The feeling that something seems too good to be true frustrates me immensely, and I don’t think there’s a medium where I experience it more than with video games.

With thousands of titles released each year, it’s practically inevitable to experience the unpleasant sensation that they can’t all turn out as well as their trailers claim, and I’ve had to deal with numerous disappointments myself.

From indie titles that seemed set to revolutionize the industry to AAA titles that fell apart from the very beginning, there are plenty of reasons to distrust certain releases, especially when they seem too perfect.

If you’re like me and also have your heart aching over the possibility, slim or not, that the games you want most will turn out badly, I invite you to join me in this list of ten upcoming games that feel too good to be true.

10

Marvel’s Blade

A Recent History of Disappointments

To say Marvel’s Blade looks too good to be true is hyperbole considering absolutely nothing is known about the game beyond that it’s part of the Blade franchise and is being developed by Arkane Studios. Still, that’s enough for me.

I’ll still be cautious and leave it at the bottom of the list, but it’s arguably the title that worries me the most on the entire list. The developer is coming off a pair of disastrous releases like Redfall and Wolfenstein: Youngblood, so it seems as if its integrity depends on this title.

Of course, being the incredibly talented studio they are, creators of some of the best stealth games in history, I have complete confidence that they will create an outstanding experience, but a dark corner of my mind is preparing for the opposite.

Once we see a trailer and learn more specific information about Marvel’s Blade, I may be able to update this entry and properly put it at the top, although I’d rather feel confident enough to remove it outright.

9

Tenebris Somnia

I Won’t Believe It Until I See It

If there are people I’ve trusted blindly for a few years now, it’s New Blood Interactive, who have published incredible works like ULTRAKILL, Gloomwood, and Faith: The Unholy Trinity.

That said, every time I see something new from Tenebris Somnia, I can’t help but stare at the screen, thinking there’s no way something like this could possibly exist, at least not satisfyingly.

Every ounce of logic in me tells me it does indeed look phenomenal and will be a hit, guaranteeing numerous nightmares and sleep-with-the-lights-on sessions, but I’m worried about how well the combination of pixel art and live action will work.

In any case, the idea is so promising that even if it turns out mediocre, I’ll play it. I have a lot of faith in Tenebris Somnia, so I think it deserves my tolerance if it doesn’t end up being as extraordinary as I’d like.

8

The Sinking City 2

Child of Problems

Considering all the legal controversy between Frogwares and Nacon over the IP, the fact that The Sinking City 2 even exists seems surreal to me.

I loved the first game and continue to consider it among the most underrated adaptations of Lovecraftian mythology in recent years, and even though I don’t think it needed a sequel, I’m eagerly awaiting to see if they can improve on an already remarkable first title.

However, at the same time, I can’t help but look back and detail all the friction and inconveniences related to the franchise, which seem to be linked to problems that transcend the quality of the game itself.

While I’m glad Frogwares pulled through and made the decision to continue the series, I await The Sinking City 2 with more misgivings than I’d like, although its reveal trailer was very compelling.

7

Styx: Blades of Greed

An Unexpected Third Entry

With some sadness, I admit I’m the only Styx fan I know, so I have almost no one to talk to about my concerns about Styx: Blades of Greed.

I loved the first game in the franchise and found the sequel to be just okay, so I have serious reservations about how well a third installment will suit my beloved goblin, which I don’t know if it is even necessary.

I do think we need more stealth games, as the genre has been dead for years, and I’d love to see it return, but the promises of freedom surrounding this installment make me believe it’s going to bite off more than it can chew.

Regardless, the IP has never done exceptionally well, so I admit I jumped when it was announced. I had no idea the adventure would last three installments, so my 2014 self is living a dream I thought was impossible.

For now, we only have a cinematic trailer that showcases Styx as well as ever, so that doesn’t worry me. Instead, I’m worried about how novel a take on the series’ mechanics will be, although I’ll still be buying Styx: Blades of Greed on day one.

6

Rue Valley

In the Absence of Disco Elysium

Few industry news stories have devastated me more than what happened with ZA/UM and Disco Elysium‘s true creators, whose sequel, which died before it was born, is my biggest “what if”.

With that in mind, Rue Valley promises to fill an existential void I don’t know if it’s possible to fill, because the hole Revachol has left in me is too great, and placing those expectations on any project seems unfair.

It’s true that every second of its demo exudes narrative and audiovisual personality, with enigmas and self-discoveries like those of Detective Du Bois, so I can’t help but let my eyes sparkle every time there’s any news about the project.

