12 Of The Best Games At PAX West 2024 [Now With Two More Games!]

Developer: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: September 26, 2024

It’s been a long time coming for Princess Zelda, the namesake of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, to star in a proper game that’s not a middling CD-I spin-off. With The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, we see the series step back into the classic top-down adventure style of games like A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, but with a heightened focus on building up Zelda as a heroine of her own story after Hyrule becomes corrupted by mysterious rifts and Link goes missing. From the hour I spent with Echoes of Wisdom, it’s shaping up to be the most inventive take on a classic-style Zelda game we’ve seen yet.

What surprised me most was how much you can push the game’s echo system to create surprisingly effective combat and puzzle-solving strategies. With Zelda able to use her powers to conjure up imitations of ordinary items and even enemies like Darknuts (those obnoxious knights that have been the bane of many a Zelda player’s existence) or moblins, she can use bits of the world to her advantage in nearly any situation – such as conjuring a row of beds to create a bridge. It’s far more open-ended than I expected it would be, and I can already envision players devising unique and clever ways to traverse the world and clear encounters that others may not have considered. In one fight, I spawned a flaming blob to set fire to brush to attack enemies and then tossed rocks at them to finish them off, and in another, I kept swarming a mini-boss with snakes.

It was so amusing and satisfying to see what I could do with the echoes, and I was just really taken in by how much this light immersive-sim aspect adds to a classic Zelda experience. After my hands-on, Echoes of Wisdom shot up my list of most anticipated games. I can’t wait to see more of it.

Developer: Square-Enix, Artdink
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One & Series X/S
Release Date: November 14, 2024

It can’t be said enough just how influential the Dragon Quest series was for role-playing video games, especially the original trilogy. Unfortunately, the earliest entries of the series from the ‘80s have not aged as gracefully as some of its JRPG brethren like early Final Fantasy or Pokémon, mostly because of how unapproachable and difficult they can be. Thankfully, this full remake of the original trilogy aims to freshen up the experience, giving it a new look and updated gameplay yet still retaining that spirit of a classic console JRPG.

Playing Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake put me back into that familiar mood of bundling up with a compelling role-playing game from back in the day, taking in the bright colors of the world and that sense of optimism for an adventure in the making. It retains that simple yet still compelling pace of a classic Dragon Quest game. But the remake also focuses on creating a better sense of direction and purpose for you within the world, which is gorgeously recreated with crisp new sprite work and 3D environments that provide a greater sense of depth. So far, it seems as if the HD-2D Remake of DQ3 is elevating the original experience to its best self, and I’m looking forward to diving back into this world again.

Developer: Deck Nine Games
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Buy it from: Humble Bundle | Amazon
Release Date: October 29, 2024

While the Life Is Strange series had adopted the anthology approach for its many sequels, Double Exposure brings the focus back to the original protagonist, Max Caufield. This time, we see Max, now older, wiser, and a famous photographer, possessing new powers that allow her to slip into two parallel realities. Pulled into a murder mystery across dimensions, Max has to uncover who was behind the death of her friend Safi in one reality while still interacting with her in another and trying to prevent her death.

According to the developers, they weren’t too concerned with the canon events of the original game’s “impossible choice” ending. If anything, they see Double Exposure as something of a best-of-both-worlds approach to the series, acknowledging choices made and not made in the player’s experience with the story. Double Exposure puts that aspect at the forefront. Yet the causality of these choices, which see you building a relationship in one timeline but potentially weakening it in another, is still important. Being able to transition between realities seamlessly was so intriguing, and interacting with two different versions of the same character led to some interesting dilemmas that I want to see play out. This focus on relationships is part of what makes the Life Is Strange series so well-loved by fans— its empathetic storytelling makes it very welcoming for players, who often quickly become attached to the cast of characters. I like where Double Exposure is going with its story, and it could prove to be one of the boldest entries in the series yet.

