Best in Show Games, PAX East 2022

A Collection of Games that Stole the Show

PAX East 2022 was a unique year. After several cancellations and pivots to online conventions, PAX East went from one of the largest and most exciting gaming shows on the east coast to something far tamer and more focused. This year marked the absence of major publishers such as Nintendo or Capcom, which created a huge opportunity for indie publishers and developers to have meaningful interactions with players and media. Following my attendance at PAX East, there are several games I wanted to highlight in a short list of excellent games that are a must to check out.

To note, many of these games are in varying stages of development. A few are soon to be released while others are in the earliest stages of having something playable. I’ve also included a few honorable mentions. Links to each website and/or store listing are also included for convenience.

The Last Hero of Nostalgaia

Developed by Over the Moon Games

Published by Coatsink

Platforms - Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One

Release Timing - 2022

Souls-like games are top of mind at the moment for me, especially considering the massive amount of time I spent in Elden Ring. This might be why The Last Hero of Nostalgaia hit so hard for me. The game is a parody of Souls games and it’s one of the funniest games I’ve played in a while. Players take up the mantle of a pixelated stick figure, one of the most grotesque characters in the game’s world due to a disease of pixelation twisting the universe. Characters and areas warp with varying levels of pixelation, creating stark shifts in visuals in dramatic ways.

The third-person gameplay is wonderfully familiar as the combat mimics various Souls titles. I was able to immediately figure out how to play and survive, opting for the sorcerer class that could throw blue blocks as a simple projectile. It makes sense that the game feels so Souls-y since the developer focused first on making the gameplay. Beyond that, the theming, comedic tone, and engaging atmosphere are what sucked me into the short demo.

I personally can’t wait to see just how meta the story gets when the game launches later this year. Those who’ve been playing Dark Souls or Elden Ring will find a lot to enjoy here. Yet, players who’ve struggled with those types of games will be happy to know that The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is more approachable than most in the genre.

Learn more on the steam listing.

WrestleQuest

Developed by Mega Cat Studios

Published by Skybound Games

Platforms - Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4

Release Timing - Summer 2022

Games are perfect for capturing specific emotions, typically fueled by tapping into one’s memories. WrestleQuest achieves this in spades as an RPG that celebrates the legacy and larger-than-life characters of pro wrestling while also exploring the feeling of playing with toys and acting out scenes as a child. While I knew that wrestling fans would appreciate the appearances of "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Andre The Giant, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jeff Jarrett, and more, I discovered a surprisingly deep narrative layered with an extreme potential for significance.

The world and characters of WrestleQuest exist as toys with different regions being governed by various wrestling factions and teams. While one of the playable characters Randy Santos faced off against a pun of Stone Cold felt like what I expected to see, there was also a scene where a stuffed elephant and its pals battled in a homemade backyard ring after watching their favorites on a retro television that tugged on my heart. While we won’t know where the story goes until the game releases, there is a huge opportunity for WrestleQuest to have a fantastic narrative.

Gameplay is similar to Paper Mario and there’s even a similar crowd mechanic that echoes the pre-match walk-ins that have been an iconic part of wrestling for decades. Enemies are not defeated in WrestleQuest either, they’re pinned! The game leans into the themes extremely well and there was a ton of polish on the demo being shown.

Learn more on the official WrestleQuest website.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Developed by Tribute Games Inc.

Published by Dotemu, Gamera Games

Platforms - PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Release Timing - Summer 2022

Out of all of the games featured at PAX East, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge was the game I looked forward to playing the most. The turtles have always been a big part of life since watching the cartoons as a kid and playing games like the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or the SNES Tournament Fighters. The characters have a video game legacy with titles like Turtles in Time being hailed as one of the best. Capturing the Saturday morning goofiness of the 80s and 90s, building upon the foundation of the beat-em-up classics, and mixing all of that with the game design excellence of Tribute Games has resulted in one of the best tributes to the turtles I have ever seen.

Featuring up to four-player cooperative beat-em-up action, Shredder’s Revenge is a dream come true both for the development team and fans. This game was truly built as a love letter to TMNT and most of the original 80s cartoon cast were able to reprise their roles. The fun music, the stunning pixel-art visuals, and the fairly complex combo system made it one of the most popular games on the show floor, one that always had people lined up. It was clear that everyone was having a blast when they got to play.

