2026 Summer Game Fest + Indies Recap

Twinkle's Galactic Tour (molegato)

Twinkle's Galactic Tour is a new 3D platformer from molegato, the developer behind games such as Frogun and its sequel, Frogun Encore. Twinkle's Galactic Tour is about Twinkle, an alien who's ready to make her debut as a pop star in outer space. Twinkle has to go on a journey across the galaxy to save the audience for her debut concert. This game interests me so much because it shows a unique style of gameplay that blends 3D platforming with music and rhythms, creating something entirely its own that looks very fun to play. I also love the setting of space for games, and the low-poly art style looks incredibly lovely and vibrant. 

Wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3938440/Twinkles_Galactic_Tour/ 

Bathory - Heritage of Blood (Moonana Games)

Bathory - Heritage of Blood is a 2D platformer that immediately caught my eye when I saw it during the Black Voices in Gaming showcase. In Bathory, you play as Ursula Bathory, a vampire princess who is next in line for the Throne of Blood, but was imprisoned for decades by her own mother, Queen Regent Elizabeth Bathory. Ursula Bathory awakens and seeks revenge, with the goal of taking her rightful place as the Queen of Vampires. This game has influences from some of the best ever made, such as the ever-enduring Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but it also cites other inspirations like Nosferatu for the Super Nintendo and classic gothic Victorian literature. The trailer shows a very detailed world in an incredible pixel art style. The 4:3 aspect ratio also adds to the more retro feel, and I would definitely try it on a CRT TV. 

Wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4670880/Bathory__Heritage_of_Blood/ 

SHADE Protocol was another 2D action platformer that intrigued me, having been featured in multiple of the week's showcases. This game, which shows influences from games like Super Metroid, Mega Man X, and Shovel Knight, looks like a blast to play. The reveal trailer shows numerous interesting gameplay mechanics that really make it stand out amongst the numerous "Metroidvania" titles that get released all the time. There is no release date yet, but I look forward to seeing more from this one as development progresses.

Wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3581730/SHADE_Protocol/ 

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (Bandai Namco)

The first AAA game of this recap! Initially revealed at last year's Game Awards, this was one of the main games I was excited to see during Sony's State of Play, which I watched despite not even owning a PlayStation 5. Ace Combat 8 is the latest in Bandai Namco's long-running series of aerial warfare games, and it looks incredible. The story hints from the trailer sound intriguing as well, which is fitting for a deceptively lore-rich series like Ace Combat. The other main takeaway from this latest trailer was a release date, that being October 2nd, 2026. They also announced a re-release of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War as a preorder bonus, which is always nice. Now I just have to get caught up on the series. 

Wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2288340/ACE_COMBAT_8_WINGS_OF_THEVE/ 

Fallosophy (Reliable Plumbing Services)

Alright, back to indie games. As an enjoyer of pinball video games like Alien Crush and Pokémon Pinball, I got very excited seeing Fallosophy, a new take on pinball, during the Women-Led Games Showcase. In Fallosophy, you must ascend an uber-tall pinball table that spans the history of western philosophy. There is no "dying" in the game, rather you just fall and fall, and end up all the way back at the bottom if you can't recover. Completing this historic climb looks like a very difficult challenge, but it's one I would love to try and accomplish. 

Wishlist the game here (demo also available): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3989550/Fallosophy/ 

Every Wednesday (Pixel Chest Storyworks)

One genre of games I play sometimes and would like to experience more is that of the calm and peaceful visual novel, which I've dabbled in primarily through the Coffee Talk games. Every Wednesday is a visual novel following Hideki, a guy in the city who has to do his laundry every Wednesday at a small laundromat. At this laundromat, smartphone use is not allowed, and it results in Hideki meeting numerous people, learning their stories, and getting to know them. The game also has a great looking art style, which is reminiscent of Until Then, another visual novel I would like to play soon.

Wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4296370/Every_Wednesday/ 

Stranger Than Heaven (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio)

Why the fuck is Tupac here? Many people, including myself, were wondering this after the shocking reveal that his likeness would be featured in Stranger Than Heaven, the next game from Yakuza creators Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. The game had already shown that it would feature celebrity cast members, such as Snoop Dogg and Tori Kelly, and even would be utilizing another deceased actor's likeness in Bunta Sugawara (with a separate voice actor), but the inclusion of Tupac is truly dumbfounding. After the trailer, Snoop Dogg explained on stage that he and RGG lead Masayoshi Yokoyama worked with Tupac's estate to include him in the game, but that leads to a whole other argument about the estate holders versus the wishes of Tupac's actual surviving family. It's a weird situation, and on top of that, we don't even know who Tupac's character in the game itself is yet. I'll wait and fully see how this plays out, but right now it's just another controversy for a studio that has had far too many after only recently making some of my favorite games. 

