E3’s always full of big announcements for each platform every year. It goes without saying that in a sea of hyped reveals and some welcome surprises, there’s always some potentially great looking games that get overshadowed. E3 2019’s no different, let’s look at some of those games this year.

SPIRITFARER

Platforms: XBOX One, PC, PS4

A cute 2D colorful indie from Thunder Lotus Games that already looks like it’s shaping up to be an indie hit. Releasing 2020, it brands itself as a “cozy management game about dying”. While it sounds like gameplay isn’t anything extremely innovative — you’re tasked to do things like craft or cook or mine — it’s the premise that’s very exciting. You play as Stella, a Spiritfarer who guides the souls of the deceased, and the game is about your interactions with these souls.

While it sounds somber, the beautiful hand-drawn art, comfortable atmosphere likened to Stardew Valley, the amount of promised content (ranging to ~100 hours according to developers for completionists) seems like this indie about loss and friendship will be one to watch for. 

12 MINUTES

Platforms: XBOX One, PC

This point-and-click adventure comes from developer Luis Antonio (the art director for The Witness) and is about a man stuck in a time loop looking for a way to solve a mystery involving his wife and a murder. The kicker is, you only have 12 minutes (who’d have guessed?) to solve the mystery.

The short answer is you don’t. You’re meant to learn new things with each play through. Every 12 minutes is another chance to unravel the mystery you’ve been presented with. Oh, and you can also die before you do that. Good luck. The game’s inspired a lot by Stanley Kubrick visually, so look forward to it in 2020.

ASTRAL CHAIN

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

The first exclusive on this list comes from developers Platinum Games. This third-person action game releases on August 30th, 2019 for the Switch, and looks just as flashy and explosive as one might come to expect from Platinum.

As if their reputation with their biggest franchises (Bayonetta and NieR) weren’t enough, the game is directed by NieR’s designer and supervised by the Bayonetta creator. Now we only wish it wasn’t exclusive, but promises to be a good draw for Switch owners.

MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: THE BLACK ORDER

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Team Ninja and Nintendo bring back a third installment in this series, coincidentally on the heels of Square Enix’s reveal of their own Avengers game….and it’s looking like this might be the better game.

While it’s no AAA blockbuster, many derided the first reveal of Square’s Avengers to be a knock-off of the MCU. Meanwhile, MUA3 spares no punches in terms of accuracy, as well as something even more important: an equally diverse roster. With fan favorites and some surprise appearances from the deep list Marvel has at its disposal, it almost pains to look back at the other Avengers game and think ‘that’s it?’ when MUA3 boasts a roster from almost every corner of the Marvel universe.

Such a shame MUA3 is also Switch exclusive, but look forward to it on July 19th 2019.

PSYCHONAUTS 2

Platforms: XBOX One, PC, PS4

Almost no one thought this would happen, but lo and behold there is indeed a Psychonauts sequel coming after 14 years. Double Fine has returned with a game that not only picks off right where the first game left off, but also stays true to the original, even with that 14 year gap.

Given how good the first one was, this is a hopeful sign that when the game releases later in 2019 fans will get a long awaited treat.

Nuhan’s back after realizing the philosophical significance of that painting with the dogs playing cards, and decided to channel out his existential dread caused by it by writing. Send him mildly morally questionable food choices at nuhanbabid@hotmail.com