I had a lot of fun at this year’s EGX Rezzed, I must say: the friendship, the professionalism, the atmosphere. What I enjoyed most was meeting up with developers and publishers as I sampled the games on display. I learned a lot about the industry, and of course I saw a lot of talent on show.
Here is a rundown of the games I got to play this year: each one shall be as good a first impression review as I could manage, and I hope to do each game justice. I can assure you that I am looking forward to the finished product in each case, and cannot wait to see what the developers come up with next!
War for the Overworld, by WFTOGame
Inspired by classics such as Dungeon Keeper, War for the Overworld sees you taking control of ‘The Underlord’, a fallen deity determined to rebuild his subterranean empire and enact revenge on the surface. You must build your base and expand your forces as you eliminate all competition for dominance of the land.
The player excavates their underground lair, clearing away earth and stone to create more building space. By building different structures such as Barracks or Libraries, you can attract various minions. Similar to Dungeon Keeper, by possessing your minions, you can interact with the environment more directly, such as attacking enemies or whipping slackers!
The game has a wonderfully rich tone, exemplified by the Diablo 3-esque opening, the chilling narration and the wonderfully dark designs of your various minions. According to Community Manager Lee, “There is a whole history to this world and a lore behind it.” Even after my short experience with the game, I can certainly see myself getting invested in the story, not to mention the gameplay!
I wish I had had more time to play this game. It already has a 9/10 rating on Steam, and I can see why.
Maia, by Simon Roth
Another look at a building and management sim, this time set on a space colony!
Still in the alpha stages, Maia has tools, buildings and activities available for early access customers. Set on an alien world, the goal is to expand your base and survive as long as possible.
Sole developer for the game Simon Roth told me, “I really wanted to make a Dungeon Keeper kind of game.” It seems that Molyneux’s classic is in high regard this year. This ambition certainly comes across, but with enough of a sci-fi twist to make the experience truly unique.
From the outset I found that this game seems to understand some of the more irksome traits of other sims, and works to overcome them using streamlined tools. For example, within each specific room you establish, your item and building options change accordingly; any unusable items in a certain room are removed from your menu. This may sound trivial, but compared to other such games this is a less finicky approach, and I found it quite refreshing.
Another important element of the game, besides expanding and collecting materials, is paying attention to the sanity of your crew (and their cats). Crew members show their emotions, needs and wants through the messages they send you. These can range from polite tid-bits to psychotic haikus, which Simon claims there are several million of. It adds an element of realism: exactly how would you treat the management if you were part of an isolated colony on a hostile alien world?
With these elements in place for the alpha I am certainly looking forward to the finished result!
Big Pharma, by Positech
Now, this is a game any simulator fan can and will get addicted to.
Big Pharma is a business simulator where you control your own pharmaceutical company, developing drugs and researching cures whilst altering your business strategy to squash your competitors.
The game has a wonderful design to it, reminiscent of Game Dev Tycoon. This design, coupled with a simple yet thorough tutorial, makes the game very easy to get invested in. I have heard many a tale of people sitting down for hours at the booths for this game, and I’m not surprised.
As you go along, you must hire and assign scientists and explorers to develop new equipment and discover new ingredients for your drugs. You must also deal with the side effects of your products and alter them accordingly, whilst keeping in mind that if your products are too good there will be no sick people left to buy them from you!
This is the great kind of sim game that is easy to get into yet complex enough to remain satisfying after several hours of gameplay. For any fans of the genre, this is a must have!
Tulpa, by Encryptique
Tulpa is one of several games published by Rising Star that are currently available on Steam. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from the title. After sitting down I found myself in control of a strangely macabre couple, traversing a minimalist yet deeply emotive environment, overcoming puzzles along the way.
As a person who isn’t usually into puzzle games, I can still greatly appreciate the artistic choices in Tulpa. Simple changes in the environment can have deeply emotive effects: you can reach a dead end, only to backtrack and find the previous area completely warped, and the impact is surprisingly poignant.
You switch between Ophelia and her recently deceased boyfriend, Oliver. An important mechanic is that, should the ghostly Oliver get too far from her, Ophelia will start to lose her sanity. This sense of loss and increasing psychosis is constantly present in the scenery of the game. Even if the story behind your struggles is relatively unclear, you constantly feel like a keen observer in the emotional and psychological struggles of the characters.
Tulpa is an enjoyable 2D puzzle game, perfect for any who enjoy a story told through visuals.
Kromaia, by Kraken Empire
Kromaia is a spaceship shooter, reminiscent of games such as Lylat Wars, but with an odd twist; I say odd, because unlike such games you are able to manoeuvre and backtrack in each stage, which I find strange for a game with a heavily linear focus. You must fly though a number of gates in the various courses to reach your goal, dodging enemies and obstacles to get as high a score as possible.
I have a lot of love for the design of this game: the bold cell shaded environments almost give the impression of being in Tron, and they lend themselves well to such a futuristic genre. Another thing I liked was the shift between different weapons between levels; at one point you might have lasers to defend yourself from enemy ships, whilst at another you only have deflective spikes to shatter asteroids. It is a nice feature that keeps the player guessing, which for the genre is rather unusual.
If I had to point out an issue with this game, it would be that failing to fly through a gate, or being deflected off a piece of the environment, can really ruin your flow, and this is exacerbated by the amount of time it takes to change direction. This is particularly irksome as you can only complete a level by flying through each gate sequentially. I suppose this kind of game encourages re-runs in order to get the best score. At least a single mistake doesn’t end the level for you.
Anyone who loves a good arcade style spaceship shooter need look no further.
