PAX Prime 2013: Indie Mega Booth

Instead of write a post about each of the games I played at the Indie Megabooth at PAX Prime, I decided to write a paragraph about some of the games that stood out in a single mega-post. Although I enjoyed playing many of the blockbuster games that are coming out soon, I enjoyed discovering interesting indie games I had never heard of even more. There are some incredibly creative ideas coming out of indie gaming right now, and the Indie Megabooth showcased several of these exciting new gems. It was easily our favorite area on the show floor.

Contrast
Contrast stars a little girl and her imaginary friend. The player controls the latter who has the ability to transition into the form of a shadow on the wall. This transitions the game from a 3D platformer to a 2D platformer, jumping from shadow to shadow to progress each level. The art style was reminiscent of a turn of the century circus, focusing on a lot of reds and browns for the palate.

Secret Ponchos
In this wild west themed top down duel stick shooter, players battle in an arena using several unique characters with varying abilities. Focused solely on multiplayer, Secret Ponchos is trying to perfect tournament style multiplayer gaming, but adding a style not often seen in video games these days. While fun, I could imagine Secret Ponchos getting stale quickly. Switchblade Monkeys, the games developers, don't plan on adding a single player campaign at this time, which turned me off from the otherwise fun arena gameplay.


Tengami
Tengami is a 2D side scrolling puzzler that takes place in a Japanese themed pop-up book. The player uses touch controls to pull tabs and flip pages in order to help the character navigate the environment. The game was beautifully designed in its art style, but seemed a bit hard, at least in the beginning. Either way it will be interesting to see how Tengami turns out.


The Bridge
A 2D puzzle platformer based on the art of M.C. Escher. This game matches the black and white sketchbook style of the artist as well as the mind warping planes in his drawings. The player can move the character as well as use the triggers on a controller to rotate the environment left or right. This allows the character walk up and down walls, and manipulate the physics on boxes to solve puzzles. What I played of The Bridge I thoroughly enjoyed, and I look forward to playing more when it is released.

Nekro
Nekro puts you in the role of a demonic necromancer. Part StarCraft, part Sacrifice, the player roams the levels collecting blood from fallen foes in order to raise an army of undead minions. The graphics and art work on Nekro were impressive, and complimented the gameplay well.

Life Goes On
One of our favorite games in the Indie Megabooth, Life Goes On is a puzzle game where the player is more successful in solving puzzles the more they die. With infinite lives, the player can use the corpses of their former avatars to traverse spikes, hold down switches, and fling into new areas with catapults. The game never takes itself seriously, and seems like it will be a lot of fun to play through.


Beatbuddy
Beatbuddy is a 2D side scrolling exploration game focused on music. Every enemy and puzzle is synced to the beat of the level, and players in the groove of the game will have an easier time progressing each level. The blue blob character swims around solving puzzles and collecting collectables all to groovy house tunes.


Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
A co-op spaceship shooter, this game puts players in control of the same ship. Each player controls two systems, and must work together in order to progress the level. While one player controls the shields and thrusters, the other controls the lasers. Communication is key in order to survive. The colorful neon graphics are pleasant on the eye, and really help to draw the player in.


Galak-Z
Part Metroid, part stealth game, part Asteroids, Galak-Z is a space exploration game where players explore randomly generated galaxies in search of upgrades. Enemy ships have complex AI that allows them to flank players, and work as a team when searching for players who have escaped their sight. Galak-Z could be the next big thing in metroidvania games.