At this year’s Summer Game Fest, Xbox Showcase, Ubisoft Forward and more, we saw a ton of great games coming…hopefully…in the next year or so. Of course, everyone—including us on our Best of Summer Game Fest list—is raving about massive titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Star Wars Outlaws, Astro Bot and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but there are so many more amazing titles that just aren’t being talked about enough!
We had four writers on the ground at these events, and though we loved so many games, some felt truly creative, even bordering on odd and entertaining. We wanted to put a spotlight on some of the games that stood out as truly unique across this year’s summer gaming events and showcases. Whether these developers are bringing a new take on a genre, wild and out-there stories, or new ways to play, here are our Most Unique Games from Summer Game Fest & More!
While Waiting
Nominated by: Dayna Eileen
Day of the Devs brought this title to my attention at Summer Game Fest, and it is definitely unique. While Waiting is a wacky title coming from Optillusion, the developers behind Moncage, which currently has almost five thousand positive reviews on Steam. Moving away from puzzles, While Waiting sees you…wait…through every level of the game. You’re faced with every day “waiting” scenarios, like waiting for the bus or waiting for your lives to refill in a mobile game, and you need to find a way to pass the time. I couldn’t stop laughing through my short preview of the game.
Each level has multiple ways to pass the time, which include trying to pet a dog or purchasing watching ads (fake ads in your in-game mobile game) to rush the waiting process. Though I think it has the potential to get boring quickly, so far, While Waiting is, at the minimum, worth a laugh.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
Nominated by: Dayna Eileen
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure was brought to Summer Game Fest by Netflix Games. Originally, I was not particularly curious about it, but after going hands-on with it, I am very eager to play more. The title expertly blends puzzles and role-playing as you take the role of Jemma as she sets out on a journey of self discovery. The unique twist here is that entire map is a scrolling puzzle—think one of those slide puzzles you did as a kid—where you need to strategize to make your way around.
There is a story to follow that helps you progress through the various maps, but what got to me most was the audio. The music that follows you from area to area is calming and so pretty to listen to. Paired with its unique gameplay and adorable graphics, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, definitely hits all the cozy vibes and comes out on July 25!
Akimbot
Nominated by: Hayes Madsen
Akimbot is a love letter to Ratchet & Clank, and it wants you to know it. Everything in Akimbot is designed to evoke that same feeling as PlayStation’s mascots, and even riff on it in some fun ways, like a dedicated button for dancing.
In Akimbot, you play as an outlaw robot named Exe, who begrudgingly takes on the whiny, high-pitched bot, Shipset, as a sidekick. In the opening level, as the two are on the run from a criminal organization, you can see a bit of how their dynamic will play out. What makes it one of the most unique games from Summer Game Fest is that Shipset and Exe feel like a more antagonistic Ratchet and Clank, constantly at each other’s throats but learning to appreciate the team that they make. There’s already some fun writing, but Akimbot also manages to nail the most important piece—it’s a blast to play.
This is a high-speed third-person shooter that has you jumping and strafing as you blast away hordes of enemies. While you have a basic weapon and melee attack, Akimbot also gives you a selection of special weapons that have their own charges. The one we used in our demo was a pair of deadly pistols that could take enemies out with just one or two deadly laser blasts. Movement and combat just feel silky smooth in Akimbot, letting you feel like a real badass as you effortlessly bring down a gang of bloodthirsty villains.
There’s never been a game that’s managed to hold a candle to what the Ratchet & Clank games provide, but there’s a first time for everything. Akimbot might be the first one to give the dynamic duo a run for their money.
Building Relationships
Nominated by: Dayna Eileen
I genuinely do not know where to start in explaining Building Relationships, so I will let Tan Ant Games’ description on Steam get us started, “Roll, jump, and wave-dash as a house on a date in this silly adventure game. Meet eccentric structures, romance eligible bachelorx pads, and uncover the meaning of life… or you could just go fishing instead (though we replaced the fish with cars to make more sense).”
This game is a dating sim…for buildings. You tumble along the mountainside, complete errands for other houses, and yes, fish for cars. This is another Day of the Devs title that had me howling through my entire preview. Whether that leads us to a fully realized game that is worthwhile beyond the laughter, I’m not sure, but I can guarantee Building Relationships will have a following for its humour alone.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Nominated by: Brendan Frye
Few games are as unique or more captivating than Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess at Summer Game Fest 2024. Developed by Genki, this action-strategy hybrid transports players to a fantastical feudal Japan, where they guide the goddess Kunitsu on her quest to purge the land of demonic corruption. As interesting as it sounds, things get much more exciting once you actually dive into the gameplay.
