Adult Swim Games Makes a Splash at PAX West

You might be surprised at what publisher at PAX West got me the most hyped for games coming out next year. If you’re guessing Ubisoft, Sony, Microsoft…no, they’ve all got a few great games coming for sure, but the future game lineup I was blown away by was from Adult Swim Games. They have supported some great indie developers from all over the world, and I can’t wait to play the titles I had just a few short minutes with. Please allow me to introduce you to these games, and if you have one or two minutes, please be sure to check out my interview videos so you can hear more about the games AND see them in motion.

Death’s Gambit

Combining beautiful pixel art reminiscent of Castlevania, combat systems as challenging as Dark Souls, and climbing boss fights like Shadow of the Colossus, Death’s Gambit proudly wears it’s influences on it’s sleeve.  I’m very hyped for this release because of its gorgeous pixel graphics and diverse challenges.

Rise and Shine

Rise and Shine puts a spin on side scrolling run and gun games like Contra or Metal Slug by giving the player several weapons that can solve environmental puzzles in different ways. Not only will you take down enemies with your arsenal, but you will solve puzzles too. The first thing you will notice about Rise and Shine, though, is its AMAZING hand drawn art. I can not overemphasize how beautiful all the hand drawn scenery is. Each stage is completely hand drawn and will entice you to fight to the next with challenging gun based puzzles and the fantastic art.

Battle Chef Brigade

It seems like such a genius idea when you hear it, you’ll wonder why no one else made a game like this. Inspired by reality shows like Chopped or Master Chef, Battle Chef Brigade has various anime styled chefs fight monsters to collect ingredients to compete in a grand cooking competition. You can play as one of four chefs, and level up your cooking skills and pots and pans by taking on smaller quests along the way.

Rain World

Rain World puts the player in a harsh environment in Rain World as an adorable slugcat. Both predator and prey, slugcat must exlpore its surroundings and learn the behaviors of other creatures in order to survive. Besides the beauty of Rain World and the exploration elements, the reason I’m most excited for Rain World is the fact that it is a Metroidvaniaesque without the typical power progression; you will always be afraid for your life, not muscled up with an armor suit and lock on missiles.

Katana ZERO

Katana Zero is an exciting new entry into the one hit kill action game genre like Hotline Miami. This time lightning fast ninja action is in a side scrolling action platformer with a dark 80’s neon aesthetic. Combat will be tight and fast, and I love the neo-noir look.

Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality

This is the only VR experience I had a PAX West that made me laugh out loud. Fans of the Rick and Morty show will be happy with the trademark humor delivered by the talent voice actor Justin Roiland, but they will be DELIGHTED with the amazingly accurate locations fleshed out in the game. The short demo mostly took place in Rick’s mad scientist garage, and it looked exactly as in the show. There were plenty of gadgets lying around to mess with, and by the time a portal opened to another world, I was very sad to have the demo end.

Ray’s The Dead

Zombies are usually bullet fodder in most games, but in Ray’s the Dead, you ARE the zombie. Rising from death with a weird lightbulb on his head, Ray must discover how he ended up in this predicament, while controlling a small army of other zombies. That’s right, this game is like zombie Pikmin. Let me say that one more time so it sinks in…ZOMBIE PIKMIN. Ray’s the Dead is presented in a fun, cartoonlike style, and promises to give a fresh heartbeat to zombie games when it comes out next year.

Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove

The original Toejam and Earl on the Sega Genesis was way ahead of its time. Procedurally random generated worlds and levels are all the rage now, and Toejam and Earl had them way back in 1991.  Let’s pretend a few unfortunate sequels never happened, because our favorite bumbling aliens are back in this true successor. Once again, Toejam and Earl and friends are stranded on Earth looking for pieces of the Funkotron while crazy earthlings get in their way. Fans of the original will appreciate how accurately this new adventure captures the spirit of the classic, and new players will still love the humour and updated play mechanics. Can’t wait for this one!

I’m sure you can see why I’m excited for this terrific lineup coming soon from Adult Swim Games. Keep it here at TheButtonSmashers.com for future coverage on these games, as well as all your nerdy pop culture news and info!