Developer: Summitsphere
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One & Series X/S
Buy it from: Steam
Release Date: November 12, 2024

What made AntonBlast such a thrilling little experience was that it felt equal parts like a high-energy ‘90s Nickelodeon cartoon and an early 2D PS1-era platformer riding high on the enhanced tech of the 32-bit console. Inspired directly by the Crash Bandicoot and Wario Land games, AntonBlast has you play as a pair of chaotic bruisers that plow through environments and baddies with reckless abandon. Similar to Pizza Tower, the aim is to tear through levels as fast as possible while causing destruction to the levels and enemies in equal fashion—and in some cases, your wrecking journey will even take you into the backgrounds of levels to break stuff in the distance. Once I got into the groove of its high-octane platforming pace, I found AntonBlast to be a fun throwback, filled to the brim with raucous energy that I couldn’t help but admire.

Developer: Jed Shepherd in association with Limited Run Games and Visible Games
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One & Series X/S
Release Date: TBD 2025

On the surface, Ghosts presents itself as a tribute to the “so-bad, they’re good” FMV (full motion video) games from the ‘90s in the vein of Sewer Shark and Night Trap. However, Ghosts puts a twist on the formula: playing as a producer of a horror-based reality tv show, you cycle through camera feeds watching contestants explore a haunted house, and you begin to experience your own share of hauntings within the confines of your comfy van, revealing a dark presence that draws you into something sinister. The game also employs a fascinating gimmick: it will only be playable in “real time” after 10PM based on your current timezone—and also, quitting the game prematurely will result in the worst and most gruesome ending for the live action cast.

Ghosts is an alluring spin on popular narrative-driven horror experiences and the experimental games that never left the ‘90s—think equal parts Five Nights at Freddy’s and Night Trap. The combination of the two, with the jarring yet playful use of live-action actors exploring the house and the explorable space of the van feeling increasingly unsafe, made for something very compelling, a new mix of different genres, and it’s something I want to see more of—especially with monster designs coming from Siren Head creator Trevor Henderson.

Developer: Digital Eclipse
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One & Series X/S
Buy it from: Steam
Release Date: TBD 2024

According to the developers, the main goal behind Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind was to make the proper high-energy, bombastic arcade-style beat-em-up that the series never got. True to their word, playing MMPR: Rita’s Rewind feels like a throwback to’ 90s-style fast-paced brawler action that puts it alongside genre siblings like Streets of Rage and the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles clobberfests.

Made in the same style as the ‘90s nostalgia-tuned TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge—which is a good thing—Rita’s Rewind is a fun tribute to the original series that not only tosses in deep cuts, but so far looks to be a pretty solid beat-em-up in its own right. Each member of the OG crew feels unique and possesses their own moves, and it was really thrilling seeing all the action unfold. Along with planned missions focusing on giant robot and kaiju battles presented in SNES-style Mode 7 visuals, MMPR: Rita’s Rewind looks to not only show the greatest hits of the series but also offer a fun dive back to a classic era of gaming.

Developer: DinoBoss
Platforms: PC, other platforms TBD
Buy it from: Steam
Release Date: TBD 2024

What hooked me with Demon Spore is that it turns the general idea of John Carpenter’s The Thing into a co-op roguelite experience. Focusing on a group of scientists and security guards trapped in a facility slowly being overrun by a hostile organism, the survivors must scrape together supplies and chart out an escape while staying one step ahead of the growing parasite. It mixes elements of survival horror with top-down twin-stick shooters, all within the framework of a dungeon crawler that has you compete against an opponent making moves in the dungeon as well.

Demon Spore was such a blast with a crew, and seeing how quickly things escalated was a real trip. You have to pick up whatever you can find to survive, including guns and fire extinguishers to freeze enemies or computer screens to shock them. My favorite moments came when things took a turn for the worse; seeing the chaos and sense of desperation that occurred when the parasitic tendrils took over sections of the room in real time was so unnerving. It has all the makings of a fun and unsettling time with a crew.

Developer: Nautilus Games
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Buy it from: Steam
Release Date: TBD

Made by some of the devs behind Death’s Door and Go Mecha Ball, Everdeep Aurora presents a more cozy and atmospheric take on a post-apocalyptic game. Set in the time after a meteor has collided with the planet, you take on the role of Shell, a cat-like explorer armed with a drill that can burrow deep below the surface. After your mother goes missing you resolve to find her, with your only clue a note leading you down into the depths below the village into caverns filled with oddball scavengers and platforming challenges to face.

