently has no release date.

We’re not shelling them. We’re quickly delivering them explosive presents.

Hell Let Loose

Next up was the first WW2 shooter of the show which looks to strike a balance between hard military sim and bombastic shooter. While the game is recreating battles using photography from the time, it also will litter the battlefield with AI to help all players to build their score and feel important to the fight. Hell Let Loose has actually been in Early Access since 2019 and Max Rea, the founder of Black Matter, was on hand to announce a full release on 27th July.

The full release will come with Soviet Forces being added as well as the Battle of Stalingrad and the additional note that a version for Xbox Series X│S and PS5 will be out later in the year.

Finally. A sequel to Ghost of Mars.

Red Solstice 2: Survivors

Have you ever thought about the possibility of real-time XCOM on Mars? Ironward Studios certainly have and have come out the other end with Red Solstice 2: Survivors. You control an Executor, an armoured warrior with cybernetic capabilities with the goal of liberating Mars from alien hordes.

The XCOM parallels are clear with the game featuring similar base management aspects, where you are tasked with performing research to get upgrades and have classes for your squad. It certainly does differentiate itself though with an 8-player co-op. The game is out on 17th June, so it's just around the corner. 

Lake

Lake has been one of the quiet stunners of E3 2021, with its quaint sleepy town in the 80s setting and mail delivery gameplay providing a deceivingly enticing game. At the Future Games Show, it continued to give us some glorious peace and quiet.

However, where it seems to falter was in the gameplay demo played, which showed a branching dialogue scene for protagonist Meredith. Some of the dialogue in the scene felt slightly stilted, which may just be a one-scene thing. Regardless, there’s plenty to be excited about with this title. Lake is scheduled for a September 1st release, with a demo currently on steam.

Wish you were here!

What the elden ring is going on here?

Eldest Souls

Another Souls-like enters the indie game space! This time starring a protagonist with a giant sword made of obsidian, delivered from a moon shattering. Your hero will battle numerous enemies born from darkness in this pixelated world.

When I say souls-like, I mean it. Not only does the gameplay look similar but this lore trailer discusses concepts such as the corruption of man and even an overthrow of the “Old Gods.” Hopefully, there’s a bit more to Eldest Souls than what currently meets the eye.

I could not tell you the difference between this and the other WW2 shooter shown here.

Enlisted

A quick update now from the folks at Darkflow Software about Enlisted on their new online multiplayer WW2 shooter. There’s nothing much here that we don’t already know, aside from a brief mention of the upcoming Tunisia campaign and that the game continues to be in open Beta. 

To be a murderer you need to learnt the five Ds; Duck, Dodge, Dive, Duck and Dodge.

Severed Steel

A 3D FPS bullet-hell in starkly lit interiors with a one-handed protagonist is certainly a description that will attract Superhot fans. Severed Steel seems to have a greater pace than that of Superhot but also a more playful tone. I mean, the trailer here plays classical music against maniacal fast-paced comba and carnaget. What’s not to love? There is currently a demo on steam with no release date for when it will come to PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

8 More Upcoming Games

Another montage showed eight games in about a minute. Those games were; Dice Legacy, Gestalt Steam & Cinder, Iron Corbo: Kung Fu Janitor, Definitely Not Fried Chicken Inc., Ranch Sim, Dome King Cabbage, SCHiM, and Silt. The montage did little to communicate what the games are in full but each looked interesting enough that they might be worth keeping an eye on or taking down individually.

Sonic Colors Ultimate

In the least interesting Sonic news, that could be at a live show Sonic Colors Ultimate is coming this year and Katie Golden, the Senior Producer, was on hand here to show the never-before-seen Tropical Resort level (...remaster). The game continues to look like every Sonic game from the 2010s, mainly because it is a Sonic game from 2010. However, as of right now it doesn’t look like a particularly appealing remaster with some textures looking rather flat. Still, impressive transitions in camera perspective. The game is dropping September 7th.

Nice grow operation you got going there… WAIT NO!

Starmancer

Now we get a new management sim, from Chucklefish, where you are in charge of a space station. Starmancer certainly possesses promise with a wonderful planar aesthetic from an isometric viewpoint.  The twist here seems to be that there are going to be random events, like contending with space aliens to contend with alongside the usual space-workplace problems. Starmancer is out on August 5th in Early Access.

