Earlier in the year, among the bigger players, the Escapist Magazine ran an indie showcase. The appropriately titled, Escapist showcase showed off a whole mess of fantastic indie games. Well with the Summer Games Fest over, Escapist has returned again to shower us with more fantastic indie titles. Here is but a small sampling of some titles that stuck out from the pack.
Industria
Industria is an interesting mix of the real and the rather unreal. On one hand, the game takes place on the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A friend reaches out to say goodbye, but you are too late, he has disappeared. The mission to save him will take you through the complex and his research project, and into a surreal world. Whilst this shooter definitely appears more akin to a walking simulator with shooting, its hard to get a bearing on how the game will play. However, aesthetically and narratively, I am very much intrigued on about what’s on offer. Industria will release sometime next year on Steam.
Operation: Tango
No one should be surprised at how big multiplayer online games have gotten over the past year. Operation: Tango is bringing an interesting flavour of gameplay to the table. One player acts as the agent, breaking in and committing a heist. The other player is the hacker, using security cams, and hacked info to guide the agent. The two different roles allow for asymmetrical puzzle solving. It’s akin to defuser and specialist roles of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, in a first person puzzler with a bit more spy-themed pizzazz. Operation Tango comes out next year, but you can check out the demo right now!
You Suck at parking
There’s nothing like a little bit of chaos. You Suck at Parking, feels like that kind of madness. The premise is simple, you have a few parking spaces to fill, and a whole bunch of car respawns to get the filled. The catch? No reversing on these cars. Once they stop, they stop dead. As such the game becomes more of a navigational obstacle course. Kind of a car golf, if you will. Dodge and weave through traffic, fans, magnets, teleporters and many other hurdles to get to your parking spot. Check out the demo on Steam now.
Transient
Indie Games in the last few years have definitely been going to the well of HP Lovecraft quite a bit. From Sinking City to Call of Cthulu, cosmic horror titles have been taking off. A lot of these titles have followed more of a survival RPG style. Transient is switching things up with more a walking sim style. Personally I’m interested in how this will switch things up. Hopefully this will open things up to explore the story and aesthetic. Bonus points for mashing it up with cyberpunk, trading the traditional greys and browns of Victorian lovecraft, with something a bit more neon. It’s out right now on Steam.
But that is only a taste of what the showcase had to offer! Check out the Escapist Games Showcase below and all the awesome titles promoted.
About the Author
Sam Harkin
he/him
A Melburnian nerd of 28 years and counting. A podcaster and critic of games. Uncovering the hidden indie gems, and exposing the dark underside of the AAA industry.
