Killer Farmers, Lego Parties, and Stop-Motion Romance: The Best of Summer Game Fest 2025

From developer SMG Studio, Lego Party! is exactly what it sounds like: a take on Mario Party, with Lego! One of the few hands-on experiences at Play Days that allowed attendees to play together in groups of four, Lego Party! instantly shined as one of the most ludicrously fun demos of the event — regularly drawing attention as players laughed, shouted, and booed their way through the roughly 30-minute session.

Like Mario Party, this one adheres to a well-worn board game structure where up to four players (locally or online) roll a number generator and move across the area space-by-space, picking up items or running into reaction spots that can help or hinder their path to getting the most golden bricks. At the end of each round, everyone gets to vote on their preferred mini-game (60 in total) to duke it out for currency to get the leg-up on the competition.

Like last year’s Lego Horizon Adventure, Lego Party! heavily emphasizes the hyper-detailed Lego-ness of its world, pulling from famous sets like Lego Pirates, Space, and Ninjago to create a chaotic and colorful mash-up of characters and locales across the boards — although the inclusion of any major licensed collaborations remains to be seen. The game is high-energy, with a consistent game show-like duo of hosts commentating on the proceedings and injecting humor, and each mini-game we played, from air hockey to tower building, felt like a great use of the Lego brick concept. Alternatives to Mario Party are few and far between, and Lego Party! seems like potentially the best modern contender for the casual couch board game crown.

Announced earlier this year during Microsoft’s Xbox Developer Direct, Ninja Gaiden 4 is a gory return for one of gaming’s most classic action staples. One of two Ninja Gaiden games coming this year that reshape the formula of the series, this is the first mainline entry in the franchise since 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3 and aims to bring back the brutally difficult action gameplay of the older titles with even more fluid and complex combat.

Co-developed by Team Ninja (the team behind the previous games) and PlatinumGames, the studio known for blistering action titles like Nier: Automata and Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden 4 has everything players expect — tight combat, methodical timing, and tons of viscera — and much more than they don’t. While the recent remaster of Ninja Gaiden 2 reminded some and introduced newcomers to the franchise’s somewhat dated but still beloved gameplay, the fourth entry feels like something new entirely. It’s even tighter and snappier, with tons of available combos and instant executions, and also (somehow) even more lighting fast.

The game follows Yakumo, a new character from the Raven Clan, who is on a collision course with the series’ main protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa. Playing as Yakumo is a treat; his steely veneer contrasts with the farcical and comedic setting of grimdark ninja fighting through a cyberpunk-like near future. Supporting team members routinely dump exposition and banter through the in-game comms system and, contrasted with the constant streams and spurts of blood, creates an intentionally campy, but gripping tone that works in tandem with its top shelf action gameplay.

From Section 9 Interactive, End of Abyss is an isometric shooter-slash-exploration game that plays like a hybrid between twin-stick shooters like the first Helldivers or Enter the Gungeon and Metroidvania games like, well, Metroid. But despite the clear influences, it’s actually kind of tough to think of a game like End of Abyss that marries ideas in ways you’d would’ve been done by now.

The game follows a combat technician named Cel as she lurks through a derelict compound to investigate horrific anomalies. Inching through each room and corridor, players can use a scanner to decode messages, find enemy and environmental weakness, and discover secrets at every turn. The game is about finding keys and new tools to progress, backtracking just enough to revisit areas with better equipment, and of course, fighting for survival against other worldly creatures.

The twin-stick shooter format allows for precise and harrowing combat as players move with the left stick and can aim precisely with the right. Encounters often demand strategic thinking and quick reflexes and groups of enemies in close quarters can be overwhelming, and bigger bosses require sussing out their weaknesses. With an eerie and isolated vibe, End of Abyss looks to be a great blend of throwback concepts that work together nicely to create a self-contained experience that still feels fresh.

One of the most anticipated games of Play Days was Capcom’s new third-person shooter Pragmata. Originally announced back in 2020 for a 2022 release date, Pragmata has seen multiple delays and left many fans wondering what the final product would look like (or if it’d ever come out at all). But, after a 30-minute hands-on demo, we now know that the game is both very real and very badass.

Pragmata follows an astronaut named Hugh who ends up trapped on a lunar research station in the far future. Staring down the plasma blade of a robot taken over by the facility’s malicious AI, Hugh is saved by a little girl named Diana who instantly gives her own uncanny artificial vibes with a cutesy demeanor by way of M3GAN. Jumping on Hugh’s back, Diana reveals that she’s able to remotely hack into the bots and open their weak spots to hit.

