7 Indie Games That Grabbed My Attention At PAX East 2019
Here are some titles that I loved — and I know you’ll love too.
So, it was decided: I would roll into Boston with a few members of my company and we would take on PAX East together. I was not prepared for any of it, mainly because it was not only my first time at PAX, but my first convention ever — and what a one to start at. As I perused the exhibition center, chatting up game devs and playing their games, it made me realize that I should write about my experiences and some of the games that I’m most looking forward to this year, I even managed to pull a few interviews with some of these great game devs! So without further ado, here are my indie game top picks from PAX East 2019.
KUNAI
Genre: Action, Adventure
Platform: Switch, PC
Release Date: TBA
I truly love when someone can show me something that I haven't seen yet and I immediately felt that when I stumbled upon this game. When I saw this game at PAX, I was intrigued by Tabby, the Kunai-wielding little robot that you control throughout the game, I had to come closer to the booth to actually make out what exactly it was. In addition to this, this game had such a stark and muted color palette that I found to be really attractive, especially with a storyline that focuses on a little ninja robot finding “its true purpose in this world”. Each movement in this entertaining platformer felt so fluid and parkour-like and was accompanied by a different facial expression on Tabby’s screen, the controls were comfortable and all and all, it was a pretty hard game for me to part with. This game is a match for anyone that loves a good platformer with a lot of personality.
I had the opportunity to use MY grab tool and GRABBED an interview with these lovely folk, so keep reading!
What was the inspiration for KUNAI?
“We drew inspiration for KUNAI from a lot of stuff. When playing KUNAI, you will find a lot of nods and pop-cultural references everywhere. If we think it’s cool and fits the game, we put it in!”
Now a lot of times, games start as one thing and then it can become something entirely different than what was first envisioned or designed. Has this game changed from original ideas and concepts? If so, how?
“KUNAI started off as the follow-up game to our previous game: Road Warriors. This was a mobile title, so KUNAI also started out as a mobile game. It had a lot more colors and did not feature Tabby. It had a way more generic 16-bit-ish pixel art look. In the meantime, Nintendo had launched the Switch and we became huge fans of that console. A few things happened quite quickly after the other. Richard, our game artist came up with a new look for the game, which would make it stand out a lot more than most pixel art games. Then, we thought it would be cool if this weren’t going to be a mobile title, but if we could try to create a premium game for the Nintendo Switch! Tabby was one of the last things in the art style that changed. The protagonist was first more robot-like but lacked emotion. Again, Richard (God bless his weird mind) came up with something unique: the tablet as a face and Tabby was born. This way we can convey a lot of emotion.”
One of the great things about the indie game scene is just the amount of sheer creativity that has a home here. What is something about YOUR game that you think sets it apart from anything else you’ve seen? What are some details about it that you feel makes a game like KUNAI unique?
“Most Metroidvanias tend to be both on the slow side and take themselves pretty serious. We are creating a more rapid and cheerful experience. KUNAI focusses on high mobility and fun as gameplay elements. Everything you do should make you feel awesome. The unique art style that Richard has created makes the game stand out from the incredible influx of pixelated games that are released nowadays.”
Do you guys have a set release date for KUNAI? And is it true your game will be available on both PC and Switch?
“We can’t say anything about the release just yet. The platforms we are now focussing on is a release on Nintendo Switch and PC. Who knows what other platforms we will hit next ;).”
Tales of the Neon Sea
Genre: Adventure, RPG
Platform: PC
Release Date: April 30th, 2019
It’s no shock to anyone that knows me that I am a BIG fan two things: 1. Skilful uses of color and 2. Cyberpunk settings. When I stumbled upon Tales of the Neon Sea, it encompassed both of these things so perfectly, so I just HAD to include it in this article. This game takes place in the future where, both humans and sentient robots rely on each other for survival, despite the crescendo of tension between the two. The game’s protagonist is a former police detective that since has retired, but takes on the occasional private investigation case to stay afloat. Everything changes in his life when a murder case comes across his desk… What lies in store within this neon sea? Well, only you can figure it out. This game is a good fit for anyone that loves story-building, especially mysteries!
