Racing to become the next zodiac, fighting realistic nightmare creatures and incredible hand-painted art - all this and more, coming straight out of Southeast Asia this year.
I sat in on the Xbox Developers Session, where the companies responsible for these upcoming games showed exclusive trailers and held Q&As. No release dates have been confirmed, but every single game shown carried heart and soul, all inspired in levels by their South East Asian heritage.
Nightmare Circus is an action-adventure game where the player takes on the role of a Puppeteer trapped in the Nightmare Realm. Set out on a journey to find his friends and escape the nightmare!
This story-rich exploration adventure follows a puppeteer trapped in the Nightmare Realm, accompanied by an epic soundtrack, adorable art style and a fighting style inspired by the cross-bar marionette controller, referred to as the “Puppet String” mechanic. The game is visually unique, presenting an eerie yet whimsical journey where you fight to save your fellow troupe members, develop your own play style and slam into your enemies.
Agni follows a determined investigator from a covert Indonesian police unit who defied orders and ventures into a remote village despite ominous warnings. What begins as an unauthorized investigation quickly plunges Agni into a horrifying reality
This Indonesian horror survival is a gripping, visceral experience, full of puzzle solving, investigative work and lovingly crafted mechanics that you just don’t see a lot of - the realistic lock picking and Tetris-like inventory space where larger items take up more slots being my personal favourites. This psychologically intense motion capture work of art is…I’m going to use the word yucky, but I assure you it is meant entirely positively. Watching the trailer for this game, I had a visceral reaction of “What the actual fuck.” This game is a nightmare factory. Fans of the horrific, this game is for you, and those with faint hearts like myself, maybe keep the lights on and an emotional support person by your side.
Embark on a quest to become the 13th Zodiac in this frantic hack-and-slash roguelike action adventure. Take on a celestial trial of grit, speed and power, and rise stronger after each fall as you upgrade your skills. Your trial awaits!
Now this one. I am insanely excited for this one. You play as an animal spirit, racing for your place as the 13th member of the Zodiac in this epicly gorgeous fast-paced action roguelike inspired by Eastern Zodiac lore. Currently, the two playable characters are a fox and raven, each with their own unique play styles, and more are coming with release. Both the enemies and playable characters have evolutionary attacks inspired by the natural elements, in order to help players develop their own styles and movements. The end goal is for a full co-op play style, and the current playtest includes this feature, but it will be removed briefly in favour of prioritising the polishing of the game.
Lost in darkness, a boy drawn into a twisted dream, no way out. Vapor World is a narrative-driven souls-like platformer focused on deflection combat set in atmospheric world of dream. Descend within shattered mind seeking lost memories. Face dark, beautiful world born of anguish and regret.
This visually stunning, hand-painted souls-like game carries a poignant, haunting trailer and addresses grief, torment and internal conflict. The thing that stands out to me the most about this work is the incredible art style. As a developer and artist myself, I have mad respect for the artist on this game, who recreated the same assets multiple times so as not to have too many repeating visuals. This is a true labour of love, and though the gameplay itself isn’t my cup of tea, I highly recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of atmospheric action games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Kriegsfront Tactics is a procedural turn-based mecha tactics RPG set in alternate 1970s during an era of conflict in Southeast Asia where you'll play as a commander of a mecha squad sent behind enemy lines. Build your mecha squad, complete missions, and survive the front another day.
Let’s get mechanical! This turn based RPG rewrites history, bringing a mecha squad into an alternate 1970s Southeast Asian conflict. With a fun retro spin and style, this game is sure to shoot straight into the libraries of many. Currently, a free demo of the prologue is available on Steam for anyone wanting to get a taste of the world!
Release dates haven't been announced for these games yet, but make sure to check out the Steam pages here:
