Everything We Played at Gamescom 2025

This year, the Respawn Station attended our first Gamescom, including Opening Night Live. It was admittedly an overwhelming experience, and we didn’t get the opportunity to check out all we wanted, but here is everything we were able to get hands-on at Gamescom.

Alpha Response

AUSTIN: Alpha Response is currently available in Early Access on Steam, but I had the opportunity to go hands-on with the game at Gamescom alongside its creator, Minh “Gooseman” Le, who is best known for co-creating Counter-Strike.

This new title, Alpha Response, is a co-op PvE experience that puts up to four players in the role of an elite police squad tasked with dismantling cross-border criminal syndicates. The gameplay loop involves dropping into a map inspired by Porto, Portugal, where players must complete a range of objectives from clearing out enemies and rescuing hostages to escorting high-priority civilians to a helicopter extraction point.

Le mentioned that Alpha Response draws heavy inspiration from Left 4 Dead and Rainbow Six, and that influence is evident throughout the game. Enemies vary in difficulty, ranging from standard foes to heavily armored opponents that require careful strategy and significant firepower to defeat. To make things more dynamic, threats can arrive mid-mission via helicopters or armored vehicles, forcing teams to constantly stay alert and aware of their surroundings.

To ensure you’re equipped for the escalating challenges, the game rewards players with money for completing objectives and eliminating enemies. This in-game currency can then be used to purchase upgraded gear, which is a clear nod to Counter-Strike’s iconic buy system. Le emphasized the strategic layer this adds, allowing squads to coordinate their loadouts and approach each mission objective more tactically.

Looking ahead, Le shared some exciting plans for the game’s future. AI teammates are in development, which will allow solo players to experience the full scope of the game without relying on others. Additionally, driveable vehicles are being explored as a way to introduce new mission types, such as chasing down and neutralizing specific high-value targets.

EONA

SRI: Coming out of France and playable in the Super AC Games booth, EONA is a game that can easily be compared to the likes of Little Nightmares. It’s a moody and atmospheric puzzle platformer that follows a little girl trapped in a cursed castle and hunted by the eerie fae creature Mélusine. We had the chance to not only check out the full demo but also chat with a developer about the game.

We will have a more extensive article in conversation with the developers, but as for first impressions, the game has me curious. It’s a rather linear experience, which is not a bad thing, and the puzzles in the opening of the game are just tricky enough to make progressions satisfying and frequent. Pretty soon into the experience, you unlock the Puppeteer’s Cross, which allows you to manipulate souls to navigate obstacles and overcome traps.

The demo was running on a laptop in the booth, and although the game didn’t look bad, it didn’t look quite as sharp as it might on a high-end PC or consoles. The game is slated for release next year, and although it still needs a bit of polishing to iron out the bugs, it is a spooky little experience worth keeping an eye on. You can wishlist the game on Steam.

Everdream Village

ALEXA: I am always a fan of cute farming sims, and especially like when they add in an element that feels new to any I have played in the past. Everdream Village is just that. With a fittingly adorable art style, I had a lot of fun running around the farm for a few minutes at Gamescom. Initially, it felt very similar to other games I had played in this genre, but then they introduced something different. The player is able to turn into their dog companion! I had a fun time running around as a puppy before returning to the main character, and I look forward to seeing how this game continues to develop before its release.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando

SRI: This one has a funny story. A few months ago, we got the chance to ask John Carpenter one question, and we wisely spent it asking about Toxic Commando. He answered that all he did for the game was receive a paycheck and that he wasn’t sure if they were even still developing it. Well, believe our research when we are sitting in the ONL auditorium and the trailer starts for Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive’s co-op action shooter. Toxic Commando is not only alive, it’s coming out next year, and we got to play it in co-op with three of us.

We were all surprised at how much fun the slice of the game we had was. We can’t speak for the solo experience as it’s not the most immersive game, yet with a few friends, Toxic Commando has all the elements to make for an enjoyable time. The shooting is serviceable, the visuals are good, and vehicles add an unexpected bit of chaos to the mix. The game is not just a Left 4 Dead clone, opting for a more open world environment in which players navigate the objectives and threats at their own pace. In other words, it’s not without its flaws, at least in its current build, but it’s definitely a game we’re going to check out.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

SRI: This is a very unique game for me. On the one hand, I don’t like LEGO games. I have tried playing a few over the years, but it doesn’t take long before I realize that I just don’t click with them. On the other hand, however, I love Batman. So, after being in the audience for the official reveal at ONL, I knew I had to get hands-on with Legacy of the Dark Knight.

I am happy to say, after only a brief time with the game, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is very promising. Slated for release in 2026, this new LEGO Batman game is a culmination of the decades of Batman stories that came before it. A point that was driven home by the various Batman suits and gadgets from Warner Bros’ archive that were placed around the booth at Gamescom.

Legacy of the Dark Knight is a LEGO game, but it plays closer to Batman: Arkham City. In the snippet we got, we were able to freely explore one of the game’s islands, stop crimes, hunt for collectibles, and compete in challenges. The looks and sounds great, and the gameplay is smooth.

Honestly, I only had two negatives to report from my first impressions. The first is that I am not in love with the voice of Batman. And the second behind that, the Batmobiles aren’t the best to control. Other than that, this is definitely a game for Batman fans to keep an eye out for.

Neverness to Everness

SRI: We checked out this game by pure happenstance. We were walking by the booth and noticed there wasn’t a line, so we sat down with the game for fifteen minutes. This supernatural open-world RPG has a lot going for it, and while I didn’t see a lot of depth in the game, what I got to sample was the gorgeous visuals and fun gameplay. I really enjoyed just driving around the city and watching the skybox change overhead. It’s got a typical anime aesthetic, but brought to life with clean design.

