Another PAX East is now in the rearview mirror, and now having had enough time to recuperate from the experience and everything involved with it, it’s time to reflect on the whole shebang and craft a list of the show’s ten best games, as seen withpreviousevents.Admittedly, it was a more low-key PAX East this year, either due to the current state of the industry, the overlap between GDC forcing teams to choose what event to be present at or a mix of both (hopefully, next year’s move to May will hopefully at least solve the second issue). As a result, heavy hitters like Devolver Digital, Raw Fury, Focus Entertainment and more were notably MIA. It felt awkward, considering that this was basically the kickoff to PAX’s 20th anniversary this year, but as the show went on, it became more and more clear that everyone involved was still trying to celebrate the diverse lineup of games on display with all of their might.
Before we advance, a quick reminder of the criteria behind what games were selected: each game had to playable on the show floor and not just shown to the press in private, games featured in previous lists are excluded for fairness' sake (hence the lack ofAnimal WellorAntonblasthere), and likewise, only one game per publisher/booth is allowed, lest two publishers dominate at least half the list on their own. So with all that out of the way, let’s see some of the best that PAX East 2024 had to offer!
Buckshot Roulette
While I normally wouldn’t try and feature a game set to arrive just a week from now, there can be no denying that out of the massive lineup of games that Critical Reflex brought to the show, Mike Klubnika’sBuckshot Roulettestood out the most. And it stood out by being both fun and clever while keeping things simple. It’s you, a twisted nightclub, a dealer and a shotgun loaded with random shells. Using a variety of tools, you have to try and deduce if you should fire at your opponent or pull the trigger on yourself and hope for a blank, and it all results in a terrific blend of macabre humor and great strategic gameplay that requires a keen memory. Needless to say, it’s more than worth a shot.
While the meat ofDustbornwill be more on display in the final product, if only because key elements like the narrative and cast are shaped by your choices, Red Thread Games still made sure that a nice chunk of the game’s variety was on display with the demo here, from a bit of puzzle solving to rewarding conversations with various characters, alongside dashes of rhythm games and surprisingly well-done combat, the latter standing out as it’s something graphic adventure games such as this have struggled with. We may have to wait a while to see just how messed up this divided alternate history America is, but it’s looking like this is shaping up to be a road trip that’s worth taking.
Enter the Chronosphere
Effort Star’s new gameEnter the Chronospherehad what felt like one of the longest lines at PAX East, and for good reason, as what was showcased was fun to the point where I can easily declare this to be the best game of the show (in my eyes, anyway). What we have here is a semi-turn-based roguelike action game with dashes of bullet hell, in what can only be described in layman’s terms as a game such asEnter the Gungeonoperating with the mechanics ofSuperhot,where time only moves whenever you perform an action. It’s such a simple yet brilliant idea, making for something truly unique, a blend of fast-based action and careful strategic maneuvers topped off with psychedelic vibes that can easily suck you in for hours. Just a truly terrific showing.
Heading Out
As evidenced by a lot of the entries here, a key component when it comes to making your game stand out at an event such as PAX East is uniqueness, and a monochrome roguelike visual novel with racing mechanics inspired by classic ’70s road movies is certainly unique. Literally attempt to outrun your greatest fears as you travel south in order to try and battle the greatest racer ever, getting into chases with the cops across several states and earning a reputation as an outlaw along the way, with choices you make in little slice-of-life stops determining just what people say about you. It’s a gleefully bizarre blend of genres that comes together perfectly, showcasing a method to developer Serious Sim’s madness.
While comparisons toCelesteseem inevitable when it comes toLucid,with its recharging air dashes and node-based traversal (in fact, The Matte Black Studio have even outright stated thatCelestewas one of the gameplay’s influences), it manages to easily find several other ways to stand on its own as well. There’s the unique art style and “crystal-punk” world, the metroidvania setup that encourages exploration, the cast of characters brimming with personality, satisfying combat on display and much more. It’s something that’s shaping up to be a terrific platformer in its own right, promising one rewarding journey in the end.
The Top Ten Games of PAX East 2023
My Familiar
While I do question bringing a demo to an event such as PAX East that lasts at least a good forty-five minutes or so, every second spent with Chintzy Ink’s upcoming turn-based RPGMy Familiarended up being worth it. ThePaper Mario-style turn-based combat was fun, but the real star here so far is the story and world, described as a sort of buddy cop isekai that sees our protagonists making odd alliances to navigate the bizarre urban world of Wish City and its corrupt cartoon inhabitants in order to return home. The impressive pixel art alone already had my eye, but the tale that was on display here is what’s going to keep me captivated for several hours later on.
Nirvana Noir
Feral Cat Den have returned with the sequel to their award-winning adventure gameGenesis Noir,and it looks like they’re still finding new ways to deliver dazzling detective stories with incredibly surreal presentation. WithNirvana Noir, one of the big twists this time around is the use of two realities created by our protagonist in the previous game, with one being a jazzy, monochrome ’40s-inspired world, and the other diving into the more psychedelic styling of eras such as the 1960s. Alongside a greater focus on language and conversations, the demo also showcased more of the clever and offbeat puzzle design that was inGenesis Noir,so be it delivered through striking visuals, an engaging story or fun puzzles, it looks like there’s something here for everyone.
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
A picture is worth a thousand words, and so with a single mural showing off the game’s colorful cast,Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyoquickly put up a convincing argument as to why I should check it out. And beyond its impressive character designs and urban setting, developers Pocket Trap have not only created an charming and funny top-down action game with metroidvania twists, but they also did so with the use of a satisfying and fun combat mechanic, as the titular yo-yo belonging to our titular hero can be upgraded and ricocheted off of surfaces in order to deal with enemies and puzzles via nicely insane maneuvers.
Sorry We’re Closed
The indie gaming scene is still obsessed with trying to craft Fifth Generation survival horror throwbacks, for better and for worse, and à la mode games' upcoming titleSorry We’re Closeddefinitely falls into the “better” category. And the main reason it falls into that category can mainly be chalked up to its “Third Eye” mechanic, which makes for clever puzzles and a good exploration of the game’s world, expertly contrasts traditional, grimy horror game settings with more vibrant and punk-ish visuals and characters, making for some the most creative and captivating combat in the whole genre, past and present. Top it all off with an eerie and surreal story, and this could end up being one superb spiritual successor.
Admittedly,Umbraclawis likely one of those games where we won’t get the biggest taste of its most intriguing mechanics until the the full release. In particular, the central mechanic and narrative about our feline hero trying to escape the afterlife, where they gain new powers with each death, but excess powers means losing the memories of their loved ones. Even with its current demo, though, Inti Creates' latest still shows a lot of promise, with cool powers, creative boss battles, large levels to explore and a striking visual style. Inti is no stranger to satisfying action-platformer games, and hopefully this ends up being one of their top-tier entries into the genre.
