Game Greatness In The PAX East 2016 Indie MegaSpotlight!
Welcome to a special-edition Indie MegaSpotlight!
Last weekend I had the privilege of partaking in PAX East 2016, the East Coast’s mecca of game development and promotion. I spent the better part of my time exploring the Indie MegaBooth, a large block in the heart of the Expo Hall dedicated to indie developers from around the world!
As always, there’s WAY too much going on at an event like this for one person to see it all. Here’s a handy collection of indie titles from the Indie MegaBooth (and PAX Rising booth, a smaller area nearby highlighting other indie titles) that I managed to get my eyes and hands on. Check them out!
(This list is alphabetical for convenience. And I wouldn’t know how to pick favorites. Too many great games!)
Astroneer System Era
Inspired by actual aeronautics and space technology, Astroneer puts you, an astronaut/engineer (get it?), on unknown planets to harvest materials and advance the universal footprint of humanity!
Aurion Kiro’o Games
Developed by the first video game studio from Africa, Aurion is a gorgeous 2.5D action RPG that tells the story of Enzo, prince of Zama, and his newly betrothed Erine as they are overthrown by his brother-in-law. (We at Nerd Caliber are very excited for this title, and will be sharing more information about Aurion soon!)
Bacon Man Skymap Games
Bringing back the spirit of adventure platformers of old (Banjo-Kazooie, Earthworm Jim), Bacon Man is built around silly characters, food puns and lots of play-on-words (like the Excaliboar)!
Battle Chef Brigade Trinket Studios
Ever wondered what Iron Chef would be like as a fantasy RPG? Wonder no further! Check out this 2.5D anime world where the item system is based around cooking and puzzles.
Below Capybara Games
A dark and mystifying world, Below sends you deep beneath the surface through grand caves, ruins and unknown challenges. How far will you go? How long can you last?
Cryptark Alien Trap Games
This is a twin-stick rogue-like shooter where you infiltrate alien spaceships with your trusty jetpack and heavy weaponry to destroy the core.
Damsel Screwtape Studios
Hailing from Australia, Damsel is an arcade platformer that’ll have you rescuing hostages and killing vampires with a massive assortment of tools and weapons.
Death Squared SMG Studio
Here’s a unique 2-player puzzle game, where your two robots must escape puzzle rooms without killing each other. Deadly beams constantly fire at each other, and you must use the environment to stay alive.
Deathstate Workinman Interactive
A personal favorite of mine, Deathstate is a rogue-like “bullet hell” single-stick shooter (meaning you auto-fire on enemies, so you can focus more on staying alive). It’s heavily themed on H.P. Lovecraft lore and is a different experience every time!
Dragon Fin Soup Grimm Bros
Experience an interesting twist on Grimm fairy tales in this roguelike tactical RPG. Plenty of crass humor and fast-paced slaughter!
Eon Altar Flying Helmet
Here’s a cool co-op dungeon crawler that lets you use your smartphone as the controller! Grab a few friends and discover the underground secrets that await you!
Fate Tectonics Golden Gear Games
With a fresh take on Sim City-like gameplay, Fate Tectonics has you constructing a world that will maintain balance between a series of Gods. Let them disappoint you and their tempers will wreak havoc upon your creation!
Flinthook Tribute Games
This is a retro-art Metroidvania game that uses a grappling hook as the primary mechanic. Play as a skeletal space pirate and invade, loot and plunder ships to your heart’s content!
Forced Showdown Beta Dwarf Entertainment
An exciting mixture of deck building, arena combat and twin-stick shooting! Play as a gladiator in a game show, pitted against waves of enemies and epic boss fights, collecting upgrades from your custom deck along the way!
Gonner Art in Heart
This is a procedurally generated 2D roguelike platformer where the world comes together and fades away as you explore. The graphics are simple yet spooky!
Gurgamoth Galvanic Games
You and three friends are pitted against each other in a fast-paced fight to the death! You must use the arena to harm and destroy your foes, and the closer someone gets to victory, the more handicaps are placed to level the field!
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander Massive Damage
This is a 4X-lite, story-driven, turn-based combat RPG. Every character is essential to your survival, and it’s up to you to form alien alliances along the way!
Infectionator: Survivors Toge Productions
Control a squad of survivors and don’t let the zombies get you! Find resources and build defenses throughout randomly generated levels and keep going until you die for good!
Mimpi Dreams Silicon Jelly
Take the adorable little dog Mimpi on a journey of puzzles and adventure! You’ll interact directly with the environment to unlock paths, save princesses and freeing animal friends!
Moonshot Pump Action Games
This is the new-age Tanks you’ve been looking for. Blast, fly and carpet bomb your way around planets and asteroids, using gravity and precision to destroy your enemies!
Move or Die Those Awesome Guys
Coming over from Romania, Move or Die is a crazy 4-player party game where the rules of the game change every 20 seconds. The roster nods to dozens of known characters, and the ludicrous gameplay will make you love to hate your friends!
Shiny Garage 227 Studios
You play as Kramer, a lone robot whose goal is to save as many of your robot friends as possible. Explore a side-scrolling world, avoid hazards and bring your friends back to life!
StarBreak Crunchy Games
Here’s a massive multiplayer action platformer, where you’re thrown into a raid with up to 50 others to take on a big bad boss. You can try it out right in your browser — just follow the link!
Tumblestone The Quantum Astrophysics Guild
This is a revolutionary Match-3 action-puzzle game, where you race up to three friends to clear out fields of colored blocks. It also sports Story and Challenge modes, leaderboard and bots to diversify your gameplay!
