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Video games to dip into this summer, including D-Topia and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls
D-Topia brings a dark edge to cozy gaming, and Marvel gets an anime twist
New video game releases have been scant this year, as developers wait for the Grand Theft Auto VI drop date. But the next few months still have a few gems to eye. This summer, there are original games releasing that are reminiscent of classic favorites, plus a remastered collection of Metal Gear Solid entries.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales | New Demo Announcement + Gameplay Trailer - YouTube
Square Enix’s latest 2D role-playing game arrives this summer from the teams behind the Octopath Traveler games and Live A Live. Fans of those games might expect The Adventures of Elliot to be “turn-based like its genre compatriots,” but the game will feature “real-time combat” instead, said Polygon. As the eponymous main character, you explore the land of Philabieldia across four time periods to fulfill a 1,000-year mission.
The game is a “throwback to classic Super Nintendo-era action-adventure games,” said PCMag. The Adventures of Elliot is a “faithful homage to the Legend of Zelda games of old.” (June 18; Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
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Fans of more chill games will likely enjoy the new “gentle-paced,” as described by the publisher, puzzle adventure from Annapurna Interactive. Even with its less tense game style, the premise of D-topia revolves around a shadowy society run by A.I. that is working to ensure happiness for the greatest number of people.
D-Topia is an “experience that’s laid-back, almost cozy in some ways,” but with a “dark undercurrent,” said Comics Gaming Magazine. What results is a game that “not only looks jaw-droppingly gorgeous” but “hooks you with an intriguing premise oozing with intrigue.” Its “blend of cozy charm and subversive darkness” has critics “eager to see more.” (June 18; Nintendo Switch & Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
Beast of Reincarnation
Beast of Reincarnation - Release Date Announce Trailer | PS5 Games - YouTube
Pokémon developer Game Freak is drifting from its usual fare for Beast of Reincarnation, an action role-playing game that’s “closer to a Souls game” with more intense focus on battling enemies than the “monster-collecting series that the developer built its name on,” said Polygon. Players take on the role of a young woman navigating a post-apocalyptic Japan with her dog companion while fighting off monsters.
According to the developer, Beast of Reincarnation isn’t an open-world game but is instead “made up of stages that are larger in scope than, say, those in a Devil May Cry game,” said Kotaku. (Aug. 4; PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
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Superhero fans can rejoice, as last spring's Invincible VS “isn’t the only tag-team fighter for comic book readers this year,” said Polygon. From the developer behind Dragon Ball FighterZ, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls features classic Marvel heroes like “Spider-Man, Iron Man and Black Panther” with “new anime-inspired designs.”
The game gained attention online “thanks to its art style and the pedigree of its developer,” said Gizmodo. As a “4v4 tag-team fighter,” it is the “very same thing which defined Marvel vs. Capcom,” a beloved classic. PlayStation came to developer Marvel Games with a desire to “bring Marvel back to the forefront of the tag-team fighting genre,” Marvel Games’ senior product development manager Michael Francisco said in a statement. (Aug. 6; PC, PS5)
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 - Announce Trailer | PS5 Games - YouTube
Following the release of the first Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection in 2023, volume two arrives this summer. While the first set included the first five Metal Gear games, this one has Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel.
The collection is notable as “it’ll be the first time Metal Gear Solid 4 is made readily available outside of the PlayStation 3,” said Polygon. Master Collection Vol. 2 will include “bonus content in addition to the games.” A few of the additional items: a screenplay book and a digital soundtrack. (Aug. 27; PC, PS5)
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
