Team17 has many upcoming titles on the horizon, and we here at CGMagazine were lucky enough to get behind the curtain and try out these upcoming five before launch.
The Team17 publisher has been busy in the lab for the past couple of years, with developers working on games of many genres to cover the wants of gamers everywhere. Besides publishing the highly anticipated sequels Blasphemous 2 and Moving Out 2, Team17 is tied to a dark survival game called Gord, a Gears Tactics-like war title called Classified: France ’44, and of course, a party rhythm game featuring headbanging pigeons called Headbangers Rhythm Royale.
We here at CGMagazine were fortunate enough to receive an invitation to get our hands on these upcoming titles before launch at the Team17 showcase in NYC, where Blasphemous 2, Moving Out 2, Headbangers, Classified: France ’44, and Gord were playable, and there is a lot to be excited about.
Blasphemous 2
First game up at the Team17 showcase, I slid behind the tall mask of the Penitent One in Blasphemous 2, where the striking art style and gothic Christian religion-based horror imagery continue to flourish. The sequel takes place almost directly after the events of the first title’s conclusive DLC, The Wounds of Eventide and sees the player return as a reborn Penitent One. The first thing I noticed was as the Penitent One the player immediately gets the choice between three weapons, the Mea Culpa is nowhere to be found.
The three weapons on offer were a massive slow-moving Censer, a fast Saber and Dagger, and the Praying Blade, which felt like a balance between power and mobility. After choosing the Praying Blade, it’s notable that there are cleaner menus this time around, along with MegaMan X feeling special moves. At times I was able to pull off a downward stab move, reminiscent of Icicle Crash from MegaMan X4 which dealt a good amount of damage to enemies.
Exploration also felt more open than the previous title, where it felt like being guided along by invisible rails. The land of Cvstodia is vast and loaded with dark creatures that want to end your pilgrimage early, so players will have to employ a mixture of tight parrying, dodge rolls, and seamless platforming to see the journey through, including massive bosses that require vigilance to triumph against.
Blasphemous 2 launches on August 24 for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, PS4 and PS5.
Gord
A pleasant surprise at the Team17 showcase is the survival simulator Gord. This is a dark fantasy town-building simulator that is steeped in Slavic folklore, similar to The Witcher series of games. Your mission is to lead the Tribe of the Dawn while venturing into the unknown stretches of the forbidden land while braving hostile conditions and a very uncertain future.
While playing simulator titles like this, the most optimal way to control is traditionally the mouse and keyboard, but the developers have introduced numerous shortcuts for controller players, and it felt less cumbersome to play Gord than other simulators I’ve tried before. Despite the dark atmosphere, there are A LOT of moving pieces on the screen at once, and players will have to be truly vigilant to stay alive. Gord offers procedurally generated maps as well, so no two playthroughs will ever be the same, and players can dive into new experiences each run.
At any given moment in Gord, a player can be scrounging for resources, exploring uncharted lands, building constructs, fortifying defenses, and much more. Leading the Tride of the Dawn is a difficult task, and players will be tested at every turn. Your people in Gord must constantly battle their greatest enemy, madness. This unique concept shows how your citizens feel when they witness atrocities; if someone dies from a disease, your Gord can suffer devastating consequences if it isn’t handled properly. Gord launches August 17th on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.
Headbangers Rhythm Royale
Imagine if Team17 and Glee-Cheese Studios took Fall Guys, mixed it with what feels like WarioWare, and then threw a bunch of customizable pigeons into the mix. That imagination is Headbangers Rhythm Royale, a multiplayer knockout game that relies on rhythm, but also player customization.
Each game starts with 30 pigeons, and your goal is to stay in the game until you’re the last one left. I have played numerous instances of this, from pressing keys for low-medium-high notes as they move across a musical staff, to confirming when a dolphin spins appropriately in a circle that resembles a sun. This game is random AND crazy. There was even a sudden death between the last four pigeons, where players lost if they missed a single note. In each game, a player can collect bread crumbs that can be exchanged for cosmetic items to outfit their pigeon with the best down.
I noticed my button input timing was off a few times while playing, but luckily there is a calibration screen that assures you will get the appropriate setting, Glee-Cheese Studio thought of everything for the pigeons. Headbangers Rhythm Royale will take flight on October 31 for PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Classified: France ’44
Classified: France ’44 was up next from Team17, and it functions as a turn-based strategy title, similar to XCOM, set in the heart of Nazi-occupied France during World War II. There are many working parts in gameplay, such as allied visibility, a cover system, destructible hazards littering the environment, and multiple ways to go about completing a mission.
While controlling Pvt. Casady, in one move, I was able to pick up a fallen comrade and pull out a sidearm to shoot an enemy just outside a window. This is another concept introduced in Classified: France’44, the player has an action meter that allows the player to take as many actions as possible before it runs out and ends the turn. Tactics are a must in Classified, and mastering the meter will ensure victory.
Using a sidearm, for example, uses far less of the action meter than using a primary weapon such as a shotgun. Like the shotgun, throwing a grenade can cost more or less depending on the conditions. Also, certain characters can use weapons or items more effectively than others, so a Grenadier will likely use less Action Meter than Pvt. Casady when using explosives. Stealth is also king in encounters; if an enemy can’t see one of your comrades, they can flank the enemy for a huge damage bonus, or, better yet, just do a knife takedown that keeps everything under the radar when unseen.
Players will be thrown into war in Classified: France ’44 when it deploys at a TBA date.
Moving Out 2
The last title to try at the Team17 event was Moving Out 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2020 co-op title from SMG Studio. As a returning member of F.A.R.T (Furniture Arrangement & Relocation Technicians), your objective is to move stuff in a physics-based cartoony atmosphere. Moving Out 2 starts in what appears to be a zany town called Packmore but continues into more zany settings, asking more crazy things of the player.
In one of the levels, I was tasked with piloting a UFO to drag a floating wrecking-ball-like object into obstacles so that my teammate could move an item to the area beyond the obstacles. This type of teamwork is essential in the original Moving Out, Moving Out 2, and Moving Out in real life. Players have a choice of many different animal movers on display, you can play as a myriad of bird breeds, cats, dogs, and of course, humans, but these choices don’t help or hinder the player at all. They are purely cosmetic.
Antics are sure to be in store in Moving Out 2, and teamwork can also be more out-of-the-box thinking. Players can ‘slap’ each other for a burst of momentum that can carry the character to platforms that are normally unreachable on their own. This movement device can also be used to ‘speed run’ the title and play on your own terms.
Moving Out 2 finally launches on August 15 for Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
That just about wraps up the upcoming slate of Team17 releases this summer. Fans looking for more information regarding any of these titles can visit the official Team17 website to find what they’re looking for.
