Gamescom was always bigger than E3, but since the death of its US counterpart, it has felt more like ever before that the future of the games industry can be seen on full display during the largest games show in the world in Cologne, Germany. Not just the major publishers, but indies large and small showed off all sorts of interactive experiences last week. While the industry has seen dark days over the last year(s), it will certainly not be due to the quality of the games. Gamescom this year showed me so many promising projects that you should definitely wishlist, follow and keep an eye out for in the coming year(s).

The following games are listed in alphabetical order. Most of these games have their platforms currently listed as ‘PC & consoles’ but could make their way to Switch (2) in the next few years. If Switch is a confirmed platform it will be listed in the header.

Detective of the Dead (Actrio Studio, 2025)

In this thematic narrative adventure game you play as a detective in the afterlife. Visually inspired by the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, you’re tasked with helping out the local inhabitants of this strange world. My demo saw me attempting to find out who stole a set of piñatas. The gameplay has quite a few unique design choices. As the detective you have a special vision that allows you to track footsteps to certain locations. You’re also assisted by an undead, but still quite cute, dog, who can interact with portals and turn back time at specific moments in order to open up pathways. Such as returning a fallen ladder in its appropriate position in order for the detective to climb it. There’s also a floating skull that talks to you and can provide hints or be customized with a specific set of paints. The detective himself isn’t necessarily your ideal protagonist. Once I found out what happened to the piñatas I was given the option to return them to the original owner, or leave them be with a group of children. Depending on your choices you may get different rewards that can help you in your quest. A demo for a game of this type is always hard to gauge and I can’t really speak to how engaging the overall story will turn out to be. The developers told me that this demo featured the night section and that during the day you’ll be cooking tacos for the local residents to build up a relationship with them and possibly get more clues for your investigation(s). I do think that’s a welcome change because on its face the detective gameplay got a tad repetitive. While the puzzles were pretty clever, navigating the world was a tad slow and could use some more guideposting. Still, I liked the setting and puzzles quite a bit, so it’s one to keep an eye out for if these slower narrative detective games are up your alley.

Gecko Gods (Inresin, pub. Super Rare Originals, TBD, Switch)

While this build was unfortunately not running all too well on PC, it did finally give me a proper sense of Gecko Gods. In this 3D adventure game you play as a small little Gecko. There’s no dialogue or readable text, leaving the player up to explore however they wish. As a Gecko you’re able to climb up any wall or ceiling without effort. While you can jump, the core of the gameplay is centered around solving puzzles and activating statues resembling enormous geckos. You do this by moving levers, opening doorways and finding your way around pretty open levels. The puzzles were pretty straightforward, but I did like the freedom the game was offering me. The hardest thing to gauge is how much fun this will be for extended periods of time. Due to the game’s commitment to a realistic depiction of geckos the chance of having power-ups and new abilities seems unlikely, but that could help keep the gameplay fresh. The combat also isn’t that engaging and seemingly more tied into the puzzle design than adding variety to the gameplay. That having been said, I certainly had a fun time playing Gecko Gods. The environmental design of the world feels appropriate, with colorful cell-shading. For those looking for a more wholesome and laidback 3D puzzle game, this is one to keep an eye out for.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction (Bitmap Bureau, publ. Limited Run Games, TBA, Switch confirmed)

While I’m only familiar with the He-Man franchise through cultural osmosis (though I would highly recommend watching She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix), it’s clear from the moment the demo booted up that Bitmap Bureau was incredibly excited to work on this particular IP. As co-director Audun Sorlie told me, the goal was to make the He-Man game that never came out when they were kids. In this classic 2D beat-em-up you can choose from a selection of characters from the He-Man universe and need to save the Dragon Pearl of Destruction from the clutches of the forces of Skeletor. The spritework cannot be overlooked for this game and helps to make the characters come alive. The enormous size of the sprites really makes it feel like you’re bashing toys together as a kid. Structurally it does adhere closely to the way you’d think of an arcade-style beat-em-up, with linear levels, walking from left to right and beating up untold numbers of goons. There are a few weapons you can pick up along the way, but most interesting are the pearls you can collect. They enable the use of a signature move, which gets stronger depending on how many you’ve collected. Perhaps Dragon Pearl of Destruction is a tad too comfortable clinging to the past with its design and structure. The game is not looking to reinvent the wheel or redefine the genre. But it knows its place and revels in the love for the source material. So if you and up to four friends are looking to relieve the experience of playing with He-Man, Dragon Pearl of Destruction seems to have got you covered.

LEGO Party (SMG Studio, publ. Fictions, September 20th 2025, Switch).

