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The Last Hero Of Nostalgia
Lex Luddy
I love Souls games. I love watching them, listening to people talk about them and the fervour the fanbase goes into dissecting each new one upon release. But if I’m honest, I haven’t actually beaten a Fromsoftware game since 2011’s Dark Souls. It’s not that I like these follow-ups any less; I will often put hours and hours into them. But ever since that first game (or second if you count Demon’s Souls) I’ve just always gotten to a point where I get overwhelmed; the systems, the lore, the hidden stats and mechanics, all of it. Elden Ring was particularly bad for this because that incredible world just feels so limitless when you first enter it. It's so vast and imposing, it is no secret that these games make you feel like a stranger in a strange land, but there comes a point where I don’t want to take a step into the unknown because no matter how much I try to meet the game in the middle there is just too much unknown that remains unknown.
You either die a hero or live long enough to git gud.
That is why The Last Hero Of Nostalgia stood out to me, it is a smaller in scope Souls game that brought me back to the narrow, snaking, looping and interconnected world of the first Dark Souls. On top of that, it feels refreshing in a genre where almost every other soulslike feels just like that, that imitation of something on Fromsoft has mastered. From Theymisa to The Surge, all these games try to differentiate themselves in their world or combat from Fromsoft’s games, and while some do better than others, none have really held a candle to even the weakest modern Fromsoft joint. Nostalgia sidesteps this problem, it knows it is an indie game without the budget or manpower to polish combat to a fine point like From can and it knows it doesn’t have the writing chops to build a world as brooding, so instead it does something else. While some may say imitation is the greatest form of parody, I, and Nostalgia, would argue it is a spoof.
The Last Hero Of Nostalgia is well aware it cannot keep up with what Fromsoft does and so it loveling pokes fun at the formula and as a result, creates a soulslike that actually feels different. We are so used to these worlds hating us and wanting us dead that it is undeniably funny to find an enemy and NPC stagging room off to the side, reminding ghouls and skeletons to hit hard (but not too hard) or to smile. It's refreshing to have an NPC apologise for just how obtuse your quest seems only to then lay it out in much plainer terms. The Last Hero of Nostalgia may not be reinventing the wheel, but by making fun of it all, it is making me look at Souls games in a different way and appreciate the craft in their design.
Goat Simulator 3
Matthew Fuller
For my first EGX, I had a wicked time getting to try out some games I've been dying to get my hands on, some of which my fellow writers are talking about right here in this article. It also gave me a chance to try some new ones I hadn't seen or heard about, with a standout being the ridiculous but much-loved Goat Simulator 3.
This is actually just another image from the startmenu meet-up.
Anyone who has seen the Goat Simulator series knows what to expect and this sequel delivers that same wacky and unpredictable nature. The game is, in essence, a sandbox that lets your goat go wild and cause mischief and mayhem, complete with customisation of your goat and a sizeable map littered with impromptu missions and tasks to do, some being pretty simple and harmless whilst others would result in buildings exploding or people flying in every direction. It always felt like I could find something new and interesting to do or was able to indulge the many outlandish ideas I had, whether that was headbutting people and using them to create "art" or becoming some fire-breathing demi-goat bend on burning a town down. It was the moment my high-heeled angelic goat soared across a cosy farm in his pyjamas, blasting thunder at bystanders that I chuckled to myself about the absurdity that was this game, and sometimes that's all you need, just to let loose and have fun, and Goat Simulator seemed to embody that idea.
A fun, mindless game that lets you explore, experiment, and go wild is always welcome in my life to break up the more serious games I cover or write about. Whilst it's not exactly groundbreaking or doing a lot of new things, it's a prime example of giving you more of the same, just more of it, and I enjoyed every second of it.
Street Fighter 6
Scott McCrae
They've done it, I can't believe it, but Street Fighter 6 already feels like a winner. Well, I say I can't believe it, but Capcom has been on absolute fire for the last five years. Devil May Cry 5, Resident Evil 7, 8 and the Remakes, Monster Hunter World and Rise. Every single one a game-of-the-year contender; the one slip-up has been their fighting game division. Thankfully, that new Capcom magic has finally bled through.
This isn’t even a street! THIS SERIES HAS REALLY GONE DOWN HILL!
For what it's worth, I really liked Street Fighter 5; sure it was flawed in several ways, but as a core fighting game it was great. Even then, Street Fighter 6 already feels like such a monumental leap forward for the series.
I had a chance to check out eight characters (Luke, Jamie, Kimberly, Chun Li, Ryu, Ken, Juri, and Guile) and each felt satisfying to use. Returning characters are given their own little quirks this time around to make them feel fresh (except Guile, who will forever be Guile). The three newcomers all feel like winners so far; I ended up taking a shine to Luke, who - despite his Logan Paul-ass look - feels great to play with his focus on target combos.
