Gamescom is exactly the kind of place where you can walk into a meeting expecting to try just another game, only to walk out a few minutes later with a completely unexpected favorite. That happened to me this year with three titles that, at first glance, don't have much in common – Rain98, CRYMELIGHT, and ANOMALITH.
One caught my attention with its atmosphere and mystery, another with a very unusual combat mechanic, while the third managed to combine something I honestly didn't expect to work this well: survival horror in the style of Resident Evil with a distinctive anime aesthetic.
And that's exactly why I wanted to highlight them.
Rain98 – When the Rain Becomes Part of the Atmosphere
Of the three games, Rain98 is probably the one that surprised me the most with its atmosphere.
Developed by Japanese indie studio C#4R4CT3R, the game is set in Tokyo in 1998. It combines psychological thriller elements, romance, adventure and mystery, all wrapped in a distinctly lo-fi aesthetic and a strong late-1990s atmosphere. And while all of that sounds interesting on paper, what really sold me was the way the game builds its mood.
The rain is practically one of the characters.
It is constantly present. Everything feels dark and cold, with a very specific sense of melancholy hanging over the entire experience. The game doesn't seem interested in scaring you with cheap jumpscares. Instead, it slowly pulls you into a world where you constantly feel that something isn't quite right.
At the center of the story is Reina, a mysterious girl who spends time with the protagonist in an apartment. The two are attempting a ritual that could potentially save the world from destruction. And that is where a much larger mystery begins to unfold. What I particularly liked is that Rain98 doesn't try to explain everything to you immediately. Instead, it gives you just enough information to make you want to keep digging. Exploring the environment, talking to characters, noticing small details and taking in the atmosphere all work together to create the feeling that something much bigger is hiding underneath the surface. The developer has described the game's goal as something slower, darker and more “heavy,” with the sound of rain intended to pull players further into the world rather than simply entertain them.
And during my demo, that's exactly what I felt. Rain98 caught my attention because it never made me feel like I had to rush. I simply wanted to see what was around the next corner and figure out what was actually happening to these characters. If you enjoy mysterious anime games, psychological thrillers and that very particular late-‘90s atmosphere, this is definitely a game worth keeping an eye on.
CRYMELIGHT – This Time, Your “Pet” Does the Fighting
Then I moved on to CRYMELIGHT, and the mood changed completely.
CRYMELIGHT is a roguelike action game developed and published by FURYU CORPORATION. The story takes place in a kind of afterlife where girls are forced to confront their own sins while searching for a way to free themselves. But what immediately caught my attention wasn't just the setting. It was the way combat works.
Because here, you aren't really the one doing the fighting. More precisely, you control the main character, but most of the actual physical work is handled by your sort of “pet” or companion. And that immediately changes the way you approach combat. We're used to action games where we directly attack enemies, choose our weapons and control every hit ourselves. In CRYMELIGHT, you have to think differently and use your companion as your primary means of attacking.
That was the mechanic that stood out to me the most during my Gamescom demo. At first, it might sound simple, but it quickly becomes clear that the relationship between the character and her companion is one of the foundations of the gameplay. This isn't just another NPC who runs around next to you and occasionally hits something.
The companion is essentially an extension of your character.
And because CRYMELIGHT is a roguelike, I expect combining different abilities, upgrades and situations during each run to become one of the game's most important elements.
I particularly like the fact that FURYU isn't simply trying to make another generic anime action game.
The game has its own visual identity and a very specific idea behind its combat system.
Of course, based on a demo, it's difficult to say just how deep this system will become in the full game. But it is already different enough to stick in your memory.
And when you're playing dozens of demos at a show like Gamescom, that's already a pretty big compliment.
ANOMALITH – Resident Evil and Anime Somehow Came Together Perfectly
And then we come to the game that may have surprised me the most.
And I'll say exactly what went through my mind while playing it:
It's like Resident Evil and anime decided to make a game together.
And the crazy part is – it works.
ANOMALITH is a survival third-person shooter developed by FURYU CORPORATION. The game is set in Japan, where mysterious anomalies have created spaces in which the normal laws of reality no longer seem to apply.
The main protagonist is Reona Minazuki, who becomes a Diver in an attempt to find her missing friend Arisa. While exploring the Anomaly Zones, she encounters grotesque creatures, collects resources and tries to survive long enough to make it back to safety.
And that's where the survival horror side of the game really comes into play. Ammunition isn't something you can simply waste endlessly. You have to decide what to bring back. You have to think about which weapons to use against specific enemies. And then there are different abilities that can change the way you approach combat. It's a very familiar survival horror formula, but what makes ANOMALITH different is its overall visual identity. You get a Japanese retro aesthetic, almost surreal environments, anime characters and enemy designs that can be genuinely disturbing. Put all of that together and you get a strange combination of Resident Evil tension and anime energy. And that's exactly why it was such a discovery for me at Gamescom. I didn't expect this combination to work as well as it does.
I also like the fact that the game isn't simply about shooting things. Exploring the Anomaly Zones, collecting items, developing weapons and equipment, and managing your resources are all important parts of the overall experience.
And then there is the mystery.
What exactly are the Anomaly Zones?
Where did they come from?
What happened to Arisa?
And what is happening to Reona herself?
The game clearly wants you to keep exploring because you want answers to those questions.
Three Games, Three Completely Different Approaches
What I find most interesting about these three titles is just how different they are.
Rain98 won me over with its atmosphere. It's the kind of game where you can almost understand that it has a certain weight to it without even playing it. The rain, music, dark tones and mysterious story create a feeling that stays with you.
CRYMELIGHT grabbed my attention because of its gameplay mechanic. The idea that your “pet” is essentially your main weapon and that combat revolves around it is different enough to immediately make you want to see how far the developers can take the concept.
And then there's ANOMALITH, which was a genuine little discovery for me.
Survival horror, shooting, exploration, resource management, Japanese retro aesthetics and anime characters sound like a combination that could very easily turn into a complete mess. Here, however, it works. And perhaps that's the best thing I can say about the games I tried at Gamescom. They weren't all titles I already knew I wanted to play. But all three managed to leave an impression.
And ANOMALITH is definitely the game I kept thinking about for longer than I expected after finishing the demo.
That's what makes Gamescom so interesting. You can arrive with a list of major games you absolutely want to see, only for a title you may have never heard of to completely steal your attention.
These three games are perfect examples of that.
Rain98, CRYMELIGHT and ANOMALITH are definitely staying on my radar.