I was lucky enough to uncover the “mystery” of how these guys made their game, so keep reading!
What was your inspiration for making this game?
“As lovers of sci-fi, we grew up on genre staples such as Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell, each with their own variation on an alluring and terrifying cyberpunk future. At the same time, growing up in China during the ongoing economic boom has given many of us the feeling of actually living in such a world of towering skyscrapers and hazy neon streets! Even Denis Villeneuve, director of the recent Blade Runner sequel, referenced Beijing during the design of that movie. This gives us a unique perspective to inject into the now familiar cyberpunk vision. In addition, creating detailed and attractive pixel-art and lighting it in unique ways is one of our skills. Cyberpunk and pixel-art tend to be a good match, so it made sense for us to proceed in this direction with “Tales of the Neon Sea”.
During the production of Tales of the Neon Sea, has the game changed from what it originally started out as? If so, how and why?
“Yes, the game changed quite a bit during the game development process. Chengdu, where the developers are based, is a magical city with both
modern technology and a long history and has provided inspiration for the
cyberpunk city we depict. Hard-boiled detective novels and, of course, the
likes of Blade Runner all had a part to play in the protagonist and story of
the game. All these inspirations serve to expand the content and structure of
the game, and it has gradually evolved from a simple puzzle-based game to
something with a much larger scope. As the experience changed throughout
development and began to take shape, it was important that we didn’t lose sight of our original goal — tell an interesting story and deliver a fun experience.”
Now, something people always like to know is who the “target audience” is for a game. Who do you think your game is meant for? Who is your “target audience”?
“We hope that players will experience an interesting and immersive adventure in this world full of sci-fi atmosphere and puzzles. As such, we’re targeting players from all over the world who have an interest in puzzles, story-driven adventure, sci-fi, and detailed pixel art aesthetics.”
And finally, the question that I have to ask is, do you have a set release date for Tales of the Neon Sea?
“Yes, the game is scheduled to debut on Steam April 30th, 2019. We hope everyone enjoys it!”
Vigil: The Longest Night
Genre: Action, Platformer
Platform: PC
Release Date: TBA
Growing up, I wasn’t exactly “in-the-loop” when it came to newer games, typically due to the costs of consoles and just, truly, how MUCH there all was to consume. I spent a lot of time early on playing whatever I could get my hands on. The Castlevania series were ones that I had fond memories of, so when I saw a game that replicated the mechanics and had a similar aesthetic of a game that I loved so much, I HAD to give it a try. We see our protagonist, Leila, on a quest to save her hometown from the creatures that have infiltrated it, as well as discovering WHY they have. The game is dark and ominous, but stunning, there was also a sense of familiarity when I got ahold of this which I really connected with.
I was very grateful to have a brief interview with these folks from Vigil after taking a break from fighting the monsters, so keep reading for that interview!
What were your inspirations to make a game like Vigil?
“Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is always my all-time favorite game. In addition to Castlevania, Vigil was also inspired by most of my favorite games like the Dark Soul series, Nioh, Dragon’s Crown, and Salt and Sanctuary. We didn’t really add revolutionary mechanics in Vigil, just tried to put interesting elements into Vigil and work hard on every details until the game looked great. For instance, we have many different weapons and equipment, so the main character, Leila, can change her outfit when she is equipped with a new suit. We also have skill trees for four types of weapons. Players will have the flexibility to build the unique character they want. If they want to play in a very different style, they also can use sub-weapons or arcane items to beat the enemies. Moreover, each weapon in this game is unique too. There are many weapons in this game that can perform special attacks by executing special button combinations just like Castlevania. We make our best efforts to create those creepy, fantastic, amazing enemies and bosses. The movements of a single small enemy will have up to 10 ways to attack. As a result, every time when players face the same enemy, the experience is different. They have to be very skillful, or they will die easily. Despite the level of difficulty, we also provide a solution for those who don’t excel at combat. Players can upgrade the equipment and rise the level of the skill tree to make the combat less hard, and we also support an EASY-MODE, which can be selected before entering the new game. The game scene is another highlight you will find fascinating. Unlike other platformer, we try to create a 3D-like view in our game, making the whole scene, even the background items more vivid. For example, to make the candle light wavering in a more nature way, we add three layers of the lights, so you can see the light flickering while you’re moving around.”
