EGX is back and this year it partnered with Comic-Con (MCM) for an even bigger event… at least on paper. In reality, I was fairly underwhelmed with this year’s show as despite there being more attendees, the actual space for games was at an all-time low. With that said, there were some stand-out titles I got to play, both well-known and brand new to me, and over these two previews I will be sharing my thoughts on the games I tried out.
Starting off this first preview block, I will be focusing my attention on the biggest publisher at the show (in-terms of unreleased games anyway, Bandai Namco had only a single title that will be in the next preview): Playtonic & Friends. I’ve also attached a Rareware-adjacent game to this preview as its Donkey Kong-like vibe will surely appeal to fans of Playtonic games primary affair, speaking of which…
Yooka-Replaylee
- Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Steam, Nintendo
- Release Date: TBA
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2448020/YookaReplaylee/
Embark on an epic open-world 3D platforming collectathon adventure with Yooka and Laylee! The search for Pagies starts anew in Yooka-Replaylee, the enhanced definitive version of the beloved indie darling with all new challenges, secrets, mechanics, and accessibility options.
Yooka-Replaylee was the one game I knew would be at the show ahead of time and the title I was most intrigued to play. I kickstarted the original Yooka-Laylee and really enjoyed my time with it, although I can acknowledge that it had quite a few issues in both how it ran and the game design itself. So I was really curious how this apparent remake/remaster would fare? The game needs more than just a technical and visual boost to really meet the expectations many had of the original game. And you know what? Maybe it will actually meet them.
After the show, I went home and booted up the original Yooka-Laylee to refresh my memory on how it played, going back to the same level that was available in the demo (for reference, it was the second world: Glitterglaze Glacier). Immediately, the changes were apparent. If you squinted, you might not see the changes made to the level design but it does exist. There are more enemies, more Pagies, new and altered level geometry including entirely revamped challenges that are just much better than what existed before; and a much better sense of level space.
That last one is the most important for me. Yooka-Laylee’s world is too big and I was immediately reminded of its sheer size when I went to replay it, getting lost trying to navigate my way back to World 2 from World 5 – where I had last saved the game. Glitterglaze Glacier in the original is also way too big, with a massive frozen lake in its centre making traversal annoying. All this is still here in Yooka-Replayee but with new platforms and additions that make traversal manageable, including the introduction of fast-travel checkpoints which I’m now baffled weren’t in the original.
The levels of Yooka-Replayee also feel smaller, and yet everything that was present in the original is still present here. The world feels more condensed, like they took the world map and shrank it by 20%. Thanks to this navigation is faster and more streamlined, not feeling as overbearing. When you add in new objects to interact with, like silver and red coins that appear as a new collectible, and more enemy types for the player to challenge, there is just a lot more to do in this world.
It also feels better to play. The camera and general game feel has been tweaked and polished so it feels like a modern platformer now, and less like it was ripped straight from the 90s. All the same abilities appear to be back (at least the ones players would have had access to when they reached this part of the game) so nothing has been lost in this remaster – it’s all just been subtly improved.
When Yooka-Replaylee was announced, I wasn’t quite sure if it was the right decision but I see the vision now. This new game is clearly the one the developers wanted the original to be, and whether it was time or skill or another factor, they just failed to manifest it back then. If there is one complaint I have about this new game, it’s that they’ve removed the Banjo-Kazooie style speech bubbles that the original had in favour of static art over a new HD HUD. Although that could’ve just been for the demo, I guess I’ll find out when I buy the game for my Nintendo (whatever that means).
Cattle Country
- Platforms: Steam
- Release Date: TBA
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2818150/Cattle_Country/
Howdy partner! Welcome to Cattle Country, the only Cozy Cowboy Adventure Life Sim. Become a determined pioneer traveling west to start a new life. Make a home in the mountains, take on bandits, discover dastardly plots, build a farm, develop your town, and make friends with fellow residents.
I’ve been pretty open about how my love for farming sims has diminished over the years, with the only game in recent memory really being able to keep my interest was Moonstone Island from earlier this year. However, I’m always willing to give the genre another go when a new developer enters the barnyard and Cattle Country is the latest farmer to take on the challenge.
For the most part, Cattle Country plays exactly as you would expect it to and so I won’t waste time talking about the actual farming elements of the game – if you’ve played any farming sim inspired by classic Harvest Moon games then you know what to expect. Instead, I’ll focus on the more dynamic gameplay elements of Cattle Country as that is the unique factor this take on the genre is bringing in.