ALEXA: The amount of diversity in the simple mechanics of gameplay, such as the feel of driving each of the cars and bikes or the various fighting styles of the five characters you can switch between, even mid-fight, at the click of a button, made it an engaging fifteen minutes that was over too soon. I spent a lot of my time driving around and testing out many of the cars and bikes available. I found that each one felt very unique when driving due to differences in the handling, acceleration, max speed, and more. This was a game I was not expecting but definitely enjoyed.

Prohibeast

AUSTIN: Prohibeast is a top-down, real-time infiltration game set in an alternate 1930s Chicago, where anthropomorphic animals live in a city plagued by corruption and illegal meat trafficking. This, I thought, was a very clever parallel to the real-world Prohibition.

You play as Eliot Ness, the leader of the Untouchables, along with four additional characters that can be unlocked throughout the campaign. Each character brings complementary skills to the team, opening up a variety of approaches to infiltration missions and encouraging strategic planning.

At SUPER AC’s booth, I had the chance to go hands-on with the tutorial mission, where I controlled Eliot Ness, a stealthy, jack-of-all-trades dog, and Malone B. Clonan, a powerhouse elephant who uses his size and strength to take down enemies with brute force.

I’ll be honest… stealth games aren’t usually my thing. I tend to take a “run and gun” approach, so I struggled a bit at first. But as I got into the mechanics and level design (and received some assistance from the developer), I started to appreciate how well-thought-out everything was. Coordinating between Ness and Clonan to execute a precise one-two punch felt not only satisfying but genuinely rewarding. Prohibeast doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, but it’s currently aiming for a 2026 launch.

ROCKBEASTS

SRI: The best part of getting hands-on with a game is finding a game that you otherwise might have missed. ROCKBEASTS from developer Lichthund and publisher Team17 is a story-driven, role-playing management game where you play the manager for an up-and-coming rock band. They have the talent and personality, and you need to get them to the top. It’s mature and gritty in a way that makes it charming.

The game is fully voice-acted, and it has a visual style akin to Bojack Horseman. Which is definitely a compliment. Even in my brief time with the game, I felt the weight of my choices, and as the game progresses, I can only imagine how much more complicated and difficult. While this looks like a visual novel at a glance, it has a lot of other mechanics built into it to earn the management tagline, so be prepared for everything from musical rhythm challenges to organizing shows.

The Séance of Blake Manor

ALEXA: We got a chance to check out the Raw Fury booth and saw a few games that looked interesting, but the one that caught our eye the most was The Seance of Blake Manor. The art design was intriguing to look at and made you want to explore more. That, alongside the intense mystery vibe of the game, left me wanting more after only playing the game for a few minutes. The story and characters were initially compelling, and the puzzles seem delightfully difficult based on what we saw so far. I look forward to seeing more about this game and hopefully playing it once it is released.

Super Meat Boy 3D

AUSTIN: The critically acclaimed platforming series is back, and everyone’s favorite meat cube is stepping into a whole new dimension with Super Meat Boy 3D.

I had the chance to try out a demo, which was limited to what appeared to be the game’s first island/tutorial runs or capped at ten minutes, whichever came first. Not to brag, but I managed to finish under the time limit. That said, I genuinely wish I had more time to keep playing, because I was truly enjoying the experience.

As a longtime fan, I was initially skeptical about the transition from 2D to 3D. But those doubts disappeared quickly. The shift works surprisingly well, opening up a whole new layer of creativity in both level design and how players navigate obstacles. The added dimension doesn’t just look good, but also enhances gameplay.

One of the most notable additions is wall running, which complements the series’ signature high-speed platforming perfectly. It helps maintain that familiar sense of momentum and fluidity that fans have come to love, while also introducing new mechanics that make the gameplay feel fresh. Super Meat Boy 3D doesn’t have an official release date just yet, but it’s currently slated for release sometime in 2026.

Miscalleanous

SRI: Before we wrap it up, there are a few games that I got the chance to briefly play that I don’t have much to say about but wanted to mention, for better or for worse. Let’s start with Achilles: Survivor. Back in 2023, I reviewed a game called Achilles: Legends Untold, which was an action role-playing game from Dark Point Games. This new game seemingly takes the assets from that game and turns it into a Vampire Survivors-style roguelike. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of Legends Untold back then, and I am not clicking with Achilles: Survivor now.

We also got a chance to sit down with Neon Doctrine to play two games on their upcoming release slate. The first was Grim Trials. It’s a colorful action roguelike in the style of Hades, and the slice I had was nice. It had flashy combat, easy-to-navigate systems, which I feel that I’ve only scratched the surface of. Keep an eye on it if you’re a roguelike fan. The other is Cold Abyss, a game I had my own since it was revealed. Having played it, I can say it’s just as atmospheric and abstract as I imagined it to be. I could describe it for you, but you’re better off just downloading the demo and experiencing it for yourself.

Lastly, we got some brief time with Little Nightmares III. Now it would be easy to say that the game captures the eerie vibe of the first two and move on if this were from the same developer. However, as the original developers of Little Nightmares are working on REANIMAL from THQ Nordic, this new game is being developed by Supermassive Games, most known for Until Dawn. I was content playing just a little because it gave me confidence in what to expect.

That is it for the games we played at Gamescom, but the discussion doesn’t end here. Tune into our weekly podcast for more discussion about the general Gamescom experience, best of ONL, and more. We also have a few interviews with developers from Gamescom coming soon. So bookmark the homepage if you haven’t and come back soon.