Everdeep Aurora is a visual stunner, using the aesthetic of a 16-bit game to establish itself as a stunning and atmospheric adventure that feels equal parts Hollow Knight and Steamworld Dig. As you delve deeper, new 16-bit filters show off the change in scenery, which are cool moments that help to build up its atmosphere even further. With no combat, Everdeep Aurora focuses more on platforming action and adventure-like quests to set the mood and give you a sense of growth throughout Shell’s journey.

Developer: Supermassive Games
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One & Series X/S
Buy it from: Amazon
Release Date: TBD 2025

What makes the Little Nightmares series so compelling is that it manages to be simultaneously whimsical and utterly terrifying. The first two games from developer Tarsier Studios told a connected story, but with the third game coming from Supermassive Games of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology fame, the series is going for a fresh start. This new beginning also means a change in scope, and Little Nightmares III focuses on two playable protagonists experiencing the horrors of the story together—a story which can be played solo with an AI companion or in co-op.

During my co-op session, I coordinated with my partner to find the best ways to get ahead of the new baddies lurking about, which in our demo included a four-armed factory administrator who didn’t want anyone in their office. Playing with another person heightened that sense of dread as we had to figure out the best way to proceed. Supermassive Games is keeping up well with the series’ focus on an unsettling cinematic platformer experience, and while the third game does feel very familiar, it looks to be building off its foundations for a promising third entry that could take Little Nightmares to new heights.

Heartworm
Developer: Vincent Adinolfi
Platforms: PC
Buy it from: Steam
Release Date: TBD 2025

While many developers who worked on classic ‘90s survival horror games had to build environments and characters around the limited technology of the time, that low-polygon aesthetic and sense of atmosphere still has many fans today. The upcoming Heartworm aims to recapture that ‘90s style from classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil for a surreal and unnerving new game. Mixing Fatal Frame with the unease of Twin Peaks, Heartworm is a nostalgia-fueled nightmare gallery that channels that familiar mood of classic survival horror. While battling monsters that looked like they’d crawled out of static televisions, I was taken in by the ever-changing environments, which got increasingly unhinged as it went on. I dug where this horror game is going, and I’m all for developers giving the low-polygon aesthetic a second life with modern games.

Developer: Warhorse Studios
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Buy it from: Best Buy
Release Date: February 11, 2025

What made the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance such a hit was that it was essentially a Bethesda-style RPG with an element of realism that served its historical backdrop. While the original didn’t hit all the historical and gameplay beats it needed, the upcoming sequel looks to be a major step forward that presents a greater level of detail and grounding for its take on an open-world medieval-era Bohemia. Picking up after the original, protagonist Henry returns to explore a larger version of Bohemia and its surrounding regions during a civil war.

I was very impressed with just how immersive the sequel is, and the game’s larger scale uplifts the richness of the setting—which feels both more faithful to history and more interesting to explore. Just walking the streets of one of the game’s towns, named Kuttenberg, was a highlight in my demo; the daytime activity in the town felt lively, while exploring the town at night, when everyone required torches to travel, was a moody and compelling change of pace. Along with the return of realistic, directional-based swordfighting, Henry also has more ways to go about solving specific problems, giving the sequel more of an open-ended nature that didn’t feel as present in the original. So far, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II looks to be a fully realized sequel that does more to live up to the concept of a true medieval open-world RPG.

To read more on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, check out Kotaku’s full impressions following a three hour session with the game.

Developer: Paper Cult
Platforms: PC
Buy it from: Steam
Release Date: TBD 2025

Paper Cult’s Tears of Metal is an intriguing mash-up of a large-scale medieval action brawler with a roguelite. Set in the aftermath of a meteor landing in the Scottish highlands, you play as a general tasked with leading a battalion of captains and soldiers into battle to reach the fallen star before rival factions beat you to it. With its battles taking place on a similar scale to those of the Dynasty Warriors series, players use their character’s skills to tear through enemies, capture territory, and defeat unit captains. Each successful engagement earns new buffs, such as explosive fire damage or heightened defense, and it was thrilling to see how much power you can attain in a short time. With its grim fantasy aesthetic coupled with the large-scale fights, Tears of Metal presents a neat and exciting spin on a roguelite brawler.