Gamers enjoy greater variety as Indie games rise in popularity.

Written By

SOPHIE JACKSON

Sophie is freelance journalist who specializes in media, politics, travel and poker.

No Man’s Sky

In No Man’s Sky, players explore a universe by travelling through space and discovering new planets. Your task is to avoid danger, collect resources and give names to new-found specimens. That might sound simple enough, but No Man’s Sky is far from your average adventure survival game and might well warrant the label of ‘revolutionary’. The universe created for No Man’s Sky is infinite - just like the real universe. That might take some time to wrap your head around. Using complex algorithms, Hello Games has put in motion the ability for this game to self-create an endless numbers of new planets, wildlife and animals. The game’s own developers have only visited a tiny fraction of all planets, and never know for certain what they’ll find on each planet surface. Every animal and plant has evolved according to its planet’s unique atmosphere and environmental conditions - all of which are randomly generated. Millions upon millions of people could be playing at the same time, and the chances of you encountering another player are still slim. Using procedural generation in games is not new (think Elite Dangerous and even Minecraft) but Hello Games has truly raised the bar. This astonishingly ambitious project might well change gaming forever. In fact, there’s already talk of Star Citizen eventually developing a similar self-generating universe.

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Enter the Gungeon

Dodge Roll has created the ultimate dungeon crawler game, with a whole bunch of shooting and looting to keep you entertained. Players make their way through a roguelike labyrinth in search for treasures - shooting up any enemies that get in their way. There is also the ability to interact with other characters such as merchants and shopkeepers. As suggested by the title - the emphasis lies in the use of guns, or perhaps more specifically - the ammunition. Choose between fish, rainbow laser or cannonball ammunition when fighting your way out of deadly traps. Essentially, Enter the Gungeon incorporates creative, sometimes ridiculous puzzles in a fast-paced and pleasingly retro dungeon world.

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Lords of New York

Despite being universally loved and of great cultural significance, poker has never really inspired a successful video game. Though plenty of well-developed poker mini-games have been featured in titles such as Far Cry 3 and Red Dead Redemption, nothing notable has ever come out of narratives centered entirely around the game of poker. That’s where Lords of New York comes in. Set in prohibition-era New York, this RPG has vintage, Art Deco animation reflective of the time. Your objective is to keep out of trouble, deal with the shady characters that cross your path, and make money from some good old-fashioned Hold‘Em. Fun features are included to make the game more realistic, such as the ability to stare down your opponent until they fold.

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Cuphead

Cuphead has been described as a ‘run and gun’ type game focused around boss battles. After losing a bet against the devil, players must spend the game repaying their debt...or face unpleasant consequences. The cheery animation style and jazz-induced soundtrack is disconcertingly contrasted with the game’s more sinister features - surreal monsters and blazing hellfire, for example. Each level has its own theme, wonderfully animated in the style of 1930's cartoons. Visually pleasing, upbeat and a little bit creepy; Cuphead is sure to become an instant classic.

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Death’s Gambit

‘Become the agent of Death and rid this world of immortals’ - this is the invitation from White Rabbit as they prepare to release their new Medieval fantasy platform game. Older, pixelated game animation undoubtedly influenced the style of Death’s Gambit - with a synthy soundtrack to follow. The Action RPG by Adult Swim will have players slaying beasts as they fight their way through snowy forests, towns, castles and dungeons on a noble quest to find the ‘source of immortality that plagues the land’.

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Inside

It can only be a good sign when the game trailer alone gives you goosebumps. The eerie-looking Inside is described as a ‘spiritual sequel’ to PlayDead’s critically praised Limbo. Though originally scheduled for a 2015 release, PlayDead decided to lengthen the development time as to not rush and compromise quality. Their decision actually makes the game sound all the more promising. Little has been revealed about the story premise (and the air of mystery is certainly getting people hyped!), but based on the trailer it seems safe to gather there will be an element of stealth and sneaking. We also know the game has a two dimensional playfield with three dimensional graphics. Just like Limbo, Inside will no doubt impress with its artistic and atmospheric aesthetics.

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The Witness

The Witness brings together gorgeous, exotic scenery and maze-based puzzles in a way which is reminiscent of Cyan’s classic Myst and Riven. The open world exploration game has been in development since 2006 and will eventually feature more than 650 puzzles - one of which it is predicted that less than 1% of players will solve. Though tasks vary in difficulty, you can be sure to apply less-than-obvious logic and map-reading skills at every part of the game. The Witness seems to be a game that encourages players to take their time with each puzzle - an appealing quality for those who like a more relaxed style of gameplay.

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Factorio

Fans of business simulations like Zoo Tycoon and SimCity will be pleased to hear about this extensive factory building game. Use your mechanic and engineering skills to design creative models, mine sources, research technology and build infrastructure in your own factory world. The key lies not only in creating the factories but in maintaining them and maximising their profit. The larger your world gets, and the more advanced your factories become, the bigger the challenge of ensuring everything runs smoothly.

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Thumper

The highly anticipated debut from Drool is titled Thumper - a futuristic, thrill-inducing, adrenolyne rush of a rhythm game. Racing through a trippy retro-wave portal, players will complete laps by drifting, dodging and responding appropriately to obstacles on the road. Thumper is a unique and instantly enthralling concept. Its captivating neon colours and fast-moving visuals are guaranteed to keep players on the edge of their seat.

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Perception

Perception isn’t the first horror game to use an obscurity of visuals and darkness to create suspension. It does, however, work around an interesting concept. Playing as a young blind woman, you will ‘see’ only what echolocation allows. In other words, every sound will create a visual - from the creaking pipes in the walls, to the spooky presence at the end of the staircase. As you wander through an old, seemingly abandoned estate, you will solve puzzles, make unsettling discoveries and play a ‘deadly game of hide and seek’ with a mysterious and relentless force. Perception is developed by some of the same people behind BioShock and DeadSpace. It also has a slight Slender feel to it. In other words - Perception is going to be awesome.

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