The Indie Informer

---

I am right where I want to be this GDC: in indie games up to my eyeballs. You can see my highlights from Day of the Devs here, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Monday night saw an evening-commanding indie party hosted by both The MIX and San Francisco’s own Kinda Funny. And wouldn’t you know it? I found even more games to love there. I also discovered a problem I’ve come up against several times during events.

When asked which games I recommend at any given event, I tend to gravitate towards games that I either hadn’t known of or hadn’t been able to play before. This is a serious oversight because, specifically for The MIX, there were some killer games I was familiar with. But not everyone is as hyper-focused on the indie scene as me, and failing to point out great games I’ve seen before might have led them to miss out on some great experiences. To address this wrong and balance the scale of my sins somewhat, I’m shining the spotlight on both below.

Golden Oldies

Calling these “oldies” may be a bit overstated — as I mentioned above, it’s very possible this could be the first time someone has heard of them — but the golden label is well-deserved. The foremost among these has to be Mixtape, which I not only played way back at last year’s Summer Game Fest, but have seen at at least three separate GDC events to date. It’s everywhere and deserves to be. The nostalgic adventure set to the most unbelievable soundtrack is currently in development. The team that brought The Artful Escape to life is looking prepared to outdo themselves, and I wish I could experience it for the first time all over again. One fellow media friend I ran into was in line to do just that. My only helpful hint was to keep from looking as much as possible while waiting.

There is something incredibly special about seeing a game you stumbled over show up at the big shows, especially if the developers recognize your face when you drop by. TetherGeist by O. and Co. Games gives me that feeling every time. I knew nothing about it when I came across the precision platformer at PAX West, and it quickly impressed me. That’s a hard thing to do, cold-impress a wandering journalist, and it speaks to its challenging yet satisfying gameplay.

Truckful is delightful. Sheep are the enemy. Both facts I knew before going into a brand new demo of the cozy delivery sim set in an unsettling nightmare. It picked up right where I left off, having barely escaped a dark forest and menacing entity. My titular truck is worse for the wear. I have no idea where I am. And a little old lady stands next to her garage.

Speaking with her, shes way too comfortable with my recent escapades to make me feel at ease. At least, she’s willing to help me upgrade my new ride. I can barely afford the worst steering option and a little more storage space, but it gives me something to work towards. And speaking of work, my new best bud just so happens to have some deliveries to offer. How convenient and not at all suspicious. My hopes are dashed far too quickly as I attempt to disperse a flock of sheep on the road. One of the dastardly fluffy creatures knocks my load completely off my truck, causing me to start over.

Unearthed Gem

The first game that drew my eye at the event was a medieval-looking action game with perfectly crunchy combat. Cursemark, as it turned out to be, was perhaps my highlight of the evening. It begins ominously. An eyeball, floating and powerful, demands tribute of my character. In return, I can venture on and choose from a series of starting loadouts.

While the demo guides gently suggest going with the sword as the most versatile weapon, I decide to be rebellious and gear up with a lance glowing with a holy aura. For my ultimate power, I chose piecing icecles. And to top it all off, I grab a projectile spell that lobs poison at enemies. This last I took at the nudging of the developer who, I suspect, enjoyed my obstinate commitment to fun rather than smart decisions.

This should have warned him not to take me seriously. However, when I laughingly suggested a silly-natured spell (possibly involving goats hurtling through the air at bad guys), he thoughtfully weighed the pros and cons of the idea. But even without hurtling farm animals, I made it to the boss. Several enemies I killed beforehand had dropped modifying runes, which I could slot into my equipment. At this final challenge, I had placed runes that made my lance’s range near-godly, my poison bomb’s area of effect unavoidable, and my special move soaked up life with every speck of damage it inflicted. I was the first to kill the boss that evening.