Warning: The following article features embedded videos that may contain strong language and mature content.

I can’t believe it’s the middle of June already. Last time I remember looking at the calendar, I could almost swear it was mid-April. If this year were the least bit normal in any respect, we would be directly in the middle of the flurry of E3 conferences right about now; but it seems the dastardly COVID-19 pandemic has other ideas. In spite of the rampant stay-at-home orders in place worldwide, “the show must go on,” as Freddie Mercury most notably sang it. By extension, it seems, so must the annual PC Gaming Show.

That is precisely why I am here, dear reader. As Phenixx Gaming’s unofficial “PC gaming correspondent,” it is my solemn duty to bring you a roundup of every title that was announced during PC Gamer’s opus for the year. As is a long-running tradition, the show felt to me, as though it were filled to the brim with game announcements, reveal trailers, and whatnot. Yet, for many upcoming and updated titles that got what seemed like their fifteen seconds of fame during the show, I also honestly thought that many of these trailers didn’t announce very much at all.

In light of that, I shall provide you with as many details as I can from each game’s time in the spotlight during the show. I only ask that you bear in mind that I can only tell you what was shown about each title during the two-and-a-half-hour broadcast. As such, I won’t necessarily be able to give you as much to go on as I’d like for many of the games in question. Without further ado, let’s begin, shall we?

The show kicked off with a quick demonstration of an upcoming game from Coffee Stain Studios and Iron Gate. This game is known as Valheim. To quote its Steam store page, it presents itself as a game about “exploring a huge fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology and Viking culture.” Its store page goes on to add that you begin your journey in the relatively peaceful center of the titular world, with the gameplay steadily becoming increasingly difficult based on how far you’ve strayed from that point.

I’m afraid that Valheim is one of the many titles mentioned during this year’s PC Gaming Show that didn’t seem to have much to announce in its announcement trailer. Its Steam store page simply claims that the game will be released “when Odin is pleased.” So, with that extremely specific time frame in mind, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, you can always visit its website if you’d like more details. Personally, I hope it will release sometime this (or next) October, so that we can all have a truly happy Leif Erikson Day.

Next up came a glimpse at an upcoming title from developer Glumberland which is entitled Ooblets. This was yet another case in which I found myself unsure of what to think of the game based on its announcement trailer. That prompted me to do a little extra digging for the sake of this article, whereupon I found a frequently-asked questions section on the game’s official website.

This list of questions gets immediately to the point, as it opens with the question that made its way into my mind as I watched Ooblets’ trailer during the show. The response to the question “what is this game?” is listed as the following: “It’s Ooblets. It’s like Harvest Moon meets Pokémon meets Animal Crosssing.” The FAQ section goes on to explain that within Ooblets, “you’ll be able to manage your farm, grow and train your ooblets, explore strange lands, and dance-battle wild ooblets and other ooblet trainers.” That certainly sounds somewhat like Harvest Moon and Pokémon, all right.

That’s essentially all I know and am capable of relaying to you about Ooblets at this point, save for two final details. The game does not (currently) have even an estimated release date at the time of writing. However, it seems apparent that when the game does eventually release, it will begin life as a (presumably timed) exclusive to the Epic Games Store. In case you’re able to glean more from the newest Ooblets trailer than I could, you can watch said trailer above.

After that demonstration came a more in-depth look at Perfect World and Echtra Games’ upcoming title known as Torchlight III. To begin, it may interest you to know that Torchlight III is currently in Early Access on Steam for an initial asking price of $29.99 USD. I think it’s also noteworthy to mention, if only for cautionary purposes, that the game currently has “mostly negative” reviews according to its Steam store page, but I recognize that’s neither here nor there.

In an interview with one of the game’s developers during the show, it was stated that Torchlight III’s controls will remain “comfortable” to anyone who’s familiar with the previous two games in the franchise, and that this third installment is set a century after its predecessor. This iteration of the Torchlight franchise seems to want to expand on what its predecessors established. It strives to do so mainly in the forms of new playable character classes and such things as customizable player-owned forts.

You’ll reportedly encounter other players’ forts on your travels, just as some of them will eventually come across yours. The interviewed developer, whose name admittedly escapes me, stated that exploring other players’ forts is highly advisable because you can do such things as use enchanting recipes that other players have unlocked and stored in their forts. This also allows you to use recipes that don’t have access to yet. Notably, not once during that interview was the possibility of players being able to ransack anyone else’s fort brought up, which I think is a very reassuring omission indeed.