KeyWe 

An excellent title (literally this was the best-named game of the show) up next. KeyWe sees players as Jeff and Debra, a pair of postal Kiwis (the animals not the nickname for New Zealanders) writing messages ransom note style by chopping words from a conveyor belt and around them. The trailer showed plenty of Overcooked-style hazards to consider, with Sandstorms, Mayflies and even paranormal happenings to deal with. Add to it some cute customizable New Zealander birds and a very close August 31st release date, and we have a winner on our hands here.

From now on if anyone says, “the worlds greatest minds are working on [insert problem here]”, this is what I am going to see.

A game of life and death!

(but mainly death)

Deathrun TV

Next up is a fake game show, rogue-like shooter. Deathrun TV sees hyperactive murder take place in distinct rooms a-la Hotline Miami. There were buckets of bloody gunplay with plenty of weaponry to play with. I mainly just want to bring up the awesome looking flamethrower shown off here. Because any game with a cool flamethrower is a huge success. 

Chernobylite

There are plenty of games tackling Chernobyl and nuclear disaster lately, in a S.T.A.L.K.E.R./Metro-ish way and now Chernobylite is here to throw its hat in the ring too. Another title “focused on survival”, you’ll be struggling your way through exclusion zones by using crafting systems and relying on companions to fend off enemies. The game releases July 28th on Steam. 

Yep, that’s a S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-like.

Team17

Continuing the theme of quick montages, Team17 of Worms fame appeared to show off a number of titles in rapid succession, including: 

• Hell Let Loose… Again

• Super Magbot - Which is a pixel art platformer out on the 22nd.

• Hokko Life - A management sim in a town with furnishing aplenty to do. 

• Honey, I Joined A Cult - Which does what it says on the tin. Manage a cult with various cult activities.

• King of Seas - A new title full of pirate goodness and isometric strategy elements.

• Greak: Memories of Azur -  This is game out shortly on the 17th of August it features a visually alluring side-scrolling platforming with slight Hilda vibes to its central character. 

• Sheltered 2 - This is the sequel to the 2015 original which will bring a new Factions system along with the usual base building.

• Overcooked - The ever-popular party game also will be getting a free update for the birthday of Kevin, with a new level celebrating the dog. Tremendous.

I’m looking for my good friend Wallace. Have you seen him?

Harold Halibut

One of my personal favourites of the showcase, Harold Halibut is a stop-motion hand made game set on a spaceship that has left earth to find a new planet to inhabit and ruin. Your goal as Harold is to work on finding a new planet. But beyond that, there’s plenty of NPCs and locations to explore enhanced by the stop-motion giving it all a slight Aardman feel. To make this, everything is being built in the real world then 3D scanned. Similar to Vokabulantis, this is impressive stuff that hopefully leads to more. However the devs were quick to mention that there was still plenty of work to be done on the game, so we might be waiting a while.

LET’S BE BEST FRIENDS!

Happy Game

This is a game based around simple round-headed beings in circular environments.  Whilst the characters looking like emoji pillows might lead you to believe this game is one (very boring thing), the trailer quickly subverted expectation with sinister horrors and disturbing horror bosses that contradict the initially inviting world. This is beyond fascinating, with its smiling faces a thin veneer with a deep horror behind it. Happy Game is out in the fall of 2021.

Minute of Islands

A game that is now available, Minute of Islands is a hand-drawn platformer with a girl tackling the Blight in a gorgeous world. The game features an art design that blends character models reminiscent of Adventure Time with a wonderfully inventive dark colour palette. All this with plenty of puzzles to solve. Definitely my kind of thing.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Techland is next up to talk about a number of elements of Dying Light 2 in a vague manner. Such as the protagonist, Aiden’s story, side-quests and the title’s alignment system that is a central component to the world. One interesting note that was brought up was the idea of seeing different player’s worlds in co-op, based on their decision. Another tentpole of development that was mentioned was the idea “Ground is death, rooftops are life” leading to plenty of parkour opportunities. Dying Light 2 Stay Human releases on Dec 7th this year after a long and allegedly troubled development.

WHY IS THERE NO COLON BETWEEN DYING LIGHT 2 AND STAY HUMAN?! Why does this make me so mad?

Can I kick it?

