Destructoid Checkpoint Special Edition #2 - Gamescom kicks off with a bang

Amazing experiences right off the bat

Yesterday, Aug. 26, we got to grips with our first batch of Gamescom games, including what may already be the star of the show for me, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn.

Its RPG elements are delightfully reminiscent of Mass Effect. There is a big crew and cast of characters, with your protagonist, the Captain (sort of a parallel to the Commander in ME), serving as a binding force bringing everyone together for a common goal. Characters heavily interact with each other, brainstorm ideas and solutions, and it is the Captain, i.e., you, the player, making pivotal decisions to move conversations forward.

Accompanied by the game’s lead level designer Natalia Tyurina, we experienced a couple of its levels, which range from vast open-ended areas built around the idea of exploration and discovery to claustrophobic, almost horrifying underground tunnels.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn builds heavily on the lore of the books and the acclaimed TV adaptation, and we saw many recognizable characters and concepts turn up to play a major role in the game itself. A notable example is the Hybrid, a strange, near-unkillable creature infected with the alien protomolecule, which serves as the main narrative driver in the series. In Osiris Reborn, it works as a pursuer chasing down your party, which, as expected, also becomes a boss later on (we didn’t get to fight it, though).

I loved every bit of this title, especially its gunplay and dialogue system, and I genuinely believe that we’re going to get a proper spiritual successor to BioWare’s iconic series pretty soon. But I would be lying if I said this was the title I loved the most on the floor on Aug. 26, but, due to embargo reasons, I won’t be able to tell you about that one just yet, so stay tuned over the next few days.

Reclaiming the glory of villainized cultures

While playing 1001: Threads of Mizan during the closing hours of Aug. 26, I spoke with game director Lars Bonde, who opened up about the richness of Arabic culture and the devs’ goals with the game. As its name implies, 1001 takes heavy inspiration from the legendary compilation 1001 Nights where Scheherazade recounts various fantastical tales from the Arabic world.

Bonde told me that Arabic culture is often ‘villainized’ and that, with 1001, he and his team are seeking to emphasize just how rich and deep this vast trove of myths, tales, and legends actually is. As part of that idea, Bonde said the team is working on representing the actual, rather than the invented, 1001 Nights which, in fact, had only a couple hundred stories, as he explains.

Thus, Aladdin will be of Chinese descent, as he was in the original tales, rather than an upstart Disneyfied prince. Genies, or djinns, will be represented in a myriad different ways, just like they are perceived by followers of the Islamic faith. Authenticity is key, even if the game dives deep into the sea of fantasy for its aesthetics and storytelling.

What else is cooking?

Today, Aug. 27, we are going to check out The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, while over the course of the next few days, we’ll also be revealing some new and exciting titles, some of which we think will absolutely blow your mind. The world of video games is as it is, restrictions and seals are around every corner, and while I would love to talk about more from the floor, I am under tight wraps for a brief while.

Outside of Gamescom, 1666: Amsterdam is now available in early access, having officially unlocked on Opening Night Live. We spoke today with the game’s creative director, Patrice Desilets, so keep an eye out for the third Special Edition of the Dtoid Checkpoint.

Onimusha gave us a final look during our Aug. 26 visit, and though we did have to stand to play the game, it was one of the most fun 60 minutes we’ve ever had. It’s tight, smooth, polished, and grounded, and we definitely look forward to seeing more as the game drops in September.

Speaking of a final look, we also checked out Valor Mortis, a game that we managed to completely bug out and break, but also had so much fun with that it was hard to put it down. We only stopped because we had to, because the developers decided it was a great idea to give us a rapier to use (parrying is, objectively, the best way to play a Soulslike).

The atmosphere, combat, story, world, enemies - everything is as good as it can be, and we cannot wait to see more of this amazing title. It came out of nowhere and is slowly shaping up to be one of the best Soulslikes to date, and we are definitely going to pursue it.

Creepy aliens are back on the menu, boys

To sign things off, we’re going to mention Alien Isolation 2, which we briefly got to play yesterday. It was a short, 20-minute demo, but it nonetheless gave us all the chills in the world. Whether it was its brutal extraterrestrial atmosphere, amplified by a horrible alien storm, or the Xenomorph and its adaptive behavior, we really got scared during those short 20 minutes.

The game is still a way’s off, but we’re just as excited as we were so many years ago when the original Alien Isolation surprised the world with its brutal difficulty and the smartest pursuer boss ever made.

And that’s it for August 26. Some stuff is still under wraps, as I’ve already noted, so that’s going to have to wait. Aug. 27 is much more open for us, so we’re definitely going to make that third edition worth your while. But, until then, we thank you for following our adventure around Cologne, Germany, and we’re looking forward to bringing you more exciting stories as they happen in the world of gaming.