Moving on, the next presentation during the show was focused on what’s being called “the next era” of the popular space exploration simulator known as Elite Dangerous. The game is reportedly slated to receive a massive update sometime early next year which is entitled Elite Dangerous: Odyssey. This update will allow players to set foot upon and explore the vast majority of planets in the game, which (for the record) contains an exact 1:1 recreation of the Milky Way galaxy. Some planets will be entirely new within the context of the Odyssey update, while other existing planets will receive improvements to their graphical fidelity.

Next came the apparently momentous announcement that what appears to be a wildly-popular title from Atlus, Persona 4 Golden, is now available on Steam. That announcement consumed virtually the entirety of the screen time granted to the game. There were no added details whatsoever to help clue in players who might be completely foreign to the Persona franchise, such as myself. In light of that, I’m afraid I can’t tell you much more about the PC port of Persona 4 Golden other than the fact that it’ll set you back $19.99 USD.

Moving right along, next up was a quick showcase of an upcoming psychological horror game from developers We Create Stuff and publisher Modus Games, entitled In Sound Mind. I’m afraid that based on the game’s announcement trailer alone, I really can’t tell you much more than that. For what it’s worth, that announcement trailer made me quite uneasy, although psychological horror games tend to easily have that effect on me. If you want to test the soundness of your own mind, there’s a free demo of the game available on Steam now.

Next on the show floor was an exceptionally brief showcase of a title developed and published by The Wandering Band, known as Airborne Kingdom. Its website states that the game “uniquely blends city management and exploration,” going on to add that “barren landscapes never let you stay put for long, but perhaps your efforts can restore the world to its former utopia.” Based on the screen time Airborne Kingdom received during the show, there isn’t much else I can tell you about it other than that it’s slated for release this fall and will begin as another (presumably timed) Epic Games Store exclusive.

The next item on the show floor took the form of a co-op real-time-strategy title from developers Pineleaf Studio and publisher Merge Games. The game is known as DwarfHeim. It’s currently slated for release sometime this fall. As you may have gleaned from its title, the gameplay centers around multiple clans of dwarves building up their territories and eventually clamoring for supremacy in the classic RTS style.

Interestingly, it was stated during the show that a demo of DwarfHeim was available on Steam, but at the time of writing, I can’t seem to manage to locate that demo. Even so, considering that dwarves have always been my favorite race in Warcraft lore, I’m quite intrigued by what I’ve seen of this promising title thus far.

Up next was a veritable smorgasbord of quick announcements from developer New Blood Interactive, who came to the PC Gaming Show offering news of a slew of updates for not one, not two, but five of their titles in rapid-fire fashion. The announcements began with the news that Dusk now has mod support, then continued with the reveal of ray-tracing features that are now enabled in Amid Evil for those among the PC gaming crowd who own graphics cards that support such functionalities.

The next two announcements from New Blood were that the Max Payne-style FPS Maximum Action now features new levels and various other updates, and that Unfortunate Spacemen now offers sixteen-player co-op and has become completely free-to-play. Finally, New Blood finished off by revealing that their Devil May Cry-like shooter, Ultrakill, also has a handful of new updates.

Next up was a demonstration of the game that has long been speculated as “the Civilization killer,” namely Humankind. The title in question comes to us from developers Amplitude, and is published by Sega. The main news Amplitude wished to break to the masses at the show is the fact that the game now features what they’re calling “community-driven game development.”

The idea behind that announcement, to me, sounded like a particularly fancy way of saying they’re listening very intently to feedback from players who are accepted into a closed play-testing period. The trailer shown during this portion of the show demonstrated that Amplitude has three time-limited scenarios with which play-testers can experiment should they be accepted into the “club,” so to speak. If you’re interested, you can apply to potentially be chosen to play-test the game here.

Next up came a quick showcase of the new title from Rocket Werkz, a studio spearheaded by Dean Hall. Dean Hall, as a developer, is likely best known as the man behind DayZ. His studio’s upcoming game is called Icarus. It appears to be a standard survival and crafting-based affair set on an unfamiliar planet. Your only real threat and the game’s only true failure state, is the possibility that you’ll run out of oxygen during an expedition to the planet’s surface. Icarus is reportedly due out sometime in 2021.