Putting the incredibly obvious comparison to Mario Party aside, this one has a lot of pretty fun minigames. Yes it's really a lot like Mario party, but the games feels snappy and quick enough. One had me playing on a 2D stage, where you need to fire a grappling hook to get onto a moving platform in order to be the one who was dancing the longest. Another one was a top-down view where players are competing to color the most tiles by walking over them. This particular mode has a good pace and I liked that the minigames are longer than those in most Mario Party boards. At the end scores for all the minigames were tallied and determined a final winner. I wasn’t particularly missing the boardgame at all, which I personally tend to find a drag in Mario Party anyways. But it is an option for those craving it. For those who play on systems that do not have a Mario Party this seems like a polished and fun alternative.

LEGO Voyagers (Light Brick Studio, Annapurna Interactive, September 15th, Switch & Switch 2).

LEGO Builder’s Journey was a more relaxed take on the LEGO IP, presented like an isometric puzzle game and it really set itself apart from the other games in the LEGO series. I found it especially refreshing after years of only seeing licensed tie-in titles based on the popular IP’s in LEGO form. LEGO voyagers feels a little bit like a spiritual sequel while bringing plenty of new ideas to the table. This game is designed to be played in 2 player co-op and will release with a friend pass so that when you buy a copy you can share it with a friend. I got to play around with the game alongside the game designer and while I’m usually not that into co-op, the laidback approach was very enjoyable. As a 1x1 piece of LEGO, adorned with a little eye to look around, you actually roll around the game’s world like a singular piece of LEGO would. Stumbling and tilting your way across these gorgeously designed LEGO environments, you can attach yourself to the iconic studs whenever you see fit. When attached you can move the piece you’re attached to around. Perhaps you’ll want to make a bridge or staircase to cross gaps. Or maybe the stud is the top of a piece of reed blowing in the wind and you’re using it as a swing to fling yourself across a body of water. There’s a bit of a learning curve to understanding how the attaching and detaching works, but once you get the hang of it you can use it to coordinate with your gameplay partner. Both players can control pieces at the same time, so when I had to build a ladder of some sort, we grabbed the berries (LEGO tubes) from a nearby tree and used it to make an enormous pole to lift us up to the higher ledge. It’s moments like these where you’ll be figuring out the solution to traversing the world together and finding creative ways to make it happen that set the game apart. You might be a bit over the ‘LEGO’ style, but I really liked Light Brick Studio’s particular take on this world. There’s no minifigures or prefab characters or pieces. Everything is truly constructed out of normal pieces of LEGO. Whether a crashed satellite, flowers or even fish swimming around, they are all recognizable as such while consisting of simple LEGO bricks. The one thing that I’m mixed on is the lack of collectibles. Perhaps the licensed LEGO games have trained my brain to work in a particular way, but the designer told me that the team was instead going for ‘small interactive surprises’. Going off the main path, you may find a little construction that you can play around with like a carrossel. While achievements will be unlocked for these things on other platforms, it was unclear if these would work on Switch (2) as well. Thankfully you won’t have to wait long as LEGO Voyagers comes out on September 15th on all platforms, including a dedicated Switch 2 version, for 25 dollars which includes a friend pass. On Switch 2 the game will run at 60fps, while the Nintendo Switch version will run at 30fps.

MIO: Memories in Orbit (Douze Dixièmes, pub. Focus Entertainment, TBD, Switch)

I recalled seeing MIO years ago during a Nintendo Direct and it made a deep impression. Definitely inspired by other Metroidvanias like the Ori games and Hollow Knight, in MIO you control a small creature whos memories seems to have been corrupted. The demo had me playing a short segment of the game that focused on unlocking a specific movement ability called the ‘spider’ by the developers. The powers are obtained by ‘repairing’ your memories at certain terminals. It’s a charming way to explain the upgrades for the character. Using the spider power allows you to move along walls and tunnels to reach places blocked by obstacles and spikes. It took me a little while before I really understood how to use it properly. You only have a short while before the bar runs out and you’ll fall straight down. Combining this power with jumps and dashes was key to getting through the level. There were also many hidden collectibles, lore entries and other stuff hidden throughout the world. But the most striking thing about the game is the gorgeous artstyle. It uses a very specific set of shaders that makes the 3D-environment resemble hand drawn art. The visuals are clearly inspired by French and European comics and help set the mood of the locations you’ll visit. They also help guide the player to notice specific hidden locations. In terms of control, MIO feels a lot floatier to control than Hollow Knight or maybe even Metroid Dread. While I didn’t find the combat to be too unique, there was this secret boss that totally kicked my ass while playing. So for those looking for both a combat and platforming challenge, Memories in Orbit is one to keep in mind when it launches hopefully sooner than later.

