SteamDeckHQ's Favorite Games of PAX East 2024

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This year has been extremely eventful in numerous ways, but the biggest recently was going to both GDC and PAX East. This year marks our second time going to PAX, and we saw so many amazing games that we can’t wait to talk more about!

If you don't know about PAX East, it is an incredible expo that takes place in Boston every year. It is open to the public, so all you have to do is purchase a ticket, and you can go try out amazing games and talk to great developers. I went both this year and last year, and it is one of my favorite experiences thanks to being able to speak to devs directly and try out some of their upcoming titles.

So, here are some of our favorite games that I got to try out:

Fallen Aces

Now, I might be a little biased here, but Fallen Aces is absolutely one of my favorite games from the show floor. This is an upcoming noir first-person fighter taking place during what looks to be a 50’s gangster era. You can use anything around to fight enemies, including bottles, pipes, and sometimes guns, and it’s very non-linear, so you can complete missions in many different ways. It’s styled like a comic book, has full voice acting, and the art is fully hand-drawn.

So why am I biased, you ask? Because the team brought a Steam Deck knowing I was coming, just so I could test the game on the Deck. It had never been tested before, so I did not expect a great performance, but it wasn’t horrific the entire time (there were also some nice solid 60 FPS corners). The team is incredible, though, and even though Dave Oshry hit my kneecap with a baseball bat, I have full confidence that it’ll be great on the Steam Deck. You won’t want to miss Fallen Aces, and you can wishlist it now on Steam before it releases its first episode in Spring.

You can wishlist the game and download the demo now on Steam.

Kriegsfront Tactics

If Front Mission and XCOM had a baby, this game would be it. Kriegsfront Tactics is one of the two newest games coming from Toge Productions, a studio I personally love, and this title became a quick favorite of mine. The combination of tactical strategy and cinematic combat feels right at home here, and the ability to fine-tune some of your shots to target specific body parts, which can affect the enemy in various different ways, is amazing.

There is a demo available now on Steam to try it, and I highly recommend doing so!

Edge of Sanity

I tried a couple of games at Daedalic's booth, and I really liked each one, but Edge of Sanity stood out for me. The grim, Lovecraftian setting mixed with the fantastic animations and artwork is phenomenal, and I loved the gameplay and uniqueness of each enemy. But what really sold it for me was the amazing detail and atmosphere in the surroundings, which actually creeped me out more than I expected. Everything seems to fit together into one tightly-knit package, and I cannot wait to learn more about the game.

You can wishlist Edge of Sanity now on Steam.

LUCID

LUCID was one of my favorite experiences at PAX. Not only does the game look incredible with beautiful visuals and extremely fluid movement, but the priorities the developer decided to focus on make it feel much more unique. The developer, Eric, is also an awesome guy, and while our conversation during my appointment was mostly about each other instead of the game, there wasn't much I needed to ask. I could feel the love and passion he put behind the game as a mostly solo dev (he had some help with the soundtrack/audio). Overall, I wishlisted this one right after my time with it, and I recommend you do the same if you enjoy Metroidvanias with amazing traversal systems.

You can wishlist LUCID now on Steam.

Phantom Fury

2 years after its announcement, Phantom Fury is finally on its way out. And at PAX, I got to play it, and it's as amazing as I expected. The sequel to Ion Fury focuses on Shelly again, and the game has more of a 2000s shooter vibe, which fits extremely well. I wish I had more time to play it while I was there, though. It wasn't that I had any less time than others. I just enjoyed it so much that I would have loved more time to play and enjoy the constant action, explosions, and overall fantastic boomer-shooter goodness.

The game can be wishlisted on Steam right now ahead of its April 23rd release.

Demon Spore

Publisher Null Games was one of the groups that brought along a Steam Deck to try their games on, and it was fantastic. I tested a couple of different games from them, but the one that really stood out to me was Demon Spore. The top-down twin-stick roguelike sees you trying to escape a lab where a virus has broken out and taken over. You will need to use cunning tactics and the environment around you to clear the rooms from a variety of enemies and gross, pulsating, expanding tentacles. The aesthetic is extremely unique, and the gameplay is way more fun than I expected. I am downloading the demo to play more as I write this!

And yes, you can download the demo for yourself as well on Steam now.

The Hexadome: Aristeia Showdown

When I am in the mood, I do love some competitive tactical strategy, but The Hexadome changes things up a little bit by adding a ton of layers to make it feel significantly more unique. These are 1v1 turn-based matches where you and your opponent will choose from the hero pool, each with their own unique abilities, and try to score more than the other person. You will use a combination of abilities, sponsor abilities, drops on the ground, and more. The goal isn't to kill the other team per-say, but to get your team onto the ever-changing scoring platform while taking the other team off.

There's a lot more to it than this, but it's a lot of fun, even if it took me a minute to get used to it.

There will be a closed beta starting today, which you can request access and join right now on Steam!

Riftstorm

While I didn't play Riftstorm while I was at PAX, I did take part in a recent pre-alpha playtest beforehand, and I really wanted to take a moment to meet the team there. Turns out, they are an Indonesian studio that lives not too far from me (yes, I live in Indonesia currently)! They gave me the rundown for their roguelike co-op shooter, where you will go through different runs, crafting your playstyle with different weapons, skills, and power-ups, to take on the cosmic horrors. The game is a lot of fun, and I can't wait for the next playtest (or release), but the team themselves are just so wonderful to talk to.

They were so nice and passionate about their game, and it just made me even more excited to talk to them about the game. I have a lot of optimism that this will be an amazing experience on the Steam Deck, and I can't wait to hear more as development progresses.

You can wishlist the game right now on Steam.

Spectra

Now, there wasn’t an actual demo for Spectra available, but from the trailer I saw, it looks fantastic. This is a stealth first-person shooter that prioritizes open-ended design and doesn’t take itself too seriously. This means there are multiple ways to complete a mission, and you have the freedom to figure it out for yourself. As for the humor, there will be ridiculous weapons like a boxing glove that can enable a double jump by shooting the ground and a wind-up monkey that has dynamite. It’s still very early on, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more and hoping the dev finds time for Steam Deck optimization down the road.

Spectra can be wishlisted now on Steam.

Those are the highlights of PAX East this year! There were definitely a lot more amazing games that aren't listed here that I will be going over in the coming days, but these ones stood out to me as exceptional titles that I can't wait to see more of.

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