It was impossible to try and play every single game showcased during the Developer Showcase at Nordic Game Spring 2024 in Sweden. There was so much to see, with many panels and talks to attend, and numerous games from various genres set to release this or next year. Here are seven that caught our attention.
IDUN
IDUN is an action RTS single-player game that features a story campaign. The goal is to hold the line against large swarms of enemies on a fully simulated battlefield and survive while achieving the given objectives. Your mission is actually to extract resources from the enemy planet. What really stands out is IDUN's impressive simulation and rendering features, including fully destructible vegetated terrain, enemies with fluid pathfinding, and massive amounts of projectiles and explosions.
The developer showcasing the game was a rather fun and engaging guy, and the game itself was extremely action-packed and enjoyable. We liked the simple concept and the variety of missions it offers. You’ll also be able to build and upgrade various rooms. As you invest in farms, factories, storage, and weapon systems, you'll notice visible changes to the station's 3D model, both internally and externally. Moreover, missions provide essential resources for the station. These resources can later be upgraded into higher-tier items.
In addition to all this, the game features various playable characters and even allows you to control your own mech. The game also includes different difficulty levels, ensuring that each playthrough is unique. If you're curious about what this title has to offer, there's a demo available on Steam that you can download to explore the game in more depth.
Blood Bar Tycoon
The moment we saw this game, we immediately wanted to try it. Unfortunately, the demo wasn't available, but the alpha playtest starts this June, so we'll be able to explore this title in depth next month, and you're all invited to play it as well. All you have to do is join the official Discord server, while additional information will be announced later.
But what exactly is Blood Bar Tycoon? A small studio from Belgium, Clever Trickster Studio, brings us a game in which we can become managers of vampire bars. It is in fact a humorous simulation in which you create your own bars and decorate them to attract "juicy" people. Similar to games within this genre, you can manage your staff, automate processes, expand, form alliances, search for unusual machines while avoiding hunters.
The inspiration is apparently Two Point Hospital, as confirmed by developers Virginie and Ludovic. We were also told how building an underground blood factory, improving facilities, unusual machines, staff and systems work in the game, as well as being able to manage up to seven different bars and replay previous bars for new achievements. What really stood out was gaining influence and playing strategically to get rid of your tyrannical and demanding master, the infamous Vladimir.
The game will also feature a sandbox and campaign mode with the ability to unlock new blood-forming techniques and vampiric powers. In fact, the goal is to hire other vampires to do your dirty work while you manage their priorities to optimize your flows and satisfy your mortal and immortal customers. If you want to know more about this game, be sure to wishlist it on Steam because it will be released at the end of October this year.
Crystal of Naramunz
Personally, I'm not a big fan of ARPG games, but when you hear that Path of Exile and Diablo are the inspiration, something just has to catch your eye. Crystal of Naramunz is an upcoming free-to-play hack'n'slash action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world. With feline characters, Web3 technology (don't worry, no P2W shenanigans) and seasonal challenges, this game simply shows that it has potential.
During the Nordic Game Spring 2024, the developers kindly showed us everything this game has to offer. The skills in the game are completely random, as are the other loot types, so you never know what you're going to get. The ability to combine crystals into skills of different rarities to upgrade their powers and tailor them to your build and playstyle shows that the Web3 mechanics can be used in a variety of ways.
During the closed beta, two classes will be available with a large number of active and passive skills and equipment. Additionally, there are aethereal items, a special class that transcends normal gameplay and survives seasonal resets. This means that you will be able to craft, trade and use these items both in-game and on the open market. At the event, the developers emphasized that procedural dungeons, challenging bosses and fast-paced battles make the game extremely dynamic and improve the overall gaming experience.
The game isn't currently available on Steam or Epic Games (the plan is to be there on release day), but you can find out more about the closed beta, which takes place on June 12, and how to join on the game's official website.
REPLICORE
The gaming market desperately needs titles like REPLICORE. Let's face it, when was the last time you played a game that lets you shoot opponents, solve different puzzles, that isn't just a pure action-packed title and lets you transform into a ball? As a co-op shooter set in an ancient sci-fi world, the main gameplay loop revolves around transforming into your Core to roll, charge or throw your team members, and get them out of tight situations to deal with different challenges and puzzles.
