Feature: 6 PS5 Games That Cut Through the Noise at Taipei Game Show

Every year, Taipei’s Nangang Exhibition Center buzzes with activity as it hosts a gaming convention that doesn’t get as much attention as some of the bigger events.

Although the Taipei Game Show isn’t as widely known as events like Gamescom or the Tokyo Game Show, it’s still a really fun and engaging four-day experience for everyone involved.

Like many Asian countries, especially Taiwan, Korea, and China, mobile gaming is incredibly popular, and the ‘gacha’ model – where players spend money for a chance at rare in-game items – is especially dominant.

This year showcased incredibly strong fan interest, with large crowds gathering around popular games like Zenless Zone Zero, Wuthering Waves, and the recently launched Arknights: Endfield.

These games are mainly played on PCs and phones, but Sony should be commended for bringing all three to the PS5 – and two of them are only available on consoles right now.

The Taipei Game Show isn’t just about free-to-play games. It’s also known for showcasing independent game developers – from Taiwan and other countries – and a wide variety of board games.

The show’s design was updated this year, placing board games and indie games at the beginning and end, surrounding the central exhibits.

These smaller, more intimate spaces offer a welcome break from the crowded main exhibit halls. You can connect directly with artists and creators, or even have a friendly duel of Yu-Gi-Oh with other attendees.

I have to say, some of the big booths at the show were amazing! They weren’t just displays, they really felt like little worlds dedicated to the games themselves – safe spaces where you could really dive in and experience everything they had to offer.

At Zenless Zone Zero’s booth, a large stage featured a tower of TVs highlighting the game’s gacha system. Attendees could participate in trivia, battles, and other activities on stage to win prizes.

The game also had a complete store filled with exclusive merchandise, including items you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Arknights: Endfield recently held a very popular event where players completed a series of tasks to earn rewards. These tasks included things like following the game’s social media accounts and completing easy challenges within the game itself, and players had to join a queue to participate.

The event featured cosplayers dressed as game characters, including some well-known models, particularly from Korea. As a result of all the excitement, certain areas became very crowded.

We battled through the huge crowds, but it was worth it! We finally got to play a bunch of different games – around half a dozen, actually – and I’ve put together my thoughts on them all down below.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin

We were a bit surprised when Netmarble, a Korean gaming company, asked us to try out The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin at Sony’s PlayStation booth. We already knew the game was supposed to launch on January 28th, so we weren’t sure what to expect from the demonstration.

The release date was recently pushed back to March, so we’re trying this Genshin Impact-inspired game again.

This game, based on Nakaba Suzuki’s manga, immediately feels familiar thanks to its vibrant characters and detailed world of Brittania. Because the game draws from an existing story, it doesn’t need to spend a lot of time explaining things – a welcome change from many similar games that rely on lengthy and poorly written introductions.

Even though we only played for about half an hour, we discovered an action RPG that shows clear inspiration from classic games in the genre.

The combat system, though it uses the familiar cooldowns and elemental reactions of MMOs, is noticeably more fluid and quick than in Genshin Impact. Dramatic moments, like a thrilling dragon-riding sequence through a narrow tunnel, feel polished and exciting instead of rushed or unrefined.

Licensed games often face a challenge: does the source material, in this case The Seven Deadly Sins, have enough characters to support a game that’s continuously updated with new content over a long period?

We can’t address that question right now during this convention demo. However, the game’s beautiful graphics and fantastic Japanese voice acting definitely make us want to try the finished version when it’s released.

Rain 98

Although Rain 98 hasn’t been officially announced for PlayStation 5 yet, sources suggest Sony is very interested in the project. This is likely due to the game’s potential – it’s a unique combination of visual novel storytelling and a collection of engaging minigames.

The game has a beautiful, classic anime style, similar to the popular Lofi Girl videos. It also features a relaxing, dreamy soundtrack.

The strange thing is, you’ve somehow found yourself in the apartment of someone who was planning to end their life – and on top of that, you’ve traveled back in time to 1998.

The writing occasionally states the obvious – like pointing out that Tamagotchis were once a popular trend – but overall, the story builds a compelling sense of anticipation.

Reina explains that to escape this strange, late 90s-themed place, you need to solve 100 unique puzzles found in a book that looks like a passport. Each puzzle will require a different approach and interaction.

To make ends meet during our time off, we also took on part-time work, which included things like assembling toy capsules and crafting bead decorations—a bit like creating art with pixels, similar to the game Picross.

Even though the gameplay is straightforward, the minigames are enjoyable, and the game’s story sections create a really immersive mood. There’s a particularly well-done moment – a title card near the end – where the screen changes to an older format, and it’s a perfect touch.

Keep your eyes on this.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer

The racing game Genki’s Tokyo Xtreme Racer, often called Shutoko Battle, actually began as Highway 2000 for the SEGA Saturn. However, it became truly popular on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2.

