Guerilla Collective: 10 Highlights From The June 5 Showcase

E3 may not officially start for another week, but that didn’t stop the folks at the Guerilla Collective from putting on their event just earlier today. The first of two showcases, the event offered a look at some of the latest and greatest upcoming indie titles, affording independent developers an opportunity to shine brightly ahead of E3, during which all eyes will likely be on AAA projects developed by high-profile developers.

The June 5 showcase hosted a diverse lineup of games ranging from quirky shoot-em-ups to emotional narrative experiences; suffice to say, it showed off a little something for everyone. Here are some of the highlights from the second annual Guerilla Collective showcase.

Anno: Mutationem

The showcase kicked off strong with Anno: Mutationem, a 2.5D adventure game developed by ThinkingStars starring a girl named Ann. The gameplay trailer focused primarily on Anno’s quick-paced combat, cutting between multiple encounters involving rough-and-tough assailants, as well as a boss fight against a giant monster. There isn’t a concrete release date yet, but the game is slated to launch later this year for PC, PS4, and PS5.

The Eternal Cylinder

The Eternal Cylinder tasks players with ensuring the survival of the Trebhums, a long-snouted species who, in all honestly, don’t look like they stand a chance against the dangers of The Eternal Cylinder’s world. All sorts of environmental hazards and predators are afoot, but fortunately, Trebhums can evolve in real-time based on their diet, allowing them to become better suited for survival. The trailer shown during Guerilla Collective showcased one example of this when a Trebhum’s skin took on a hardened state, allowing it to endure more punishment.

AK-xolotl

Another wonderfully weird game, AK-xolotl is exactly what it sounds like; an axolotl (one of those cute little amphibians who you may occasionally see trending on social networks) is armed with an AK-47. It’s a top-down, bullet-hell shooter that doesn’t seem like it takes itself too seriously, nor should it. An interview with developer Daniel Piqueras Constantin during today’s showcase revealed that the developer’s main goal with AK-xolotl is to make a game that is, above all else, fun to play. If the game plays as well as it looks, there’s a good chance AK-xolotl will probably achieve that goal when it eventually hits PC.

Rubi And The Wayward Mira

This title looks to take cues from titles like Castlevania, Metroid, and MegaMan while boasting a gorgeous 2D pixel art style. The trailer shown exhibited different combat encounters and platforming challenges players will be faced with, all of which communicate one core idea about this game: It’s going to be hard as nails. For fans of Metroidvanias or those partial to Dark Souls‘ difficulty, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for this game.

El Paso Elsewhere

With purposefully aged graphics, third-person gunplay, and bullet-time mechanics, El Paso Elsewhere looks like a carefully crafted tribute to the long-dormant Max Payne series by Remedy. The trailer shows the game’s protagonist face off against all manner of otherworldly beings such as zombies and werewolves, as he marches towards confronting Draculae, Lord of the Vampires, who is also the protagonist’s ex-lover. Those who have been hankering for a new Max Payne game since the series’ last outing in Max Payne 3 should definitely keep their attention toward El Paso Elsewhere.

Elderand

Not to be confused with Elden Ring, Elderand looks like a Castlevania–inspired 2D action-adventure game that also takes cues from Dark Souls. The game’s combat and exploration both look incredibly impressive thanks to its high framerate and visual style, and with multiple playable characters, each of whom packs their own unique weapons, it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be any shortage of variety in gameplay in Elderand.

Ultra Age

If Final Fantasy XV, Devil May Cry, and Monster Hunter somehow came together to form a single game, it would probably look something like Ultra Age. This fast-paced, 3D action game showcased a few snippets of combat at the Guerilla Collective, and it looks genuinely engaging. Fortunately, it won’t be too long before players can get their hands on it, as it’s launching in Autumn 2021.

Zodiac Legion

The grid-based tactical RPG genre may seem a little tired, but one way that the upcoming Zodiac Legion is mixing things up is by allowing players to forge their own ways through each of the game’s arenas. During the Guerilla Collective, developer Studio Draconis demonstrated how certain units can tear down walls before heading into a room to wreak havoc. Additionally, the sprites and animations of each unit look not only impressive but also unique, allowing it to stand out from other tactical RPGs like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics.

Super Space Club

Whereas most endless runners, shooters, and the like, tend to emphasize intensity, developer GrahamOfLegend’s Super Space Club, a game in which players fly around a vibrant asteroid field while being pursued by multiple enemy ships, promises to deliver endless amounts of “chill lo-fi space combat.” From its visuals to its score, and its fun sound effects, Super Space Club simply looks like it will be a joyous, therapeutic experience.

Endling

Endling imagines a world where humankind has forced yet another animal species, the fox, to go extinct. It follows one of the last remaining foxes, who is a mother of four. When one of the cubs goes missing, the family takes off on an adventure to track it down. Players will have to care for the mother’s remaining cubs throughout the game, and through proper nurturing the cubs can even grow and learn new skills to better the family’s chances of survival. Endling looks like it’s going to be a heart-wrenching emotional experience when it eventually makes its way to PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One at a later date.

These titles were among the highlights of the Guerilla Collective’s June 5 showcase, but that’s not to say that they’re the only titles worthy of recognition. For more Guerilla Collective standouts, check out Guerilla Collective: Five More Highlights From The June 5 Showcase.