If you would, tell the readers a little more about the game!
“We want to present a complete story, where players can collect clues to find out the truth behind as they are exploring this cursed village. In addition to the main character, we also manage to give each NPC their personality and settings — why are they upset, sad, or acting weird? Why some of them are so hostile? It’s all because of what happened to them, and you can talk with them to discover the reason. In some occasions, the dialogues are specially-designed and become interesting, so player won’t feel too stressful during the exploration.”
Now, this may be a hard question, but, what is your favorite thing about your game? Out of all the work and time you’ve poured into it, what’s that one detail or series of details that you’re proud are there in the game itself?
“As a night watcher (vigil), her duty is to bring the light back to this world. This task is undoubtedly followed by tremendous difficulty, especially when there are so many creepy creatures and challenges on the way, yet no guiders, friends or some inborn magical power to help her. She is just a teenager, and she must be scared sometimes, but she still embarks on the adventure. I think it is this bravery and determination make her an admirable heroine with more humanity. And I hope you guys will love this character as well.”
Do you have a set release date for this game? Also, what platform(s) will Vigil be available on?
“Vigil: The Longest Night is scheduled to be released in Q4, 2019 (no later than Q1, 2020). We are working hard day and night to meet the schedule. Facebook and Twitter, you can search @VigilTheGame on both platforms to follow us.”
Hell is Other Demons
Genre: Action
Platform: PC, Switch, Kartridge
Release Date: April 18th, 2019 (Switch, Kartridge), May 20th, 2019 (PC)
Bullet-hell styled gameplay? Paired with colorful visuals and synthwave? Yes, you have my attention. Hell is Other Demons is a game for quick thinkers, and those with even quicker reflexes. The game is just endlessly fun and fun to even look at. My attention flocked to it while I was wandering around because of just seeing OTHER people having a time with it, so I knew I had to jump in and see what this was about. If you’re looking for a more casual but addicting play, then this game is definitely a win for you.
While the game may be a “Hell”, interviewing the team behind it was heaven, so keep reading formore on that.
This has been one of the most VIBRANT bullet-hell style games I’ve witnessed. What was your inspiration for this particular style and how it looks?
“Thank you! The game started out as a GBJam entry. GBJam is a gamejam where you’re supposed to make a game that matches the Gameboy Color visual spec, 160x160 resolution and just four colors. I came up with the colors and the dithering effect from those restrictions. Probably more than a little driven by the technical challenge of actually coding that up. I never finished my GBJam entry but I stuck with and improved on the visual style in multiple iterations since then.”
How long have you been working on Hell Is Other Demons? Has the game changed a lot since its original concepts and designs? If yes, how so?
“I have been working on this for a bit over two years. Initially part-time, later much closer to full time. The very core gameplay loop of the game has been there since the very first few hours of coding, but the systems on top have evolved quite a bit. The game has always been about demons jumping, stomping, shooting and collecting gems though. On the technical side, I’ve also been through three separate game engines.”
What was it that made you want to make THIS game in particular? Why this game in particular?
“My initial plan was to make three super small games in a year as a learning experience. Hell is Other Demons was the first idea. For some reason I couldn’t make myself stop working on it.”
Now, do you have a set release date for this game? And what platforms will you be available on?
“The game releases April 18th on Nintendo Switch and Kartridge (PC/Mac) the Steam release (PC/Mac) is on May 20th.”
Anew: The Distant Light
Genre: Action, Adventure
Platform: PC
Release Date: TBA
I have a great love for Metroidvanias and everything that genre of game represents. Anew was no exception to this, and if you’re a fan of deep space exploration to a mesmerizing soundtrack, then you’ll probably want to keep reading this. You enter the game/the world as a child that has travelled through many light years, with scarce resources, only through exploring can you gain new items that will help in the quest of self-identity and to figure out where exactly you've ended up. This game is a match made in heaven for anyone that likes Metroid (well I should hope), Cave Story, and other adventure platformers.