The game’s visual style, to put it bluntly, is breathtaking, resembling a traditional Japanese ink painting brought to life with modern graphical fidelity. Its gameplay revolves around a day-night cycle, blending exploration and resource gathering during the day with strategic defence against the corrupting force known as the Seethe at night, and it is amazing to see how much the developers do with the concept.
Kunitsu-Gami‘s innovative gameplay combines real-time strategy elements and unique combat. Players must position units and structures to protect Kunitsu while she performs purification rituals. While we don’t have all the details for the setup, you slowly work your way down the mountain and purify each settlement along the way. You control Soh and work to take down the creatures that come through the game as Yoshiro works to perform her purification ritual.
You are not alone in your mission. As you work to purify the village, you can gain villagers who can take on different roles and aid in your work to take down the creatures that are slowly seeping into the world. The game’s narrative draws heavily from Japanese mythology and folklore, with the Seethe representing manifestations of negative emotions and societal ills. This thoughtful approach adds depth to the action-packed gameplay.
Between battles, players can upgrade units, unlock new structures and customize Kunitsu’s abilities, creating a satisfying sense of progression. As a new IP from a relatively unknown studio, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a refreshing departure from sequels and established franchises. The game feels like a unique mashup of concepts such as strategy, management and action, among others, that feel like they shouldn’t work together but somehow do.
Scheduled for release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on 19 July, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess promises to be a strikingly new yet comfortingly familiar experience that could easily become one of the must-play games of the summer.
UFO 50
Nominated by: Dayna Eileen
UFO 50 is a new indie title that I got to play thanks to Day of the Devs at Summer Game Fest! The title, UFO 50, refers to the FIFTY individual games found in this single title. And no, not mini-games, fully developed games. It sort of pays homage to the old handheld systems you’d play that are pre-loaded with games.
What is really cool, though, is how all the titles in UFO 50 are brought together by one story. Developer’s Mossmouth made up a fictional studio called UFO Soft that was tasked with creating these games, complete with a timeline from 1982-1990. As you explore the games, you might see characters that carry through that timeline, or see technical improvements as time goes on. I’m excited to check out all the little Easter eggs this fictional studio came up with!
Unknown 9: Awakening
Nominated by: Hayes Madsen
Unknown 9: Awakening feels drastically different from what Bandai Namco usually puts out, but in this case, that’s a good thing. There’s a huge focus on narrative in Unknown 9, evidenced by the universe developer Reflector is building around it. This ambitious project already has a novel trilogy, comic book, and podcast that help build out the lore and world, while the game lies at the heart of everything.
It’s good, then, that Unknown 9: Awakening looks like a worthwhile experience in and of itself, an action game with a strong story setup and a fascinating gameplay twist.
In Unknown 9, you play as Haroona, a young girl who’s something known as a Quaestor; someone born with the ability to travel into the Fold, a dimension that overlaps our own. This gives Haroona unique powers to alter reality and puts her in the crosshairs of an organization called the Ascendants, who also want to use the Fold to change the course of human history. Strong acting grounds the story, particularly with Haroona, who’s played by The Witcher’s Anya Chalotra.
But the way Haroona’s powers manifest in gameplay is where Unknown 9: Awakening is most exciting. In battle, you can momentarily take control of any enemy and command them to use a skill. Each enemy has a different skill, like a gunner that can fire off a powerful shot straight head. You can, of course, use it just to attack an enemy. But if you want to be more strategic, you can use these abilities to interact with the environment, like destroying a generator to knock out the lights or exploding a nearby barrel to hit multiple enemies.
We only got a quick look at Unknown 9: Awakening, but between the strong story setup and unique strategic spin on action, it’s shaping up to be something special.
REPLACED
Nominated by: Brendan Frye
While there were plenty of solid titles that tried to do something new and unique, Replaced stands out as a true gem, combining a stunning pixel art aesthetic with a gripping cyberpunk narrative that I can’t wait to play more of. Developed by Sad Cat Studios, this Xbox exclusive has been captivating audiences since its first reveal in 2021, and my hands-on time with the game at SGF 2024 is an easy entry to this list.