Shooting is pretty simple; headshots do more damage, while body shots do less. The more time you spend in one area, the harder the game becomes. The first version that we played at the Nordic Game Spring 2024 event caught our interest from the very beginning. You simply need to cooperate with your teammates to complete the game. For example, teammates must throw you to higher ground while you're transformed into a ball, or cover you while you try to occupy certain positions against enemies that are targeting you.
There's also the Outburst ability, which allows your friends to throw you straight into groups of enemy units or at their weak points to blow them up. You can also modify this ability and choose from various effects. The game is made for 1 to 4 players, and after completing missions you earn experience points and high-tech resources to upgrade your Cores. In addition, you can customize your weapons and equipment.
You can find REPLICORE on Steam however, the developers revealed to us that it will take them several years before they fully complete the game.
River Towns
"We're going to combine Tetris and city-builder games," said Frogsong Studios. During the Nordic Game Spring 2024 event, many people showed interest in River Towns for a reason. Although the game still doesn't have its own page on Steam, we had a chance to try it out. The concept is very simple - you create beautiful cities along the river, merge shapes and rebuild a broken world.
In fact, you have to collect as many points as possible to win stars and continue to progress through a very diverse world, making it even more beautiful. Just like in Tetris, buildings are shaped in different ways: cubes, odd shapes or flat tiles, allowing for strategic placement and keeping space open for new houses. We played a smaller level, through which a river ran, and your goal was to build buildings of one color on one side and buildings of a different color on the other side. Additionally, there were gold deposits that covered part of the area, preventing you from building over them.
We also got a chance to see the huge world you'll be able to explore, with each part bringing unique challenges. Of course, you can rotate the districts and zoom in to see all the interesting things going on inside or outside. The graphics were very pleasant, vibrant and colorful, making each district unique in its own way. This title looks like another cozy adventure that you definitely don't want to miss.
It was really interesting to see how the world takes shape as you build; bridges are constructed if you place districts along rivers, the landscape changes, and trees and building shapes change the more objects you place next to each other. In that case, you might be better off sticking closer to this studio's X so you can spot even more features they'll eventually share.
Hollow Home
We first saw this game last year during the Ukraine Game Fest on Steam and were immediately drawn to its story and gameplay. Hollow Home is an isometric narrative RPG told from the perspective of a teenager trapped in an occupied city. You will have to learn survival skills, build relationships and face difficult decisions as each day brings new tragedies and devastation.
What is special about this game? Hollow Home researcher Tetiana was tasked with finding and documenting all available information about the events in Mariupol during the early days of the war. The very city in the game is inspired by real war events. Playing as 14-year-old teenager Maksym, the game begins on the eve of the Russian invasion, showing the last 24 hours of our protagonist's carefree childhood.
The gameplay relies heavily on dialogue and branching quest lines to tell the story of a city disappearing under the relentless onslaught of an invading force. There's no combat system or visible violence – instead, the game focuses on the impact of war rather than graphical details. In other words, the tasks in the game are centered on survival and helping others to survive. Additionally, you have a limited number of action points each day, forcing you to make difficult decisions.
A developer at the event told us that the game is inspired by titles like Disco Elysium and Planescape: Torment, which is also evident in its visual style. Another highlight is its high replayability, thanks to the non-linear story, different builds, and various decisions you can make. In fact, we enjoyed exploring the world using the journal mechanic, which made navigating the game very easy.
If you want to add this game to your wishlist, you can do so on Steam, and the release is planned for next year.
Red Metal
Red Metal was probably the most interesting and fun game to play during the Nordic Game Spring 2024 event. It's an action-packed roguelite vehicle combat game filled with tense moments and a wide range of unlockable customizations. It is easy to play, dynamic, and lets you battle against various types of enemies.
This game also allows you to upgrade your arsenal of weapons as you strive to reach the final mission objective and earn money to buy new vehicles and upgrades. Additionally, the difficulty scaling system ensures that your enemies become tougher as your strength increases. With several unique cars, more than a dozen weapons, dozens of items, and over a hundred unique weapon modifications, each playthrough feels fresh and full of new challenges. Keep in mind that this is a roguelite game, and you'll likely be surprised at its high replay value.
All that being said, if you're curious about the car physics, they're quite simple and effective. It's easy to swerve and accelerate the vehicle while employing various ways to attack enemies, either with your car or weapons. You can also expect challenging bosses that won't be easily defeated. Red Metal is the kind of game that will keep you glued to the screen, as it's very fast-paced, action-packed, and offers something different from what we're used to.
Although it still doesn't have a specific release date, you can find this title on Steam.
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