Everything announced at the Annapurna Interactive Showcase 2023
New Blade Runner, new Keita Takahashi, a new bike game from the Nidhogg devs and more
Tonight's Annapurna Interactive Showcase brought us 30 minutes of fresh game announcements, putting a lovely (and hopefully final) full stop on this year's notE3 / Summer Game Fest period. While most of the announcements were updates on games we already knew about, there are a couple of cool new things in there that I'm personally quite pumped for, including a new Blade Runner game being developed internally at Annapurna Interactive, a new Keita Takahashi joint about a kid stuck in a T-pose of all things, and a new ghostly biking game from the team behind Nidhogg. I'd highly recommend watching the showcase in full if you can, but in case you need a quick refresher of what happened, or are just short on time, we've rounded up every announcement in order below.
Lorelei And The Laser Eyes gets another mysterious trailer
Sayonara Wild Hearts and all-round excellent developers Simogo are back with a mysterious new puzzle game called Lorelei And The Laser Eyes, which is the most fabulous name if ever I heard one. Technically first announced last year, this is a murder mystery game where you appear to be stuck in some kind of maze (do you remember it?). It's not clear where this maze is, or why you're there, but it's related to events in both the past, present and future. One would assume that you'll be spending most of your time trying to get out of said maze by solving its various puzzles and deciphering its odd patterns, but you're not alone in this strange prison. There's also "an international auteur", "an aristocratic artist" and "a vagabond illusionist" in the mix, and each of them poses a question that needs answering. What do they want? Who killed them? And most importantly, who are they? No release date, alas, but it's good to get another glimpse of it, you know? Find out more on Steam.
Cocoon gets a release date
Ed had a lovely good look at Cocoon at this year's Summer Geoff Fest, and he came away impressed, naming it his top highlight of the whole show. I've been very intrigued by this recursive, insectoid puzzler from former Inside and Limbo dev Jeppe Carlsen ever since it was announced at Xbox's notE3 show last year, and happily, today's Annapurna Showcase gave us a release date for it. Mark your Steam calendars for September 29th, folks.
Lushfoil Photography Sim is a picture-perfect new camera snapping game
A new game by Matt Newell, this aptly named photography sim looks proper lovely, it does. With lots of gorgeous landscapes to explore, you'll be pointing your camera at the glacial mountains of Lago di Braies in Italy, rows of Japanese torii gates in Kyoto's Fushimi Inari shrine, the sun-drenched beaches of western Australia's Castle Rock, snowy wildernesses of Iceland's Mýrdalssandur, and the misty forests of Japan's Yamagata region. It's not clear from the trailer what you'll be taking pictures for exactly (your own pleasure? National Geographic? Some other kind of travel enterprise?), but it sure does look very zen (and extremely ASMR-friendly). I look forward to just noodling around its landscapes taking nice pictures, flying my camera drone over the water, and paddling in its little canoe. No release date yet, but you can find out more on Steam.
To A T is a joyous new game from Wattam dev Keita Takahashi
The next game from the creator of Katamari and Wattam is all about a kid who's forever stuck in a T-pose. Some wry commentary on the nature of video games, or just a daft adventure in which a T-shaped child goes on adventures with their charming dog friend? Who can say at this point, but the jaunty song in the trailer sure is a bit of an earworm. "Never forget - you're the perfect shapeeeeee!"
Flock gets a new deep-dive gameplay trailer
A lovely long gander at Flock here, the next game from Wilmot's Warehouse devs Hollow Ponds and Richard Hogg. As this latest trailer explains, Flock is about exploring a big wild place on the back of a bird, and here we find out how we'll be charming its colourful beasts to join our respective flocks - think Pokémon, but with singing instead of battling - as well as get a closer look at the lush forests and fields we'll be swooping around either alone or with pals. Creatures will vary depending on the time of day in the game, and you'll also be able to fashion clothes for your bird rider by making friends with some flying sheep. Lovely stuff. I'm also very much looking forward having my own flotilla of Big Henrys noodling behind me, yes sirree. Still no release date, but you can find out more on Steam.
