Image courtesy of Playtonic Games
That’s what I keep telling myself anyway. And to a certain degree, isn’t it true? Whether you’re a fan of indie games, all the latest AAA titles, or both, 2015 was a great year for games. But now that Christmas is almost here and the new year beckons, the time has come to embark on a journey into the digital wilderness in search for raw and novel projects. Below is a list of 20 games I believe will take 2016 by storm, but it isn’t going to be your typical list of games. Many of the most anticipated games- like the Deus Ex, Uncharted, Dark Souls and Dishonored sequels and so on- will not be here. Why? Because most people know about those games already. This collection of games is designed to be a bit more eclectic. There’s also a scoring system below the list for readers who like quizzes – see if you can classify these games into indie and non-indie! (Keep track as you go.)
Image courtesy of Playtonic Games
KEY FACTS:
October 2016 seems like light years away, but let me assure you, I will probably buy a calendar solely for the purpose of counting down the days until this game releases. This is like every Banjo Kazooie fan’s dream come true. No, it’s not quite Banjo Threeie. But bless the heavens above because all the music, gameplay, characters and humour are being done by the same team. Much like Banjo Kazooie, the title Yooka Laylee is also a pun that references a musical instrument. What’s different this time round is that instead of a bear and bird duo, players will be treated to an epic companionship between bat and chameleon. And Playtonic have done nothing but whet our appetites by slowly revealing new information about the game, in the form of new characters (Trowzer and Rextro Sixtyfourus), enemies, moves, and music.
Website: www.playtonicgames.com | Twitter: @PlaytonicGames | Facebook: Playtonic Games
Image courtesy of Zelda Wiki *Working title
KEY FACTS:
The precise details surrounding Nintendo’s newest Legend of Zelda title have been kept under wraps for a while now, but according to recent reports, 2016 has not been ruled out in terms of the game’s official release. Using The Legend of Zelda as a placeholder, Nintendo has created a sense of mystery and intrigue which is only intensified by Eiji Aonuma’s commentary on the game’s structure being “a clean break from the conventions of past games in the Zelda series, where you had to follow a set path and play through the scenario in the right order.” According to Aonuma, a more open world, exploratory gameplay style that isn’t constrained by the typical compartmentalisation of temples and dungeons is an attempt to return to the original Legend of Zelda Game, and this could certainly be an interesting change for the franchise. The choice of art style is also quite interesting. Rather than opting for an increasingly more realistic look in the vein of Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword, the graphics seem more closely aligned with the cel shaded and cartoon like Wind Waker, but with much more detailed background art. As for the soundtrack, it looks like we’ll have to wait a little bit longer.
Image courtesy of Gamespot
KEY FACTS:
I have the sad fate of owning neither an Xbox One or PS4, so I have been forced to wait until next year to enjoy this masterpiece. No, I have not read the reviews (Obviously! What kind of person do you think I am), I just glanced at the ratings, became slightly mesmerised, and then quickly glanced away. I loved the Tomb Raider reboot, and even though The Ten Thousand Immortals novel wasn’t as thrilling as the game, I think that based on the way ROTTR has been received thus far, PS4 and PC gamers will be in for a tomb raiding extravaganza next year. The closest I’ve been to controlling Lara as she explores dusty ruins and uncovers ancient treasures was at PAX Aus 2015, where the line was long but my patience was not. No matter, I will be buying this on Steam the second it comes out. The graphics are somehow even more beautiful this time around, weapons and attack styles have been revamped, there are new skill trees, Lara has the ability to learn new languages, and the game is set in a brand new location. What more could we ask for?
Website: www.tombraider.com | Twitter: @tombraider | Facebook: Rise of the Tomb Raider
Image courtesy of Enigami
KEY FACTS:
When I first saw the kickstarter trailer for Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom last year, I was stunned. Not only was the quality of the art, animation and music insanely good, the characters were speaking a fictional language. And after some research, I discovered that this language was created by linguistics students solely for the purposes of the game, just like Na’vi was for Avatar, Klingon was for Star Trek, Atlantean was for Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Elvish languages were for Lord of the Rings. It was then that I knew this game was going to be special. When I was on exchange in Japan, I briefly volunteered at the Kyoto International Manga Museum as a tour guide, where I learned that French people were really big on manga. It should be no surprise then that Shiness‘s manga inspired graphics are excellent, and have helped earn the game awards. With the most recent trailer featuring a classic voice over and unseen footage, the hype for this game can only get bigger.
