Our Top 15 Games of PAX East 2022

The best thing about an in-person convention is that it gives fans a chance to try out some new and upcoming titles before they are even out, but it also lets developers and publishers learn what finishing touches their games need to please the masses.

There were a lot of memorable titles I played throughout PAX East 2022, but these were the ones that left me wanting more – and thankfully, their release date isn’t too far off.

Evil West

You wouldn’t expect vampires and the Wild West to mix, but Evil West makes it look like a seamless marriage. PAX East was the first time a playable version of the game was available, and the demo did an amazing job showcasing its dark and gritty atmosphere and various gameplay elements.

Evil West, developed by Flying Wild Hog

As you would expect from a game with a cowboy as its protagonist, the demo showed off a gunslinging section that tested my aim and precision when groups of enemies were shooting at me from dilapidated saloon balconies. These moments got a bit dicey, but exploiting the environment and making time to heal myself made it a breeze. The next part of the game took me to some underground temple where melee combat became more important to space out the monsters that were coming at me from all sides. Even the boss battle had a special gimmick that restricted me to only using melee attacks until I could shoot it with my gun at a specific moment. With skills that you can unlock as you level up and even a dedicated co-op mode, Evil West looks like it’s shaping up to be a hit.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Dotemu takes us back in time with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge as the game is gushing with nostalgia and features everyone’s favorite green reptiles. A spiritual successor the retro arcade games of the past, this new installment lets up to four players battle their way through hordes of Foot Clan ninjas in a more modernized beat-em-up.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, developed by Tribute Games

I have always liked how past games made each turtle feel different than the other, and Shredder’s Revenge is no different. Even the non-turtle characters like April and Splinter have their own unique moves and charming combos that feel great to pull off and even better to see in action. Stages also feel more dynamic and feature transitions into various directions so you aren’t just walk to the right side of your screen every time. The game also features a story and arcade mode, the latter of which is great for purists who just want to get through levels and get a high score. Both modes come with detailed cutscenes that make each level feel like a cartoon episode and feature the cartoon’s original cast.

Tinykin

Mix Pikmin puzzles with the aesthetic of a Saturday morning cartoon, and you get the adorable Tinykin. In this puzzle-platformer developed by Splashteam you play as a tiny human who needs to use mysterious aliens called tinykin to explore his huge surroundings and find special artifacts that are his ticket home.

TinyKin, developed by Splashteam

The demo I played put me in this huge bedroom where I had to collect lots of tinykin to complete various puzzles that would unlock even more areas to explore. Sometimes I had to throw some of them onto an object to move it or throw some explosive tinykin onto torches to light them up. There is also a lot of verticality in the game, and the level I explored with all of its scenic bedroom landmarks really made me feel tiny. Rooms become massive spaces to traverse, and its colorful settings and characters make for a charming good time.

Chants of Sennaar

Chants of Sennaar is a very atmospheric and beautiful game that gives you minimalistic instructions and waits for you to figure them out. At its core, the game is a puzzler that has you deciphering glyphs in order to understand what everyone around you is saying.

Chants of Sennaar

Your character, I was told, has the ability to unite the various tribes in the game with the power of language, but first he needs to decipher what everyone is saying. This means that whenever someone talks to you, you can record the glyphs they use and slowly learn through their actions what each glyph means. In my demo, the same glyph kept popping up when someone pointed to me, and so using some simple logic, I realized that must mean “you”. Getting this right not only means you begin to understand more of what people are saying to you, but it also lets you solve the many puzzles you’ll encounter and make out what the game’s mysterious plot is all about.

SpiderHeck

I was surprised one simplistic looking party game like SpiderHeck could be so much fun, but I am so happy I was able to play a few games with other PAX East goers. The premise of the game is quite simple: up to four players can battle it out on various levels until the player with enough wins under their belt comes out on top.

Spiderheck, developed by Neverjam

What’s great about the game is how quick some levels can be and yet there is so much strategic potential in each round. Some levels have moving platforms, others feature dangerous lava, and some are wide open leading to all kinds of chaos. Plus, the various weapons you can equip can sometimes give you knockback so you need to take everything into consideration if you want to win. The rush of excitement you get when it’s just you and one other player makes this game such a blast.