Disclosure: Pip Warr, formerly of this parish, has done some narrative and game design work on Flock. We always knew she was destined for great things, our Pip.
Ghostbike is the next game from the Nidhogg devs
Another feast for the eyeballs, Ghostbike is a new cycling game from Messhof, the studio behind Nidhogg. I bet Alice0 will be delighted - and not just because you get to pedal around beautiful cel-shaded landscapes, either. There's also a cute ghosty pal you'll be ferrying around in your bike basket, and you'll be racing to win back power for them so you can travel to the afterlife. Your ultimate goal is to revive the last of the titular Ghost Bikes, you see, who are magical couriers who can ride between the land of the living and the land of the dead - and it's only by journeying to the latter that you'll be able to revive them. So limber up, friends. Ghostbike is coming in 2024.
Mundaun is getting a free update (and launching on new consoles)
Monochrome horror mystery Mundaun is being updated with some fancily enhanced visuals to coincide with its release on PS5, Xbox Series X and the Nintendo Switch. Its pencil-drawn visuals already looked pretty stunning on PC, but this update will provide a "clearer presentation" at higher frame rates, I'm told. The perfect time to jump into this strange Alpine village, in other words, or a just a return trip to experience this gem from 2021 afresh.
A fresh look at action mech life sim Bounty Star
First announced at last year's Annapurna Interactive Showcase, we got a deeper look at mech adventure Bounty Star tonight. You play a "broken but powerful ex-soldier", the developer tells us, in a post-post apocalyptic American desert. That's maybe one too many posts for my liking, but what are you gonna do? In any case, Bounty Star will be a game of two halves - third-person action mech fighting out in the world, and a crafting-based life sim closer to home. And yep, you can betcha bottom dollar that everything you fight out in the wastelands will be of some use to you back at your run-down gas station homestead. It ticks all the familiar boxes you'd expect from a game like this. There's crop planting, maintaining your mech, building new machines, and making friends with the locals to be had, while also be "relearning what it's like to be a force for good," say the devs. It's coming to Steam in early 2024.
Stray is coming to Xbox
But not Game Pass, alas. Still, a very good trailer. Classic cat behaviour with the controller there. Well played. Remember, it's also been on Steam since last year.
Thirsty Suitors gets a November release date
Lots of us in the RPS Treehouse have been looking forward to Outer Loop's rhythm action RPG about outrageous exes for a long time now, and happily, we've finally got a Steam release date: November 2nd! Very wise, getting all that family trauma out of the way before Christmas hits. Very wise indeed.
Storyteller is coming to Netflix, along with new scenarios
When make-your-own-drama game Storyteller came out back in March, our Alice Bee called it a lovely, charming puzzler that was a bit on the novella side of being a full novel. Clearly, developer Daniel Benmergui heard her plea and set to work on more of it. Because that's exactly what's happening. New scenarios and challenges are headed to Storyteller for free on September 26th on PC, as well as a devilish new character. Spoiler. It's the literal devil. It's also coming to Netflix that day, too. Coincidence? Shuffle its plot devices around to find out.
Blade Runner 2033 Labyrinth is Annapurna's first game they're making themselves
After years spent publishing lots of excellent games made by other people, Annapurna Interactive have announced the first game they've made internally, and it's an all-new Blade Runner game. Fancy that! Directed by Chelsea Hash, who was the lead technical artist for What Remains Of Edith Finch and the game director for Solar Ash, this announcement trailer doesn't give away much about exactly what type of game Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth will be, but from the looks of things you'll be playing a former LAPD cop whose ex-colleagues want to bring back on the force for 'one last job'. You'll be picking through old archive and CCTV footage for places that no longer exist, the trailer suggests, which puts me in the mind of Her Story and Immortality somewhat. Hopefully we'll find out more about it very soon.