Website: http://www.shiness.fr/home/en | Twitter: @ShinessOfficial
Image courtesy of Gears For Breakfast
KEY FACTS:
A Hat In Time has been described as a “quirky 3D platformer” by its developers, and with a quick look at its story and characters, it’s not hard to see why. You play as Hat Kid, a diminutive damsel with an oversized top hat, who must travel through space in order to collect missing time pieces and reassemble them. Unfortunately for her, she is not only racing against the clock. She is competing against the wicked Mustache Girl, who intends to use time for more sinister purposes. Everyday objects like umbrellas become weapons in A Hat In Time, which can be upgraded for extra abilities as Hat Kid explores the wonders of 7 massive worlds. And if you thought the music sounded familiar, that’s because Grant Kirkhope (Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark and Yooka Laylee) has teamed up with Pascal Michael Stiefel to compose the soundtrack. The massive success of the A Hat In Time kickstarter is proof that while the genre may not have the dizzying popularity it did in the nineties, the public is still hungry for 3D action-adventure games in the style of Mario 64.
Website: http://hatintime.com/ | Twitter: @HatInTime | Facebook: A Hat in Time
Image courtesy of Terrible Toybox
KEY FACTS:
It’s been years since the release of games like Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, and The Secret of Monkey Island, so the announcement of Thimbleweed Park– a ” new classic point & click adventure game” that would emulate the old was like music to the ears of every graphic adventure fan. Thanks to a successful kickstarter late last year, Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick will be delivering us the satire filled detective murder mystery we didn’t even know we needed till now. Something’s gone down in the town of Thimbleweed Park, which was once synonymous with opulence and vibrant business. These days, it’s more of an abandoned amusement park…”a place no one ever looks for, but everyone seems to find”. Buckle up for the classic verb interface you know and love, multiple game endings, and a cursed clown who can’t remove his make up as Thimbleweed Park takes you back to the very beginning.
Website: http://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/ | Facebook: Thimbleweed Park
Image courtesy of Cyanide Studios and Focus Home Interactive
KEY FACTS:
If you couldn’t get enough of this creepy goblin from the wonderfully dark Styx: Master of Shadows, he’s back to his old tricks in the upcoming sequel, which promises to go even deeper. Shards of Darkness has been in development for about 6 months at the time of this article, and according to the creators, the new Styx will be both more nimble and more refined. He will also have new-found abilities in the form of climbing ropes, grappling around corners, and using his knife as a zip-wire. When Master of Shadows released last October, it filled a giant void in the stealth genre, a genre which has been typically dominated by Metal Gear Solid, Thief, and Splinter Cell games. However, most ‘stealth’ titles these days (Assassin’s Creed) don’t exactly discourage a more direct, action-oriented approach either. Styx stands out because it embraces a more hardcore stealth approach which favours strategic, silent kills, and readily punishes players in face-to-face combat. No guns? Even better. The movement mechanics are also less automated, giving players more things to jump on to, more freedom, and ultimately, a better sense of control. Until the next Thief game comes out -which I hope plays more like Styx rather than Thief 4– we have Shards of Darkness to look forward to.
Website: http://www.styx-thegame.com | Twitter: @CyanideStudio | Facebook: Cyanide Software
Image courtesy of Alonso Martin
KEY FACTS:
For lovers of pretty pixel art and metroidvania games, Heart Forth, Alicia is heaven-sent. Inspired by the likes of Zelda, Castlevania and Xenogears, HFA tells the tale of a young warrior-wizard (Alicia) who is thrown out of her cloudy homeland by a restless spirit. With her friend Höstra still at the spirit’s mercy, Alicia sets out on a rescue mission that will span a vast world populated with lethal dungeons, ruthless enemies, and a good dollop of magic. But the foreboding journey ahead is not enough to stop the young heroine, who is aided by secret fairy companions and an enchanted whip. Composer Manami Matsumae (Mega Man, Shovel Knight) will be sharing her musical genius alongside Jonathan Geer for the game’s soundtrack, so be prepared for awesomeness. And while players will primarily experience the narrative through Alicia’s point of view, Alonso Martin’s decision to offer an alternate perspective via live action footage is nothing short of intriguing.
