The best of the Triple-i showcase
Slay the Spire 2! Prince of Persia! More Vampire Survivors!
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Tonight marked the first ever Triple-i showcase, a new digital event highlighting a vast number of indie game projects on the way.
The "no nonsense" showcase was initially created by Dead Cells developer Evil Empire, which said the goal was to create a "straight-to-the-point show packed with announcements as a collective of studios, to speak directly to players [with] no hosting segments, no advertisements, no sponsorships, no extra fluff, just games".
We certainly got that, with 45 minutes of trailers, teasers, and announcements. Evil Empire itself revealed its forthcoming The Rogue Prince of Persia, with other headline announcements including Slay the Spire 2, a new Kingdoms mode coming to Darkest Dungeon 2, and Vampire Survivors receiving a PlayStation release and Contra DLC.
But what else shown is worth your attention? We've got a round up of the best new game announcements below.
Slay the Spire 2
The deck-building roguelite returns with a sequel that opened the show. It was only an animated tease, so it's unclear what sort of improvements we can expect, but the trailer did show its three lead characters: the return of The Ironclad and The Silent, plus a new skeletal necromancer called The Necrobinder. It'll release in early access in 2025.
The Rogue Prince of Persia
Evil Empire, fresh from its split from Motion Twin and its work on Dead Cells, is back with a Prince of Persia game in collaboration with Ubisoft. It features a brand new art style and a new prince who wall runs and kicks his way through procedurally generated levels in this roguelite twist on the series. Donlan went hands-on with The Rogue Prince of Persia last week, check out his impressions for more details.
Vampire Survivors on PlayStation
Not only is Poncle's surprise hit Vampire Survivors making its way to PlayStation this summer, there's also a Contra DLC on the way. Named Operation Guns, it'll add plenty of weaponry and mechs when it arrives on 9th May, along with Contra Hard Corps super soldier Brad Fang.
Darkest Dungeon 2's new Kingdoms mode
Red Hook Studios' Darkest Dungeon 2 will receive a new Kingdoms mode later this year as a free update. Separate to the existing Confessions mode, Kingdoms will see players race against the clock to defeat a monstrous threat and protect the kingdom, consisting of a network of upgradeable safe haven Inns. It will also include three new monster factions: The Coven, Beastmen, and Crimson Courtiers.
33 Immortals
This is the next game from Spiritfarer developer Thunder Lotus, though it bears more similarity to its previous game Sundered. Yes it's another roguelite, but an online multiplayer co-operative roguelite with - you guessed it - 33 players aiming to become immortal. And as you'd expect from Thunder Lotus, its cartoon visuals are gorgeous. It's set for release later this year in early access, but a closed beta is taking place from 24th May until 2nd June.
V Rising's Legacy of Castlevania crossover
Fresh from its Dead Cells crossover, Castlevania is set to join another popular indie game: V Rising. If you're a vampire building your own castle, who else could be your ultimate adversary but vampire hunter Simon Belmont? This was previously announced, but tonight's new trailer shows off Belmont in action and gives a release date: 8th May.
Palworld's Arena mode
Pocketpair shared an all-too-brief sneak peak at Palworld's forthcoming Arena mode - it was just seconds long. But it looks like the mode will pair up two opponents and a team of three Pals in a battle to the death. It's due out in 2024, which should keep all you millions of Palworld fans happy.
Dinolords
The trailer for Dinolords starts off simply enough: it's England the year 1002 and as a lord, you must gather resources and build defences against Viking hordes in a seemingly typical strategy city-builder. Except the Vikings are riding dinosaurs. After erecting a massive castle, it's soon besieged by T-Rex and Stegosaurus-riding Viking raiders - an invasion of dino-Thors, if you will. The game, from Danish studio Northplay, is heading to Steam early access in 2025 and is available to wishlist now. It rivals Kingmakers for most ridiculous concept of 2024 so far.
Risk of Rain's second Devotion update
Roguelike shooter Risk of Rain 2 is getting a second Devotion update, bringing a number of new features including new level Verdant Falls, new Devotion and Delusion artifacts, and a new skin based on The Prisoner from Dead Cells. The free update is coming soon across all platforms.
Kill Knight
Set in a castle below Hell, Kill Knight is a bullet-hell shooter that revels in carnage. The game was shown in a particularly fast-paced flashy trailer, filled with enemies and coloured projectiles, tasking players with mastering the demon within. Its dark tone and abstract, horror animations are certainly intriguing. Kill Knight will release later this year across Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Switch, from Australia's PlaySide Studios best known for its mobile and Steam games.
Never Alone 2
Never Alone released back in 2015 and was a sidescroller featuring a young Iñupiat girl, a fox companion, and a whole lot of snow. Now it's getting a sequel, Never Alone 2, which appears to be moving to full 3D. The game only received a short tease in the showcase, but is available to wishlist now from Humble Games.
Cataclismo
A quick mention for this next game from the developer of Moonlighter, Catcalismo is a twist on the RTS and tower defence genres with a beautifully animated art style. Donlan's already played it, so check out his thoughts on Cataclismo ahead of its release date on 16th July on Steam and GOG.
What the Car?
Yes, it's another very silly puzzle game from developer Triband following What the Golf? and What the Bat?. What the Car? this time has cars with legs, cars with multiple wheels, and cars that barely seem like cars at all, all shown in a very psychedelic, car-ismatic trailer. We knew it was coming but now we know when: 5th September on Steam. And there's a demo available now.
Rakugaki: RKGK
The Triple-i showcase offered a first look at Rakugaki, the debut game from Wabisabi Design. Though the stylish teaser didn't include any gameplay, the game is inspired by retro platformers, anime, and graffiti. Funded by Riot Games and published by Gearbox, Rakugaki has a distinct cyberpunk vibe from a group of Latin American developers. It's out in summer this year on Steam. Bonus points for Lupo, Wabisabi CEO Anwar Noriega's very good dog.
Hyper Light Breaker
We got a quick fresh look at Heart Machine's Hyper Light Breaker, due out in early access this summer. Eurogamer's Chris Tapsell wasn't so impressed when he played the game last month at GDC, but there's still hope this 3D roguelite will live up to the hugely high bar set by Hyper Light Drifter. This trailer reveals the Flame Wizard, one of many mini bosses.
Tchia coming to Switch
Last year, Tchia arrived on PlayStation Plus as well as PC and on 27th June it'll arrive on Switch too. If you missed out before, Tchia is set on an archipelago in the southwest Pacific and has players as a young girl with the ability to soul jump into nearby animals and objects as she explores - though be aware there are some dark elements behind the childlike presentation. "I see that Tchia isn't just a game about a child, it's a game with a child's eagerness to find meaning and interest in a wide, wide range of things. And end each busy day with a nice dinner, of course," reads our Eurogamer Tchia review.
