22 Games I'm Stoked For

100% subjective – here’s a quick list of games I’m looking forward to that are either out soon, later in the year or in 2022.

It’s a quick-fire list, mostly from my wishlists, so I’m bound to miss some (I know it). Anyways, check these out for yourself – if you’re anything like me (there’s a hex on you), you’ll at least like 33.3% of the goodies listed here.

Who’s Lila?

Super fresh as I’ve only recently posted a preview on it, this is the kind of indie gem that is a joy to find. That’s not in the ‘I was into it that band before anyone else heard about it’ – I’m typically late to the party, but if it means that the more people know about this enigmatic point and click, the better.

I also saw that Garage Heathen had updated the interface to see real-time what emotion the AI is reading from your face bending. 

Boreal Tenebrae

Another game inspired by quirky stuff, to be somewhat vague about it. Twin Peaks, Stranger Things (if you’ve heard of it), and much much more, this upcoming adventure has skyrocketed – yes, skyrocketed to the top of the list (though this list isn’t in any order).

Rather than write any more (I don’t know enough about it), here’s a fantastic short film that went out recently, as produced by one of the developers on the game:

Hell Architect

It’s funny as I wrote the titles I was looking forward to only a couple of days ago, but guess what was installing while I started to put this list together? Exactly. 

Head into the depths of hell and design all manners of torture devices, and make sure you manage them effectively for the big guy himself. I haven’t played it yet, and I couldn’t possibly give you any feels until it’s out, but Hell Architect made the list. Review to follow in the week.

Slender Threads

Nothing more has transpired on this beautiful point and click adventure from Blyts, but it firmly remains near the very top of my list, having had the pleasure of playing the demo.

A Lovecraft-type story, you play a writer on the way to a retreat, but the proverbial hits the fan pretty damn quick, and this is as eerie as it is gruesome. I can’t wait.

Incantamentum

Like Wadjet Eye Games, Cloak and Dagger Games have leapfrogged up my list of the best point and click developers/publishers about. From The Terrible Old Man through to Sumatra Fate Of Yandi, these guys are storytellers, and my first dabble was the upcoming Incantamentum.

Both their visual style and tales they cover will resonate particularly well with adventure veterans, but everybody is welcome, and this new ‘folk horror’ looks very promising. Coincidentally, I recently purchased Football Game on the PlayStation, so lookout for a write-up on that.

Tattoo Punk

This popped up around the peak of cyberpunk hype (not that it’s disappeared), but it’s more about art than evil corporations. I don’t know enough about it yet, nor when it’ll be out, but I’m a fan of tattoos, despite having none of mine, but I like the idea of trying out on NPCs in this story-driven management game.

Lake

I keep mentioning Lake, and while I don’t want to build it up so much that you’re disappointed by the time you play it, I can’t wait for this September release.

It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but lead Meredith is oozing with charm and personality that if trapped in an elevator, or a sleepy town making deliveries to the old cat lady, then, I know who I’d choose to be with.

Rhythm Towers

Mark these words: this one will be awesome, come 2022. Fans of tower defence titles can rejoice as devs innoloop clearly know their onions and will be bringing the rhythm back to all dad dancers and white dudes who want to play basketball.

Fighting back the evil hordes while busting moves, you build tower defences using your hips. Fear not, there’s no scanner built-in to your computer that will post your skills on TikTok, but you’ll be matching the rhythm with your character avatar. Wishlist this one now if you think PixelJunk Monsters is one of the best games ever made!

No More Heroes 3

I’ve never heard of this Travis fellow. He sounds like a chump. Wrong! One of the best video game characters since they mo-capped Freddie Prinze JR. to replace Solid Snake (never happened). Fans of the series were apparently let down by the last venture (not me), but this is it: this is the big one.

Another guy you may never have heard of, Suda51, may or may not be involved. Apparently, he likes wrestling. There are lots of ‘apparently’ statements here, which shows how factual this list is.

Honey, I Joined A Cult

Come on, you know you’ll never be able to announce that, even if the founder was Snake Pliskin, cults are always frowned upon. Don’t let ‘them’ poo-poo your aspirations – start a cult! * Not a real one *

Team17‘s upcoming game is a management one where you’ll recruit believers and experts in propaganda to build the biggest cult since K-Pop fans. You’ll even get to make the base! Out next month.

BURN

All in capitals, which I’m reluctant to do, BURN is the upcoming game from Convict Games – those behind STONE. Also, in capitals, which I didn’t find out until it was ‘too late’.

Following the path of megastar Nina Burn, you’ll be responsible for her future at the peak of her career. Judging by the feels in the press material, it sounds like it’ll go tits up regardless, but tits up in style.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals

I mention Oxenfree about as much as I mention Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders. If you haven’t had the delight of experiencing the original, get it – it’s super cheap irrespective of the platform.

