Claire's Top Games of PAX East 2023

This year, Luke and I headed to PAX East for an incredible weekend of gaming and connecting with friends new and old. From the massive show floor featuring so many studios and vendors to the packed panels to the sheer energy of the crowds, PAX East was truly an experience like no other. It was a reminder that now is an excellent time to be a gamer, and that there are so many things to look forward to on the horizon - specifically, some really awesome video games releasing soon. Below I break down my favorite games that I had the opportunity to play at PAX East, as well as when you can look forward to playing them yourself.

Shumi Come Home

This list is in no particular order, as friends and fans of the LukeWarmGames Podcast know I do not do well with picking favorites. However, Shumi Come Home was one of the true standout games of the show for me. Shumi Come Home, developed by SomeHumbleOnion and published by Mooneye, caught my eye initially as a cute-looking game centering on a mushroom character. I was immediately drawn in by the wholesome energy of the characters and the world that Shumi, the game's protagonist and playable character, explores. However, what really made my time with this game memorable was the smooth-feeling traversal through the world and the engaging exploration mechanics.

Shumi Come Home follows Shumi's adventure as it tries to find its way home after becoming lost in the forest. Shumi explores different areas of the forest on its journey, and meets a host of charming characters - each with their own quests for Shumi to complete - along the way. The swimming, climbing, and gliding game mechanics all felt great and made the world that much more interesting to explore. Finding collectibles and gathering items to complete quests and even customize Shumi's look was so fun.

But perhaps my favorite part of my time playing Shumi Come Home was Shumi itself! This adorable little mushroom embodies the game's wholesome vibes. From the way Shumi's arms float behind its body as it runs, to its leaf glider that degrades as your "stamina" bar decreases, Shumi was by far my favorite mushroom on the show floor at PAX East.

A special shout-out to the team at Mooneye, who distributed paper Shumi hats to people who played the demo (I got one, of course). By the end of the show, the expo hall was full of people who had clearly played the Shumi demo and were just as excited as I was to spread the word about this joyous game. Shumi Come Home is currently scheduled to release on Switch and PC in Q2 of 2023, so keep your eyes peeled for this soon-to-be-released adventure! 

Farewell North

Farewell North, also published by Mooneye and developed by Kyle Banks, was another standout game of the show. Another adventure and exploration game with puzzle-solving elements, Farewell North follows the journey of a border collie and his human companion through the Scottish Highlands, and tells a story about loss and saying goodbye. From what I played, I can see this story unfolding to include some deep emotions alongside the beauty of the gameplay.

In Farewell North, the player plays as the collie. Initially, the world is devoid of color. The shapes of the environment exist in tones of gray, and both the dog and the human are stark white. As the dog, you can bark, which briefly illuminates the area around you in color, before returning to gray. The puzzles that I got to experience involved finding bunches of purple thistle, which remained in color once "activated" by a bark, and which could be transported short distances to bring color to other areas. In this way, you act as a guide dog, unblocking the path before your human and returning color to her world as she grapples with her emotions. Returning color to a meadow using a flock of birds led to one of the most beautiful and heartfelt moments I have experienced in games this year. 

Music will undoubtedly play an important role in Farewell North as well. Composer John Konsolakis is not only providing the game's score, but working with developer Kyle Banks to integrate the music with the gameplay for an immersive experience. In the scene with the birds I described earlier, the way the music swells as you complete the puzzle and return color to the area added so much beauty to the moment. I am so excited to see how these elements exist within the full game. Farewell North is currently scheduled to release on Steam in the second half of 2023.

Slay the Princess

Slay the Princess was many people's favorite game of PAX East 2023, and I can see why. Between the game's striking art style and unique gameplay loop, it was certainly the only game of its kind on the show floor. I kept coming back to the Slay the Princess demo station just to watch other people play through the demo, make different choices, and have different consequences during their playthrough. It was fascinating to see all the ways in which the game became slightly different based on each player's choices. After returning home from PAX, I downloaded the Steam demo and played through it multiple times myself, trying to uncover more of the game's secrets.

Slay the Princess, developed by Black Tabby Games, is a choice-based role-playing horror game with dark comedic overtones in which you play as someone who must slay a princess. There is a narrator, along with other voices in your head that compete for your attention as you ask questions and make decisions that lead towards an ending. Exactly what that ending is depends on your choices, and you quickly learn that there is more to this setting and these characters than it initially seems. Even after watching many people play through the demo and playing through it myself twice, I still haven't seen all of the possible outcomes. It is a testament to how compelling the gameplay loop is that I want to continue playing the demo until I have seen everything, and it bodes well for the game's full release.

Slay the Princess also features a bold hand-drawn art style that adds to the suspense of the game's narrative. The black-and-white drawings are reminiscent of an artist's sketchbook and convey the emotions of each scene through the very lines of the artwork. Agitated cross-hatching in one tense playthrough contrasts with simplified lines in another in which I made different, perhaps more naive decisions. In this way, the art of the game itself joins the cast of voices in commentating, often humorously, on the player's approach. The music only adds to the character of the game, building during certain significant moments and fading away during others. Every aspect of this demo is intentionally constructed and contributes to the player experience. I can't wait to see what the full game has to offer. Slay the Princess will be releasing on Steam this year.