If I had to bet, I’d say Rue Valley will turn out as well as I think it will, but the unwritten challenge of compensating for the absence of this century’s best RPG will pose a comparison that could, perhaps, be fatal.

5

Phantom Blade Zero

Carrying the Chinese Baton

Black Myth: Wukong opened the doors to the Chinese AAA single-player market, and after its immense success, there are more and more promising projects aiming to lead the way in their journey to the Western market.

In that regard, Phantom Blade Zero has been one of the most talked-about names to fulfill this role since its announcement, and I can’t even begin to explain how mesmerized it has left me every time I’ve seen one of its gameplay trailers.

I literally find it difficult to believe that a title whose combat looks so spectacular and fluid could be real without coming from a developer hyper-established in the action genre, but Game Science proved us wrong with Monkey King’s journey.

Thanks to Black Myth: Wukong, I trust Phantom Blade Zero could also be an immense surprise that will make us fall in love with a new Eastern video game market, though when a title looks this incredible, I can’t help but be skeptical.

4

Crowsworn

Silksong’s No-Longer-Replacement

I find it both ironic and frustrating that I started following Crowsworn because I thought it would help me liven up the wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong, and it’s become an even worse version of Team Cherry’s game.

The years go by, and the game looks better and better, but it also steers completely clear of a rigid release schedule, which worries me greatly because everything indicates it will be an exceptional metroidvania besides its lack of launch date.

Everything from its aesthetics to its gameplay screams Hollow Knight, which is phenomenal but also dangerous considering it’s not easy to match the undisputed king of the modern genre.

Crowsworn‘s release has been delayed so long that my subconscious is already preparing me for the worst, even though I hope everything goes well. In reality, I know everything will be phenomenal, but I need to have my defense mechanisms active just in case.

3

Judas

BioShock’s Hesitant Spiritual Successor

Another ironic situation is that Ken Levine left Irrational Games to focus on experiences other than BioShock and ended up designing a game that looks exactly like BioShock, but that doesn’t stop me from being hyped for it.

Judas is among the games whose release intrigues me the most, not only because of the quality of the team behind it, but particularly because I’m curious to see how it will break away from the shadow of the revolutionary icon looming over it.

Comparisons are odious, and I understand the game is its own adventure, but if the trailers and descriptions catch my attention so much, it’s because they inevitably remind me of my adventures in Rapture and Columbia, so it’s unavoidable to establish a symmetry.

Despite everything, Judas displays an extremely prominent playable and artistic identity, so my intrigue is guaranteed from the very beginning. It’s been over ten years since we’ve received anything like this, which is as positive as it is worrying.

2

Lost Soul Aside

It Has Been a Long Decade

Only those truly knowledgeable in the field remember the announcement of Lost Soul Aside more than 10 years ago. The game then went on to become part of the China Hero Project initiative, which emerged as the most promising by far.

Half of the games in said project were canceled, and the other half came out years ago, leaving this spectacular ARPG somewhere in the middle that, fortunately, will also see the light of day, even though I thought it wouldn’t.

I’ve been following Yang Bing’s solitary work for years, and I’m still surprised by his ability to increasingly capture my attention with each exhibition of the game, but that feeling has always been accompanied by an equally strong concern.

The title’s reveal started at a very high point due to how great it looked, and while it has maintained and even improved that impression, a project so many years in development historically has a lower chance of success compared to the effort involved.

All of the above aside, after spending a decade thinking it would remain a typical spectacular video game that never comes out, Lost Soul Aside will shut me up when it releases, and maybe that will be enough. I don’t know if it will fulfill the wishes of my 16-year-old self when I first discovered it, but I hope so.

1

Darksiders 4

The Hype Rider

I’ve described Darksiders on numerous occasions as one of the best trilogies of all time, including it as one of the most underrated series in history, so you can imagine my hype when Darksiders 4 was finally revealed.

When I think of games that are too good to be true, the culmination of this adventure that began in 2010 and has endured so many commercial, creative, and legal uncertainties is directly a miracle.

However, when it was revealed that all the Horsemen of the Apocalypse would be playable, my hype took a significant hit. It was to be expected, considering a fourth installment with Strife and then a fifth with all the protagonists was a bit much, though it still had an impact on me.

If Gunfire Games struggled to make Fury work with Darksiders 3, combining four different heroes, even if three of them already have established hack-and-slash structures, leads me to believe the promises will struggle to be perfectly executed.

While the franchise’s closure is a victory for me, even if it goes wrong, Darksiders 4 has a daunting task ahead of it that I don’t know if it can accomplish. My entire faith is in the studio, and I will support them until the last second, so I hope to reread this article in a few years and realize it was unfounded.