World of Horror

If you are familiar with the works Junji Ito or even H.P. Lovecraft, you will be in for a disturbingly pleasant experience as you play through this roguelite visual novel of an RPG that feels a lot like a living nightmare. Despite being a 1-bit game with and old-school art style made entirely in MS Paint, World of Horror is indeed horrifying.

World of Horror, developed by panstasz

When you start playing, you can select one of a few different mysteries and then explore the world of the protagonist through five missions or “mysteries”. This is a point-and-click game so mostly everything on your screen can be clicked and explored such as going to a new location or opening a locker to reveal a jump scare or a simple key that you need to move forward. When you do engage in battles, you also need to read all the prompts that pop up on your screen and select commands that make sense in the moment. Some enemies are immune to physical attacks so you will need to use magic to dispel their evil aura. What’s interesting is that everything is randomized so if you end up dying and starting over, chances are your mystery and the steps in solving it will change making every chilling experience a unique one.

WrestleQuest

No other game impressed me more than Wrestlequest simply because it takes so many elements from various genres and puts it all together in a fun, funny, and beautiful package. Blending classic JRPG elements with the showmanship of professional wrestling, the game follows a few wrestlers like Randy “Muchacho Man” Santos and his dream of following in his idol Macho Man Randy Savage’s footsteps to become a superstar.

WrestleQuest, developed by Mega Cat Studios

What really makes this game even more special is that your characters are essentially toys and action figures but they live in this giant world where each major city is modeled after a school of wrestling like lucha libre with the statue of a famous real-life wrestling star at its center. Not only does the world revolve around wrestling, but even combat is essentially a turn-based wrestling match that features special moves, pins, and even a hype meter that charges the more diverse your attack are. I was impressed by how much real-life wrestling was incorporated in the game but tweaked to fit its RPG structure. Not only is its story humorous and cheeky at times, but it also captures the thrill fans get from watching a wrestling match. Even if you’re not a fan games like WWE 2K, I bet you will fall in love with this pixelated gem.

Uragun

As its name suggests, you are a gun in Uragun and each level in this arcade gem makes you feel powerful. Using both joysticks, you can move and aim your guns to defeat waves of enemies that come your way and even perform cool special moves you can mix and match that can give you an edge during certain levels and battles.

Uragun, developed by Kool2Play

The objective of each level is to survive the onslaught of AI-controlled robots that come your way, and as you play levels will also have you defending certain areas or hacking certain systems. Small, bite-sized levels make the action feel fast and fun, but it also encourages you to go back and collect anything you may have missed or simply redo a level to outdo your previous score. Its smooth visuals make the trek a treat for your eyes, and the frenetic action always keeps you on your toes. Even the giant mecha centipede I fought at the end of a level proved to be challenging as the game pushes you to master your controls and select the best ability for each battle.

Rhythm Sprout

Rhythm games can either be a hit or miss so it takes something special to make one stand out. Rhythm Sprout, with its mix of funny characters, cheeky story, and adorable art style is sure to stick with you for a long time. Playing as the brave onion knight Rhythm Sprout, it’s your job to save the kingdom from the sweet clutches of the evil King Sugar Daddy.

Rhytm Sprout, developed by SURT

The PAX demo offered us a diverse mix of four levels to choose from that truly captured the essence of what the game is all about. Think simple Taiko no Tatsujin controls, and now picture yourself as an onion knight fighting with a giant gingerbread man. Each level, whether you’re walking inside a spooky mansion or by a beach, requires you to hit either a shoulder, D-pad, or face button in tune with the music to either move forward or to engage in combat with the enemies that pop up. Controls don’t seem difficult, but as the music speeds up and tensions rise, mastering the perfect input takes practice but makes for a fun and addictive experience.

Rogue Spirit

Rogue Spirit is a roguelike that lets you play as the spirit of a dead prince who can possess the corpses of the enemies he defeats. Your tasks it to explore your surrounding lands and defeat the enemies that are corrupting the world and those around you. And thanks to your newfound powers, you have your choice of what kind of character you want to be.

Rogue Spirit, developed by Kids With Sticks

What I enjoyed about my time with the game is how the world outside the monastery you respawn in changes each time. These biomes surprise you with new enemy formations or different paths to explore leading to a new experience each time. Possessing enemies is also a great gimmick as you can essentially change your playstyle whenever a corpse is nearby, but this also makes enemies feel like weapons as some bodies have better stats than others. Your character can also enter spirit mode and sneak attack enemies from behind or use it to get out of a sticky situation adding to dynamic and strategic ways to complete tasks and complete the various missions the game has in store.

