42 games you might have missed from Gamescom 2014

Volume

Platform: PlayStation 4/PC

Mike Bithell, the creator of Thomas Was Alone, has been busy, and his next title is Volume. It's a stealth game based on both Metal Gear Solid 2 and the tale of Robin Hood, with an art style all its own. It's looking brilliant.

Ether One

Platform: PlayStation 4/PC

Already out on PC, Ether One is a thinking person's adventure game that delves into the nature of mental illness. It looks like the next-generation of games inspired by Myst, and that's definitely something I can get behind.

Plague Inc: Evolved

Platform: Xbox One/PC

Originally an iOS game, the simulator that puts you in the role of a humanity-destroying virus was recently ported to PC with a whole slew of new features--and now it's infecting the Xbox One.

Rivals of Aether

Platform: Xbox One

Rivals of Aether is a fighting game that looks like what you'd get if you tried to make Super Smash Bros. on a Super Nintendo. Players command the elements of fire, water, air, or earth, and do battle with up to three other players.

Rime

Platform: PlayStation 4

Tequila Works' latest project is Rime, an open-world adventure game with environmental puzzles and a unique cel-shaded aesthetic inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It looks absolutely stunning.

SlashDash

Platform: Xbox One

SlashDash is a game of capture the flag for four players, with ninjas and teleportation, shown from an overhead perspective. Sold yet?

Spectra

Platform: Xbox One/PC

The 8-bit PC racing game makes its way to Xbox One, and it'll take nerves of steel to make it through these nail-biting courses. You've also got a sweet chiptune soundtrack to hum along with.

Pneuma: Breath of Life

Platform: Xbox One

Pneuma: Breath of Life is a first-person puzzle game that puts you in the role of the titular god Pneuma. You'll solve puzzles as you, according to the developers, explore "the fundamental nature of being." Sounds like pretty heady stuff.

Snow

Platform: PlayStation 4/PC

Snow certainly sounds ambitious. It's an open-world winter sports game--and it's completely free-to-play. Ski or snowboard down the slopes at your own pace, and add rails and ramps to create sick jumps. This sounds pretty rad, actually.

Threes!

Platform: Xbox One/Mobile

The ultimate timewaster and inspiration to a legion of clones, the original Threes! is still one of the most charming and most entertaining puzzle games around. Match like multiples of three together to combine them into even bigger numbers--and nothing else compares to that moment when you finally pair up two 768 tiles together.