Replaced sets itself apart with its unique visual style, seamlessly merging 2D-pixel art characters with 3D environments to create a visually striking world reminiscent of Blade Runner and it is simply stunning. The game’s attention to detail is remarkable, with every frame packed with intricate animations and atmospheric lighting that brings the dystopian city of Phoenix City to life in a way I did not think possible.
Replaced offers a compelling mix of side-scrolling action, platforming, combat and exploration. Players take control of R.E.A.C.H., an artificial intelligence trapped in a human body, and navigate a world where humanity has been devastated by a catastrophic event. The combat system is particularly noteworthy, offering a satisfying blend of melee attacks, gunplay and environmental interactions that keep encounters fresh, engaging and challenging.
What really sets Replaced apart and makes it unique is its narrative depth and world-building. The game explores themes of identity, free will and the consequences of unchecked technological advancement while immersing players in a richly detailed alternate history of 1980s America that feels full of depth and character that brings it to life. The developers have crafted a world that begs to be explored, with each environment telling its own story through visual storytelling and atmospheric design.
With its unique blend of retro aesthetics, modern gameplay mechanics, and thought-provoking narrative, Replaced stands out as one of the most promising and distinctive titles showcased at Summer Game Fest 2024.
Yars Rising
Nominated by: Justin Wood
Not only is Yars Rising a new game in the Yars series, with the last entry, Yars Revenge, for the Atari 2600 in 1982, but forty-one years is a long time, and Wayforward now knows what it wants to do to revitalize the series. With some genuinely clever writing and an incredible gameplay loop, Yars Rising was one of the most unique titles I played during Summer Game Fest.
Wayforward managed to center a story around hacking a big corporation and, in turn, incorporate the hacking into two levels of gameplay. You begin with a simple hacking screen, but as you gain abilities in the hacking mini-game, you take them out of the hacking and into the platforming and combat portion, too. The earliest example is when hacking, and you learn you need to break through a barrier, much like Brick Breaker. But once you successfully finish the hack you now have that ability in the real world. Seeing some of the later abilities, I am very excited to see what they do with this weird melding of mini-game to minute-to-minute gameplay.
Fear the Spotlight
Nominated by: Hayes Madsen
Fear the Spotlight is the first title from Blumhouse Games, a new publishing label established by the iconic horror company. I already couldn’t imagine a better introduction to the publisher, as Fear the Spotlight is moody, atmospheric, and wholly unique.
Following two teenage girls, Vivian and Amy, who sneak into their high school at night, Fear the Spotlight is presented in a chunky art style that’s meant to evoke the look of CRT TVs of the 90s. This unique aesthetic makes the game’s world feel like it’s constantly shifting and changing, naturally breeding tension and paranoia. You’ll be convinced every shadow is hiding something waiting to get you, but Fearth the Spotlight drags its horror out brilliantly.
Across the opening of the game, Vivian and Amy have to piece together how to get into the library and then open a case to get out an Ouji Board they’ll be using to perform a ritual. This is all done using Resident Evil-esque puzzles where you’re interacting with items and then figuring out the proper ways to use them.
Everything feels understated and drawn out, intentionally, leading to a massive build-up when you use the Ouji Board and things go catastrophically wrong. Suddenly the quiet horror turns into something loud and terrifying, shifting the entire tone in a matter of seconds.
With just a 30-minute demo we felt utterly engrossed by Fear the Spotlight, and its simply gameplay mechanics are brilliantly executed to pull off some strong narrative horror. While the game was originally released on Steam in 2023, it’s currently been pulled from sale while it gets a massive overhaul with the help of Blumhouse. We’re incredibly excited to see how it all pans out.
Slitterhead
Nominated by: Justin Wood
While my original impressions of Slitterhead were less than stellar, the more time I’ve spent away from it, the more I have grown to realize that it might just be something truly unique. It’s easy to see why everyone, myself included, thought this was going to be a survival horror game, both from the original trailer focusing on the Slitterhead-looking enemy and it coming from Keiichirō Toyama, most known for Silent Hill and Siren.
Going hands-on during Summer Game Fest, it’s clear that Slitterhead is trying something different. With a focus on using humanity as a tool and weapon rather than to tell meaningful stories. It’s got interesting mechanics at play that each human takes differently to our disembodied voice taking them over, having to use both humans and animals to quickly navigate the environment. While I’ll need to see more to be fully sold, it’s clear that Bokeh Studio doesn’t want to stick to the norm and try something new.