If you have played it as much as me, you’ll be thrilled that next year is the sequel. An all-new story, but set in the same universe and with a new protagonist, but those same ominous frequencies, this will be a game that will blow us away.

Wrestling With Emotions: New Kid On The Block

Team Lazerbeam. Don’t know who they are? Shame on you. If you like to feel good by looking and nice things, hearing awesome sounds, and more importantly, buzzing with happiness and all that other stuff your cynical mate frowns at, please check out Teenage Blob, as well as their catalogue on Itch.

There’s just something so pure, fun and uplifting about these guys, and that has nothing to do with that big wad of cash they stuffed into my letterbox earlier. Factual statement: that’s not true – I don’t know them, but that’s how they make me feel! Oh yeah, and they have an upcoming wrestling sequel that has old school WWF vibes – you know, when it was good.

Sifu

I love a bit of fighting, but only in games and films – not the real stuff. Still, I adore martial arts of all kinds, and this upcoming kung fu fighter with a revenge agenda gives the impression that it’ll be a kung fu extravaganza.

It’s as reliable as judging a game on cinematics, but the visuals on this game look interesting, and I can’t still help thinking that this will be an advancement on Absolver. That’s a good thing.

UnMetal

Imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Jesse Fox is a unique action hero, not remotely comparable to any 80s action flick. Of course, that’s a lie: he meets every stereotype from wearing a red bandana, talking in a husky voice and beating the shit out of someone on the toilet, then making a one-liner.

UnMetal was one of the funniest games I’ve played this year, with some old school Metal Gear gameplay to boot. A ‘Summer 2021’ release, I hope that’s not based on British summer as that’s pretty damn unreliable.

Firegirl

You might not know too much about this as it’s a game in development, but the best way I can describe this one is Octopath Traveler with fire engines. It has that same amazing aesthetic of mashing up old school sprites with wicked 3D effects.

For some reason, I thought this would be out next year, but it’s scheduled for the Autumn – perfect for warming us up for the change of seasons. What’s it about? Dunno. Of course, I do: you have to rescue civilians in a rogue-lite platform scenario.

Evil Dead The Game

You play a chin with a chainsaw. If you know nothing about this franchise and think Sam Raimi just did Spider-Man and made Tobey Maguire dance, log into Netflix and watch Ash Vs The Evil Dead. Hold on – you haven’t seen any of the films?

Planet of Lana

Lana and not Lara, this is a hand-painted side-scrolling adventure that is simply stunning to look at. From Wishfully Studios and Thunderful, you play Lana with the help of her animal friend Mui, and they have to save their sister.

I’m not too clued up on this but have seen enough to be wowed by it, picking up Inside feels along the way, as mentioned in the news piece.

Golf Club Wasteland

Are you a fan of golf? Me neither, but there are plenty of genuinely decent games out there based on the sport that are 100% more fun than the real thing.

Golf Club Wasteland is the Mad Max of the pile as you play on Earth. Not too strange, but in the future, when it’s been abandoned by most of society, and now it’s a golf haven for the super-rich. Hoping to get a peek at this before its September release…

The Source of Madness

A Lovecraft game – yay! It’s not until October, but that will be just in time for Christmas – I mean, Halloween. Another game from Thunderful, it’s a procedurally generated side-scroller where you play an Acolyte descending into the abyss to uncover truths of the Tower of Madness.

There are many titles like this – good and bad, but always room for more, and this one will be a standout, what with the ever-changing landscapes and AI learning in the game.

Ember Knights

With a release around the corner, I played Ember Knights demo a while back and it was a blast. I can’t help thinking that this isn’t a remastered game of yesteryear as it has so much charm and looks just like a triple-A from back in the day.

For up to four players, it’s a dungeon crawler with plenty of variety and challenge. Alas, it finished too soon (it was a demo), but time doesn’t stop, and it’ll be released in September. Wishlist it now so you don’t forget.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles

I honestly couldn’t give a monkey’s about this series, but I care about my daughter, and to bond a bit more, I decided to cave and read her manga. Yep, I’m pretty much into it now and frantically putting this list together as we’ll be watching the movie this evening, courtesy of Amazon.

No doubt the game will be faithful to the series in terms of story and presentation. Still, I get the feeling this’ll be another Dragonball or Naruto button masher that releases once a year with as many updates as a new iPhone every October. Still, we’ll know then as the English translation is out then (as will be another iPhone, no doubt), and as it’s a PS5 wishlist item, a review will pop up here on these pages.

Eth Ned

When I looked back at my lists to see if I should add anything else, I immediately noticed that I missed titles such as Conscript. I guess mentioning that now confirms it’s one I’m eagerly waiting for, but there are many more.

What games are you looking forward to? Anything on this list you’ve never heard of but now stoked for? Are you going to let me know by dropping me an email? Where do babies come from? Should I be asking a question at the end like it’s a YouTube video? Comments in the…. ah. Let’s pretend that this aided you in your quest for decent games to get stoked for.