Not-E3 2023 Part 1: Guerrilla Collective Highlights

Table of Contents

Not-E3 2023 Schedule
Guerrilla Collective 2023
Summer Game Fest 2023 Showcase
Devolver Direct: The Return of Volvy
Wholesome Direct 2023
Future Games Show
Xbox Game Showcase
PC Gaming Show
Ubisoft Forward
Capcom Showcase
Grasshopper Direct
RGG Summit

Guerrilla Collective 2023

Our first big showcase of Not-E3 2023 comes from the Guerrilla Collective, which in the past has shown a number of interesting indie games.

But you know, a lengthy, 2-hour showcase like this always results in me writing out paragraphs of listing the games that didn’t interest me as much, and a list of titles like that isn’t helpful for any of us. So instead, I’ll cover the highlights that stood out to me. You can check out the full showcase here.

The first game to catch my attention was Terra Memoria. It seems to be an exploration-based RPG, and it looks pretty nice.

The next game to catch my eye was Forgotlings, a sides-crolling action-adventure game that had me confused for a bit. You see, the art and animation reminded me a lot of Forgotton Anne, which I played and reviewed for MonsterVine back in 2018. “Forgotlings” was also a term from that game, so it seemed like they had to be connected, but I didn’t see anything like that.

Finally, though, I found the Forgotlings Kickstarter campaign and found that it is “a spiritual sequel to Forgotton Anne.” I enjoyed Forgotton Anne, so that’s one I’ll want to look into.

They showed an exploration game called Europa that I want to mention just because of how pretty it is, and then one called Light Odyssey… which I was a lot more interested in before I found out that it’s a boss rush game. So Light Odyssey probably isn’t for me, but it does look cool.

Remnant II also looks cool, although I haven’t played the first game, and I was delighted to see that World of Horror is coming out of Early Access this October 19! That’s one I’ve been interested in for quite a while, but I wanted to wait until Early Access ended before playing it.

Last year, Demonschool was announced, and I said I’d keep my eye on it. It’s a turn-based strategy RPG. Well, its new trailer this year definitely helped to win me over.

Then there’s the turn-based RPG SacriFire, which got a new trailer today as well and looks as cool as ever.

Moving on to a new announcement, Dark Deity II was announced today. Although I haven’t played the first game, its Fire Emblem style approach to strategy RPG combat has me interested enough to pay attention.

I was also surprised by how good the wrestling RPG WrestleQuest looks.

Grifford Academy is another turn-based RPG that looks worth keeping an eye on. This showcase had a pretty good selection of RPGs, which is great for someone like me.

Now we need to talk about Super Adventure Hand, a 3D platformer that was actually announced several months ago, but which I somehow missed until now. The trailer is utterly bizarre, since you play as a disembodied hand, but it actually looks like it could be a lot of fun.

On the heels of that weirdness came a balancing dose of cuteness, with Corgi’s Cozy Hike. It’s open world, so I’m not sure if I’d enjoy it, but it’s adorable!

(I’ll be surprised if this one doesn’t show up at the Wholesome Games showcase.)

Bye Sweet Carole also looks incredible (very Disney animation inspired), although the trailer told me nothing about the gameplay.

Lil’ Guardsman, in which you play a 12-year-old guard at the castle gate determining who to allow in or deny, looks like it could be entertaining.

I also can’t overlook Death Trick: Double Blind, a circus-set non-linear murder mystery. It might be a bit more non-linear than I prefer in my mystery games (plus it has limited actions, a feature I wasn’t crazy about in Aviary Attorney), but I’ll be sure to look into it more.

They showed a 2D action game called Nocturnal that just came out and looks pretty cool, and then the final game to catch my attention was Crypt Custodian, a metroidvania in which you play a cat who works as the afterlife’s janitor. Definitely an unusual premise, but I love how it looks.

These were the highlights for me from this year’s Guerrilla Collective showcase! What games stood out to you the most?

This is only the start of this year’s “Not-E3,” so check out the schedule and stay tuned for more showcases.