Playing as the duo together creates a shooter unlike any other, where robotic enemies but first be scanned and hacked by Diana, leading to time slowing down for a mandatory puzzle before Hugh can open fire. But time doesn’t stop entirely, meaning that players must wisely choose which enemy to hack and when — and do it fast — to avoid getting killed while doing their pseudo-Sudoku. The puzzles themselves aren’t inherently tough (at least in the early areas shown in the demo), but they provide an engaging dichotomy between the Vanquish-style shooting that makes the back-and-forth an enjoyably stressful balancing act.

Every so often, a game comes along that is so shamelessly derived from another that it’s downright impressive. Bandai Namco’s newly announced roguelite Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is just that: the company’s own take on Supergiant’s modern indie classic Hades. But that’s not an insult, especially when the developers on-site are open about their inspiration and how they hoped to use that framework to create their own experience.

Unlike Hades, Towa allows players to choose from eight different guardians, utilizing two at once, with one acting at the lead Tsurugi (sword) and supporting Kagura (staff). In practice, the game sees players march room-to-room clearing out waves of procedurally generated enemies, choosing an upgrade from a pool, and selecting their path forward (the same basic loop of Hades). The difference lies in the complexity of the dual-character system, wherein both heroes can use offensive and defensive moves mapped to specific buttons. While dodging, dashing, and attacking, there’s a lot to keep in mind about how each of the guardians’ abilities can be used in the moment.

In our demo, pairing together a speedy shinobi-like guardian allowed for quick strikes and area of effect charge damage (amplified exponentially by upgrades along the way), but a tall fish-like hero provided support that allowed for quick getaways and guerilla tactics against a colossal serpent boss. Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree could’ve easily felt derivative; instead, it should be one of the most anticipated titles of the year for anyone with a passing interest in roguelites and top-down action games.

While much of the gaming world was taking about a different handheld last week, Microsoft upended expectations by announcing a partnership with hardware developer Asus to launch their own Xbox-themed version of the ROG Ally during their Xbox Games Showcase livestream. For tech enthusiasts, the ROG Ally and Ally X models have been major hits in the handheld PC space that allow users to play their game libraries across digital platforms like Steam anywhere, all on a beefy mobile unit.

The new model, called ROG Xbox Ally, streamlines that even further with the inclusion of an Xbox button on the device that quickly accesses a player’s Xbox Anywhere library to play games like the upcoming Gears of War Reloaded on the fly. Going hands-on with the machine, it’s clear that it’s more than just a logo slap; the ROG Xbox Ally is structurally designed with sleek grips on the side and reworked shoulder buttons that emulate the Xbox Series controllers and is exponentially more comfortable to use than the base Ally. Playing Gear of War Reloaded on Ally X was eye-opening; the game ran just as smoothly as it did on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions running nearby. While it may not be a fully dedicated mobile Xbox, the partnership with Asus is a smart way to expand Microsoft’s gaming footprint across platforms and still injects some of the company’s DNA into the mix.

In a cozy corner of the showroom floor far away from the blinding shooters and soulslike actioners, horror studio Blumhouse Games showed off a quaint little farming simulator with a gruesome twist. Developed by small indie studio Perfect Garbage, Grave Seasons combines the comforting gameplay of farm sims like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley with the allure of murder mystery and supernatural horror — all with some sexy romanceable NPCs mixed in.

Players take on the role of an unnamed convict who has recently taken up shop in the mountain town of Ashenridge. The game quickly introduces its familiar simulator hook as players must clean up the overgrown farmland, harvest crops, and get to know the locals. That is, until one dark night brings a bloodbath to the community in the form of a supernatural killer.

During the walkthrough, the developers described the game as a farming sim with greater agency and repercussions. At the beginning of the campaign, the game will randomly select the type of threat users will be facing, and each of the four seasons spent farming is also spend trying to understand and anticipate the killer, prepare for their arrival, and hopefully save the NPCs doomed to be slaughtered. Grave Seasons is intended to provide variety and supports multiple playthroughs for tons of different twists and outcomes based on the player’s decision making. The game retains the charm of cozy gaming, but creates a world where farming is much more scary (and sexy) than it has any right to be.

Revealed during a contentious bait-and-switch during the opening ceremony livestream of this year’s Summer Game Fest, Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem was one of the biggest surprises of the show. Rolling Stone was one of the select few outlets who were able to go hands-on with the game following its premiere, and the results were absolutely terrifying.