After an interview with Dean Hall about the aforementioned Icarus, came the resurgence of a game that was originally announced at last year’s PC Gaming Show. More specifically, the title in question is Rebellion’s Evil Genius 2. The game now has quite an intriguing gameplay trailer to its name, but sadly, not much more than that at the moment.

From what I saw in that trailer, I must say its gameplay reminded me heavily of beloved games of yesteryear, such as Dungeon Keeper and Theme Hospital. If Evil Genius 2 manages to cross-breed the best aspects of those franchises into a single game whose premise revolves around world domination; I think I’m going to have metric tons of fun with the final game once it’s out. For the record, Evil Genius 2 is currently due out sometime this year according to what was seen during the show.

After Evil Genius 2′s screen time came a quick showcase of yet another title that will begin as an exclusive to the Epic Games Store. This one goes by the name of Godfall, and comes to us from developers Counterplay Games. Again, I can’t tell you much about it from its announcement trailer, other than that the game is set in a universe where the game world is divided into four “elemental realms” which revolve around fire, earth, air, and water.

For what it’s worth, Godfall’s announcement trailer and the gameplay presented reminded me heavily of three specific games: Dishonored, Monster Hunter: World, and Warframe, all in equal measure. That is almost entirely due to what I saw of the game’s combat and how it seems to play out. I’m quite intrigued to see more news of Godfall as its development progresses. Conversely, one thing I’m most assuredly not intrigued by, however, was Counterplay Games’ attempt to classify Godfall in its own genre, the so-called “looter-slasher.” Take that as you will, for I shall withhold my opinions on it.

Moving right along, the next presentation was a game from Bounding Box Studios and Humble Publishing entitled Prodeus. It’s a retro-style first-person shooter that claims to take its heritage seriously in that it pays homage to classic, beloved titles like Doom, Quake, and Duke Nukem. I’m afraid I don’t have much more to report on the title, though, other than that it seems to come packaged with a level editor and is reportedly due out sometime this fall.

Prodeus was the first of a slew of upcoming titles presented during the show that will be brought to us by Humble Publishing. The next on that list is known as Fae Tactics: The Girl who Destroyed the World, developed by Endless Fluff Games. Based on its announcement trailer, this title looks to me like a cross between Final Fantasy Tactics and Digimon, with a bit of deck-building thrown in for good measure. It’s reportedly due out sometime this summer.

The next Humble-published title revealed in quick succession is called Project Wingman, developed by Sector D2. It presents itself as a “flight action game that lets you take the seat of advanced fighter jets and become a true ace,” adding that its events are based on an alternate history of Earth. That’s virtually all I can tell you about Project Wingman at this point, I’m afraid. There is currently not even so much as an estimated release date or anything of that nature to report.

Next up was the final game presented that will be published by Humble Publishing. Developed by Sunhead Games, this one goes by the name Carto. As its title implies, its gameplay revolves around the creation and careful use of maps to solve puzzles, although it does so in a manner that’s proving rather difficult for me to adequately explain. In case it helps give you an idea of what Carto is shaping up to be, you can check out its trailer below.

After that Humble Publishing spotlight came some time in the limelight for what I would consider the most unique title presented during the entire PC Gaming Show. Coming our way from developer Third Kind Games and publisher Mythical is a game entitled Blankos Block Party. According to its development team, it’s a game which centers around nearly-limitless creativity and custom level design.

I know my next point about this title is going to sound strange, but bear with me. Based on what I saw of its gameplay and what you can do with the tools it gives you in its announcement trailer, Blankos Block Party heavily reminded me of both Fortnite and LittleBigPlanet. There’s likely no way I can properly explain why I say that, so I ask that you check out its aforementioned announcement trailer instead. In case you’re wondering, the game is reportedly due out sometime around the end of 2020.

Next up was an interesting-looking title by the name of EverSpace 2. It looks to be a space-based combat game with an additional focus on exploration. Because of that, it reminds me of the aforementioned Elite Dangerous in quite a few ways. Other than that, all I can tell you is that a closed alpha of EverSpace 2 began yesterday. There is currently no word on an estimated actual release date according to what was shown during the PC Gaming Show.

After EverSpace 2 had the chance to say its peace, the next demonstration onscreen was that of one of the more prominent titles mentioned during the show, A Total War Saga: Troy. As has been the case with virtually every other Total War title, A Total War Saga: Troy will reportedly allow players to rewrite the history of what the game calls one of the most iconic battles in history. As far as I can tell, there seem to be conflicting reports about when the game will actually release. However, once it does, it’ll be free on the Epic Games Store for 24 hours thereafter.

