Upcoming Video Game Releases to Look Out for in 2023

From Pacific Drive to Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Today feels weird. I’m not sure why, but it does. I guess it’s from staying up late last night with friends then having to wake up early in the morning this morning for work. Lots to do and not enough time to do it as they say.

I haven’t had the mental fortitude to sit down and come up with ideas to write for the game, so I thought it might be fun to sit down and write an article instead. I’ve been keeping up with global gaming news, as I usually do, and haven’t been particularly interested in anything that has happened over the last few days. So I thought it might be fun to go through my list of upcoming games that I’m excited for this year and talk about them a little bit.

Lord knows for me every other day a new indie game shows up on steam that I’ve never heard of before that I must buy. But these are the games that have had me staring at them through the window waiting for the shop to open.

Pacific Drive

I’ve seen a lot of these car maintaining games come out over the last couple of years. They have been steadily gaining in popularity but each new release seems to have equal or more jank than the one that came before it. I’m not a huge car person and so they have never caught my eye. Not until Pacific drive. Spooky sci-fi fantasy mystery while keeping your car maintained. It looks as though someone ripped up the paintings of Simon Stalenhag and turned them into a driving game. Very cool, very up my alley.

Terra Nil

Terra Nil is a game that I’ve had my eye on for a long long time. It was originally a free flash game released many years ago which was very good. It is now on steam with a free demo, and a release date of March 28, 2023 at the time of writing. Everyone is calling this a reverse city builder, but I really hate that description. I feel like that implies destruction. Terra Nil is an optimistic outlook for the future where humanity(?) figures out how to terraform the desolate and destroyed ecosystem of earth back to life. They are then tasked with destroying all the buildings used to restore the wasteland and leave it looking as untouched as possible. The theming of the game is amazing, the artwork is beautiful, the music is great, the game itself is very fun, and at the end of it all you get to watch the wonderful ecosystem you’ve restored carry out its peaceful existence. Meditative, and thought provoking. Definitely give the demo a shot if you haven’t its great.

ENA: Dream BBQ

I’ve learned a substantial amount about my game taste over this last year. The biggest thing that I’ve learned is that the games that I always seem to enjoy the most. The games that I always feel the most rewarded for playing, are the ones that I know very little about. I look at the steam page, I see the game and ponder, “I truly have no idea what this game will be about.” It’s games like these that are always so difficult to spend the money on as well, but I’ve never regretted buying one because they are always a surprise. Pacific drive is definitely on that list, and so is ENA: Dream BBQ. I know very little about this game, what it is, or what it will be. From the screenshots released it looks like something along the lines of LSD Dr

eam emulator (a rare old japanese exclusive game) but created in the same space as a youtube series with an early mac/n64 art style. Again no idea what it is. I’m looking forward to it.

SteamWorld Build

I have a soft spot for Anno style games and dungeon keeper. I find a calm satisfaction in the art of just making people happy, and getting a civilization going. In particular I love the economic management of the Anno games, and the wacky zaney room building of the dungeon keeper series. Sadly this genre of game is no deep well, and good games don’t come around that often. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised at the last steam next fest to see Steamworld build, a game that is 50% Dungeon Keeper, 50% Anno. It’s the two things that I love so dearly wrapped in the fun and steampunk Steamworld art style. I played the demo during the last steam next fest. I’m very excited for this!

Dredge

At this point the record is broken. Err…. Games I can’t figure out…. Moody tone… err…. Dredge is what looks like the fishing version of pacific drive from what I can tell. It’s being published by Team17. I hate to say it, but this year is looking good for “Games up my Alley.” My alley is so full in fact I might need to rent extra storage. Or start making a lot more money.

Rift of the NecroDancer

Sequel (kind of) to the Dungeon of the NecroDancer Rhythm rogue like. PC can always use more Rhythm games, especially of the Rhythm Heaven variety. Again I don’t think I could be more sold. The only downside to this game is that it’s not out yet! How much longer do I have to wait!

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Speaking of games that have been on my radar for a while. BOMB RUSH CYBERFUNK! This game has been on my radar for so long, the radar screen would be suffering from burn in. Team Reptile creators of the Leathal League franchise aim to create a spiritual successor to the abandoned bastard child Jet Set radio. They even went and got the original composer for the game to contribute to the soundtrack. They didn’t have to do that, but they did. I cannot describe why I am excited for this. It truly baffles me. Firstly, I’m a huge poser. I never played the original games and really have no desire to. Secondly, the publisher behind the Jet Set Radio franchise abandoned it long ago. GAH, but there is just something about the aesthetic of the game. Late 90’s grunge japantown funk. It's so incredibly specific you need an electron microscope to identify it. I think part of the reason I’m excited for this is because as a kid I was a huge fan of games like SSX Tricky, and the later Tony Hawk entries. This seems like it takes a lot of inspiration from those more then the titular Jet Set Radio. They just seem to borrow its very distinctive style while sprinkling some cyberpunk to make it taste a little more modern. Also this video by Raycevic. If you are looking for something similar I recommend Sludge Life tentatively. It has very much the same vibe, and is not very long.

Skate Story

AGHGHGHH the record has broken into my house and is eating all of my fucking burritos. Game I really have no idea what it is… check. Has skateboarding… check.. My word of warning for this game is DO NOT WATCH THE GAME TRAILER. The song is so good in the trailer, you will not be able to watch it only one time. At least I wasn’t. The first time I saw this game I had the trailer on loop in my playlist because of how good the song choice was. Super cool, amazing style of this glass skateboarding game. I hope it’s good.

Voidtrain

Raft, for the uninitiated, is a game where you are stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean. Your only tool at the start is a hook that you can use to grab other trash inhabiting the ocean with you in order to expand and explore. Voidtrain is raft, but trains, and stargate. #ItsSciFiNowSoILikeIt.

Hyper Light Breaker

This is the newest item on this list. It aims to be a 3d roguelike. I added it because I watched a BTS video on its creation and change in creative direction. It very much matches some of my dream projects for the future. This is a sequel to a highly regarded 2d roguelike. This aims to be a 3d open world roguelike which is still unexplored territory in the gaming space. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.