In this breath between GDC in early March and PAX East, just kicking off today, I’ve cast a net to catch any indies I need to keep an eye on — whether they’re already released, entering Early Access soon, or hanging distantly in the promising horizon. This week’s convention is sure to fill my head with exciting projects, as well as many other indie enthusiasts. So below, I’ve gathered a few games to keep on the radar, despite the distractions.
Ballgame
The trailer for this game takes the words out of my mouth, “This is not a golf game.” What is it? Well, that’s harder to nail down. It works like a platformer. You take control of the little golf ball that can move on its own, jump on its own, and shoot off into the distance on its own to navigate complex levels. The mechanics are easy to pick up, and I suspect watching someone who has mastered them will be a sight to behold when the game eventually launches.
ANTHEM#9
If you’re looking for that Persona pop in a totally different experience, this might be for you. Gameplay takes the form of turn-based fights in which players seek to trigger as many skills as possible as quickly as possible. Rather than grabbing from a pool of ability points to use moves, players have to select gems from their collection in specific and intricate patterns to craft powerful combos.
Scott Pilgrim EX
Having released at the beginning of the month, critical opinion on this beat-em-up has been stacking up — with wildly varying conclusions. I love the art and general style. The combat doesn’t bring too much new to the table, though it does have an innovation I greatly appreciate. Unlike with some entries in this genre, where I waste way too many attacks just a hair’s breadth too far away for the game to register when I am hitting, all my blows land as long as I’m in the general area of an enemy.
Nova Roma
I’m ending with a bang on this one. Nova Roma is out in Early Access today, and it’s well worth checking out. A word of warning, though, I went in for a quick preview and only came up for air three hours later. The city-building game’s conceit follows a diverse group fleeing their empire’s capital after Rome, the mother of the world, was murdered. It’s the player’s job to build them a new Rome. Playing on normal difficulty, the pace of innovations, castastaphe, and progress is beautifully balanced in a way that makes the game hard to put down.
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