Mississippi Mayhem (Team Mayhem, TBD, Game Boy Color)

If you know me, you know I always keep an eye out for new releases for retro systems. So given that a new Game Boy Color game was playable at the Retro area of Gamescom, I had to try it. In this game you traverse a rapid river and use the D-pad and buttons to accelerate. The demo was incredibly short, but navigating the river is the real trick behind the game. Every route is procedurally generated when you start the demo. Pretty much unprompted me and another player started to race one another, and that was without the use of a link cable. The controls feel satisfying, especially playing on actual hardware, with some impressive scrolling effects for the water. One of the team members is the co-developer of the original Toki Tori for Game Boy Color and it shows. Right now it is still a bit too simple for a full release, but the team is working hard on adding stuff in like a timer and other fun features to make repeat sessions more engaging. The game is going to be published and there is an interest in exploring the option to port it to other systems as well. As a small pick-up-and-play title with friends there’s definitely some potential for a few hours of fun to those who have a retro craving.

Outlaw + Handful of Missions - Remaster (Night Dive Studios, Pub. Atari, 2025)

So Nightdive studios is quite possibly the king of the faithful remaster treatment. Their collaborations with well known series like System Shock, Turok and DOOM has cemented them as the go-to studio for remastering first-person (PC-Era) games. What sets Nightdive apart from a lot of the other studios is their choice of remaster. Not just focused on the most well-known titles, but in particular finding games that were influential for their time, but often passed by those that built on top of their foundation. Outlaw is one of those titles. Originally made in the same first-person engine that powered Star Wars: Dark Forces, it’s an original story that combines a western narrative with first-person shooting. Speaking to Larry Kuperman at Gamescom, he told me that the team has a great relationship with Disney and that after their work on Dark Forces, it only made sense to tackle another LucasArts first-person project. I only got to see gameplay from the pre-alpha version of the game, but it seems that Nightdive is putting a lot of care and attention into recreating the feel of the original game. The story is one of the key draws for the game and they are faithfully remastering the cutscenes and improving the quality of the voicework. I’m happy to report that this is all being done by hand, without the use of AI generation. As for the gameplay itself it will support up to 120fps, though no word on the Switch version of the game in particular, contains a new weapon wheel to easily swap between your weapons, comes with the expanded missions and some other quality of life features that make the game feel more slick and modern for current day standards. There’s a vault with behind the scenes materials included as well, so for fans of the old LucasArts days I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of enjoyment browsing through this history. While I don’t think anyone was clamoring for Outlaw to be remade, it is an important part of videogame history and the evolution of first-person shooters on PC from the 90’s. Remasters like these help make the games accessible and available for a new generation of players, so I’m very happy to see Nightdive continuing their streak of faithful remasters. It’s something this industry desperately needs for preserving its legacy and I’m glad that Nightdive is keeping that beacon lit.

Piggy One Super Spark (Hako Life, Pub. Room6, TBD)

Perhaps I didn’t really know what to expect about Piggy One Super Spark. This 2D action platformer sees two animorphic characters, Xiamy and Yuez, finding a lost baby with strange powers. The game is very stylish, with a gorgeous pixel-art look that especially pops in the brightly lit areas. Running and jumping feels satisfying, but when I unlocked the dashing ability was when I got really engaged with the game. Aside from the platforming there was some light puzzle elements as the baby, that one of the characters is carrying around, has the ability to manipulate the position of electronic objects. Moving around these washing machines, telephone booths and other platforms allow you to jump up to reach higher platforms. There were even some hidden collectibles that I went back for during my time with the demo. It was over fairly quickly, but I have no doubt that the game will speak to those who liked games like Celeste and Rayman Legends. When I talked to the folks from Room6, who are publishing this game, they alluded to the strength of the story and the pre-existing IP it is based on. While that may have gotten lost in translation, at the very least Piggy One Super Spark is a game to keep an eye out for. Though it might still be quite some time before we get to play the final release.

