Submit a news tip



If you’ve never heard of the classic fairytale “The History of Little Goody Two Shoes,” don’t worry, you’re not alone. This over 250-year-old story may have been one of the first children’s books to reach a widespread English audience, but its tale of a poor orphan’s journey journey to a life of riches hasn’t prevailed in the cultural zeitgeist in the way other classics from that era have. That hasn’t stopped Square Enix Collective – the indie publishing division of the JRPG giant – from greenlighting an experimental new release called Little Goody Two Shoes, which they bill as a “mysterious new fairytale anime adventure with a dark twist.” I had the chance to demo this off-the-wall title at PAX West recently, and while I had no idea what to expect going in, what I played was unsettling, beautiful, and immediately absorbing. 

We’ve already highlighted a ton of great games that we had the chance to demo at PAX West 2023, but some of the best titles at the show this year were ones that look to be experimenting with storytelling in new or compelling ways, often innovating with game mechanics too. Here are just a handful of narrative-rich games that we had the opportunity to play during Seattle’s big annual gaming expo – and if you’re a fan of particularly off-the-wall premises and presentation, you’ll have even more to look forward to.

More: ,

It was all the way back at PAX Prime 2013 that Crypt of the Necrodancer – a very successful dungeon crawler rougelite with rhythm-based combat – first started getting widespread love. Upon its full release, the game became so highly acclaimed that the team behind it was eventually able to work with Nintendo on a Legend of Zelda-themed spinoff called Cadence of Hyrule. Back for another victory lap, developer Brace Yourself Games attended PAX West 2023 to show off their latest project, Rift of the Necrodancer. While it’s a much more traditional rhythm game than the developer’s previous experiments, my demo with Rift highlighted some interesting twists on the genre that I think will surprise even seasoned fans of the genre.

Fashion Dreamer preview

It’s a bit mind-boggling to think about, but somehow the Switch has gone its entire lifespan so far without receiving a Style Savvy game from Nintendo, despite getting three great titles in the series on the 3DS. Fortunately for fashion fans, XSEED Games and Marvelous are bringing a spiritual successor of sorts to the platform with Fashion Dreamer, a Switch exclusive that represents something of a new approach to the genre, emphasizing freeform play and social sharing in ways that just wouldn’t have been possible during the 3DS era.

We played more games at PAX West this year than we have time to feature individually, but there were a ton of little surprises we had the chance to try that we’re looking forward to seeing on Switch. If you’re looking for some low-key games to unwind to after a busy day, here are five chill and relaxing games to keep an eye on!

More: ,

As someone new to the Star Ocean series, I had heard so many different opinions on the series over the years that I’d always been curious about jumping in, but not quite sure where to start. Well, apparently the second game in the franchise is regarded by many fans as one of the best, so I was really excited when Star Ocean: The Second Story R was revealed in a recent Nintendo Direct (alongside a jaw-dropping new art style). I was able to demo this remake at PAX West 2023, and left with an extremely positive first impression; exciting combat, old-school strategic depth and outstanding production values are all lining up to make this one of my most anticipated RPGs.

Sometimes, a game enters your life that is just so strange and charismatic that, even if you don’t quite fully understand it, you can’t help but smile and love it. That basically sums up how I felt after recently demoing Thank Goodness You’re Here, an upcoming comedy adventure game that feels like a Cartoon Network show come to life in all the best ways.

Gaming preferences develop from many different origins – the games you played at your neighbor’s house growing up, the ones you received at Christmas and on birthdays – but being born in the late nineties, Atari games were never in my rotation. That’s probably because for what felt like years, the company’s output was relatively minimal compared to the early days of the storied company. Their franchises remain iconic, though; I’d wager just about everyone knows what Pong at least is, even if they’ve never played it. That inherent familiarity is powerful, and Atari’s upcoming slate of games capitalizes on it; they’re taking old favorites and finding ways to refresh them into something exciting for modern audiences.

No Longer Human preview

No Longer Human – an upcoming fast-paced slash-em-up and the debut release of indie developer 0801 LLC – is one of the finest examples of pure sensory overload that I’ve ever had the privilege of playing. I moved and attacked at speeds that felt impossible, to a soundtrack that’s so agressive and distorted its almost indescribable, while watching geysers of pixellated blood erupt from my foes. The game has the aesthetic of vector-traced arcade cabinets of the olden days, if those games were made today and took place in a rave. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that absolutely deserves to be on the radar of action game fans.

There were a ton of interesting games big and small at PAX West 2023, but as someone who’s always on the hunt for more fast-paced thrills, I felt spoiled for choice after sampling a huge swatch of action-heavy games at the show. From roguelikes to first-person shooters, there’s a little bit of everything on the horizon; if you’re looking for your next high-energy experience, we’ve put together a list of 9 action-rich games you may want to keep an eye out for.


Manage Cookie Settings