This developer, based in Nakano, has kept creating games, but this is their first new installment in the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series in almost 20 years – the last one, Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2, came out in 2007.

Fans who’ve been following this game will remember it first launched on Steam last year as an Early Access title. Since then, the developers at Genki have been steadily refining it based on player feedback.

Launching worldwide on February 25th, this PlayStation 5 version is a significant achievement for the development team and feels like a return to the series’ roots.

During our demonstration, we drove a short route on Tokyo’s expressway, briefly showing other drivers our capabilities and having quick, competitive races inspired by the anime Initial D.

Driving the Nissan Skyline – complete with a steering wheel and pedals – felt like a fun arcade game with some realistic elements. We especially enjoyed racing past famous landmarks like the Tokyo Tower.

This game doesn’t have the same large budget as titles like Gran Turismo or Forza Horizon. Visually, it’s reminiscent of PlayStation 3 games, though it runs at a much higher resolution and maintains a smooth frame rate without any noticeable slowdowns.

We were playing the game on a standard PlayStation 5, and it was helpful to see how well the game was running on the console.

If you enjoy classic SEGA arcade racing games—think titles like the Initial D series—you’ll probably love this game, which captures that same retro feel.

City Hunter

We recently had the chance to play an updated version of City Hunter, originally a PC Engine game from 1990. This new release is coming to PlayStation 5 on February 26th.

This game lets you play as Ryo Saeba, the charming hero from the classic 80s manga series – a stylish, James Bond-inspired adventure created by Tsukasa Hojo – and complete various missions.

During our brief, ten-minute demo, we played through a series of hallways, shooting our way forward. Each hallway had several doors, and we could go through many of them.

Continuing our investigation, we found important clues that helped us access new parts of the location. For instance, we obtained an ID card after letting the staff know we were there to remove the company’s famously corrupt CEO.

Originally created by Sunsoft in the early 1990s, this game feels very much like a classic Famicom title. This re-release includes some gameplay adjustments for better balance, but thankfully the original, untouched version is also available – a welcome addition for purists.

The game now lets you freely rewind time, and it features a brand-new English translation.

As a huge fan, I’m so excited this is coming out now! The manga’s really been making a comeback in the West, especially since Kana started reprinting it. It’s awesome they’re releasing these big omnibus editions in the UK and North America – they came out late last year and have been flying off the shelves!

Kyouran Makaism

Available this week in Asia, the best way to describe Kyouran Makaism is basically Disgaea Musou.

Since an English version hasn’t been announced, the demo we played was only in Mandarin. This made it difficult to fully understand everything it had to offer.

Okay, so after checking out the main hub – it’s like a castle where you can spend points to get better skills, upgrade your weapons, and generally make yourself stronger – I finally got to go out and start battling Prinnys! It was awesome.

As a fan, I was honestly a little disappointed by how empty the world map felt while playing on my PS5. Compared to games like Dynasty Warriors Origins, or even the updated PS5 version of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, there just weren’t as many things happening on the map, which was a bit of a letdown.

The demo clearly showed only the very beginning of the game, so it’s likely things will become more complex as you play further.

Players can quickly move, evade attacks, and use special abilities. During our initial playtime, the game wasn’t very difficult, and we completed the objectives on all three or four levels we tried without much trouble.

Our main challenge came from butterflies that poisoned us, but we quickly countered it with a pre-assigned potion.

Overall, it’s a fairly simple game with basic, though colorful, graphics. It definitely looks like it was made on a limited budget, but fans of the Disgaea series might appreciate this new take on the franchise.

We’ll update you if and when a Western release date gets announced.

Never Grave: The Witch and the Curse

We first learned about Never Grave: The Witch and the Curse at a PlayStation State of Play last November, and to be honest, it hadn’t caught our attention before then.

I finally got to play the finished game from Palworld’s creators, PocketPair, and honestly, I really enjoyed it! It’s a surprisingly fun roguelite with some genuinely cool and unique concepts.

Although this game is designed for cooperative play, we were able to play the entire demo by ourselves without any issues.

What makes this game special is that you control a witch’s hat, and you can use it to take over different objects – it’s a bit like Super Mario Odyssey. We often had to throw the hat to places we couldn’t reach normally, then bring our character to join it and keep playing.

The fighting in this game is incredibly satisfying. It’s enhanced by the DualSense controller’s immersive vibrations, fluid animations, and well-timed pauses when you land a hit, making each impact feel powerful.

I’m really excited to hear there’s a village-building aspect to the game! It sounds like you can create and upgrade different buildings that will help you out on your next attempts, which is awesome.

To be honest, this game didn’t really grab my attention at first glance – it still feels a bit… typical, even though the art isn’t bad. But I have a feeling it’s going to be surprisingly good when it comes out on March 5th. I’m actually getting pretty hyped!

2026-02-01 20:10