Next on the metaphorical PC gaming runway was an announcement from Perfect World and Gunfire Games, who have joined forces to present some new DLC for another game revealed during last year’s PC Gaming Show. The game in question is Remnant: From the Ashes, and its upcoming DLC is called Subject 2923. The only remaining details I can offer you are that this is reportedly the largest and final piece of DLC for Remnant, and that Subject 2923 is scheduled to release on August 20, 2020.

After Remnant: From the Ashes arose from the titular ashes for a short while, there came some screen time for another of the more prominent titles scheduled to appear during the show. This title was none other than Mafia: Definitive Edition. As you might know, Mafia II and Mafia III have already received the remaster treatment, and those remasters have since been automatically granted to all owners of the original titles on Steam.

However, it seems that developer Hangar 13 is saving the best for last, as they’re reportedly rebuilding the original Mafia game in its entirety from the ground up. An interview with a Hangar 13 team member during the show revealed that the team has re-shot every cutscene and done a whole host of other things to improve the experience presented to players in the so-called “definitive edition” of the original 2002 release.

I’ve yet to get around to playing the remasters of Mafia II or Mafia III, but I’m quite excited to do so when I eventually find the time for them. I can only hope the rebuilt version of the original lives up to the hype it has managed to drum up once it’s out. Its release is currently is slated for August 28, 2020.

I’ve already spent far too much time trying to think of a Mafia-themed segue into the next game presented at the show, so let’s just pretend I managed to accomplish that and move on. Up next was the game I honestly consider to be the most up my alley of anything presented during the entire show. Coming to us from developers Leikir and Cyanide, as well as publisher Nacon, is a title known as Rogue Lords.

Within the context of Rogue Lords, it’s made clear that you play as a particularly important historical figure: the Devil himself. As the Devil is often stated to prefer doing, you’ll have to recruit minions to go forth and wreak all sorts of havoc in your stead. The twist here, though, lies in the identities and abilities of the followers you enlist for that purpose.

You see, everyone who joins your unholy ranks is, themselves, a noteworthy figure in either history, folklore, or both. The three so-called “famous psychos” specifically named in the game’s screen time are Dracula, Bloody Mary, and Baron Samedi. It’s also been reported that since you directly control the Devil, you can use your evil abilities to “play around with the [game] interface,” by doing such things as altering an enemy’s health bar. From Rogue Lords’ announcement trailer, I gleaned notes that heavily reminded me of Iratus: Lord of the Dead; that can only mean I’m most likely going to greatly enjoy this title once it’s released sometime next year.

After the Devil finished his business at the PC Gaming Show, presumably by losing a fiddle-playing contest of some description off-screen; there arose yet another title that was presented during last year’s conference. This one is known as Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer’s Legacy, which comes to us from developer Ludomotion and publisher Big Sugar.

From what I saw in its current gameplay trailer and from what was said about it during its time in the limelight, its premise seems to contain the idea that the game world is permanently altered in your future playthroughs and affects the gameplay differently every time you die. There’s been no word on a release date for the game; so far, there’s only a very vague announcement of a beta “coming soon.” It appears to me that Unexplored 2 will begin as another Epic Games Store exclusive, but I could be mistaken about that.

Next up during the show was the announcement that Phoenix Labs’ collaboration with Epic Games, known as Dauntless, has just received a significant new update entitled “Call of the Void.” This update most notably adds new enemy types that you’ll have to conquer, as far as I’ve been able to understand. Unfortunately, I had never so much as heard of Dauntless before this year’s PC Gaming Show, much less played it. In light of that, I’m afraid I really can’t tell you much more about this update than that.

The next title shown during the presentation comes from developer and publisher FJRD Interactive, and it’s known simply as Among Trees. From what I saw of its announcement trailer, it seems to be a very “chill” game, for lack of a better description. In fact, its website poses the following question to prospective players: “Have you ever wanted to escape to the woods and build a life for yourself in the heart of a lush forest, where your day-to-day focus would be growing your own food, crafting tools, exploring the surroundings, and making your cabin extra cozy?” If so, it asserts, “this is the game for you.”

Among Trees will reportedly release on the Epic Games Store sometime this summer. It has a Steam store page as well, although it doesn’t list that same release window. That indicates to me that this could be another timed Epic exclusive. Either way, I’m pleased to see that it seems as though there will be absolutely no unrest in this particular forest.

