It’s been an excellent season to play on PlayStation and there are still fun experiences just around the corner. We’ve had the chance to get hands-on with some of Team 17’s upcoming indie titles, and these are the games you should be looking for in the dog days of summer.
move 2
If you’ve been in the mood for some fun couch co-op or relaxing online play, then Moving Out 2 is a must play. The folks at Devm Games and SMG Studio decided to feature twice as much content as the original title, adding new gameplay mechanics like arranging furniture, objects that can’t fit through particular doors (I’ve been there), and hidden items that unlock a cast of diverse characters representing race, gender, and accessibility. The biggest improvement comes in the form of the wacky dimensions you travel to, which have different rules when it comes to moving. Whether it’s swinging hotel rooms held up by a giant or sticky situations caused by the dimension of candy, as you fight with items, the PS5 DualSense wireless controller’s adaptive triggers respond in kind, adding that real-world flavor of trying to force an item on a friend who thinks you just need to twist it more.
Release date: August 15th
Platform: PS5/PS4
blasphemous 2
Another powerful sequel, Blasphemous 2, is a challenging 2D exploration adventure that continues after the events of Wounds of Eventide. The developers at The Game Kitchen created a beautiful hand-drawing-like art style that adds personality to the stoic main character. As unforgiving as the combat can be, the combination of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers sells the adrenaline rush of battle. You can feel the incoming attacks of a boss, the recoil from deflecting a hit, and of course your weapon movements, which differ depending on which weapons were chosen at the start of the game. You will be rewarded with genuinely immersive combat if you wish to test your reflexes in a dark but beautiful world.
Release date: August 15th
Platform: ps5
fat
Gord is an interesting mix of genres from former Frostpunk and The Witcher 3 developers Covenant.dev to bring Slavic folklore into the mainstream. At its core, it’s a city-building sim with population management and survival mechanics thrown into the mix. It’s a grim title not for the faint of heart, but the trials and tribulations you go through to keep your village alive are captivating. Everything from making deals with monsters lurking in the dark to sending people on dangerous errands for the good of the masses. Combining that with dealing with the emotional trauma of the villagers caused by your actions and outside forces is a difficult tightrope to navigate, but the motivation to keep everything running and your people alive makes for an unexpected emotional ride.
Release date: August 8
Platform: ps5
Qualified: France ’44
Bringing to light the lesser-known story of Allied special forces sent to weaken the opposition in the weeks leading up to D-Day, Classified: France ’44 is an evolution of the modern tactics game from the developers of Absolutely Games. No match will be the same because the mission you have access to will change based on who you recruit, the skills you learn or not, and the success of each mission. Outside of the endless possibilities of story progression, the game is one prolonged chess match dealing with morale, weapons, reloading, soldier placement, and abilities. Changing mission objectives, enemy reinforcements, and even your ability to blend in or out all play into the unpredictability of war and the strategy to adapt to it.
Release date: 2023 to be determined
Platform: ps5
As we gear up for the fall blockbusters, these exciting Team 17 titles will keep you busy with their variety of gameplay and replayability. Whether you want to lose yourself for hours on a solo adventure or have a laugh with a friend, you can have that and more all summer long on PlayStation.