Website: http://www.alonsomartin.mx/hfa/ | Twitter: @HFAgame | Facebook: Heart Forth, Alicia
Image courtesy of Playdead
KEY FACTS:
Many of you will be familiar with Playdead thanks to Limbo, an other-wordly puzzle platformer that shook the internet with its dark atmosphere and eerie buoyancy. Playdead’s latest project Inside has been described as a ‘spiritual sequel’ to Limbo, which seems fitting not only linguistically but thematically; one look at Inside‘s trailer reproduces that same feeling of unease and trepidation, and even though there are splashes of colour here and there, nobody has a face. Everybody is anonymous. The setting for the game appears to be a large factory (or possibly a mental institution) filled with mindless marching drones, all of them young children. Only one deviates from the pack. Perhaps he was lucky enough to escape, perhaps there was a glitch in the system and he regained consciousness when he wasn’t supposed to. But when it comes to Playdead, we never really know whether the escape is real or imagined, and that’s when the real horror kicks in.
Website: http://playdead.com/ | Twitter: @Playdead
Image courtesy of PlayStation
KEY FACTS:
After the success of artistically driven and highly influential games like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, fans were left wanting more. Now after an 8 year development period afflicted by multiple delays, The Last Guardian is finally set to release. Like its predecessors, TLG features a gigantic fantasy world and mythical creatures that speak in a language that is foreign, but one which we manage to understand anyway. It centres around the blossoming friendship between a young boy and a griffin-like creature named Trico, the latter of whom begins the game bound by a chain. A key component of TLG according to director Fumito Ueda is developing an emotional attachment between the two characters, which is heightened at crucial moments through the game’s soundtrack, and the comparatively large, vertical landscape, which is essentially deserted save for the boy and Trico. Gameplay promises to be a mix of collaborative puzzle solving and taking care of Trico, who is initially hostile towards the boy. And if you liked the art style of Ico and SotC, then stand back and prepared to be amazed by the fluid animations and enhanced realism of TLG. This is a PS4 exclusive apparently. Oh dear, I think my wallet just got considerably lighter.
Website: http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/trico/
Image courtesy of Beard Blade Dev
KEY FACTS:
What’s cooler than using your beard as a weapon? Upcoming platformer Beard Blade puts this question to the test and raises the bar with some absolutely phenomenal pixel art. While Beard Blade may draw inspiration on the SNES and GBA titles of yesteryear, the game’s concept is truly refreshing. The developers began posting various screenshots and gifs of Beard Blade on their tumblr in August last year, showcasing battles with enemies, some general tips for platforming, and the sweetest beard acrobatics you have ever seen, period. I confess, I have never encountered a beard that is so good at multitasking in my life. Well, I suppose the fact that it is an enchanted beard (which can be clipped and trimmed by a barber for different powers) may have something to do with it…
Website: http://beardbladedev.tumblr.com/ | Twitter: @BeardBladeDev
Image courtesy of Okobu Games
KEY FACTS:
Website: http://okobugames.com/doko-roko/ | Twitter: @DokoRokogame | Facebook: Doko Roko
Doko Roko is an action platformer built on “occult fantasy and dream-like imagery” that was recently funded on kickstarter. The title sounds very Japanese, and although ‘doko’ means ‘where’ I’m not sure about the ‘roko’ part, so the etymology is still up in the stratosphere. What we do know is that in the mysterious planes of Doko Roko’s world, there is a tower. A tower that ‘pierces the clouds’ above with a desire for retribution. In the depths of the tower, a cloaked figure begins his quest to ascend it. Demons, faeries and dangerous projectiles abound in this crumbling stronghold, but a massive sword forged from meteorite may just be strong enough to overpower them. The question is, will you make it to the top in one piece?