Next up was the second of a few games presented during the show that really stood out to me. This one is known as Potionomics, and it’s headed to us courtesy of developer Voracious Games and publisher XSEED. Its premise is simple, yet stressful. You play as a potion-maker who must strive to craft and sell the best potions your world has ever known in order to accomplish your ultimate goal of getting out of debt.

In order to go about that, you’ll have to go hunting for new potion components and brewing techniques. You will also need to do your best to master haggling with your potential customers, in order to sell your creations for the highest possible price. This concept reminds me quite a bit of Moonlighter, a game which contains several similar aspects in that it requires you to scour through dungeons for loot by night, then turn around and sell said loot as best you can by day.

I enjoy Moonlighter quite a bit despite being repeatedly told by various friends that there exists a game which takes everything Moonlighter tries to do and improves on it despite its anime-heavy aesthetic. Perhaps one day, I’ll finally get around to trying that other title. Either way, I’m quite intrigued to see what Potionomics has to offer once it releases.

Another one of the more well-known titles on the agenda was presented at this point in the show, namely Playstack and Cold Symmetry’s upcoming Mortal Shell. According to everything that was demonstrated about it, the game’s main mechanic dictates that you don’t scour dungeons looking for loot. Instead, you do so in search of the remains of fallen warriors. You can then possess any such warriors you encounter, in the same way a ghost is said to do, in order to gain their strength and abilities.

One of the main aspects presented during Mortal Shell’s time in the limelight was the existence of a boss you’ll fight multiple times throughout the game’s campaign. Each time you encounter them, you’ll find that they’ve grown just as strong and proficient with weaponry as you’ve become since you last crossed swords.

This concept indicates to me that there’s at least one major enemy in the game who will always present you with a worthy challenge, which greatly appeals to me. On a final note, Mortal Shell is reportedly due to release sometime in Q3 2020. Some form of a beta of the game is slated to begin on July 3rd of this year as well.

Next up was a reveal from Valiant and Nightdive Studios. They’ve been working on a remaster of what’s apparently considered a “cult classic,” namely Shadow Man. This title was originally released in August of 1999 on the original PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. Put bluntly, based on what I saw in the remaster’s announcement trailer, this game looks just chock-full of enough nightmare fuel so as to turn me away from it due to its subject matter.

That’s not a sleight against the game by any stretch of the imagination. It is just that I’m very easily disturbed by games that contain even the slightest bit of horror elements in their gameplay. Heck, I’m still terrified of the character Voodoo from Midway Games’ War Gods, and that was released ages ago. Regardless, since I know so little about Shadow Man, all I can tell you at this point is that its remastered version is expected to release sometime in 2021.

After Shadow Man was demonstrated for a short while, there came an interview with the president of Tripwire Interactive. During this interview, a recently-released new update for Killing Floor 2 was showcased. The update adds such things as a few new weapons and character skins. Additionally, the fruit of Tripwire’s partnership with Torn Banner Studios, known as Chivalry II, is reportedly “coming along great.”

Chivalry II will reportedly have cross-play between PC and console, although those of you hoping to grab the game on Steam once it’s out will likely have to wait a while from the looks of things. I say that because, as far as I can tell, the heavily-hyped sequel to 2012’s Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is another timed Epic Games Store exclusive. On a final note during this particular interview, it was hinted that players “haven’t seen the last” of Tripwire’s shark mayhem simulator Maneater, though little further detail on that topic was given.

Speaking of timed Epic Games Store exclusives, a lengthy portion of the show was positively chock-full of them after Tripwire’s president said his peace. I’ve already discussed several of these games, namely Mortal Shell, Unexplored 2, Among Trees, Ooblets, and Airborne Kingdom. In addition to reiterations of all these titles, however, several more were shown in such quick succession that I had to pause the video of the show several times so that I could accurately take notes for this article.

Namely, the list of Epic Games Store exclusives that hadn’t been displayed or mentioned prior to this point in the show contained such noteworthy titles as the remaster of the first two Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, Super Meat Boy Forever, Dontnod’s Twin Mirror, Bossa Studios’ Surgeon Simulator 2, Brace Yourself Games’ Phantom Brigade, Deep Silver’s Iron Harvest, and arguably the most-anticipated of them all, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.

