E3 2021 has spent most of its initial days making up for lost time, and the Guerilla Collective’s second round continued proceedings with a string of unusual, unique experiences.
The show began with a gameplay look at Origami 2, a game that looks like it’s echoing a lot of Sekiro. The combat has a strong Dark Souls vibe, with parries and considered attacks. Origami 2 will launch on September 17th internationally.
Next up was Firegirl, a 2D platformer about someone putting out fires. It’s coming to PC and consoles, but there’s no release date just yet.
The next title was an environmental puzzler, one that looked to borrow a ton of mechanical vibes from the Darksiders series. It’s called Batora: Lost Haven, and it’ll launch on all platforms at an unspecified date.
The next title began with a lot of cinematic-esque music, the title GRIME and the sight of two mouths about to kiss. After an animation featuring a blackhole that generated a creature, and a release date saying 2021, I’m still not sure exactly what it is.
BPM: Bullets Per Minute followed, with a brief introduction from one of the developers. A procedurally generated game, BPM highlights the soundtrack by tying the enemies and yourself to the beat of the soundtrack.
You can’t pet the bird, apparently. I don’t know why this is the case.
BPM is launching on Xbox One and Playstation this winter for Australians; it’s already available on Steam on PC.
Akatori was next, although we didn’t see much beyond some action of the game from some boss battles; little context was provided.
Humble Grove then introduced their title No Longer Home, a game about leaving university and then dealing with the void of what follows.
The game is based on the experiences of the indie creators, dealing with their own disillusion with the education system and their own place in society. The game has been in development for approximately six years, and it’ll be released on Steam sometime in 2021.
Do you like the match-three mechanic, or variations of it? Demon’s Mirror is bringing back a dungeon crawling version of that, according to a short trailer.
Next up was an RPG about being an bard, specifically a bard in Neverwinter. That was followed by a RPG with some procedural generation called Loot River, a game that blends RPG mechanics with Tetris.
It’s Loot River, which was first introduced during Day of the Devs on early Friday morning Australian time. We got more of a look at the core gameplay this time, including how the stats system works, how players can move objects from side to side, or the weaknesses of different enemies.
We then got a Switch trailer for Ghostrunner, the parkour-flying cyberpunk first-person dodger. Honestly, it’s a cracking game, and play it on a PC if you haven’t already. The Switch version is launching on June 30 internationally.
The Light of the Darkness, a 2.5D platformer, then appeared. If you’re a fan of Salt and Sanctuary and platformers generally, this one seems like it’s harking to you.
Demon Turf is a 3D platformer with a special focus on speedrunning, targeting all current platforms and PC.
If Zelda-esque adventures are up your alley, then Arietta of Spirits might be more to your liking. It’s launching in the Australian winter. That was followed by a pixel-art game about stealth adventure with a military character. It’s Unmetal, with a demo supposedly available on Steam.
That was followed by a monochromatic turn-based mech battler called Wolfstride. Like many of the games in the showcased, it wasn’t immediately apparent what was going on.
The next game was a stylish shooter of Severed Steel, a game coming to PC, Xbox One and PS4 with no specific release date. The main mechanic was clearing out rooms in a similar manner to Superhot: without taking damage, and with class.
More footage of Sable followed, which is launching on all major platforms on September 23. A 2D adventure BATS followed, with no specified release date. Another pixel-art isometric twin-stick game called Death Trash then appeared, showcasing a particularly gruesome artstyle.
Serial Cleaner was up next, with a Commando/Shadow Tactics/Desperado-style of tactical gameplay. Cones of view, timing your movements, being extremely careful with lines of sight: it’s all there. The game is due out sometime in 2021.
Next up was White Shadows, a cinematic platformer the developers describe as a “modern fable”. The look has that monochromatic approach akin to INSIDE, where it’s less about puzzles and more about the messaging.
Despot’s Game followed, a rogue-like tactics title about leading an army through quickfire battles. That was followed by the vibrancy of Rawmen, an arena-foodfighting game with a mode where players take control a giant meatball before — Unreal Tournament-style — jumping into various goals.
We also saw a stylish puzzler that involved a lot of crafting called Potion Craft; a demo is live on Steam from today.
Next up was a game about … working hospitality? You run a PS1-style restaurant with seemingly no customers, grilling burgers, frying food and then dealing with the literal horrifying cow that chases you around if your food is too shit. It’s called Happy’s Humble Burger Farm, and it’s launching on Steam, although it’s available on itch.io now.
Trash Sailors followed for all fans of floats and survival/combat on the high seas. More footage of the Taiwanese-developed Behind the Frame, a feature from earlier in E3 2021, then played. Kistune Tails then showed some pixel-art 2D platforming, with players controlling what looked like a white fox in a scarf.
Nosebleed Interactive then showcased Arcade Paradise, a game featuring several multiple arcade-based titles for all platforms that’s due out this year.
That was everything ahead of the Wholesome Direct, another indie-focused direct due to start not long after the Guerrilla Collective Showcase.
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