The developers were truly “out of this world” (sorry for that) for letting me interview them to learn a little more about their game, so if that interests you, keep reading!
I really loved the artistic direction you took with this title. If I may ask, what was the inspiration for this game?
“Thanks for the kind words. Inspiration has come from several sources regarding the look and feel of Anew. I've always been fascinated with surrealist and impressionist artwork. These two specific forms are very effective and powerful, to me at least, in suggesting emotion and story through striking colors, lighting/contrast, and often-times odd, minimalist visual constructions. The paintings of Saldavor Dali, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, and Zdzislaw Beksinski have fundamentally inspired the look of the environments and characters in our game. The music in our game is also extremely important in setting the tone of the world and the emotion of our story. I love 20th-century orchestral music, and several composers provided a lot of creative inspiration as far as the overall tone of our game and the game's score (being written by Wilbert Roget, II): Samuel Barber, John Adams, Bela Bartok, and a few others. Overall, I really wanted to create a game that just looks and feels unique, and personal.”
Tell me a little more about the game’s story.
“I don’t want to spoil anything, as one of the joys of playing Anew is discovering and unraveling the story! The premise of the story, which plays out in the opening minute or so at the start of the game, is that something catastrophic has happened on Earth. The lower half of our planet has been blown off. We don’t know what has happened, and that’s one of the mysteries you need to uncover as you explore the alien moon. So the Earth is in really bad shape, and you are a baby who is loaded onto a rocket ship and launched 20 light years into space. You age twenty years in transit, and land on a strange alien moon without any knowledge of your mission. You must figure out why you are on this moon, what has happened back on Earth, and also where your missing co-pilot has gone off to. Our story is told entirely through surreal, playable spaces and we are only using visuals, sound, and music to explain these elements — no dialogue, text, or locked-down cutscenes.”
What has been your biggest nightmare, as a developer, while making this game? What’s been your biggest frustration being one of the TWO people working on this?
“I’m not sure that we’ve experienced any nightmares in development, but making an indie game with a small team of two comes with an unending list of challenges. Steve Copeland, my development partner, and I come from long careers in AAA development, so we know pretty well how to run a studio and make a game as professionals. We treat each other with respect, so there’s none of that “Indie Game: The Movie” type drama happening. It’s hard enough to make an ambitious indie game without that additional layer of stress. One big challenge we’ve faced is just the sheer amount of unending work that needs to be done. We each wear the hats of at least 10 full-time employees, so we need to be really good, and fast, at doing a variety of work in a wide spectrum of disciplines. Another challenge has been scheduling. Since we are constantly inventing new things to make our game — things we’ve never done before — we run into “unknown unknowns.” In other words, we don’t know what crazy challenges lie ahead until we hit them, and then often times they take a long time to solve. Discoverability is a big issue for all indie devs right now, us included. There are so many indie games coming out, that it’s challenging to stand out in the crowd.”
Did this game start as one thing and then evolve into something else? If so, how?
“The vision for the game has remained in tact, for the most part, since the beginning of production. Certainly, some ideas and concepts have changed a bit as far as the story and gameplay go. This is a normal part of development. You have an idea for something, and then you start to build it, implement it, test it out — and then you realize that it either works really well, or it needs to be changed (or just cut). This cycle pretty much happens with everything we do in the game. That’s one of the (many) reasons why games take so long to make! For example, early on in pre-production, I thought it would be fun and interesting to play as both characters in the game at different times in their journeys — the younger player character, as well as the co-pilot who has gone missing. Steve and I discussed and preliminary planned this idea out, but it would have been far too complex for a variety of reasons to pull off. So, we cut that idea. Maybe it will show up in a future game we make :)”
What is something about this game that you’re excited for your audience to see? What do you think makes your game “unique”?
