While most major video game showcases tend to happen in June, we just got one more to kick off August. THQ Nordic held its annual digital showcase focusing on a handful of the publisher’s upcoming games.
The broadcast takes place ahead of this year’s Gamescom, where THQ Nordic will be demoing several of the projects shown during today’s showcase. While the show wasn’t jam-packed with announcements, it did provide a deep dive into five games, including the newly announced Wreckfest 2 and the upcoming Gothic remake. Ahead of the show, Digital Trends attended a pre-briefing event and learned more details on each title. Here’s everything that was revealed at THQ Nordic’s 2024 Showcase.
Wreckfest 2 brings more customization
The biggest surprise of the showcase was the reveal of Wreckfest 2. The arcade-style racing game is getting a sequel that promises more chaotic driving. It’s being built in a new iteration of the ROMU engine and comes with several new features. The biggest draw is a new customization suite that lets players painstakingly design their liveries, part by part. A gameplay video showed a player spraying rust marks on a car and decking it out with decals. THQ Nordic says that players will be able to share their creations, too.
Aside from that big feature, we know that Wreckfest 2 will feature multiple race modes as a well as a career mode. It will get modding support and feature regular content updates. It doesn’t have a release window or specific platforms at the moment, but it’s set to launch on PC alongside unspecified consoles.
Gothic 1 Remake gets lots of improvements
We got a closer look at Gothic 1 Remake, which will bring a 2001 RPG classic back to life — and it’s doing that in impressive fashion based on what we saw. An overview trailer recapped Gothic‘s story and emphasized its reactive world, all while showing off its Unreal Engine 5 glow-up. We also got a glimpse at the remake’s modernized combat.
The remake comes with some new features. THQ Nordic says that it’ll feature new storylines as well as expanded versions of those in the original release. It’ll add more diverse NPC routines and a retooled character progression system among other upgrades. THQ Nordic also emphasized the remake’s minimal UI, which is meant to push the RPG’s immersion further. No release date information was revealed, but it’s expected to be at Gamescom.
Epic Mickey Rebrushed is looking gorgeous
The upcoming Epic Mickey Rebrushed got a fresh new trailer that showed off the remaster’s new visuals. It’s the most impressive look we’ve gotten at the game yet, which will run at 60 frames per second at 4K for the first time ever. The trailer showed several snippets from the original game in their retouched glory, including a boss fight against a menacing clock tower.
This isn’t just a simple remaster. THQ Nordic says that the project will bring new achievements, a photo mode, gyroscope support on both Switch and PS5, and new secrets in every level. The latter includes 150 new concept art collectibles. Players who preorder now can get a trio of skins for Mickey, including an old-school football uniform.
Titan Quest 2 shows off gameplay for the first time
After its reveal at last year’s THQ Nordic showcase, we finally got a look at Titan Quest 2 in action. A gameplay trailer showed off some familiar top-down action that doesn’t seem to stray too far from the original game’s Diablo-inspired formula. We saw a battle against a giant boss and a big emphasis on collectible loot.
While the sequel will remain faithful to its predecessor with no major formula shake-ups, it’s getting an overhaul to its skill system. Players can now combine masteries to create more unique skill sets. All skills can now be modified and enhanced, bringing a little more RPG customization to the sequel. No release window was given for Titan Quest 2, but it will be playable at Gamescom this year.
The Eternal Life of Goldman is a show-stealer
The standout announcement of the show was the smallest of the batch. The Secret Life of Goldman is a new 2D platformer from Weappy Studios, the small team behind This is the Police. The game is a throwback to classic 16-bit platformers from the SNES era with an emphasis on precise platforming. It’s not a Metroidvania with lots of backtracking or a Souls-inspired indie like Hollow Knight. Instead, players control an old man who can use his upgradable cane to smack enemies and platform.
The real draw, though, is its astonishing animated art style. The platformer features a meticulously handcrafted look created through frame-by-frame painting. It really retains the look of an animated film, which is an impressive feat. As for its story, it draws from Greek, Jewish, and Mesopotamian fables to tell a folktale about life and death. The Secret Life of Goldman doesn’t have a release date, but it’s set to release on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
