Gamescom 2022 is the time for indie games: What the independent developers are presenting there is creative and diverse.
Where big, new AAA games are missing, small game studios can shine all the more. At this year’s Gamescom in Hall 10, more independent developers than ever will be showing their latest indie games. And unlike the big publishers in the other halls, game fans can try out a lot here without having to queue for a long time.
Right next to the indie area, visitors can let off steam with Atari, Commodore & Co. There are not only the classic retro games, but also new titles for old game consoles.
At the heart of the indie space is the Indie Arena Booth with a curated range of games. Instead of huge exhibition stands, you will find cozy play corners and plenty of opportunity to talk to the developers directly. They appreciate your interest and are happy to answer questions about the game. 124 game studios from 32 countries are bustling about on 1500 square meters.
At the same time, the Indie Arena Booth is also represented online: in a playful online world, you control your avatar through a virtual trade fair. Live streams from Gamescom also present developer studios and their games.
Building strategy on the back of an animal
(Image: c’t, Liane M. Dubowy)
The stand of Stray Fawn Studio is an eye-catcher, which not only offers play stations for the construction game “The Wandering Village”. The table features a large model of Onbu, the creature that carries the new settlement around the world in the game, as well as small cardboard cutouts of trees and houses from the game.
In “The Wandering Village” settlers seek refuge on the back of a giant creature – fleeing a contaminated environment. There they try to build a new village, cultivate fields and survive the post-apocalypse. To do this, they enter into a symbiotic relationship with the creature they call Onbu. It carries the village across the country.
(Image: Stray Fawn Studio)
The game combines 3D graphics with hand-drawn and animated graphics, which looks really good. The cute settlers stand out a little in the graphic style, but are easily recognizable in the landscape. In the game you can quickly switch between the view of the settlement in the usual construction perspective and a 3D view of the Onbu. Or see on a map where it is going. The creature carries the settlement through various biomes, with more to come over the course of the early access phase. The game from the ten-strong Swiss Stray Fawn Studios will soon start in Early Access on Steam.
crime on the trail
The developer studio Paintbucket Games has already made a name for itself with the award-winning “Through the Darkest of Times”. In his latest game “The Darkest Files” you don’t coordinate a resistance group, but rather investigate old Nazi crimes as public prosecutor Esther Katz. Katz and others set about investigating old cases in the late 1950s. In interviews, she questions those involved, looks at files and reconstructs the events from the information gathered.
For this, Paintbucket Games has integrated a storyboard in which contradictions in the statements of the respondents quickly become clear. However, it is not always possible to decide which version is ultimately more credible on the basis of the facts. Only when Katz can come up with a coherent theory about how the crime happened will the case be reopened so that those responsible can be held accountable. The chic graphics use colors only sparingly.
(Image: Paintbucket Games)
At the fair we played a first prototype of “The Darkest Files”, the game is scheduled for release in 2023.
c’t gambles: the gamers from c’t and voonze online
c’t zockt collects gamers from c’t magazine and from voonze online. We play games across the board, like indie and early access games, have a heart for retro titles and occasionally venture into virtual reality. We stream live LAN parties from our video studio on YouTube, and we also regularly post new gaming-related videos there. Have a look: youtube.com/ctzockt
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Promising next year
At Gamescom we were able to allude to a whole range of other promising indies. In “Farewell North” by Kyle Banks, as a loyal dog, you bring color back into the sad, colorless world of your owner. The game follows in the footsteps of Lost Ember a little. In the lovingly drawn game “Aka” by Cosmo Gatto, the animal protagonist seeks peace on a small island. In the open game world you help other animal characters, take care of the environment and fight the demons of the past. In the role of Valentin Schmidt you are on the trail of the crime in the Bavarian thriller “A bavarian Tale – Totschweig”. The Upper Bavarian open-world RPG by Active Fungus Studios comes with High German texts, it is currently in Early Access on Steam.
The online platform Steam will be presenting these and other games from the Indie Arena Booth on a separate page during Gamescom, along with many free demo versions.
(lmd)