Image courtesy of Steamroller Studios
KEY FACTS:
When a wooden zombie infestation known as the deadwood suddenly plagues the land of Knottington, all hopes for salvation suddenly rest upon the unlikely friendship between a woodling named Lathe and a stone giant (Roguard). Deadwood: The Forgotten Curse promises to be a nice mix of action and strategy, where players scavenge for materials, build barricades, and obliterate the vicious deadwood before it gets too close for comfort. What initially grabbed my attention, however, was Deadwood’s beautiful art style. It’s a very rounded, soft, cartoonish look. Screenshots from both night and day look amazing-a mild, velvety darkness for the night, and the day is characterised by bright, grainy splashes of colour atop detailed forests and grasslands. The night might be pretty, but when the sun goes down Roguard falls asleep, leaving Lathe to defend them both…will his efforts will be enough?
Website: http://deadwoodgame.com/ | Twitter: @SteamrollerStds | Facebook: Steamroller Studios
Image courtesy of Wolf Brew Games
KEY FACTS:
First things first. This game comes with a heavy metal soundtrack, which is icing on the proverbial cake in addition to its shiny, enthralling visuals. Slain! almost looks like Outland, the fabulous platformer with bright, pyrotechnic graphics and a soundtrack so gorgeous, your ears might melt (Fun fact: Ari Pulkkinen composed music for Outland, the Trine series & Angry Birds). One striking difference is the darker, more gory approach Slain! adopts in order to create a gruesomely Gothic atmosphere-and it succeeds. Each pixel is cooked to perfection, from the meticulous backgrounds right down to the super fluid combat and death animations. Plus, let’s not forget that the OST has been recorded by Curt Victor Byrant, former band member of Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. So if 15+ hours of ‘bone-crushing, metal fuelled mayhem’ sounds like your kind of thing, then look no further than Slain!.
Website: http://www.wolfbrewgames.com/slain/ | Twitter: @SlainWBG | Facebook: Slain
Image courtesy of PlayStation
KEY FACTS:
There’s something special about vast, open landscapes and a solitary figure running across them uninhibited towards an unseen destiny. We’ve seen it before in Uncharted, Tomb Raider and Zelda, and now the time has come for a young boy to survive on a beautiful yet hostile island in Rime. The inspirations for Rime are interesting, drawing on multiple franchises like Ico for animation, Jak and Daxter for platforming, and The Room for puzzle components. Precise details regarding Rime’s narrative are pretty vague at this point, but Tequila Works director Raúl Rubio Munárriz has revealed what the game is about – loss. There is no combat. There is no black and white, and no good and evil. There is no dialogue. Instead, we silently experience an unknown world through the eyes of a child, one who is stranded, homeless, and alone. Rime dares the player to look within themselves and reflect on what loss means. But perhaps more importantly, it asks players how they will deal with loss when they are faced with it.
Website: http://www.tequilaworks.com | Twitter: @RiMEGame | Facebook: RIME
Image courtesy of Softpedia
KEY FACTS:
I remember playing The Secret of Monkey Island, and feeling captivated by the pirates’ subtle, mysterious humour. I remember watching Captain Hook and his wacky crew in Disney’s Peter Pan, and giggling at their antics. I remember going to see the first Pirates of the Caribbean film at the cinema, and feeling so engulfed by the wonderful, swashbuckling world of Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew. So the moment I saw the trailer for Sea of Thieves, I felt that same magic. Primarily touted as an exploratory multiplayer combat experience, the game has been called Rare’s ‘most ambitious title’ yet – but for me that position belongs (and always will belong) to Banjo Threeie. You know. Whenever they decide to make/release it. HINT HINT. Anyway, to return back to Sea of Thieves, the trailer suggests gameplay will be an MMO centric affair, so if the idea of battling against enemy ships across the high seas with friends sounds appealing, then sign up right here for the latest game updates (US only).
Website: https://www.seaofthieves.com/ | Twitter: @RareLtd
Image courtesy of VG247
KEY FACTS:
With games like Yoshi’s Woolly World proving just how cute yarn can be, Unravel enters the scene with an adorable, knitted protagonist of a different kind. Yarny is a tiny, anthropomorphic creature made entirely of soft red yarn. The yarn, according to the game’s director Martin Sahlin, represents love, and Yarny physically unravels when he moves away from things he loves. It’s a surprisingly deep message for what appears to be a child’s game. There is a curious disconnect in Unravel’s art style, which is a blend of realism and fantasy; Yarny looks like a cartoon passing through the human world, and yet, somehow he fits. Beyond the physics-based puzzles that test players’ problem solving ingenuity, Unravel is about ‘mending broken bonds’ and ‘reaching out’. It’s a game that promises to touch the heart of whoever plays it, because after all, ‘without yarn, you can’t move on’.