OlliOlli World

Revealed earlier in the year at an Indie World conference by Nintendo, OlliOlli World continues to look gorgeous with its striking angular art style. Simon Bennett, the CEO of Roll7 was on hand to discuss the action-platformer sequel and the introduction of quests and  NPCs aplenty on top of skateboarding the series is famous for. He was keen to guarantee that skateboarding will be as in-depth as ever, with new split routes, wall-riding, grab moves and a bounty of areas to explore in-game. OlliOlli World is currently scheduled for this Winter.

A tale as old as time. Rat VS Frog.

Tails of Iron

Notable for Geralt of Rivia himself, Doug Cockle, doing the narration, Oddbug Studio unveiled a 2D hand-drawn trailer for a new fantasy adventure, Tails of Iron. Playing as a Young prince who is also a rat, the protagonist finds themself thrust into fighting armies led by giant frogs following the abdication of an old King, Rattus. A cheesy story set up, but one that could be a unique fantasy tale.

Another montage:

• Lust From Beyond - Is an erotic Lovecraftian psychological horror. A real mouthful there.

• Fire Commander -  Tasks you with managing fires in a tactical way with classes and specializations.

• Winter Survival Simulator - is a game where you are tasked with finding shelter and food in a harsh environment. Also, the trailer indicates you can hallucinate bears.

XSeed

Publisher XSeed were then on hand to show some brief looks at the following:

• Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed - This game looks beyond terrible visually, to be honest. Akiba’s Trip is a remake of the original game in a new engine set in Akihabara. 

• Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle - A Switch version of the popular card game with more narrative additions, and a confirmed release date of August 10th.

• Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town - Xbox and Playstation versions were announced here for later in the year. 

• Rune Factory 4 Special - Similarly, this will arrive on Xbox and Playstation platforms later in the year.

• Rune Factory 5 - The latest entry in the Rune Factory series is set for Switch in 2022. 

Choices, choices. Do I kill it with fire or kill it with magic.

Batora: Lost Haven

This was an action-RPG with a decision-based story as well as twin-stick combat. Batora: Lost Haven from Stormind Games possesses a classic karma system to influence outcomes, as well as environmental puzzles and boss fights aplenty. Wonderful stuff, but it remains to be seen if these can all be pulled together in one cohesive project. 

Am I in the wrong class? No, this is Accounting 101? Er, Ok…

Two Point Campus

There was another update on Two Point Campus at an E3 show. There’s little here to say that’s particularly interesting or that we didn’t see at the Summer Games Fest. However, one note of interest belies a new “smart brush”, allowing players to quickly draw pathway formations on the campus. Woohoo.

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Project Ferocious

OMYOG, the solo developer, presented a trailer for his game with gorgeous waters and granite islands, Project Ferocious. Continuing the Jurassic theme, there are dinosaurs to tackle and FPS combat with intense human v human gunplay. Also, there were sharks to deal with, as if you didn’t have enough on your plate. The title has a targeted 2023 release date and we hope this turns out excellently. 

*deep breath* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Warcry Challenges

Created in Unreal Engine 4, Warcry Challenges is a mix of gorgeous FPS combat reminiscent of Doom Eternal and the level design and exploration of a classic Tomb Raider. A potent mix for sure, hopefully, one that comes to be as fun and frenetic as it sounds.

I aspire to be as curmudgeonly one day as Conway was in this trailer.

Conway: Disappearance At Dahlia View

A story-driven detective based thriller from Sold Out and White Paper Games was next. You play as a wheelchair-bound detective investigating the disappearance of an 8-year-old girl. The narrative is the focal point here with a 3D animated style giving way to cutscenes aplenty. The title is scheduled for a release window of Autumn 2021.

Sam Barlow and Co. really not giving us much to work off of with this trailer, huh?

Immortality

We conclude with a surprise in the form of Sam Barlow’s (Her Story, Telling Lies) FMV story, entitled Immortality. 

Whilst there is very little to glean from this teaser, the most exciting news is the short description of the story. The interactive thriller will focus on an actress, Marissa Marcel, who made three films only to disappear from the face of the earth. Very little to go on, but the pedigree here means it is hard not to be intrigued.

That was the Future Games Show and everything from it. It was chock full of content as you can tell and there were many titles that provided unique gameplay ideas. However, the random montages certainly did interrupt the show’s flow. 

Check out startmenu for more roundups from E3 2021!