Up next in the show was a title heading our way from Ronimo and Devolver Digital by the name of Blightbound. This particular game presents itself as a three-player dungeon crawler wherein you loot and recover fallen heroes to expand your roster. It’ll reportedly have both local and online co-op. Its game world is divided into three “distinct lands, each with several dungeons to conquer.”

As if there hadn’t been enough games presented in a rapid-fire fashion by this point during the show, there came a list of eight more in what I’m calling an “indie showcase” right after Blightbound had its time onscreen. This showcase began with Shadows of Doubt, developed by ColePowered Games. This one presents itself as a “detective stealth game” of sorts, which appeals to me well enough.

What really excites me about Shadows of Doubt, though, is that because of its nature as a “stealth detective game,” it seems to have crossover elements between quite a few Hitman games and L.A. Noire. As many of you will know, I hold the entire Hitman franchise and L.A. Noire in particularly high regard. As such, I’m quite intrigued to see what Shadows of Doubt can do with its concept based on what was shown in its announcement trailer.

Next up after Shadows of Doubt was the second part of this “indie showcase,” namely The Forgotten City. This one is being developed by Modern Storyteller, is published by Dear Villagers, and is due to release sometime this year. Its premise, from what I recall of its short screen time, is that you wake up in an ancient Roman city, only to find it bustling with activity as any normal city of the time would have been. One of its denizens tells you that, to quote the trailer directly, “somebody is about to end our lives. Your job is to find out who and stop them.”

A game by the name of Paradise Killer was up next after The Forgotten City. Developed by Kaizen Game Works and published by Fellow Traveler, this title is slated to release sometime this summer. From its equally short time in the limelight, I managed to gather that its gameplay consists of you essentially investigating a murder in a steampunk version of what I can only describe as some combination of Hotline Miami and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

The next title in this fast-paced indie showcase was Haven, developed by The Game Bakers. According to what was shown within its announcement trailer, its premise is essentially about the journey of two lovers who travel to an otherwise-uninhabited planet in order to stay together, only to find that the planet is full of hostile creatures which must be felled so that the couple can remain safe.

After Haven spent some time onscreen, they showed off a game to which I inexplicably find myself drawn quite strongly, namely Cartel Tycoon. This one is being developed by Moon Moose and published by tinyBuild. It is currently slated to release sometime in Q4 2020.

To boil its gameplay down to the basics of what I saw during its demonstration, you play a role in a succession of fictional drug lords and have to contend with everything that entails. At first glance, it seems a lot like the later Tropico titles to me, based on what little is present in the trailer. If you want to try it out for yourself, there’s a free demo currently on Steam.

Up next was a game entitled Trash Sailors, developed by fluckyMachine and published by tinyBuild. As far as I’m aware, no release date for this one has been announced quite yet. You and your friends must work together to “survive the Great Flood” by building rafts and the like out of garbage. My intuition tells me the game’s title originated from this concept.

Next up was another game that was revealed at last year’s PC Gaming Show. More specifically, I’m referring to Cris Tales, developed by Dreams Uncorporated and SYCK, and published by Modus Games. I haven’t yet been able to learn much about its gameplay, unfortunately. However, I can tell you that one of its unique mechanics allows you to see the effects of your actions on the past, present, and future simultaneously. Cris Tales is currently slated for release on November 17th, 2020, and there’s a demo version of it currently available on Steam.

Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms was presented at this point in the show. Developed by Gamera Interactive and published by All in! Games, Alaloth is currently slated for release sometime this year. From what little I was able to see in its announcement trailer, its gameplay seems a bit reminiscent of the first two Diablo games. I’m afraid that’s “all-aloth” I can tell you about this particular title right now, however.

Now that we’re out of the woods comprised of that fast-paced indie showcase, we’re nearly in the home stretch, folks. After those eight titles came a demonstration of a new title published by Devolver Digital and developed by Wolfeye Studios, which goes by the name of Weird West. Its isometric, top-down gameplay is quite a deviation from the norm for many of the people working on it, from my understanding.

That’s primarily because Weird West is heading our way from the co-creators of Dishonored and Prey. These are, of course, first-person titles which focus on a singular character. Within the context of Weird West, however, you play as one of five main characters at a time, each of whom has their own unique goals and main quests. This title is scheduled to release sometime in 2021.

From XSEED Games comes the next title presented during the show, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. From what I could tell, it seems like Story of Seasons is apparently a long-running franchise; perhaps some of you have heard of it, but I certainly haven’t. Due to that, I’m afraid I don’t have much to report on this title aside from a few of my personal thoughts.