The ninth mainline entry in the franchise sees players return to a now-decimated Raccoon City decades after the events of Resident Evil 3 (1999). The demo opens with a new character named Grace Ashcroft, an FBI tech analyst, who is being held against her will in a dark asylum-like facility. After a harrowing cinematic where Grace frees herself from being a dangling blood bag, the game lets players explore the dark, eerie hallways of the complex while jump-scare sequences introduce a hulking monster that looks to be this game’s ongoing threat. The unnamed creature is massive in scale, head scraping against the ceiling as it lumbers down the shadowy corridors and burst through walls at the worst possible times. In true Resident Evil fashion, the creature will likely be a recurring hazard that appears at key points — or potentially at procedurally timed, unscripted sequences (that’s unknown) — much like Resident Evil 2’s Mr. X and 3’s Nemesis.

While there have been rumors of another well-known protagonist joining the game, Grace provides an outstanding counterpoint to the series’ emphasis on action that overtook some of the horror tone in games four through six and even bled into its most recent seventh and eight entries. Frightened to the point of delirium and equipped with only a lighter to see just a bit into the darkness, Grace is extremely vulnerable and must outsmart the beast to survive, even as she whimpers and chokes her way through the untold terror around her. A first for the series, the game can be played in both first- and third-person, recreating the experience of both the FPS entries Resident Evil 7 and Village, and the modern remakes of 2 and 3.

Although Play Days offers a wide variety of game types and visions, it’s not exactly a place you’d expect to end up crying during a demo — and yet that was exactly the scene during Epic Games Publishing’s hands-on session with next year’s Out of Words. Co-developed by game makers Kong Orange and animation studio, WiredFly, the game is a cooperative narrative experience in the vein of It Takes Two but fully designed around a vibrant stop-motion aesthetic.

The game follows two lifelong friends who, just when it’s time to express their mutual love for each other, suddenly lose the ability to speak. Trapped in the recesses of their own inner world, they must work together to help the people in turmoil around the surrealist realm, while also finding the words to say what’s in their hearts.

The game’s visuals are awe-inspiring, with narrative sequences all fully crafted by hand and animated via stop-motion. Every asset, item, and detail of the world is also fully scanned from real life materials and crafts. Out of Words plays like a classic side-scroller while its movement and puzzles require coordination between two players. One area saw the two characters facing inverted gravity where one is always on the ceiling and the other on the ground, forcing the duo to precisely shift places and catch each other to progress. While the characters can’t speak to each other, that aspect is intended to be put on the players as they learn and bond together; after a while, the gameplay becomes less verbal and more like a complex dance between two synched minds, finishing each other’s jumps and movements without saying anything.

The confluence of the game’s tangible, textural design, its moody score, and the delightful cast of characters would be enough for an incredible stop-motion film alone, but by adding a more immersive cooperative layer, Out of Words ends up quickly being a moving, humanist experience unlike anything ever created in gaming.

Of all the hyped-up games at this year’s Play Days, few delivered the series of jaw-dropping moments that Pearl Abyss’ new action-adventure Crimson Desert did. It’s the kind of game where any description sounds like confounding hyperbole. How can anyone combine the open-world exploration and RPG storytelling of The Witcher series, the physics-based combat and puzzles of Breath of the Wild, and the type of fluid, over-the-top moves from fighting games like Tekken — and make any of it make sense?

Built entirely on Pearl Abyss’ proprietary BlackSpace Engine, Crimson Desert is a technical feat that continually surprises the more it shows. The open-world map (of which we saw maybe 5%) is gargantuan, filled with mountain vistas, forests, and towns to explore. The character models are intricately detailed; zooming in real time to clothing shows off every fiber and leathery skin on armor, which reveals impressive attention paid to the minutiae when everything else is so large in scope.

But it’s really about how the game plays, and while others often lean on the promise of player choice, Crimson Desert affords the opportunity to do just about anything and make it feel good. During a castle siege sequence, fire lit tree-lined road through a town at the mouth of a massive gate. Surrounded by enemies, there were dozens of ways to fight: slicing with a sword, dropping elemental thunder and ice attacks, or literally picking soldiers up and suplexing them like a pro wrestler. After fixing some high-perched catapults, shooting an arrow on a watchtower or crowd resulted in a fiery aerial strike ripped straight from a Call of Duty game, with structures collapsing in physics-based mayhem reminiscent of the destruction mechanics from Battlefield.

There’s a lot going on in Crimson Desert but even without extensive tutorials, it was easy enough to pick up on at least some of the game’s many systems. If the final version can deliver the high intensity pockets of action and clever design previewed during session, it could easily end up being a dark horse contender for game of year.