Paper Trail

Playing Paper Trail on the third day of PAX was like taking a deep breath. It was instantly relaxing and grounding, and I felt so taken in by the atmosphere of the game. Paper Trail, developed and published by Newfangled Games, is a top-down puzzle adventure game set on the foldable paper pieces of the game world. You play as Paige, an aspiring university student, as she traverses the world using her unique powers to navigate her way to her new school. Paige and the characters she meets along her journey have a unique design that matches the world so well, appearing to be created from cuts of paper. 

Paper Trail is described as being heavily influenced by origami. As the player, you fold the edges of the world to unblock paths, activate doorways, and more to traverse and solve puzzles. Each area has its own striking color palette and ambience, and the characters are interesting and add to the feel of the world. Though I couldn't hear it well enough for it to be immersive, the music is atmospheric and beautiful and includes vocals recorded by renowned vocalists. But the main draw of Paper Trail is its intricate and engaging puzzles.

The puzzles I had the opportunity to play in Paper Trail were my favorite of the show. The mechanic of dragging the edges of the screen and folding in the paper world is executed so well, and I found experimenting with which edges to fold and where to be quite compelling, especially when the puzzle requires multiple folded edges. Wherever Paige is standing can't be folded, or folded upon, so you have to think about both the character's movement and the page-folding simultaneously. Being able to see what is on the reverse side of the page allowed me to think through each puzzle, but much of the fun was in experimenting to figure out how to approach each puzzle.

These puzzles struck that perfect balance of being engaging and challenging while still being approachable and not making me feel frustrated or confused. Solving each page felt rewarding, and even when I wasn't sure what to do next there was plenty to try. I never felt as though I didn't understand what the game wanted me to do, but I didn't feel coddled by the game, either - a feat some puzzle games don't quite manage. This is another game I can't wait to get my hands on when it releases in full. I can report that we can expect to see Paper Trail on all consoles and most operating systems in August of this year. The developers are working to translate the game's point-and-click mechanics to controller and to incorporate the Switch's touch-screen technology.

Pacific Drive

Pacific Drive was the first game Luke and I played at PAX East. The demo we played surprised me and surpassed my expectations. I was not expecting to be drawn in by the game's mechanics to the extent that I was, but searching for parts to upgrade your car and be better equipped to explore the game's mysterious environment turned out to be right in my wheelhouse.

Developed and published by Ironwood Studios, Pacific Drive is a first-person survival game in which you, the player, travel in your station wagon through the irradiated environment and try to uncover the mystery at the heart of the area, known as the Olympic Exclusion Zone. Set in this supernatural reimagining of the Pacific Northwest, this game immerses the player in the eeriness of the forest that is filled with a mysterious and sometimes invisible threat. The suspense and tension created by the environment and the mystery itself is only increased by Pacific Drive's rogue-lite elements - in the case of my demo, a countdown to when the zone would experience a catastrophic event and end my time with the game. It was a race to find as much as I could while still searching for parts to customize my car, craft new tools, and stay alive.

While Pacific Drive is a driving-based game, the driving mechanics are different from those of your typical racing game, and there is a lot to do outside of your station wagon, too. I appreciated how you have to manually turn the keys in the ignition, put the car in drive, and use the parking brake when starting and stopping each driving excursion. You also have windshield wipers and headlights that you activate manually, rather than simply pressing A for example. It was also interesting how the state your car is in when you set out driving is the state it is in while you drive - if you forgot to close the hood before getting in the car, it's still up when you start the engine, and if you don't replace your missing back door, that has an effect on your driving experience as well.

Given that the car is such a vital part of each run of the game, it makes sense that you would want to spend lots of time upgrading and customizing it - which is how I spent a large portion of the demo. I could see myself spending many hours searching for parts to make my station wagon not just what it needs to be to beat the game's story, but what I want it to be. The loop of searching for materials, crafting tools and parts, and then using them to upgrade the car, be able to scavenge for more items, or enter new areas felt so compelling. Something that made this demo really special was hearing how different it was for my friends who played - everyone saw a different part of the game's environment, and I am so intrigued to explore more.

The aspect of Pacific Drive that I really cannot wait to drive into - pun intended - is the mystery at the heart of why the game's environment is so treacherous. One of my favorite game mechanics is "exploring a place and finding clues to piece together what happened there," and it seems that Pacific Drive is built around exactly that. Pacific Drive will be coming to PlayStation 5 and Steam later this year, and I can't wait to jump back in.

Botany Manor

Botany Manor, developed by Balloon Studios and published by Whitethorn Games, is one that I have been excited about since I first heard about it on Nintendo's Indie World Showcase last November. In this first-person plant-based puzzle game, you play as retired botanist Arabella Greene, exploring the 19th century manor and its grounds to grow and care for the plants you find throughout the estate.