So what do I mean by ‘dynamic gameplay’? Well it’s some form of gameplay that’s a bit more involved or interactive than the standard farming and relationship building affair that is common in this genre. For example, there is a dancing rhythm game that players can take part in. A real hootenanny that happens only on certain days. You might also have to take part in combat encounters, like preventing a bank robbery. From what I played, this just came down to a quick-time event but the results of the encounter vary based on your success, which is neat.
Then there’s the mining section. Mining is common in every farming sim and in Cattle Country it’s handled like it would be in Minecraft, just on a 2D plane. The game switches to a platformer, complete with a jump button, and you can mine in any direction, going as far as your stamina can take you. Set up candles to keep the lights on and just dig for ores, rocks and anything else you might be tasked with finding in the game’s various side-quests.The game has several side-quests the player can take on, some related to farming and others related to helping out the villagers. At least from the demo, it seems like there are 7 or 8 entire side-quest chains to follow, with the game letting you tackle one quest per day and it adds some nice variety to the daily farming and resource harvesting grind.
While I’m not totally sold on Cattle Country yet it managed to keep my attention more than its contemporaries have in recent years so I will keep an eye on it. This is one game that you don’t need to take my word on though, as there is currently an open beta available to download on STEAM that I’m told has at least one hour’s worth of content. So if you’re interested, go and check that out after reading the rest of this preview.
Dunk Dunk
- Platforms: Steam
- Release Date: TBA
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2410590/Dunk_Dunk/
Dunk with or on your friends in Dunk Dunk, a multiplayer action basketball arcade party game full of chaotic fun. Familiar platforming controls plus unique stretchy arm controls make for nail-bitingly tough matches. Dress up your dunker and get ready to dunk across the universe!
The last of Playtonic & Friends upcoming titles, Dunk Dunk is a competitive couch multiplayer game where you build a funny looking character (I made blue Dracula with robot limbs) and play a funky version of basketball with weird terrain and a floating goal to either lob or dunk the ball into.
The game is clearly designed with couch multiplayer in mind, going up to four players and having all the vibes of a fast-paced versus game. There are some goofy elements to it like the ability to stretch your arms out to try and block opponents, but otherwise it’s a fairly standard platformer-sports hybrid. I don’t really have much else to say on the game really. It has some nice stage variety and it was certainly fun to play so if you and your friends are looking for something to play locally then you can’t go wrong here, at least when it releases at some point in the future.
Nikoderiko: The Magical World
- Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam (coming soon)
- Release Date: October 15, 2024
- Website link: https://nikoderiko-game.com/
Join Niko and Luna on their quest in Nikoderiko, a vibrant platform adventure. With family-friendly design, couch co-op, and various gameplay themes such as minecarts, chase levels, expansive 3D areas and underwater adventures, Nikoderiko promises a magical journey for all ages!
The last game in this preview block is not from Playtonic & Friends but certainly falls in-line with the vibe of Yooka-Laylee and the games defined by the classic Rare titles. To be more specific, I would describe Nikoderiko: The Magical World as Donkey Kong Country at home. From its level design, collectables and the inclusion of David Wise as lead composer, this is a Donkey Kong Country-like through and through, just without the same polish.
Don’t get me wrong, the game looks great visually. The graphics and art direction is solid – feeling a lot closer to Crash Bandicoot in its character and enemy design – and the levels look visually stunning. But the framerate was pretty dicey with frequent drops. The level design also wasn’t as strong as you’d hope for when compared to the DKC games or even Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. No matter how much you make your special stages resemble those of Donkey Kong Country 3, it doesn’t matter if they aren’t as fun to play through.
With all this said, Nikoderiko does do some parts differently from its inspiration. For starters, the game can be played entirely in co-op mode. Rather than having two characters who run alongside each other and provide different abilities, two players can control two similar characters and platform through a level-together.
The second feature is the ability to summon Animal Buddies at will. Rather than them being locked to specific parts of specific levels, like in Donkey Kong, the player can summon a frog or dinosaur to ride at any point, using them to reach some of the harder collectables.
I will never disparage a game for taking inspiration from classic titles as subtle as Nikoderiko has done (unless it goes as far as pure plagiarism which I don’t believe this game has done) so if you are looking for a new game to fill the Donkey Kong Country shaped hole in your heart than I think Nikoderiko has a shot of it. Just maybe be careful about what system you pick it up for. I assume I played the unreleased PC build at the show so maybe the PS5 and Xbox Series versions of the game run better. That’s really the biggest hurdle I have to recommending the game outright.
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