To put it quite bluntly, it seems to me as though this title is quite a bit like Stardew Valley with a considerably different art style and multiple playable characters. In my book, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I’ll still have to get my hands on the game at some point to determine what I think of it. At the time of writing, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is slated for release on July 14th, 2020.

Due to enter closed beta on July 23rd, Amazon Games’ MMO New World was the next attraction at this point in the show. Its full release is currently planned for August 25th. The gameplay I watched in its announcement trailer actually reminds me a bit of The Elder Scrolls Online, much to my surprise. I definitely consider that fairly promising, but I’m afraid it’s also virtually all I can think to include in my current report on New World.

At this point, the aforementioned briefly-shown title Twin Mirror, heading our way from renowned Life is Strange developers Dontnod, was given a bit more time to shine. Its gameplay reportedly follows an investigative journalist by the name of Sam, who makes the fateful decision to return to his supposedly peaceful home in West Virginia to find that he’s been away from home for far too long.

Published by Funcom and developed by The Outsiders comes Metal Hellsinger up next. This is one of the handful of games demonstrated throughout this year’s PC Gaming Show that truly appeals to me based on its subject matter. To heavily boil down its gameplay trailer, it looks like what you’d get if Crypt of the NecroDancer partnered up with the original Doom, which I think is a wonderful thing indeed. Metal Hellsinger is reportedly coming sometime in 2021.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos was shown next. Developed by Artefacts Studio and published by Dear Villagers, its gameplay trailer showcased turn-based, almost tactical gameplay which “doesn’t take itself too seriously,” according to cast member Felicia Day. I don’t know much about this one, admittedly, but it seems like it’ll make for some fun that’s as lighthearted as a dungeon crawler can be.

Next up in the show was the indie title Red Sails, developed and published by the eponymous Red Sails Team. This one’s concept is quite amusing to me; that’s the primary reason why I’m as interested in it as I am. Essentially, within the context of the game, you have a sailboat, but you’re in the desert. Not only do these two factors not cancel each other out, but they somehow work to your advantage as you explore the world and bring people aboard your boat with the ultimate goal of bringing them home.

Red Sails seems to me like it will make for a very laid-back, if potentially quite emotional, experience based entirely on what can be seen in the trailer. It currently has no announced or estimated release date as far as I’ve been able to tell.

Up next was what I suspect has been another highly-anticipated title in the form of Surgeon Simulator 2. Surgeon Simulator 2 expands greatly upon quite a bit of what its predecessor established, in that it boasts such features as four-player co-op, several new types of operations to perform, and the ability to explore a fully fleshed-out medical facility. In case that concerns you, don’t worry; the game definitely still doesn’t take itself too seriously. Surgeon Simulator 2 is slated for release sometime in August 2020.

Two more announcements to go, folks! The first of them comes from the famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) studio known as Hello Games, the team behind the equally well-known No Man’s Sky. Their upcoming offering is entitled The Last Campfire. I wasn’t able to learn much about this particular title from the little time it spent onscreen during its presentation, but what I saw indicates to me that it will likely make for an enjoyably-emotional experience. The Last Campfire will begin life as an Epic Games Store exclusive, and it’s reportedly coming sometime this year.

Finally, the game presented at the closing of this year’s PC Gaming Show is the newest title in the Outlast series of horror games from Red Barrel. Known as The Outlast Trials, it’s set during the Cold War and dictates that your character is involuntarily recruited to test new methods of brainwashing and mind control, often by extremely unpleasant means.

For what it’s worth, the cutscene that’s featured in the trailer, wherein your character is “fitted” with a night-vision apparatus, was violent and disturbing enough to almost cause me to vomit. Admittedly, that doesn’t take much for a horror game to accomplish, but that’s beside the point. I will never understand the appeal behind games that feature cutscenes and gameplay like The Outlast Trials does, but it certainly isn’t my place to judge.

There you have it, folks! This may well be in the running for the longest article I’ve ever written, but I hope I didn’t bore you too much. I know there were several metric tons of ground for us to cover in today’s discussion. I hope the PC Gaming Show demonstrated at least a few games that interested you. As I mentioned throughout this piece, the show featured a few games that seem up my alley, so I’m definitely looking forward to those. Do feel free to let me know your thoughts on the show in this article’s comments!

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