Summer Game Fest 2025!

There’s nothing I love more than starting my summer off with some stellar game content to look forward to! Summer Game Fest 2025 included many interesting and exciting new game announcements and trailers that I am really excited about, and Morzeey and I have compiled a list of our favorites to share with everyone. Let’s get into it!

End of Abyss 

The beginning of this trailer instantly caught my attention as it panned down the dreary vertical corridor and showcased the silhouettes of the main character and what I venture to assume is a rag-tag group of companion AI characters or characters in a co-op mode. After seeing that this is made by Section 9 Interactive, the creators of Little Nightmares, the similarities are clear, but not so much that this feels like a spiritual successor of the successful series. In fact, it also reminds me of a few other games I’ve personally enjoyed. The robotic, disembodied voice over the trailer drew a parallel to the NPCs in Stray, and the cube reveal at the end instantly made me recall Portal. In its brief one minute and twenty-second runtime, this game trailer managed to make me think of three of my favorite games, and this is absolutely going to be at the top of my Wishlist!

Atomic Heart 2 

Seeing the trailer for Atomic Heart II made me run to Steam and purchase the first, as I instantly recalled how it ticked a lot of boxes on my mental list of “Cool Things I’m Into” like robots, dystopian themes, and sci-fi. Mundfish, the developers, have reported that this sequel will build on the first by expanding the scope of the events happening on a global scale, and diving deeper into complex moral themes like Artificial Intelligence and control. Set to the jubilant soundtrack of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now", the trailer takes these heavy topics and gives them a refreshingly light-hearted spin as it mixes in footage from intense gun fights, parasurfing robots, and interesting traversal and fighting mechanics. Each of the vast and differentiating settings was rich in color and pleasing detail, which leads me to believe this is going to be a gorgeous game. I may have let this series slip through my fingers the first time under the adult gamers’ curse of “balancing games and my adult life,” but it has pulled me back in again. I finished the trailer with Freddie Mercury’s lyrics ringing in my head; this game does indeed look like a good time.

Lego Voyagers 

Shifting gears in tone a bit to something that looks casual and wholesome, I loved the vibe of this trailer. The effect of the instrumental soundtrack coupled with the adorable sounds of the little Brick 1x1’s as they tumble around was effectively calming while still holding my attention. As opposed to other LEGO games I’ve played, this game doesn’t look like it encourages as much destruction as it does strategic building of the bricks. While there seem to be clear consequences of not traversing the little puzzles on the map correctly, like falling into the sky, it doesn’t suggest that challenge was the dominating thought of the game’s developers, Light Brick Studio. Rather, this game looks like something I would pair up with a friend to play after an exhausting day. True to its real-life counterpart, this game looks like friendly and approachable fun for all ages.

KILLER INN 

The trailer for KILLER INN featured many of the elements I love when looking for a game to play with friends, like themes of deception, customizable characters that comically stand out amidst other players, and getting to wield a brutal weapon. I mean, what’s a better bonding exercise than murder?! With the addition of a leveling system based on quests, looting and stealing mechanics, and setting traps, it looks like there is plenty to do as 24 of you utilize deception to either eliminate the others or make it out alive. The concept of Wolves vs Lambs in the trailer conjures up fond memories of playing party games like Werewolf, and I am definitely on board to make more memories of the kind playing KILLER INN.

Stranger Than Heaven 

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio finally revealed their mysterious Project Century under the new title: Stranger Than Heaven. The trailer featured a gritty noir theme set in Japan and led by a beginning on-theme following a detective, but took a detour right at the end by sprinkling in a supernatural clue. I couldn’t conclusively say what kind of gameplay will be present just from the trailer, but I dare to suggest that was the intention. There’s clearly going to be elements of hand-to-hand martial arts combat, but I am extremely curious to see how the supernatural elements come into play. I may be leaving the trailer with more questions than answers, but I am eager to keep track of this game as more information is revealed!

And that's my list! I'm excited to learn about these games as I follow them through their journey to launch. I'm always eager to hear about the community's opinion and check a look your lists. Did you see anything that stood out to you? Let me know!