Kao the Kangaroo

The lovable Kao the Kangaroo may not be that familiar to many outside of Poland, but is the world in for a treat when his next installment comes out later this year. I have never played a Kao game before, but I was instantly hooked at how fluid the platforming was and how colorful the overall game looked reminding me of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.

Kao The Kangaroo, developed by Tate Multimedia

Gameplay is what you would expect from a platformer, but this new installment also introduces elemental attacks into Kao’s arsenal and puzzles that will require you to know when to use a fire attack, for example, or when to throw your boomerang onto a timed switch to reveal some floating platforms. There are also lots of secrets to uncover in each level such as collecting all the K, A, O pieces of his name or heart pieces to increase his overall health. The demo only gave me a taste of the charming kangaroo, but I definitely want more.

Dordogne

When I first saw the trailer for Dordogne, I wasn’t sure what kind of game this was, but as soon as I sat down to play the demo, I fell in love with how relaxing and introspective the overall game is shaping out to be. This narrative point-and-click game takes place in both the past and present and tells the story of Mimi who revisits her grandmother’s home after she passes away.

Dordogne developed by Un Je Ne Sais Quoi, Umanimation.

The demo let me play as her 12 year-old self allowing me to explore my surroundings and collect words like “sadness”, “sunshine”, and various others that she later used to create a haiku of sorts. I was also able to record some sounds from the environment like birds chirping and even take photos of its beautiful watercolor scenery. At the end of the demo, I had to put them all together into a memory for Mimi to remember as her adult self. This short sampling of the game only provides a glimpse as to what’s to come, but its impressive hand-painted backgrounds and sentimental journey of discovery from childhood to adulthood are ingredients for a poignant experience.

The Last Worker

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I played The Last Worker, but I am happy I got to the try the demo as it really gave me a better idea of what we are all in for once the game comes out later this year. A narrative-focused first-person adventure about – of all things – capitalism, the game’s art style reminded me a bit of a Telltale title, but the experience here is entirely unique.

Last Worker, developed by Oiffy, Wolf & Wood Interactive

The game lets you play as an employee of the Jungle Fulfillment Centre, a giant packaging facility that seems more like a dungeon than anything else. In the demo, the game walked me through its simple controls that involve hovering up and down to grab package or releasing them into chutes. These controls simply prepared me for the later part of the game where the robots patrolling the factory were on to me and the game shifted to a more stealth-like experience. There is definitely something amiss in this factory, and the inviting art style and star-studded cast of voice actors is sure to impress as we learn more about the game as it nears a release date.

LEGO Bricktales

Who hasn’t played with LEGOs and experimented with different ways to make a bridge, a plane, or even just a tower that can stand up straight without wobbling apart? These challenges are all part of the puzzler that is LEGO Bricktales as it takes what we are used to playing with it and transports it to digital worlds that need your help.

LEGO Bricktales, developed by ClockStone

Each level will pose a challenge for you to figure out such as building a bridge that can withstand the weight of two people. You get to build your creation on a 3D grid using a set number of LEGO pieces before testing it out to see if your creation meets the requirements to solve the puzzle. If not, your bridge, plane, or hovercraft will break apart and you will need to try again. Not only does this game engage your creativity but it also lets fans of all ages play with LEGOs in a way they haven’t had the chance to do so before. A sandbox mode wasn’t playable during PAX but will be included at launch. Just think of the possibilities of playing with LEGOS digitally without the hassle of having to clean everything up!

Cult of the Lamb

Cult of the Lamb is a colorful, yet seemingly violent title that lets you play as a sacrificial lamb that gets saved by a mysterious shadowy figure and now has to pay him back by converting people to his cult. You will need to explore bite-sized levels to fight enemies, bosses, and even discover better weapons and abilities to get stronger enough to explore more of the world and discover more followers to convert.

Cult of the Lamb developed by Massive Monster

This roguelike is also a cult management of sorts and each follower you get on your team means one more able bodied fool who can chop wood or harvest crops while you are away. This hub world essentially serves as your base of operations where you can set up structures to further expand your cult with the money and resources you gain from each dungeon you pillage. Not only do you need to remember to keep yourself alive, but your followers need to eat too. There is plenty to keep you busy and the charming visuals and comedic characters are sure to lure you.