At E3 Microsoft announced a brand new game called Recore, and I’m wildly excited about it. All we’ve got so far is a short trailer, starring a young woman traversing a (post-apocalyptic?) desert environment with her robotic dog companion. The two enter a cave, where they are ambushed by robot spiders. In a tough spot, Dog sacrifices itself to save the girl. (Cue anguished wails from the Pixelkin office.)

Not to worry, though—the protagonist walks toward a glowing blue orb that Dog left behind, carries it toward a bigger robot, and inserts the orb into the new body. Dog is just fine.

To me it looks like Recore might be a game about a young woman surviving with the help of her companion. My guess is that the mechanic is transferring the companion into different robotic shells depending on the scenario. There may even be more than one companion. I’m reminded of short missions in Mass Effect and Borderlands where the player must do a similar robot transfer action (all of which I enjoyed). It also reminded me of Valiant Hearts: The Great War, which also features a canine companion who helps the player. There’s just something about having a good friend with you when you’re playing a game set in a scary, treacherous environment that I can’t get enough of.

I can’t wait to play Recore. It’s an Xbox exclusive, but if you don’t have one, it might be worth it to borrow a console from a friend.


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Keezy is a gamer, illustrator, and designer. Her background is in teaching and tutoring kids from ages 9 to 19, and she's led workshops for young women in STEM. She is also holds a certificate in teaching English. Her first memory of gaming is when her dad taught her to play the first Warcraft when she was five. You can find her at Key of Zee and on Twitter @KeezyBees.