Destructoid Checkpoint: The One With All The Games

Few things bring a smile to my face quite like a glut of trailers and game announcements. The joy of anticipation never fades when you truly love something, let me tell you. The past week has been fantastic as the Sumer Game Fest continues to fill the void left by the once-mighty E3. I don't think we will ever return to those halcyon days, frankly. Still, Summer Game Fest will do in a pinch, even if it does mean having to look at Geoff Keighley’s brown shoes for a couple of hours.

I do not wish to overload you, dear reader, but I am excited about odd and unusual things that popped up during the various Important Branded Reveal Events that were held. It was nice to have a weekend where everyone showcased their upcoming games, and we got to enjoy what's coming in the future.

Let's dive in and take a look.

Summer Game Fest is Summer Game Best

While I do not want to highlight it here, as I am sure the game got more than enough headlines already, the Resident Evil Requiem juke that Capcom pulled was quite hilarious. Having Lady Demitrescu herself appear to announce sale prices, leaving fans disappointed, only to trap them in the dank basement of excitement with a later reveal was definitely a fun move.

If you want to see everything that was released, be sure to check out Every announcement from Summer Game Fest 2025 over on Destructoid.

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree

Games that drop trailers that feel like Saturday morning cartoons always deserve some love. Add in that Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is a beautiful-looking action RPG that is giving me Hades and Hyper Light Drifter vibes, and I am positively beaming at the thought of playing it. 

We don’t even have that long to wait, as the release date is September 19 of this year. Oh, and one of the characters is some kind of martial arts fish. I can dig it.

Lego Voyagers

I enjoy Lego games, but I always felt they missed a trick when they focused too much on being some other IP instead of just exploring the idea of Lego itself. How the pieces snap together, how a lack of attention results in color combinations that can be oddly naturalistic, and how playing with other people and just chilling is really the key to life itself. All these are worthy of exploration, and it looks like Lego Voyagers will be doing just that.

ILL

I’m not exactly a regular horror game player, but I do like the odd scary adventure from time to time. ILL looks like it might be challenging because of the levels of gore and body horror involved, which makes it intriguing, frankly. Good horror plays with the audience, invites you in, and gives you a way to identify elements of yourself in the victims and the monsters. I want to know if ILL can be more than just an impactful trailer and a boot to a baby. Seriously, watch it. Hilarious stuff.

PlayStation - State of Play

Once again, should you wish for a comprehensive list of reveals and trailers, check out Every announcement from State of Play 2025 over on Destructoid. Also, it’s not a new release, but Final Fantasy: Tactics coming back is a boon to us all. There is no doubt about it. This is a game that matters in all the ways that important art and media should matter. Play it when it drops.

Romeo is a Dead Man

It’s hard not to smile when you see a Suda51 game pop up anywhere. These games are what happens when you manage to remove the anchor from your imagination and empower your team to just get after gaming as a raw sensory experience. It will be a sad day when Suda51 decides to pump the brakes on the insane worlds he likes to build.

Sea of Remnants

I have a soft spot for pirates in games. I blame games like The Secret of Monkey Island for making it seem like being a pirate would be great fun and anime like Sol Bianca for making it seem like the natural destination for pirates would be space.

Sea of Remnants is not about space, though, it is just about the sea. Pirate games are inevitably better when they are lighthearted and humorous. The fun tales of pretend pirates, not the disturbing and gross stories of real pirates.

Nioh 3

I was not expecting to see Nioh 3, but I’m very happy to see the trailer drop. The series has consistently delivered something that can be called a Soulsborne but speaks its own language when it comes to combat. It’s a series that I absolutely love being terrible at, and I can’t wait to dive into it. 

Xbox Games Showcase 2025

The Xbox showcase was an interesting one, focusing on details for recently purchased IPs or new surprises, but nothing have much to show for Team Green stalwarts. Over on Destructoid, Madison thought they won the weekend. It’s okay, though. We all get to be wrong sometimes.

Aniimo

I like creature collection games, and the more of them like this that I see, the more I hope that Game Freak will be pushed to finally step their game up on how the Pokémon series looks and plays. I don’t want to dismiss this as just a useful catalyst, either, Aniimo does look like there is a lot of fun to be had with it. We just won’t talk about the trailer music.

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand looks beautiful and hilariously subversive. We are used to being left farms to look after by deceased relatives, but what about hotels, mysteries, massive tentacles, and missing Dads? Yeah, I am all in.

At Fate’s End

Spiritfarer was a stunning little game from Thunder Lotus, so seeing the team go after something else that is visually striking and potentially spiritually arresting brings me a lot of joy. It looks like their take on a tactically-oriented boss-battler, but it’s undoubtedly going to be an emotional experience. 

Beast of Reincarnation

Lamenting Game Freak and Pokémon earlier is partially due to this trailer. Weird monsters, sword-based combat, and an old man telling us obtuse parts of the story. Hell yeah, this is how you win, Game Freak. 

What’s happening, Destructoid?

Scott Duwe is very excited to see a new Resident Evil on the way, and he has some thoughts on how people being able to switch perspectives will impact the game.

Madison Benson believes she has found her next addiction, and it’s a sequel to her last one. If you love coloring books and would like a digital one, she has you covered.

Meanwhile, Andre Barovic has been thinking about all those video game movies and TV shows that keep popping up. A vital extension of the art form, or just cashing in on known properties because TV-land is too afraid to fail? He has an interesting argument for you.

To wrap up, Kacee Fay has been really putting herself out there, dating everything. Turns out there is a lot more to the dating scene than meets the eye.

Finally, before you go, please be a dearheart and take our survey. We are very curious to know what you think.

That’s it for this week, folks. Stay gold.