Sony’s PlayStation Showcase for the Spring of 2023 featured dozens of upcoming titles heading to PlayStation consoles, and many of them have already garnered plenty of excitement from fans. After watching the show, though, I was surprised to discover that three indie games completely carried the PlayStation Showcase for me — And they’re all heading to Xbox at launch.
This shouldn’t be entirely surprising. After all, 14 games from the PlayStation Showcase are heading to Xbox and PC at launch in addition to the PlayStation console releases Sony wants you to focus on. Still, past the hordes of remakes and sequels, and the mountains of ‘AAA’ titles, it’s these three indie games that I immediately added to my list. If you at all have a similar taste in video games as me, you’ll want to keep an eye on these, too.
Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean
- Genre: Open-world RPG
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch
- Release date: 2024
If your game has both cats and puns, there’s a very good chance you’ll attract my attention. Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean is the latest entry in a franchise I had never heard of before the PlayStation Showcase, and it looks positively adorable. An open-world RPG with a unique 2.5D art style, both single-player and online co-op options, and an epic quest for a devastating artifact — This game has it all, and I can’t wait to play it.
I may have to go back and play Cat Quest 1 and 2 before this arrives, but the first Cat Quest isn’t on Xbox, even though the second one is (whyyyyy? 😭). Please, The Gentlebros and Kepler Interactive, port Cat Quest to Xbox and complete the series so I can buy all three games on the same platform. I want Cat Quest to become my next obsession.
Neva
- Genre: Puzzle-platformer
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch
- Release date: 2024
I’ll be honest, I haven’t played GRIS. It’s on my Xbox Wishlist, and I do plan to buy it and play it soon, but it hasn’t happened yet. Still, that didn’t stop me from sitting up to pay close attention to the announcement trailer for Neva, a new puzzle-platformer coming from the developers of the critically-acclaimed and beloved GRIS (Nomada Studio) and Devolver Digital.
I certainly wasn’t ecstatic that a precious animal dies in the initial announcement trailer, but the combination of a stunning art style, moving music, and the strong signs of a devastatingly emotional narrative of loss, growth, and companionship all guarantee that I’m playing Neva as soon as it arrives next year. In case you couldn’t tell from my thoughts on Planet of Lana, I’m a bit of a fan of beautiful, moving puzzle-platformer games.
The Plucky Squire
- Genre: Action-adventure, 2D / 3D platforming
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch
- Release date: 2023
The Plucky Squire isn’t news — I’ve been interested in this game since it was initially announced during the Devolver Digital showcase in 2022. Even without the excitement of a ~world premier~, though, The Plucky Squire dominated the PlayStation Showcase with a brand-new trailer proudly displaying its endlessly unique blend of genres and art styles.
Is it a narrative-driven action-adventure game? Yes. Is it a classic 2D platformer? Yes. What about a modern 3D platformer? Also yes. Does it combine all of these with innovative mechanics and transitions? Definitely. All Possible Futures and Devolver Digital know my heart, because The Plucky Squire looks incredible and I genuinely cannot wait to play it later this year.
6 honorable mentions
The above games may have carried the PlayStation Showcase for me, but that doesn’t mean they were the only games I found interesting. Here are six honorable mentions — four more indie games that aren’t coming to Xbox, and two multiplatform AAA games that I’m simply not ready to play, yet.
- Revenant Hill. This is the latest game from the developer of Night in the Woods, another award-winning indie game that I haven’t played yet (but is 100% already on my Xbox Wishlist). The trailer immediately attracted my attention with its incredible art style and the inclusion of a cute cat, but it’s only coming to Windows PC, PS5, and PS4 at launch.
- ULTROS. Gameplay-wise, I wasn’t terribly excited by what ULTROS displayed in its announcement trailer, but I can’t get enough of its art design, which employs a wide range of vivid, saturated colors. ULTROS looks stunning, and it’s also coming to Windows PC, PS5, and PS4 at launch in 2024.
- Towers of Aghasba. Immediately enthralling world design and the existence of giant animals with which you can actually interact are all reasons to pay attention to Towers of Aghasba, an open-world civilization builder that’s coming to Windows PC and PS5 in the summer of 2024.
- Sword of the Sea. Giant Squid is back with another game dripping with style and majesty. Sword of the Sea sees you surfing through the sandy dunes atop a mysterious artifact, and it’s one of the most beautiful trailers from the entire PlayStation Showcase. It’s coming to Windows PC and PS5 at launch.
- Dragon’s Dogma 2. The next fantasy RPG from Capcom is official, and it showed off some tantalizing gameplay during the PlayStation Showcase. I think Dragon’s Dogma 2 looks amazing, but I haven’t played Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen yet (it’s installed on my Xbox for when I do get around to it), so I can’t get too excited for this epic title heading to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.
- Alan Wake 2. The story is the same for Alan Wake 2 — It looks positively gorgeous and a little bit terrifying, but I’m actually in the middle of playing Alan Wake Remastered for the first time right now. It’s difficult for me to dredge up a ton of excitement for the sequel before I’ve even finished its predecessor, but I can already tell I’ll be lining up to play this game when it does release on Oct. 17, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.
The PlayStation Showcase is supposed to tease the future of PlayStation consoles, and that’s certainly how Sony positions it during the event. However, the three games from the show that interested me most are also launching onto Xbox and Windows PC, and they’re all indie games, too. I think Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean, Neva, and The Plucky Squire all stand an excellent chance of becoming some of the best Xbox games and best PC games you can play when they eventually launch.
Of course there were other great games featured during the PlayStation Showcase, but none of them managed to win me over like those aforementioned indies. I lack the nostalgia to attract me to the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake, nor have I played any of Sony’s Spider-Man games. My backlog is already upsettingly long (I’m trying to work through it, okay, but I’m only one person), so I try to only add games to it that I’m truly interested in playing. Thanks to Sony and the PlayStation Showcase, I now have a few more on the list.
