Keep an eye on the site throughout the week and you may just spot many highlights of the show. This year’s PAX East, perhaps even more than previous years, was a wonderland of smaller titles. The indie alleyways felt more numerous and packed than ever. This really lent itself to the idea of discovering games as I searched tucked away nooks, scoured crammed walkways, and followed wild directions to get these indies on my radar. And hopefully, yours.
Curse Chapter: Dawnthief
Developer Colorgrave has been a friend to The Indie Council for some time and the team is happily working on a project set to release this year. The retro-inspired Curse Chapter: Dawnthief plays more smoothly than I can remember any title from my childhood playing, and thereby brings the nostalgic eel without its drawbacks. The game has a demo up right now if you’d like to try it for yourself.
The Secret of Crystal Mountain
Another title that’s no stranger to this site, The Secret of Crystal Mountain gained a spot in PAX Rising this year. The program serves to spotlight up-and-coming indies under its banner. A coveted, and more sign-posted spot in the designated PAX Rising zone grabs attention from players who might otherwise pass up indies. Judging from the line at this action-adventure title’s booth, it didn’t need much help capturing an audience’s attention.
Mad MOJO
Eric Cheung, Mad Mojo’s creator, enjoyed watching my pain. Ostensibly a loveable creature-catching card-gathering adventure with some clever tweaks to the familiar genre, the game is something much darker. All I wanted was to see my piggy companion live his best life. Is that too much to ask?
God Save Birmingham
You know what? We’re keeping things creepy. Because if I had to deal with inky indie underbellies, so do you. So, how about a little trip to Medieval Birmingham in the middle of a zombie outbreak? Every time I sit down to try this game out, it seems to have developed. This time around, I was greeted by a journal feature which proved a very helpful tutorial/quest guide. So, I had a little more idea of what to do while dodging flesh-eating hordes. Also, the game plans to hit Early Access this year, and I’m ready.
GNAW
From mid-apocalypse to pre-apocalyptic, we head to Gnaw. This title is a 2D platforming metroidvania set in an age when dinosaurs ruled. Despite the heights the scaley citizens have reached, something is going devastatingly wrong in the beautifully hand-drawn New Dino City. Like, extinction-level wrong.
Order Automatica
Strategy sickos should head to Steam right now to play through the demo for this tricky roguelike. You task is to set up a three by three grid as best you can for combat because, when the fighting starts, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Win a battle and progress to the next level. Lose one and watch your candles snuff out. With only a short window before another appointment, I intended to try out a quick round of this show-floor gem. I couldn’t put it down until I’d beaten every encounter.
Rain98
Prying my hands from the controller and trying to come back to the reality of a busy show floor, I wasn’t sure what to think of Rain98. Not because I questioned its quality — it’s unarguably one of the most polished and intriguing experiences of PAX East. No, I questioned my senses because I had just been through the most alluring and unsettling delusion.
Seemingly transported through time, I find myself assisting the not-quite-human Reina in her scheme to end the world…by stuffing capsule toys to gain ritualistic favor stamps. You can see where the confusion might come in. What is certain is this should be on your radar.
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