17 Games That Left Us Wanting More at BitSummit X-Roads

ign.com:

One of my favourite gaming events each year is BitSummit. Held in Kyoto, it sees developers from all over Japan - and indeed, the world - descend upon the former capital to showcase what they’re working on. This year saw the return of a physical show, and I spent two full days playing games on the show floor. Even so, there was too much for one person to tackle, so what follows is a selection of the games that most jumped out at me, with apologies to the projects I didn’t get to. Oh, and I should also note that I’m not including games that have already been released - upcoming titles only.

Developer: Chuhai Labs | Platforms: PC, Consoles | Release Date: August 18, 2022

This one only just squeaks in, as it’s due to be released on August 18. Coming from a small team at Kyoto-based Chuhai Labs - a brand of Vitei Backroom - it sees the unlikely pairing of the roguelike genre and golf. The twist, however, is that the player is in golf purgatory and must get through 18 increasingly difficult courses in order to escape. You only have a limited number of shots to beat each hole, but there are numerous ways to supercharge your run to the cup, with power-up cards that can be spent to take a mulligan or change the ball’s course in mid-air, as well as the ability to put backspin on the ball in the air to finesse your shot.

Unlike many roguelikes, the levels in Cursed to Golf aren’t procedural - each has been handcrafted for optimal golfing challenge - but the fact that there are 70 overall means that each run will be largely different from the last. With a number of options on the path through the game’s four biomes, as well as having to best utilise power-up cards as you acquire them along the way, there’s a tonne that will make each