Games of 2022: Thailand
Ahhh, Thailand, land of beaches, fantastic food, military coups, and of course, game development. Never before have there been so many release announcements from the Kingdom as for 2022 – big things are coming! The range of genres served by Thai studios is particularly impressive, including strategy games, multiplayer brawlers, visual novels, action RPGs, and shooters. This year we won’t be able to avoid playing an indie game from Thailand, that is for sure. Here are the titles announced for 2022:
Airship Academy
Does anyone remember Sid Meier’s Pirates? The trading simulation made the pirate setting in video games widely acceptable and established semi-open game worlds, kickstarting the so-called 4X genre. With Airship Academy, there is now a game that wants to follow in the footsteps of the great role model. However, instead of fighting at sea, we are now fighting with gigantic airships above the clouds. In addition to the fantasy steampunk setting, Airship Academy might primarily score with tactical depth and the pretty open world and its airy above-the-cloud atmosphere (no pun intended). According to the developer Revolution Industry, the game will be released in October 2022 for PC and possibly other platforms.
At Your Service
The couch co-op housekeeping game At Your Service doesn’t have a definite release date yet, but this year’s release seems realistic to us, given the overall progress. The game fits into the company of chaotic multiplayer games such as Overcooked or Bake & Switch, in which the focus is less on skill and more on having fun with one another while accomplishing seemingly mundane tasks. In At Your Service, this time, we don’t have to cook but do the housekeeping and polish the homes to a shine. If this doesn’t sound too fun at first, wait till you have watched the game’s trailer:
Banchou Tactics
Banchou Tactics is an isometric strategy RPG with turn-based combat. We take on the role of Taiga Arashi, a student at Minato High School, which is in a constant power struggle with other schools. Inevitably there will be fights in which we will be able to fall back on up to 70 different fighters. Each fighter has different strengths and weaknesses, reflected in their respective blood group. According to developer Secret Character, Banchou Tactics will be out on Steam towards the end of the year.
Bounty Brawl
The 4-player coop brawler Bounty Brawl was one of the games that impressed us the most at this year’s gamescom asia. With graphics reminiscent of Hades, in this dungeon crawler, we fight together and then against each other over the mightiest loot – exciting and nerve-wracking multiplayer sessions are almost inevitable. Bounty Brawl will be released for this year’s PC on Steam.
Complex SKY
For fans of building games, games like Anno or Factorio are unique references. Precisely these two titles are the inspiration for Complex SKY, reveals the solo developer Complex Blue Studio. However, the concept is expanded to include another level. In Complex SKY, we are not building on earth but on flying islands that can be populated from both the top and the bottom. Due to the limited space, we mainly build upwards (or downwards). If that weren’t complicated enough, a sophisticated production system should add even more complexity. There is no release date yet, but we do not consider it unlikely that Complex SKY will start the Early Access program on Steam in 2022.
Desohunter
Initially, the release of the action-adventure Desohunter was planned for 2022; in the meantime, the date on the Steam page has been changed to “TBA” (To Be Announced). So it may be that we won’t be playing the physics-based co-op adventure this year after all. It doesn’t matter because pretty animated titles and their chic graphic style are always promising, and we look forward to exploring the world of Desonia whenever Desohunter is released.
Historica Fantasia
Since 2016 Matumit Sombunjaroen, aka Atelier Answer 42, has been working on his strategy RPG Mix Historica Fantasia. This year it should finally start in Early Access. In addition to its tactical battles, the game primarily wants to score with the unusual setting. In a pseudo-industrial era, feudal leaders are fighting for power, and our task as the lawful prince is to save our sister and expose the plot surrounding the death of our father. You can already try a demo on Steam.
Krut: The Mythic Wings
Pixel Perfex, the makers of Earth Atlantis, are creating a 2D action-platformer with a Southeast Asian setting. In Krut: The Mythic Wings, we play the role of a Garuda fighter whose hometown was overrun by ogres. We fight and jump through colorful 2.5D levels, searching for a magical artifact. Krut: The Mythic Wings will be available for mobile devices and PC in 2022. Other platforms are also in the works.
Nimbus Infinity
The mecha shooter Nimbus Infinity is also in the starting position. Developed by Thai-studio GameCrafterTeam and published by GameTomo from Japan, the successor to Project Nimbus is probably one of the most anticipated titles from Thailand. As usual in the genre, we fight in upgradeable robotic combat suits and experience a story that focuses primarily on the characters. The game is set 21 years after the events of Project Nimbus, and the gameplay material reveals significant improvements compared to the predecessor, especially concerning the graphics. Nimbus Infinity will be released for PC (Steam) and consoles in 2022.
The Last Knife
Anna wakes up after a crazy private island party to find that her friend is missing. She goes in search of her friends, from a luxurious private pool villa on an island to some mysterious, uninhabited place. Something is haunting her. She has hallucinations and must unveil secrets that no one has ever known. The horror visual novel The Last Knife is to be financed on Kickstarter in the first quarter of 2022 and officially released on Steam in the last quarter of 2022.
The Mooz: A Story of Betrayal
The Mooz: A Story of Betrayal is a student project of Rangsit University that will come out in April 2022. The action-adventure gameplay is reminiscent of classic Japanese character action games and relies on a more traditional fantasy setting. For a student project, the gameplay trailer certainly looks impressive!
Villages
Let’s come to one of the most ambitious projects on this list. Villages is an open-world sandbox in which we build houses, drive around in vehicles and influence the game’s economy through complex production cycles. After a few postponements, Villages will now hopefully come in autumn 2022 on Steam.
Wildlage
Developer Starjelly Games wants to integrate the culture of Thailand, be it food, festivals, or traditions, into Wildlage. At its core, it’s about growing vegetables and farming, similar to famous games like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon, but with a Thai touch and a pretty pixel look. If all goes well, Wildlage should be released towards the end of the year.
Zecha Tactics
Hardly any game from Thailand is as eagerly awaited by our readers as Zecha Tactics. However, the early access release of the turn-based tactical game with combat mechs has now been postponed to 2022. No need to worry because development is on its way, according to developer Bit Egg, and there should be further announcements and a Steam page at the beginning of the year. We will keep you updated!
Zoo Squad
Finally, something sweet as sugar! Zoo Squad is a multiplayer party brawler for four players, in which we fight as cute animals in colorful arenas. In addition to many playable creatures with different skills, Zoo Squad will also support cross-platform play. It remains unclear which other platforms those might be as the game is only announced for the PC (Steam) yet, where you can add Zoo Squad to your wishlist.
This concludes our list of most-wanted games for 2022 from Thailand. To get another glimpse of what we await for 2022 from Southeast Asia, please check out our (upcoming) lists for Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Enjoy!
Which games are you expecting the most for 2022? Have we forgotten a highlight? Let us know in the comments what we shouldn’t miss!
