The nine best games I played at Tokyo Game Show 2024

From hack-and-slash to VR, there’s something for everyone

Features By Jason Rodriguez published 14 October 2024

Tokyo Game Show is the biggest games industry event in Asia. Held annually at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, you can find all sorts of offerings from various developers and publishers. Whether it’s an upcoming AAA extravaganza that everyone’s been talking about to an indie gem that’s worth looking into, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

From a hack-and-slash game where you take on the role of a lone warrior against a thousand foes and a brutal soulslike title where you seek revenge, to a tower defense game where you play as a bee, I managed to take a deep dive into all sorts of genres during the convention.

After exploring the vast exhibition halls and checking out numerous showcases during all four days of the Tokyo Game Show (September 26 to 29), I’ve come up with a list of titles that you should watch out for in the coming months. Here are the best games I played at the Tokyo Game Show 2024. Oh, and if you’re into haptic feedback peripherals, we’ve also got a feature where I checked out bHaptics’ tactical suits and devices.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins

• Genre: Hack-and-slash
• Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
• Developer: Omega Force
• Publisher: Koei Tecmo

The Dynasty Warriors franchise, which is based on the Three Kingdoms era of Ancient China, incorporates one central theme: that of playing as a lone warrior and fighting against a thousand foes. Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the next entry in the series, has all the features that made me feel like a true hero of the Three Kingdoms.

In the Battle of Sishui Gate demo that I played at the Tokyo Game Show, I saw numerous troops mustering across vast swaths of land, from the dusty plains all the way to the foreboding walls of the fortress. I explored striking locales on foot and on horseback, taking out numerous soldiers along the way by using weapon strikes. I was also able to make use of four different ‘musou’ abilities, including an ultimate skill where my character violently spun around, sending dozens of enemies flying. Likewise, I could activate tactical maneuvers to have my soldiers whittle down the hostiles.

Eventually, I engaged an enemy general named Hua Xiong in a duel, complete with troops from other forces cheering us on. After this, I continued to charge the enemy army; even the mighty Lu Bu, known as the strongest warrior at the time, made a shocking appearance at the end of the bout. The pacing of the whole battle and various commands or actions, as well as the greatly increased enemy density, made for a truly awe-inspiring experience.

It’s worth noting that the Dynasty Warriors series has been around for nearly three decades. However, Tomohiko Sho, the head of Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force studio did manage to surprise me after saying that Origins will not only feature a “blank slate” of a character, but the campaign will only adapt the events up to the Battle of Chibi / Red Cliff. Given that the Battle of Chibi takes place at the midpoint of the campaign in previous iterations, this focus on a shorter time period might help Koei Tecmo pour all its resources into delivering fewer but larger battles that are akin to set-piece spectacles. 

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