5 GAMES WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE AT PAX EAST 2020
February 20, 2020
Another year, another PAX East. From February 27 through March 1, the Boston Convention Center will be teeming with exciting games to demo and explore. Looking over the list of games available for demo, it can be easy to feel a bit overwhelmed.
Where do you go first, what should you play first? These are all questions buzzing around the minds of PAX East attendees right now.
Another thing that has PAX East attendees talking is the fact that Sony has announced they will be skipping PAX East 2020 due to concerns over novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The decision was made in an effort to protect Sony employees, many of whom have to travel internationally to attend PAX East.
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We’re sad that we won’t have the opportunity to demo The Last of Us Part II and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but we understand the safety of Sony’s employees comes first. Despite Sony’s absence, PAX East will continue as planned with added precautions being put in place including enhanced cleaning and sanitation measures.
To help give you a better idea as to what you can expect, we’ve put together a list of five games that we can’t wait to see at PAX East 2020!
Doom Eternal
A demo for Doom Eternal will be available as part of the Bethesda Game Days event. Rather than set up on the show floor, Bethesda typically hosts an event right next to the Boston Convention Center at Laugh Boston & M.J. O’Connor’s Irish Pub. This year, the event will run from 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, and Saturday, February 29.
It makes sense that a demo would be present during PAX East as Doom Eternal’s release date is extremely close, with the game coming out on March 20. At this point, the game is pretty much done and ready to go, so you know the demo is going to be extremely polished and indicative of the full game.
It’ll also give you a better idea as to whether or not you should purchase Doom Eternal as the game shares a release day with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Are you team Doom Eternal or team Animal Crossing? The demo may help you make a decision, and that decision may be Doom Eternal given how fun the original Doom was. We imagine the demo will be an absolute blast.
Chivalry 2
For the very first time, Torn Banner is bringing a playable demo of Chivalry 2 with them to PAX East 2020. Ahead of the event, it was announced that sign-ups for a Closed Alpha are now available, with the Closed Alpha set to begin this March.
A lore trailer was also posted that has us hyped to learn more about the world in which Chivalry takes place. For fans of the original game – Chivalry: Medieval Warfare – the demo at PAX East presents the perfect opportunity to test out the sequel’s mechanics. Will the swordplay feel similar? How will the new elements of combat added to Chivalry 2 change up the game?
All of this can be found out when you demo the game at PAX East 2020! On the flip side, if you’ve never played Chivalry but are big into Mordhau, you’ll likely find a lot to love in Chivalry 2 as Chivalry: Medieval Warfare was the main inspiration for Mordhau.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
If you’ve never had the opportunity to demo Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, PAX East 2020 is your next chance! Fall Guys offers a unique take on the “Battle Royale” genre by mixing in game show elements with inspirations that include Total Wipeout and Takeshi’s Castle. The colorful nature of the game will likely capture your attention immediately as you wander the show floor at PAX East.
If you’re there with a friend, this is the perfect opportunity to challenge your pal to a little head-to-head competition. The goal is to survive all of the challenges thrown at you from keeping a tail on your Fall Guy to dodging obstacles as you race your way up to the finish line. It’s a game that stirs up a nice, friendly spirit of competition and is perfect for gamers of all ages.
Overall, Fall Guys is an absolute blast to play and is one that’ll undoubtedly have you returning to it over and over again at PAX East. If you haven’t played it yet, or are just hearing about it now, we highly encourage you to check this adorable indie out at PAX East!
Cloudpunk
Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t the only “cyberpunk” game coming out this year. In fact, there’s an indie game that feels visually reminiscent of Blade Runner called Cloudpunk that’s scheduled to release this year as well. The spirit of the game is intentionally weird and quirky with the story giving us some Fifth Element vibes. Side note, if you’ve never seen Fifth Element, you’re really missing out on some classic sci-fi goodness.
In Cloudpunk, you play as a driver named Rania working her first night shift in the futuristic city of Nivalis. There’s a nice degree of freedom to the game as you fly around and explore interesting locations. You’ll also meet a host of unique characters from humans to androids and cyborgs and everything in between. Similar to games like Disco Elysium, there are moral choices for you to wrangle with as you interact with the world of Nivalis which gives Cloudpunk a nice distinctive edge.
Looking at the game’s trailer, Cloudpunk is undeniably striking, there’s no doubt about that. However, when you dig into the meat and circuits of the game, you’ll find a lot of depth waiting for you below the surface as well.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Last, but certainly not least, we have Baldur’s Gate 3. In a surprising announcement from Larian Studios, it was revealed that Baldur’s Gate 3 will have a presence at PAX East this year. A panel is taking place on February 27 at 3:30 (EST) that will showcase some gameplay from Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time and will be followed by a Q&A session.
In the Q&A, you’ll be able to learn more about Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian, which is exciting as details up until this point have been scarce. If you’re attending PAX East, it seems like you may even be able to demo the game, although nothing has been confirmed beyond the gameplay reveal.
Even if you aren’t able to get hands-on time with Baldur’s Gate 3, attending the panel and hearing more about it from Larian should be well worth your time. If you’re unable to attend PAX, the panel will also be streamed and various outlets will have features about the game for you to read whenever you have the time.
The five games we listed are only a small taste of what’s available at PAX East 2020. On the show floor, you’ll find dozens of games to demo including vast sections of charming indie games. To get a better idea of the full list of games, be sure to check out the official post from PAX East about games that will be present this year.
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Morgan is a writer, metalhead, horror lover, and indie game enthusiast. When it comes to games, they love nothing more than to wax poetic about all the latest and greatest indies to anyone who’ll listen. On a typical day, you’ll find Morgan perched in front of the computer like a gargoyle browsing through Steam’s new releases with a large cup of coffee. You can find them on Twitter @Author_MShaver