How good the new three feel gives me a bit more hope for the full game too, as all of my faves are not showing up straight away.
The commentary is a great feature, but sadly due to the volume of the show floor, not one I had the chance to really listen to.
All of this is just impressions from a build with 1v1 battles too. I'm already this sold on the game, and I haven't even had a chance to check out the super interesting-looking campaign mode or the game's online features.
Street Fighter 6 gets better every time they show it, and that translates to how it feels to finally get my hands on it. It feels like Capcom is going to really land this one, and probably have another Game of the Year contender on their hands.
Sonic Frontiers
Michael Beckwith
Like a spiky blue yoyo, the public perception of Sonic Frontiers really has gone back and forth. That initial IGN showing led to a large number of fans demanding Sega delay the game into 2023. However, thanks to more recent previews and the public getting to try it out for themselves at events like Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, and, of course, EGX, the general consensus suggests that, at the very least, Sonic Frontiers will be a decent, welcome bit of fresh air for the series. Having got to try it out myself, I must admit it’s too early for even a die-hard Sonic fan to confidently claim it will be good, but the demo left a positive impression.
Yeah Sonic! Kick those balls!
….
What?
Sonic’s movement in this new open world is smooth and responsive. It surprisingly felt quite natural despite the more recent games eschewing 3D spaces for more linear courses that were all about getting from point A to point B. Combat was enjoyably snappy, with Sonic’s homing attack being consistently reliable and delivering some satisfying feedback whenever he bounced off an enemy. Larger enemies with actual health bars were more challenging, but these encounters have a lot of potential. Launching at the Ninja enemy with a homing attack, rapidly tapping the button to deliver a flurry of punches, and then hitting dodge to dart around and get past its shield was a lot of fun and a thrill to pull off. Things did feel a tiny bit finicky (Sonic’s new dodge roll will definitely take some getting used to) and some minor camera issues caused me to get bombarded with missiles from off-screen when fighting the Tower, but it’s too soon to tell if this will be a recurring issue or was just misfortune/poor skill on my part.
I was able to try out one Cyberspace level, and it very much played like the straightforward stages fans will remember from Sonic Generations and Sonic Colours. It was very brief, but Sonic still controlled well, and while I managed to comfortably earn myself an S rank, I was hankering to give it another go to try and get a cleaner run (I had foolishly fallen into a pit, thus wounding my pride). Future Cyberspace levels will likely be as short and snappy though I hope the later ones have slightly more complex level designs and are a wee bit longer.
I wish I had had more time to mess about with the different modifiers in the menu (which allow you to tweak things like Sonic’s acceleration and speed) and the two different playstyles - one for newcomers and one for returning fans - just to see what the differences are. All in all, though, I’m cautiously optimistic that Sonic Frontiers is the right step forward and will bring some much-needed quality back to the series.
Lone Ruin
Alex Green
Trying to come up with the best game of EGX this year was a tricky conundrum in a good way. Browsing the Thunderful publishing booth saw some excellent platformers like Worldless, Wavetale & Planet of Lana. The Leftfield Collection also saw its usual conceptual brilliance with the beautiful hand-drawn art and flight of The Wings of Sycamore and the serene musical platformer Onde. However, there were few that I had as much second-to-second fun tackling as Lone Ruin.
Duck, dodge, dip, dive and dodge… but with magic.
Developed by Cuddle Monster Games, Lone Ruin is a twin-stick roguelike which sees you playing as an explorer delving into the titular ruin in search of treasures and secrets, only for you to be encountered by monsters. Oh no, who could have foreseen this?! Snark aside, the EGX demo saw us tackling the game’s survival mode, with players picking spells at the start and as they progress further, being given new options, whether that be an extra life, upgrading your attack spell or gaining a new one, giving the survival mode a refined and engaging escalation mechanic. It helps further that the twin-stick controls are beautifully responsive, giving the player clear windows to engage and dodge enemies even as they crowd around.
Certainly, for fans of twin-stick games and the joy of using rudimentary controls to build addictive gameplay, this will suffice and more. For others, the appeal of Lone Ruin may seem limited, but given how indie roguelikes have been smashing it over the last couple of years, with Death’s Door and Nobody Saves The World coming to mind, this looks like another promising entry in the genre, with the promise of some challenging bosses and the beautiful art style giving the visual flavour to match the fast-paced gameplay. The twin-stick roguelike continues to exude excellence, and this demonstrates more promising adventures.
But If You Think About The Real Best Video Game At EGX Was The Friends We Made Along The Way…
… or Street Fighter 6. That game looks fucking rad.
