The PlayStation State of Play event was packed with amazing games that are shaping up to make 2026 a great year for gaming. A large number of the titles showcased were indie games, so let’s take a closer look at some of the standouts.
Yakoh Shinobi Ops
This was the first real wow moment of the event for me, largely because I’m a huge fan of pre-rendered assets in games. The early-2000s pre-rendered art style has always appealed to me, and Yakoh Shinobi Ops stood out with a perfect blend of retro and modern design.
Four ninjas speed through the darkness, moving as one to fulfill their mission. YAKOH: This is the way of the ninja—a mission undertaken by the shadows known as Shinobi. A new-generation cooperative Shinobi stealth action game brought by ACQUIRE Corp. and SHUEISHA GAMES.
Project Windless
It’s a big chicken… That’s cool. It’s great to see games that shy away from the ultra realistic settings and push more high fantasy. Games are just that and it’s nice to take a break from photo-realism and dive into something that sounds like a fun great game.
There isn’t much on Project Windless just yet as it the KRAFTON has been keeping this game under wrapping for quite some time. From the blog post on PlayStation’s website, KRAFTON Montreal Studio said, “Project Windless is set in the universe of the acclaimed Korean fantasy series The Bird That Drinks Tears. In this world, each race has its own worldview and its own complex history. Conflicts are never clean or heroic. The world felt ancient and lived-in, full of places we wanted to explore. We quickly realized that this universe naturally fits an open-world experience, a place where you can wander, discover, and get lost in its mysteries.“
Kena: Scars of Kosmora
I was impressed by the colorful art-style and the design of the enemies. So much that I bought the first game, Kena: Bridge of Spirits on the PlayStation 4, just so that I can have the back story.
Kena: Scars of Kosmora expands the action, adventure & combat of its award-winning predecessor as the player traverses a vibrant island filled with buried secrets, wandering spirits, epic bosses, and distinct cultures.
Kena, now an accomplished Spirit Guide, travels to the mysterious island of Kosmora seeking a cure for her affliction and to reconnect with a friend from her past. There, she is confronted by a powerful corruption that fractures her staff. Needing it to survive, Kena must accept Kosmora’s forgotten and dangerous form of Spirit Guiding that manipulates the elements. On her journey, Kena discovers and nurtures memorable spirit companions – whose powers she will harness to solve puzzles and defeat enemies using new elemental abilities.
Mina The Hollower
Looks straight from a floppy disk DOS game. How cool would it be if game developers released collector editions on floppy? No? Probably just me then.
Take control of Mina, a renowned Hollower hurtled into a desperate mission to rescue a cursed island. Whip foes, burrow through the ground, and explore a pixel-perfect world in Mina the Hollower, a brand new game from the developers who brought you Shovel Knight!
Beast of Reincarnation
I’ve been increasingly becoming more interested in souls-like or sword-play games here recently, plus I like dogs.
Game Freak’s brand-new title: Beast of Reincarnation is an action RPG with a fusion of real-time and turn-based combat. Experience the innovative “one-person, one-dog action RPG” in the beautiful yet harsh world of Beast of Reincarnation. What awaits at the end of Emma and Koo’s journey?
The big chicken is badass. I feel like this year is gonna be good and I’m excited to see god of war get a remake.