Four Under the Radar Games from E3 2017

by Matthew Thompson

I thought I might be a little E3’d out after writing a number of Pre-E3 posts and the one about my favorite games from the event earlier this week, but I still feel the urge to share more. Today I wanted to shine the light on a few more games that I felt went a bit under the radar compared to the seven games I talked about before. Here are some quick thoughts on four games from E3 2017 that deserve a bit more attention.

Hidden Agenda

Curiously tucked away in Sony’s pre-conference show instead of the press briefing proper was this new game from Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games. The developers saw the way people were playing Until Dawn in groups, shouting out what the people in control should do. From this grew Hidden Agenda, a new crime thriller where you play as a detective and district attorney embroiled in a case involving a serial killer. It looks to play similarly to Until Dawn, but the PlayLink feature allows multiple players to get involved by using their phones to do things like vote for choices. This has the potential to be an incredible new party game experience.

Matterfall

No one does arcade shooters like Housemarque. Super Stardust HD was a highlight of the PS3’s early digital offerings. PS4 launch title Resogun remains my all-time favorite in the genre. And they just released Nex Machina to strong reviews. Their next game, Matterfall, looks like a cross between their twin-stick shooters and their 2011 sidescroller Outland which itself combined platforming with bullet-hell elements – specifically Ikaruga’s color-swapping mechanic. If their past track record is anything to go on, fans of arcade action are in for another winner when Matterfall launches on August 15^th.

Super Lucky’s Tale

I initially shrugged off the announcement of Super Lucky’s Tale during Microsoft’s Press Conference thinking it was a port of sorts of the tepidly received VR game from last year. But positive impressions from my friend (shout-out to Casey!) who got a chance to play it at E3 made me give it a second look and I’m glad I did. Super Lucky’s Tale is actually a whole new game. Gameplay footage was impressive particularly how tightly constructed the levels were (too much dead space being an issue I have with many similar games). After the disappointing Yooka-Laylee and with the wait for A Hat in Time continuing on endlessly, Super Lucky’s Tale looks like a lovely addition to my favorite genre to go alongside Mario’s next platforming adventure this Fall.

Tunic

It is unexpected – and equally delightful – that half of the games on this list star a fox. Tunic’s whole aesthetic, including its adorable little fox hero, is extremely charming. This isometric action/adventure game formerly known as Secret Legend seems to take more than a few cues from The Legend of Zelda that will be immediately evident to anyone who sees the game in action. I was quite taken by the trailer that appeared at E3’s PC Gaming Show and I will be keeping an eye on this one going forward.

A few more smaller-scale games that caught my eye:

• There wasn’t enough shown of Ori and the Will of Wisps to make my favorites list, nor is it an overlooked game from the show, but I am super excited for it nonetheless. Probably my most anticipated game on the Xbox One. The developer said they want this to be the Super Mario Bros. 3 to the original Ori’s Super Mario Bros. A lofty goal, but I like the ambition.
• The Last Night got a lot of pub for things its creator said in the past. I have mixed feelings on it because of that, but I loved the trailer when I first saw it at the MS presser. It reminded me of old cinematic platformers like Flashback and Another World in a Blade Runner-esque setting with some beautiful pixel-art visuals.
• I was glad to see Ashen pop back up this year and that Cuphead finally got a release date.

That will do it for this post. I still have one more about E3 I’d like to do about a couple of games I’m unsure about. I plan to lump any final thoughts into that one as well. And I just recorded a podcast about E3 which I should have up next week sometime. Keep an eye out for that stuff soon. Thanks for reading!