Botany Manor's charming art style and soothing, ambient music drew me into the world of the game. The art style focuses less on texture and more on the colors and lighting of the environment, allowing the player to focus on those aspects of the puzzle-solving as well. Whether you are growing a plant from a seed or trying to encourage a dormant flower to bloom again, you must consider every aspect of each plant's needs and think outside of the box in order to complete each puzzle. I found the gameplay loop fun and rewarding as each completed puzzle leaves the player with a visually striking plant in addition to the sense of accomplishment.

Another plant-based puzzle game I played recently was Strange Horticulture, published by Iceberg Interactive. However, I find Botany Manor's emphasis on caring for the plants themselves more enjoyable, and I appreciated feeling immersed in the environment alongside the plants, rather than simply arranging them on a shelf.

I enjoyed the creativity of the puzzles and the beauty of the plants and grounds in equal measure, and I can't wait to fully explore the manor and gardens when Botany Manor releases on PC and Nintendo Switch later this year. 

Wildmender

Wildmender was probably my biggest surprise of PAX East. I hadn't heard anything about the third-person survival game before stumbling upon it on the show floor, and I enjoyed seeing others play their demos before I played it myself on the final day of the show. Wildmender, developed by Muse Games and published by Kwalee, is a multiplayer survival exploration game in which the players restore life to a desolate wasteland and explore the ruins of the previous civilization to learn about what happened there.

Wildmender is surprisingly deep, executing many gameplay mechanics such as crafting, terraforming, open-world exploration, and co-op well. The team's PAX demo approach was unique in that rather than having each person play a predetermined section of the game, the four demo station computers were all connected to the same game server, and the first players of the show started the game, with each subsequent player continuing where the previous player left off. By the end of the show, players had been building the garden, restoring the desert, and crafting all weekend, and I got to experience so much of what the game has to offer. It was incredible to see how the world progressed throughout the weekend whenever we walked past their booth.

I can't wait to start the game for myself when Wildmender releases on PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and Steam later this year. It seems like the game will give the player a lot of bang for your buck - starting from a small oasis and growing the garden to the size it was at the end of PAX took so many combined hours of effort, but there were many ruins in the distance that were still too far away to safely explore. The gameplay loop throughout the different phases of the game drew me in. Planting seeds and growing plants to use for crafting and sustenance, choosing different varieties of plants to cultivate, and managing your resources to stay alive and reach your goals kept me wanting to play more. Between the crafting, curation of the garden, building, outfit customization, light combat (not part of my demo), and exploration to uncover the mystery, Wildmender checks a lot of the boxes of what I look for in a game. I also appreciate that the game can be played single player or co-op with up to four people working together in the same garden.

Wildmender is one of many games playable at this PAX and at PAX West 2022 that focused on the player's relationship with nature. Specifically, Wildmender joins Terra Nil and others in centering on restoring nature and undoing the damage done by previous civilizations. Climate anxiety is something that many of us experience, and it is easy to fall into despair. I have such appreciation for the developers who are creating experiences for gamers to experience the catharsis of creating green spaces, cleansing polluted environments, and restoring ecosystems. Games like this can have a real impact on our society, both as a healing agent and as a call to action to try to help our own environment on this Earth.

The Wandering Village

Another game that centers on rebuilding within an inhospitable environment is The Wandering Village, developed and published by Stray Fawn. This survival city-builder is unique in that you are building your civilization on the back of a moving creature, an Onbu. This creature, which looks like a 6-legged brontosaurus made of nature, allows your villagers to build their civilization on the safety of his back as he travels throughout the poisoned wasteland.

The city-building elements of The Wandering Village are fairly straightforward, but what sets this game apart is the traveling aspect that allows players to send villagers out to the different environments to collect a variety of resources. The environment reminds me of Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and you explore it by caring for Onbu and directing him throughout the world. Some areas are more dangerous to traverse, and each offers different resources that you need as you develop your village. The development team at Stray Fawn also anticipated prospective players' perhaps most important question, and yes, you can pet Onbu.

The art style of The Wandering Village is also eye-catching, blending hand-drawn 2D art with 3D computer-generated graphics. Players can zoom in to watch the villagers working the land on Onbu's back, zoom out for a more comfortable view of their civilization, and zoom out even further to see all of Onbu as he makes his way through the wasteland. You can also use the map to see far past Onbu to the surrounding biomes as you plan your path.

The Wandering Village is in Early Access now on Steam and Xbox series X and S. My time with the game at PAX East left me wanting more, and I can't wait to continue my journey with Onbu and The Wandering Village.

Many Great Games, Many More To Come!

There were so many wonderful games playable at PAX East 2023. I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet so many amazing people and play these and other games. If you are looking for even more game recommendations, keep an eye out for (in no particular order) Fabledom, Animal Well, Alien Hominid Invasion, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, and Unleaving. And, of course, many people's game of the show that I didn't include because I didn't play it myself, The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story.

As always, there is much to look forward to this year. If any of these games sound interesting to you, be sure to check out their Steam pages and wishlist them to help these amazing indie developers be able to fully realize their visions. It's a good time to be a gamer, thanks to them.