Super Meat Boy 3D (Sluggerfly, with assistance from Team Meat, pub. Headup Games, 2026)

I’m happy to report to the Super Meat Boy fans, Super Meat Boy 3D is really really good. The demo I got to play around with for about 15 minutes had me traveling through several levels. You’d think that transitioning Meat Boy to the third dimension would come with some weird caveats, but it actually shines because of its restrictions. Because unlike other 3D platformers, control for the game is restricted to just 8 directions. I know, reading this it may sound absurd, but this is to preserve the feel of control from the original Meat Boy. It took me less than two tries to get adjusted to it and enjoy what Super Meat Boy 3D has to offer. And there really is so much to enjoy here. The game is structured similarly to the original with standalone levels that test your platforming perfection. Meat Boy’s moveset has been slightly expanded. No longer just running and wall jumping, but now you’re also able to run along walls for a short while to make turns or find faster shortcuts. While clearing the level is one thing by reaching Bandage Girl, finding the hidden bandage and especially clearing the time-attack is where the real challenge lies. The controls feel perfectly tuned for Meat Boy and because of the third dimension you’re not just repeating the same levels from the original, but the designers can play around with what the environment has to offer. I was jumping across gaps and cutting corners almost immediately to complete the levels as quickly as possible. Warp zones were also confirmed to make a comeback for those who manage to get all the secrets and want even harder levels. Difficulty definitely wasn’t skimped on and it feels appropriate for a new generation to see what Meat Boy is all about. My single gripe with the demo was that, because of the enhanced environments, it can sometimes be hard to judge your jump or whether you’ll make contact with obstacles. In particular during a level where you go downwards into the sewer, I died quite a number of times by hitting some leaking sewage dropping from an pipe that was part of the ‘background environment’. The obstacles in the original were always clearly marked, but here it can sometimes surprise you to the extent that the 3D world can be interacted with. But that’s all minor compared to the sheer enjoyment I’ve had while playing this game. This game is well on its way to mark a glorious return for Meat Boy and I couldn’t be more looking forward to its release next year.

Tactichord: Glam Strategy (Ichigoichie, TBD)

I’ve been following the work from Ichigoichie for many years. Founded by one of the creators of Elite Beat Agents, their games tend to combine their love of rhythm and music with pretty deep and often strategic gameplay. Perhaps to their own detriment is what studio founder David Ventura told me during our meeting at Gamescom. Tactichord: Glam Strategy is a canonical prequel to the studio’s last title, Backbeat, but can be played without having played their last game. In this title, you form a glam band consisting of four members, and use their musical abilities to turn onlookers into fans. The best comparison would be something like Fire Emblem or Into the Breach, with a set number of actions each turn that can be spent on movement, attacking and special abilities. What sets it apart however is that the levels are much more bite-sized than those in Backbeat. At most a level will have only four turns, with every playable character having only four action points to spend on their turn. It makes for a much more focused strategic experience, unlike an X-COM match which can easily take an hour to get to ‘the good bits’. As a design goal, David and his team really wanted to make the game more accessible and allow players to start thinking strategically about their actions right from the start and not falling into a lul after defeating the majority of the enemies. I think this helps to set Tactichord apart in the wider genre on a mechanical level. Thematically however there’s some real interesting things. As you put your band together and gain more fans, you’re able to select the ways in which your band performs. Whether it is deciding the lyrics for the lead singer, or determining what type of solo the guitarist will perform. It helps to give the band members a lot of personality, which feeds back into the overarching narrative. At the end of a performance you’re rated based on how much energy you’ve lost. So perhaps engaging up close and personal in fights isn’t always the best way to approach battles. I’m glad to see that the studio has taken a step back and lowered their barrier of entry for Tactichord. As much as I loved Hexagroove and Backbeat, there were a lot of systems at play and they got overwhelming pretty quickly. But they also have not lowered their ambition for strategic and tactical gameplay. Even though my time with the game was short, I got a good feeling for how deep the eventual level design can become. So I can’t wait to see the next time that Tactichord performs to see how this band will evolve.

Undergrounded (Game Studio inc., pub. Room6, 2025)

One of the more visually striking games I got to play at Gamescom was Undergrounded. In this isometric puzzle adventure you play as Scott, a man who got rejected after doing his wedding proposal, making his way down through the sewers of New York to find the tossed ring. It immediately sprang to mind the point-and-click adventure games from the mid 1990’s. You go around and try to find requested items in order to open up pathways, meet new characters and solve puzzles. Its isometric perspective gives it a unique look compared to similar games, but that’s before we even get to the environmental design. As Scott ventures deeper into the layers of the sewer, every layer is designed after a different period in time for New York. In my time with the demo we entered New York of the 1920’s, focused on the Wall Street crash and the great depression. Later levels progress through time per decade, making every layer feel distinct. What’s perhaps most interesting is that the developers of the game, with the unbelievable ‘I can’t believe this name wasn’t taken’ Game Studio Inc., are actually from Japan and have never visited New York. You could’ve fooled me based on the care and attention put into the details of the game. The writing is sharp and pretty light, with quite a lot of personality to the way in which characters talk. While the game wasn’t ideal to demo with the loudness of Gamescom in the background, I was certainly intrigued to explore this underground world some more at a later date.