Saturday, October 8, 2016

GameStart 2016: Indie Games Feature


GameStart 2016 has begun! Day 1 is the best time to check out the games and that's exactly what I did. While most went for the mainstream ones, I decided to go check out some of the Indie games.


Many of the Indie Games can be found at the Games Solutions Centre booth and Founders Base.  



The following are just some of the games I checked out:

Chasing Wild by Eutragon


Chasing Wild is a racing sort of game. You play as an animal in the animal kingdom and you race against against other players. The game can support up to four players competing at one time. What's unique about it are the game mechanics. How fast you move is based on how fast you can tap the sequence of arrows shown. It's similar to those music beat games but instead of matching the beat, you move your character. The arrows are located on the main screen itself as you can see in the following pic. After successfully tapping the pattern, you then tap the green bar to get a speed boost. Failure to key in the correct sequence and you have re-key the sequence from the start. It may seem like a simple game but trust me it's not. Several times I keyed in the wrong sequence. And needless to say I lost most of the rounds I played in. 

The game is in the pre-Alpha phase and I was told that additional features will be added, such as the ability to sabotage other players.  



Dusty Raging Fist by PD Design Studio Pte Ltd 


Dusty Raging Fist is one of the most fun games I tried out. It is a 2D side scrolling action game with a whole host of attacking abilities which you can perform. Aside from the basice jump, light and heavy attacks, there's also a range attack where you wield a pair of pistols, elemental attacks (lightning and ice for example) which you have to collect and also summon a powerful guardian to assist. Not enough? Well you can call in the artillery when things get really hot, as well as a sniper to help you take out some pesky enemies. The games may be played with two other players and you can even perform combos together!


The game will be available for PC, PS4 and Xbox. Look out for it!


If you're wondering about this cool custom arcade cabinet, it's not for sale. 



Toriko by Happy Labs


Toriko, not to be confused with a certain Gourmet Hunter is a puzzle/PVP type of game. Think Puzzle Bobble and the like. You need to clear your board of cute little critters as fast as possible and not let them touch the bottom or else you'll lose. The little critters are actually called Toriko. You'll need to match at least three Toriko of the same kind to clear them. You do that by first pulling down a character and then flicking it back up to form your triplet. You can pull down more than one Toriko of the same kind before flicking it back up. The faster you clear, the faster your opponent's board fills up. If you think you're in danger of losing, you can use the lightning or the orb to help clear your board. You can use them only once them though. There are also devices, seen at the right side in the above pic to trip up your opponent. The game is fast paced and exciting. I played against Jiahui who is the Marketing Manager and got creamed... guess I shouldn't have launched all those "sabo" devices at her. Lol. The game will be released in the first quarter of next year and will be available on iOS and Android.





Stellar Stars by WHITESPONGE


Stellar Stars is described as a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena type game. As it suggests you can challenge your friends or play in online leagues. The objective is to capture the Star which usually appears in the centre of the screen. You need time to capture it without interruption hence you'll need to first incapacitate your opponent first. You do that by attacking him until he has no health. Your opponent can recover in time to interrupt you and you need some luck in order to capture the Star. I found when I played that I regularly lost because I couldn't jump on the platforms in time. So I think the best place to kill off your opponent is on the lowest level. The basic attack is not limited to one direction. You can shoot up, down when jumping, left and right. You can also use several abilities in game which you can select before the game starts. Neutral minions spawn in the game as well and they drop spells which you can use against your opponent. The game will be released on STEAM next month. 



Recolor by Diceroll Studios


Recolor is a 2D puzzle action game. You play as Huey and Satura, the main protagonists who do not know who they are. The characters look so cute! Guide them in their journey and help them remember. To play you draw a path for them to clear each level. Levels start out black and white and become coloured as they move. It kinda represents them slowly recovering their memory which is a nice touch. The game is not as simple as it sounds. Throw in obstacles and restrictions, such as the two characters' path cannot cross each other and you're in for a challenge. Planning is required and also timing. Recolor will be released for iOS first in December and Android to follow soon after. 



Lunar Eclipse by Kaiju Den


If horror is your thing then you'll definitely want to try out Lunar Eclipse. It is a VR game which incorporates Chinese horror. Why Chinese horror? Kaiju Den Co-Founder Aaron Lin explains that this particular type is untapped and has not been done before. His team gets inspiration from old Hong Kong movies and you feel that right in the first episode. You start in a haunted Chinese mansion and you have to find your way out. The game is very immersive. The moon lit lighting, the rain and sounds can send chills up your body. Me, I was feeling annoyed at having to do actual walking and turning on the spot just to move around. Lol.  I won't say what you'll encounter. That's for you to find out. Only a teaser demo is available currently. The team will be launching a Kickstarter campaign soon to produce further episodes. Do give it a try.



Curious Hungry Monkeys and Pancake Boss Tower by Polywick Studio


The games I've talked about so far might not be suitable for younger players but these two certainly are. In Curious Hungry Monkeys you play as a monkey and try to eat the good bananas while avoiding the bad ones. Simple right. Collect coins to unlock costumes and companions who can aid you to collect more bananas. 

In Pancake Boss Tower you try and stack your pancakes as high as you can. Guide them out of the pan as best you can and don't let your tower fall. 

Both games are now available on Google Play.

I spoke with Sally who is the Technical Director and she mentioned that the studio also does Arts Outsourcing Services. Follow the link for the list of services. 



That's all for now. Do check out the above and more at GameStart 2016. Thanks for viewing!

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