Cecile, one of LadiesGamers’ guest writers, visited the Paris Games Week Expo. Time to hear all about it!
Paris Games Week 2024
The Paris Games Week 2024, also known as PGW, took place from October 23rd to 27th. Like last year, I went there with a few friends on Friday.
As soon as we entered, we felt that there were fewer exhibitors than last year. Maybe the game industry’s current economic problems, like the firing of some employees or the closing of some development studios, have also affected the PGW. For example, last year, Don’t Nod had a big booth, and this year, they didn’t have any booth at all.
On the Ubisoft booth, there was no exclusive game like last year with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Assassin’s Creed Shadow was not here, as the release was postponed to February 2025. To replace the game, there was an escape room on the same theme, but the waiting line was too long for me to try.
Star Wars Outlaws
Instead, I could try Star Wars Outlaws, and I really enjoyed it. There was a big part of infiltration and not only firing on everything we see, which I prefer.
I wasn’t in the best condition to play, but I found it difficult, and I died a lot. But a friend who played the demo with me, even if he had already finished the game, told me that it was normal because the demo was from the beginning of the game. At this moment, you’re supposed to have learned a lot of mechanics in the game that I didn’t have the opportunity to learn. That reassured me, as I love the Star Wars franchise. I’ll definitely buy this game.
Little Nightmares 3
I also tried Little Nightmares 3 at Bandai Namco’s booth, where there were many stalls. I played the first game but not the second one yet.
I was a little worried about the change of development studio, as Supermassive Games made the third game instead of Tarsier Studios. But I was reassured. I really liked the demo. The tension is still there when you progress through the rooms, but I found the images less disturbing than in the first game—at least in the demo. The sound design and the use of lights and shadows build a scary atmosphere.
The game follows two children, Low and Alone, and some puzzles cannot be solved alone. You can play without another player, and the AI will play whichever character you aren’t playing. However, I’m quite sure it will be a perfect game to play in co-op with a friend. And you will have no excuse not to do so, as the game will be playable online and cross-platform. Little Nightmares 3 is planned to be released in 2025 on every console and PC.
I spent most of the rest of the day at the Made In France Video Games space, a part of the expo about French Indie games.
One of the best booths for me this year was Arte TV’s booth. In France, it’s a TV channel, but since 2017, it’s also a publisher of independent video games.
Gloomy Eyes The Game
At first, the graphics of Gloomy Eyes the Game caught my eye, so I tried the demo, and I liked it a lot.
It’s a puzzle adventure game where, for example, you need to find an object to use on something in order to progress. It’s classic, but the story is interesting. You play alternately as Gloomy and Nena, a zombie and a human, on a quest to find the sun in a world where the sun has stopped rising; therefore, the dead awake from their graves.
It sounds like a horror game, but it’s not. It’s a story based on a short animation from 2019 about a strong relationship between two very different people. The art direction gives the game a special atmosphere that I would say is more gothic than horror.
I could only play part of the demo with Nena, but I’m definitely interested in this game, which will be released in 2025. You can wishlist it on Steam here.
30 Birds
I was at the Arte booth waiting to try Looking for Fael, but I did not get the chance. The person managing the booth then suggested that I try 30 Birds. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.
This game, developed by Ram Ram Games and Business Goose, is a kind of point-and-click game where you progress in the adventure in order to rescue Simurgh. It’s a narrative game with a gorgeous art style inspired by Persian art. What I didn’t understand at first is that you play at the surface of lanterns, so when you arrive at the end of the screen, the level rotates. It is difficult to explain, but it is something I really notice as it’s a very nice-looking effect.
The music is kind of jazzy or reggae and is very enjoyable. The dialogues are very well written and have a little bit of humour. We don’t have long to wait, as the game will be released on the 28th of November on Steam
After spending a long time in the Arte booth, I visited the rest of the Made In France Video Games space to try other games.
Exographer
Before going to the PGW, I checked what games would be at the Made in France Games section of the expo. Exographer catches my interest for the pitch: Exographer is an exploration game based on science.
During the PGW, I went to the booth and discussed it with one of the developers because I was curious. I learned that this game is Metroidvania, but without fights, only with puzzles that let you acquire new powers to avoid dangers and pass obstacles, progress, and explore this alien world.
When I played the demo at the booth, I didn’t progress a lot, often getting stuck by puzzles I was not used to. People were waiting in line to try this game, but I was very intrigued by it, so, at the end of the day, when there were fewer people, I tried the demo again. This game continues to intrigue me, and I will probably play it one day. It was released in May 2024 on every console, including the Nintendo Switch and PC.
Machinika: Atlas
Machinika: Atlas is the second game of the Machinika series. I played the first Machinika game called Machinika: Museum, and the second game begins right where the first ends. It’s a puzzle game where you manipulate machines to progress from chapter to chapter. It’s a kind of game like the games from The Room series, which are probably more known. As I enjoyed the first game, I’ll probably play the second.
The first game was on the Nintendo Switch, and it was very fun to play on the touch screen. I tried Machinika: Atlas at the Paris Games Week on PC. I asked if it would be ported to Nintendo Switch, but they were pessimistic. I think that the sales of the first game didn’t cover the cost of porting the game to another format for small indie developers.
Machinika: Atlas, developed by Littlefield Studio, was released on the 27th of September 2024 on Steam and, more recently, on Android. You can find Paula’s review of the previous game Machinika: Museum, here.
Randomice
Randomince is a Metroid-like with no fights but based on exploration and puzzles to solve. The trick is that the level is procedurally generated, so that means that you won’t obtain the objects that help you progress in the level in the same order. It is up to you to find your way in this hand-drawn house with the objects you get.
It was the end of the expo, and I didn’t have much time to play the demo at the PGW. I only started the tutorial, but it’s not too bad, as a demo is available on Steam. Videoludid developed the game, which is planned to be released in the first quarter of 2025.
There was also a Microids booth with a few games, like last year. I didn’t play any of them, as the only one that interested me was Little Big Adventure. I played this game a long time ago, in 1994, and they are now making a remake named Little Big Adventure—Twinsen’s Quest. It was released on November 14th on Steam, and Kalina reviewed the game for LadiesGamers.
The reason I didn’t play this game at the PGW is that I already played the demo available on Steam. They did a wonderful job with the graphics and modernizing the gameplay. Still, I prefer to keep my memories intact because, at the time I played it, there were not a lot of games of this type, and I remember this one as a wonderful game. But for someone who has never played the game, I think it’s worth the shot as it’s a classic adventure game from the nineties. You can have a look at the original game here.
James reviewed The Smurfs – Dreams, which was also playable on Nintendo Switch in the Microid booth.
It was a wonderful day of trying games and discussing them with developers. It’s the only opportunity I have to see my gamer friends once a year and discuss video games with them all day. I’m looking forward to going to Paris Games Week next year.
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