Website: http://www.unravelgame.com/ | Twitter: @unravel_game | Facebook: Unravel
Image courtesy of No Matter
KEY FACTS:
Earning comparisons to Shadow of the Colossus and Tomb Raider, Prey for the Gods is a brutal quest for survival in a winter wonderland. The general atmosphere is also somewhat reminiscent of Upper One Games’ Never Alone, a puzzle platformer that explores Inuit culture and mythology through the eyes of a young girl and her fox companion. In PftG, we take control of a female warrior who must destroy the gods in order to survive. The nihilistic premise of the game is interesting because in the trailer, we see the protagonist stop to worship before a stone altar. In other words, she prays to the gods. This act, but more so the use of the pluralised word gods suggests to me that she may come from a polytheistic culture, one that seems dangerously unbalanced. So now, instead of feeling spiritually at peace, she feels like prey. In addition to exploring the bitterly cold snowy environments, she will face giant monsters, look for clues left behind by those who preceded her, and be confronted with questions ‘not even a God knows the answer to’. But what will happen when she dares to try?
Website: http://preyforthegods.com/ | Twitter: @PreyForTheGods | Facebook: Prey for the Gods
Image courtesy of TurtleBlaze
KEY FACTS:
I’ve been longing for a good old fashioned racing game for quite some time now, so the second my eyes caught the trailer for Intergalactic Race Warriors, I was overjoyed. Blessed with a pumping rock soundtrack, wickedly good pixel art and epic side-scrolling combat, this self-described violent space grand prix is just the ticket. There’s even a character that looks like Drumstick from Diddy Kong Racing!
Intergalactic Race Warriors (left) and Diddy Kong Racing (right)
It’s hard to believe that IRW has been in development for only a little over a month, but if this is just a taste of what’s to come, then be prepared for a battle royale extravaganza. Players will be able to race on multiple different planets, enhance and upgrade their vehicles, and get the chance to share the high octane glory with their friends online in a multiplayer mode. At the time of this article, IRW is at in the middle of a greenlight campaign, so I encourage anyone who loves space, racing games or pixel art (or Drumstick) to go lend a vote.
Website: http://blog.turtleblaze.com/ | Twitter: @TurtleBlazeDev | Facebook: TurtleBlaze
Image courtesy of DinosaurBytes
KEY FACTS:
Originally titled Clive and the Stones of the Ancient Bunnies, Clive ‘N’ Wrench is an upcoming 3D platformer inspired by the likes of Banjo-Kazooie, Jak and Daxter, and Spyro the Dragon. The last time I felt this excited about a new 3D platformer was when The Last Tinker: City of Colors launched. Featuring an adventurous rabbit-monkey team as protagonists, Clive ‘N’ Wrench delights you with an abundance of vibrant, expansive worlds that span different locations and time eras, as well as a clever range of character moves: double jump, glide, belly flop and wrench copter. Together Clive and Wrench must travel through 10 worlds in the hopes of defeating the tyrannical Dr.Daucus, who is basically trying to take over the universe. After recently undergoing a major artistic overhaul, the game’s protagonists have been redesigned for a cuter, less angular look, which I think looks fantastic, plus the OST is also quite impressive, and somehow captures the sound of the nineties while still making its own mark.
Website: http://www.indiedb.com/games/clive-and-the-stones-of-the-ancient-bunnies| Twitter: @ClassicGJ | Facebook: Clive ‘N’ Wrench
More games* to keep an eye on:
*This list may be updated over time.
So, how many games did you know all up? Rate yourself below!
1. Indie 2. AAA 3. AAA 4. Indie 5. Indie 6. Indie 7. Indie 8. Indie 9. Indie 10. AAA 11. Indie 12. Indie 13. Indie 14. Indie 15. Indie 16. AAA 17. Indie 18. Indie 19. Indie 20. Indie
References
(1) Top Upcoming Indie Games of 2015-2016 | My Most Anticipated Indie Games List, StrangeLuv https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTs_k5EFmb0
(2) The most promising independent games, PC Gamer http://www.pcgamer.com/the-most-promising-independent-games/]]>
