Guerrilla Collective 2023 has come and gone, and the hours-long showcase had a whole lot of impressive indie and small-scale games to sift through. If you don't have time to pick out your own favorites, here are a few that stood out to us here at 12DOVE.
Perhaps the biggest standout was the heart-stirring trailer for Europa. Described by developer Helder Pinto as a "peaceful game of adventure, exploration, and meditation," it bears more than a passing resemblance to the open-world stylings of modern Zelda games. The trailer's gorgeous piano swells and nostalgic narration help it make an impression, but the gorgeous art, free-form movement, and varied environments suggest there's much more here than just a well-edited video.
We also got a release date for the 1.0 version of World of Horror. This roguelike horror RPG made a splash with its haunting, Junji Ito-style art when it hit Early Access back in 2020, and we'll be able to dig into the full version across PC, Switch, PS4, and PS5 on October 19.
One of my personal favorites was Sengoku Dynasty. At first blush, it's a Valheim-style survival game set in feudal Japan, but it's actually much grander in scope, with RPG and life sim elements that take root as you help build villages and direct the growth of a multi-generational dynasty.
While we've seen plenty of the Soulslike Remnant 2, a new trailer offered maybe the broadest, most complete view of the game we've had yet. This video sets up the setting, the stakes of the story, shows combat, and details some weapon customization, all of which looks very cool.
On the Soulslike tip, we also saw The Golden Eyed Ghosts, a hybrid of FromSoftware sensibilities with the top-down stylings of classic Zelda. 'Elden Ring meets A Link to the Past' is already a heck of a pitch, and this game is adding the promise of world-changing narrative decisions to sweeten the deal, too.
With the modern Resident Evil games sending us into a survival horror renaissance, the supremely creepy Pneumata looks poised to deliver its own unique set of thrills. Pneumata casts you in the role of a detective aiming to piece together your own memories in a place called Clover Hill, and you'll be faced with equal parts of combat, exploration, detective work, and resource management as you go.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Pizza Possum, a game where you're a possum who loves pizza. This old-school arcade action with some stealth action, where you've got to consume all the food you can while trying to avoid capture from the nasty humans who don't want you to eat. Look - it's very simple, very silly, and looks like a lot of fun.
The E3 2023 schedule starts heating up tomorrow with Summer Game Fest, and the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct are set to follow this weekend.