“We’re doing several things that are unique to the genre of game we’re making — the “Metroidvania.” On the gameplay front, we have many ways of moving about in the world, including running, swimming, climbing, jetpacking, and more. Something that we’re really excited about, and that gamers at trade shows have responded really enthusiastically to, are the vehicles in our game. You can pilot weaponized mechs, dune buggies, tanks, and flying saucers, to name a few. These keep the gameplay fresh and fun, so you’re not just traversing the world on foot the entire time, which is commonly how it works in action-exploration games. Visually, and tonally, our game is going to feel different than anything on the market. That includes the design and feel of the environments, as well as the story we’re telling — the plot and the means by which it is being told. We’re taking a few risks on this front and I’m really interested to see how players will react.”
If you’re able to disclose this, what is the release date for this title, and what platform(s) will it be available on?
“We haven’t announced an official launch date yet, but we are working very hard to finish the game by late this year, or early next year. Our current plan is to launch on PC and then bring the game to as many of the current consoles as possible.”
Cyber Shadow
Genre: Action
Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: TBA
Ninjas are coming back into video games, and in a BIG way, PAX East featured a few different titles that incorporated them, but I had to include this game, specifically; it reminded me of some Ninja Gaiden memories and I can’t help but feel that readers of this will feel the same way when they pick this game up. Play as a ninja on the quest to save his clan from evil robots after their power against a scenic sci-fi landscape. The game looks and sounds stunning, and the controls feel especially great. This is definitely a game for anyone that loves how the old becomes new again and well, for anyone that loves ninjas obviously.
I managed to hack and slash my way to the developer behind this amazing game, so take a look at what they had to say!
What was your inspiration for working on this game? What made you want to specifically make THIS game?
“How the game came out is like nature taking its course. There was no specific idea at the start, other than “I want to make a game” and a feeling of “something” that’s hard to put into words. It became a combination of all the things I like colored by whatever was happening in my life at any given point during development. An apple tree apples, a Mekaskull Cyber Shadows.”
In development, games tend to start as one thing and then by the end, turn into something COMPLETELY different. Has this game changed its form in any major way during the course of its development? If so, how?
“Since the game didn’t start as trying to be something specific, change was a big part of the development process. I kept things that worked and ditched things that didn’t. At no point did I stop to wonder if I should work on one thing or another, but I worked on whatever felt fun. This way the project kept feeling fresh as I had no idea how the next day would shape it.”
A lot of more “indie” titles tend to have something really special and unique to them, whether it be in the artistry, gameplay, soundtrack, etc… Now, what’s something about this game that you think makes it really special? What are you most excited for people to see when they pick this game up?
“The change in gameplay during the course of the game is something interesting as well as the way each moment of control is micromanaged, similar to how each pixel is carefully laid down on the canvas, but I think the special “something” that makes the game unique is the way it’s made by chasing a feeling. I hope that feeling is passed onto the player, at least a little.
Does the game have a release date set? If so, when? What platform(s) will this game come to?
“We are aiming to release the game later this year on PC, Switch, PS4 and Xbox One.”
Afterparty
Genre: Adventure
Platform: PC
Release Date: TBA
I was truly enchanted when I found this game because I fell in love with the art style, and as I found out more about it, I really dug the plot of this game because it was honestly unlike anything I had heard before. In this game, you’ll meet Milo and Lola; two best friends, recently deceased, now stuck in hell, for reasons unknown to them. But here’s the twist: if they challenge Satan to a drinking contest and win, they can go back to earth. The gameplay focuses on downing drinks like it’s no one’s business and trying to figure out why the hell they’ve been damned for all eternity. The game is charming and the dialogue is witty and it’s a good fit for anyone that loves fictitious drinking and storytelling.
Unfortunately, it was crunch-time for the Devs and they couldn't give much information on Afterparty, but keep your eyes and ears peeled for more updates on their game at Night School Studio on Twitter!
I hope you guys enjoy these games as much as I know I do, and make sure to add them to your wishlists so you don’t forget!
Sound off in the comments on what you think and if you like this article, give this article a clap!