We’re anxiously awaiting to spend more time with Shredder’s Revenge.

More turtle details can be found on the official website.

Evil West

Developed by Flying Wild Hog

Published by Focus Entertainment

Platforms - PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC

Releasing Timing - 2022

I love over-the-top concepts. I’m frequently found celebrating some of the zaniest ideas for entertainment that somehow go beyond the silliness into being a fun time. Media doesn’t always have to make sense, in fact, Studio Trigger’s library of anime is built on nonsense in favor of style and flair. This is where Evil West fits for me, in that realm of goofy genre-mashing all for fun action. Players become a gruff cowboy who talks in a graveled voice and blasts away Ticks, mutated vampiric monstrosities. His weapons include traditional guns from the Western genre as well as a collection of electricity-fueled Nikola Tesla arms, most notably a metal fist.

The game feels like a mix of Darkwatch’s (2005) themes and God of War’s (2018) gameplay. It’s a deliciously hokey setting and there are lots of action tropes being used but I absolutely loved playing this one. There were several expertly crafted environments and I caught myself taking a moment to just stare at the structures and landscapes. It was also surprising just how polished the demo was considering this was the first playable showing of the game. I was fanning the hammer at possessed cowboys and knocking horrible bat creatures into spiked walls in fantastic blood-drenched action. It felt like playing a grindhouse film like Machete or Desperado with a touch of Underworld.

We’ll see how the final version plays out, but Evil West looks like just the type of dumb fun that I adore in games.

Learn more on the official Evil West webpage.

SIGNALIS

Developed by rose-engine

Published by Humble Games

Platforms - PC, Xbox One

Release Timing - Fall 2022

Horror can be one of the most provocative genres in media. The film Alien featured haunting creature design. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film is full of incredible cinematography. There are countless examples of art being used to explore the darkest parts of our human existence. That artistic excellence carries into games and SIGNALIS is stunningly beautiful. Low-poly characters, pixelated animation, and beautiful shifts in perspective make SIGNALIS a must-play for horror gamers.

Gameplay feels similar to classic Resident Evil as players work through environments from a fixed camera angle but there’s also a lot of point-and-click inspiration. Much of the game is spent from that classic survival horror angle but it often switches into first-person for puzzle-solving and exploration. These intimately close moments add more texture to the game’s world and are perfect chances to scare the player. Even with the murmur of the crowds and the immense energy I’d spent working the show floor, I found myself extremely tense while playing.

SIGNALIS immediately captivated me and I desperately hope the full release nails the landing later this year.

More about SIGNALIS can be found on the official website.

Winner - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

This felt almost pre-determined based on everything shown so far of Shredder’s Revenge but actually playing it solidified just how special this game could be. It was one of my favorite demos at PAX East and I am counting down the days until I can fire up the game to play with friends. This could potentially be an instant classic that TMNT fans play for years to come.

Honorable Mentions

Despite a lack of larger companies and things like the Indie MEGABOOTH, PAX East was full of hidden gems and exciting releases. Potionomics, which was at the XSeed Games booth, has some of the most expressive character animations I’ve seen and it stopped me in my tracks. Turbo Overkill at Apogee Entertainment has all of the elements of a boomer shooter that makes those games so much fun including a chainsaw slide that rips through foes. Cult of the Lamb was so popular with players that all press appointments were canceled in favor of a preview opportunity where a build was sent to media members, which we were given so expect to read more on Cult of the Lamb soon!

These are just a few and we have lots of coverage coming from PAX East soon including hands-on impressions, interviews, and more. We are actively sorting the abundance of connections we made at PAX East and we encourage anyone to connect with Forever Classic Games through our email or social media channels.

I’d also like to extend my deepest regards to the PAX team for providing us with a media badge and the countless people I worked with for setting up appointments. Thank you for your time, patience, and kindness.

On-Site Interview Collection

We were able to capture several interviews with developers and community leaders at PAX East 2022. Those interviews are available on our Forever Classic Podcast feeds and organized through this playlist below.

The Forever Classic Podcast · PAX East 2022