While we wait for the news that will arrive with GamesCom 2024, where Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live will also return, the month of August began with an interesting event, namely the THQ Nordic Showcase. Between big returns and a few surprises, such as the announcement of the new Darksiders, still without an official title, not many productions were present at the event, but on the other hand, a fair amount of space was dedicated to each of them. Without further ado, let’s review all the titles shown during the Showcase.
Wreckfest 2
Definitely intriguing is Wreckfest 2, the new chapter of the frenetic racing game characterized by crazy races in which the destruction of the vehicles that participate is the norm. The second iteration of the series, of which we have been able to see several gameplay sequences, seems to show off a technical sector of a certain thickness, which allows not only to have a visual rendering clearly superior to that of its predecessor, but also to offer a level of destructibility much more generous.
The ROMU Engine ensures that the cars deform in a believable way after each collision and also takes care of managing the physics of the cars in a more realistic way. Finally there will also be the possibility of customizing the vehicles and sharing the creations with other users. As for the contents, the development team has announced that in the final version we will find various game modes, a single player component, online multiplayer and support for mods. At least for now, the release date of Wreckfest 2 is unknown, which we know will arrive on both PC and consoles.
The Eternal Life of Goldman
The one that surprised us was The Eternal Life of Goldman, a truly delightful 2D adventure platformer, developed by the creators of This is the Police. Inspired by fairy tales of the past, this title boasts an animated film-like graphic style, possible thanks to the use of Unity. If there is one thing that the developers wanted to emphasize over and over again during the presentation, it is that the game wants to have nothing to do with generative artificial intelligence.
Everything you see on the screen is the result of the hard work of artists who have meticulously crafted each frame and then animated everything. Not only that, there seems to be a great deal of attention to variety, to the point that it will be impossible to come across two scenarios that are similar to each other, so that each phase of the adventure can offer something new even on the visual front.
The elderly protagonist will find himself facing monstrous creatures and solving small puzzles using some gadgets such as his trusty stick, with which he can cling to objects or move elements of the scenario. It also seems that the title will always guarantee an adequate level of challenge for the player, an element that will surely please many fans. Even in this case, the announcement was not accompanied by a launch window, but the arrival on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S and Nintendo Switch was confirmed. In any case, there won’t be long to go before we can know more: a playable demo will be present at Gamescom 2024.
Titan Quest 2
Let’s move on to one of the highlights of the THQ Nordic Showcase 2024, namely Titan Quest 2, which we were finally able to see in action. Judging from what was shown, it would seem to be a product perfectly in line with our expectations. The sequel to the action RPG proposes a mythological setting inspired by Ancient Greece with an updated visual system, which offers a remarkable visual impact.
During the presentation, the developers specified that the game does not include any procedural system for enemy spawns, which are all set by hand. Still on the subject of adversaries, the presence of bosses with unique traits was promised, so as to make each fight different from the others. They also talked about progression and skills, with a brief demonstration of the mods: it seems in fact that the protagonist’s skills can be altered through modifiers that significantly change their functioning, guaranteeing a certain degree of freedom in building the build.
Unfortunately there is no other relevant information to report, but what we saw was enough to attract our attention and we imagine that all aRPG fans will be equally interested in the project.
Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed
A brief parenthesis was then dedicated to Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed, the remake of Epic Mickey – The legendary challenge of Mickey Mouse, a title by Warren Spector that arrived in 2010 on Wii. It is in fact a version of the adventure developed by Purple Lamp, which in addition to improving the graphic component brings with it new content. It seems that Rebrushed will offer many new collectibles to find around the levels and will allow us to use new abilities in the shoes of Mickey Mouse, who will be able to run, perform an agile sprint and perform a ‘ground pound’, that is, jump and then land with force to destroy objects and hit enemies.
In addition to supporting 60FPS at 4K on the latest platforms, the game will also allow the use of the gyroscope on PS5 and Nintendo Switch, so as to faithfully reproduce some mechanics seen in the original. In this case, we know very well when it will be possible to get our hands on the game: Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed will arrive on September 24, 2024 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC.
Gothic 1 Remake
The surprise of the event was Gothic 1 Remake, a title that was highly anticipated by gamers. The developers showed several gameplay sequences to highlight the work done from a technical point of view and beyond. The old role-playing game has not only been overhauled in terms of graphics, but also in terms of gameplay. The combat system has been made more modern, without however altering its rhythm, which continues to be measured to accentuate the tactical component.
The game world has also undergone some changes, offering a greater number of points of interest and secrets to discover. What surprised us was the developers’ desire to reduce the user interface to a minimum, which never takes up too large a portion of the screen to maximize player involvement. The project seems promising, but unfortunately the information released is not much and the sequences shown did not allow us to observe the menus or the interface. In essence, we will have to wait a little longer before we can deepen our knowledge of the Gothic remake, which unfortunately does not yet have a release window.