Wishlist the game here (if you even want to): https://store.steampowered.com/app/4260840/STRANGER_THAN_HEAVEN/ 

Threads of Time (Riyo Games)

Threads of Time is a game I've been following for a while, and I was very excited to see a new trailer for it during Day of the Devs, the independent showcase immediately following the main Summer Game Fest show. This upcoming RPG is a tribute to the classics of the SNES and PS1, particularly Chrono Trigger, which I still consider to be the greatest video game ever made. Threads of Time has some absolutely beautiful art, and it also brings back Chrono Trigger's mechanics of time travel as your journey takes you across all of history. The game does not have a set release date, but it's among those I am looking forward to the most.

Wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2090210/Threads_of_Time/ 

Fields of Mistria 1.0 Release (NPC Studio)

Fields of Mistria is a game that's already become beloved and very popular in early access, and its full release was announced during the Wholesome Direct showcase. I haven't played it yet but I love the visuals (of course) and the gameplay looks nice as well, as I have gotten more into similar games like Stardew Valley recently. The 1.0 release for Fields of Mistria gives me a great opportunity to jump in and see what all the hype is about for myself.

Wishlist the game here (or just play it in early access!): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2142790/Fields_of_Mistria/ 

Grave Seasons is another game that I knew about already but wanted to shout out again, as it was delved further into during Summer Game Fest's Story-Rich Games Showcase. Grave Seasons is similar to other cozy pixel-art farm simulators like the above Fields of Mistria, but with a deadly twist: someone in town is a killer. This makes Grave Seasons more of a horror and mystery game in addition to your normal farm simulator/visual novel gameplay. This is an incredibly interesting concept that I can't wait to experience myself when the game releases here soon in 2026.

Wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3255110/Grave_Seasons/ 

Danchi Days is another game I really liked from the Story-Rich Showcase, and I was immediately hooked by the visual style. Danchi Days has super vibrant and colorful graphics, reminiscent of games on the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. The game follows Hoshino, a young girl in 2000s Japan whose goal is to bring her hometown closer together. I like the concept for the story, and the gameplay appears to be varied through different minigames. I definitely look forward to playing this one soon, as they also announced a set release date of October 2026.

Wishlist the game here (demo also available): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3107530/Danchi_Days/ 

Turns out Final Fantasy VII: Revelation wasn't the only new thing Square Enix would bring this week in regards to their flagship JRPG series. This new game came completely out of nowhere during the Nintendo Direct, and I was very pleasantly surprised. This new Final Fantasy utilizes the HD-2D art style that Square Enix has employed to great success in games like the Octopath Traveler series and Dragon Quest HD-2D remakes. It's really nice to see a more classic Final Fantasy be released beyond just the Pixel Remasters of the old ones, and I definitely look forward to playing it. 

Tales of Eternia Remastered (Bandai Namco)

Tales of Eternia Remastered had been sort of out there for a while due to product listings and other things, but it was officially revealed in full during the Nintendo Direct. This re-release of what we in America know as Tales of Destiny 2 is long overdue, and it looks very good. It features updated visuals, quality of life improvements, and more. I had skipped the last couple of Tales remasters due to already owning/playing them, but I have not played this one yet and look forward to doing so when it releases in October 2026. It's also a win for making the game more accessible, as original PS1 copies are very expensive nowadays.

The long-rumored Ocarina of Time remake is in fact real, and they very briefly showed it at the end of the Nintendo Direct. There's really not a lot to say about it at the moment, since they didn't show any gameplay or really anything in the game's engine. Regardless, it is very exciting to see one of the most beloved games of all time be remade (for the second time, shoutout Ocarina of Time 3D), and I look forward to seeing more about it as it gets closer to release. The Direct did give a release date of 2026, so I expect this to be out around the holidays as their main big release.

Those were only some of the announcements from this week of showcases that I liked, and I had way more in my notes that I posted on Bluesky. Many of the other big AAA announcements were exciting of course, like the Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake and Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, but I also had so many more indie games that I noted and wishlisted. We're still getting tons of great game releases and announcements despite the air of uncertainty around the gaming industry at the moment, and the past week of presentations continued this. Although there's plenty of bad right now (expensive hardware, SEGA ruining Crazy Taxi, etc), this week proved that I will literally never run out of quality, fun, human-made video games.