Upcoming indies from Team 17 – hands-on details
It’s been an excellent season for gaming on PlayStation, and there are still fun experiences coming right around the corner. We had a chance to get hands-on with some upcoming indie titles from Team 17, and here are the games you should be looking out for in the dog days of summer.
Moving Out 2
If you’ve been in the mood for a fun couch co-op or an online game to unwind with, then Moving Out 2 is a must-play. The folks from Devm Games and SMG Studio decided to feature twice as much content as the original title, adding new gameplay mechanics, such as sorting furniture, objects that can’t fit through particular doors (been there), and hidden items that unlock a cast of diverse characters representing race, gender, and accessibility. The biggest improvement comes in the form of the whacky dimensions you travel to, which have different rules when it comes to moving. Whether it’s the swaying rooms of a hotel held up by a giant or the sticky situations caused by the candy dimension, as you wrestle with items, the adaptive triggers of PS5’s DualSense wireless controller respond in kind, adding that real-world flavor of trying to force an item through with a buddy who thinks you just need to twist it more.
Release date: August 15
Platform: PS5/PS4
Blasphemous 2
Another powerhouse sequel, Blasphemous 2, is a challenging 2D exploration adventure that picks up after the events of Wounds of Eventide. The devs at The Game Kitchen created a beautiful hand-drawn-like art style that adds personality to the stoic main character. As unforgiving as combat can be, the combination of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers sells the adrenaline rush of battle. You can feel the incoming attacks of a boss, the pushback of deflecting a hit, and of course, the swings of your weapon, which differ depending on what arms were chosen at the start of the game. You’ll be rewarded with genuinely immersive combat if you wish to test your reflexes in a dark, yet beautiful world.
Release date: August 15
Platform: PS5
Gord
Gord is an interesting mix of genres from former Frostpunk and The Witcher 3 developers – Covenant.dev – to bring Slavic folklore to the mainstream. At its core, it is a town building simulator with population management and survival mechanics thrown into the mix. It is a bleak title not for the faint of heart, but the trials and tribulations you go through to keep your village alive are captivating. Everything from cutting deals with monsters that hide in the dark to sending people on dangerous errands for the good of the masses. Combining that with dealing with the emotional trauma of villagers caused by your actions and outside forces is a tricky tightrope to manage, but the motivation to keep everything running and your people alive makes this an unexpected emotional journey.
Release date: August 8
Platform: PS5
Classified: France ‘44
Bringing to light the lesser-known story of the Allied special forces sent to weaken the opposition in the weeks leading to D-Day, Classified: France ‘44 is an evolution of the modern tactics game from developers at Absolutely Games. No playthrough will ever be the same because the mission you have access to will change depending on who you recruit, the skills you learn or don’t, and the success of each assignment. Outside the endless possibilities of the story progression, the gameplay is a drawn-out chess match of managing morale, weapons, reloading, soldier placement, and abilities. Changing mission objectives, enemy reinforcements, and even your skill in staying undetected or not all play into the unpredictability of war and the strategy to adapt to it.
Release date: 2023 TBD
Platform: PS5
As we prepare for fall blockbusters, these exciting titles from Team 17 will keep you occupied with their variety of gameplay and stream of replayability. Whether you want to get lost for hours on a solo adventure or laugh with a friend, you can have that and more all summer long on PlayStation.
