In The MIX
Welcome to a special Indie Arcade update. This E3 I went to The MIX after party. This was a party for Indie developers to showcase their games to the game industry media. I decided to attend last minute so that I may do a quick write up for Indie Arcade.
I got the chance to try out a couple indie games and talk to their creators. It was an awesome event and here are a couple games I got to play.
I got the chance to try out a couple indie games and talk to their creators. It was an awesome event and here are a couple games I got to play.
Bunker Punks
Premise
Bunker Punks is a rougelike FPS game where you lead a revolution of misfits to fight against the man. All the level layouts are randomly generated and full of enemies. weapons and loot.
My impression
Bunker Punks reminds me of Doom. It is an oldschool FPS all about fast movement, circle strafing and aggression. Camping back isn't a good idea, it might work at first until you realize that items such as ammo and health that are dropped by enemies slowly disappear if you don't get tot hem in time.
The randomly generated levels are a huge plus. It adds a certain sense of tension, you need to keep pushing forward into the unknown, or get cornered with no ammo or health. It is a game mechanic that helps feed into the action. Bunker Punks adds a fresh flavor to the FPS genre and I haven't even mentioned the bunker/resource management aspect of the game! Definitely a game for fans of FPS/Rouge likes.
The randomly generated levels are a huge plus. It adds a certain sense of tension, you need to keep pushing forward into the unknown, or get cornered with no ammo or health. It is a game mechanic that helps feed into the action. Bunker Punks adds a fresh flavor to the FPS genre and I haven't even mentioned the bunker/resource management aspect of the game! Definitely a game for fans of FPS/Rouge likes.
Where do I find this game?
Jenny LeClue
Note: I didn't play Jenny LeClue at the event. I played it on my PC after I got home from the event. I had downloaded the demo earlier and had planned to discuss it later.
Premise
Jenny is a young detective taking on the biggest case of her life when her mother is accused of murder. Jenny takes the case in order to clear her mother of all charges, but she soon discovers a larger conspiracy.
My impression
Jenny LeClue is a stylish game. The animation, presentation, dialogue and art style are incredibly charming. I was sucked into the demo within a minute. The gameplay is all point and click, and when you are inspecting objects in the world, Jenny will take mental notes of all the clues.
Not to spoil anything, but the big puzzle featured in the demo was genius. The problem with point and click games is when you get stuck. Most people just start clicking everywhere in order to find something so they can move forward. This is simply not doable in the teaser. You will have to sit down and actually use your mind to get past the puzzle. Simply clicking on everything will get you nowhere but frustrated.
There was also something about being a young girl that added to the tension. As a shadowy figure stalked about the house, I made sure to keep a low profile, I knew if I were to be caught be an adult, it would be over. I was also not ready for how intense the story was, I know it is easy to just say "The mystery goes much deeper", but it really does hint at some huge story elements. Also, Jenny is a little girl investigating a murder!
Not to spoil anything, but the big puzzle featured in the demo was genius. The problem with point and click games is when you get stuck. Most people just start clicking everywhere in order to find something so they can move forward. This is simply not doable in the teaser. You will have to sit down and actually use your mind to get past the puzzle. Simply clicking on everything will get you nowhere but frustrated.
There was also something about being a young girl that added to the tension. As a shadowy figure stalked about the house, I made sure to keep a low profile, I knew if I were to be caught be an adult, it would be over. I was also not ready for how intense the story was, I know it is easy to just say "The mystery goes much deeper", but it really does hint at some huge story elements. Also, Jenny is a little girl investigating a murder!
Where do I find this game?
You can find Jenny Le Clue on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Download the playable teaser on PC, Mac,Linux and Iphone/Ipad.
Typoman
Premise
You play as Typoman, a hero literally made out of the word "HERO". You must make your way through a dark and surreal world, your only weapon is words. Using letters to spell words and solve puzzles and defeat your enemies.
My Impression
Typoman is very similar to Limbo. You are in a world that isn't quite right, death can come quickly and you must use your mind to solve an array of puzzles.
It is a very inventive game. You have to spell out words using letters in the environment. These words radiate out and affect objects in the level. For example. if there is a platform that is moving too fast for you to jump on, you can find some letters in the world and spell out "Stop" or "Slow".
The creators said that they would try to make sure all possible combinations would be considered, sort of like scrabble. A typical puzzles will give you a letter jumble, where you have a small pool of letters that can be used to spell out the solution. This of course isn't the only kind of puzzle the player will come across and the game will feature some platforming elements mixed in.
It is a very inventive game. You have to spell out words using letters in the environment. These words radiate out and affect objects in the level. For example. if there is a platform that is moving too fast for you to jump on, you can find some letters in the world and spell out "Stop" or "Slow".
The creators said that they would try to make sure all possible combinations would be considered, sort of like scrabble. A typical puzzles will give you a letter jumble, where you have a small pool of letters that can be used to spell out the solution. This of course isn't the only kind of puzzle the player will come across and the game will feature some platforming elements mixed in.
Where do I find this game?
You can find Typoman on Twitter and Facebook. Typoman is set to be released exclusively on the Wii U.
Capsule Force
Premise
Capsule Force is chaotic high energy game where players need to prevent the opposing team from getting to their base via tram while also advancing to the enemy base so that you may capture their flag (galaxy orb). Things get even more frantic when you add laser cannons, double jumps and bubble shields into the fray.
My Impression
I played a few games and this, and It was really fun. A lot of explosions and action are going on when you have four players going at it. The game moves at a breakneck pace, a round and end in under 30 seconds! The mechanics are easy to learn and hard to master. Knowing when to charge up your blaster, timing your shield to knock off a player from the tram and more all come into play.
Capsule force is a great game for anyone looking for an arcade style action/party game with some awesome throwback 80's anime pixel art.
Capsule force is a great game for anyone looking for an arcade style action/party game with some awesome throwback 80's anime pixel art.
Where do I find this game?
Subaeria
Premise
Set in a Future where humanity now lives in underwater cities, Subaeria has players pick one of 4 characters. Players must guide their character from pod to pod, avoiding deadly traps and robot security drones. They have no weapons, but they can equip their personal drone with a variety of skills to aid them along their journey. If a character were to die, they are gone for the rest of the game.
My Impression
Subaeria is a game where you have to solve puzzles room by room. You can't engage enemies directly in combat, because 1) You don't have any weapons and 2) You are just a regular person, not a solider. This means that using your drone and it's skills is very important, and depending on what skills the drone is equipped with (up to two at a time) can affect how you go about solving these puzzles.
The fact that your character can die permanently adds a lot of tension. Each pod needs to be handled with care. I found myself trying to get a feel for the pod's puzzle before I tried to solve it. A large element of the game involved trying to trick competing security robots into destroying each other.
Overall an awesome twist on your typical rouge like. There is a lot of story and characters to discover that I only got a taste of.
The fact that your character can die permanently adds a lot of tension. Each pod needs to be handled with care. I found myself trying to get a feel for the pod's puzzle before I tried to solve it. A large element of the game involved trying to trick competing security robots into destroying each other.
Overall an awesome twist on your typical rouge like. There is a lot of story and characters to discover that I only got a taste of.
Where do I find this game?
Till Next E3!
Well that is my impressions on a few of the games available at The MIX event. There were a ton of games and I had so little time! Thank you to all the Devs that took time to demo their games for/with me and chat about game development. If any of these games looked interesting to you be sure to follow the developers on social media for updates and more info.
- Danny Q
@Dannylv100
@Dannylv100
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