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Our favourite indie games from EGX 2022The RPS highlights from the show floor (plus a few rounds of Street Fighter 6)
The RPS highlights from the show floor (plus a few rounds of Street Fighter 6)
Alongside those, the RPS gang were exploring the show floor and here you’ll find highlights of what we saw, who we chatted to, what we played, and just general show shenanigans. Enjoy!
We Played Games Using Weird Bespoke Controllers At EGX London 2022Watch on YouTube
We Played Games Using Weird Bespoke Controllers At EGX London 2022
Rachel: I had a loop around my favourite part of EGX - The Leftfield Collection! There were a handful of games that have already been released like the wonderfulDorfromatik,Strange Horticulture, andRailboundbut there were also plenty of new game demos.
I also had a great time playingThe Block, a miniature city builder that’s more of a digital toy than a game. Each level takes a few minutes, and you create lovely miniature dioramas. James had also told me about Albedo Approaches Zero, which was a strange walking sim-style of game where you wander on an alien planet with strange monuments. Not a lot happened but its atmosphere was incredible, especially impressive that it was able to cut through the buzz and noise of EGX.
The strangest one wasTelusfax, a game set inside the teletex system of an old tv set. Using a giant TV remote as a controller, you’re tasked with browsing through the different menus and listings of the system finding the names of five different TV show presenters. I kinda got distracted being bombarded with different coloured texts and menus that I didn’t manage to find a single one, but I did have fun rummaging through the digital innards of an old TV set.
Tiny Bookshop sees you run a checks notes tiny bookshop.
Rebecca: I particularly want to shout out a couple of brilliant indie demos I got to try on Friday. The standee forEros Xavier’s Love Solutionswas enough to get me dragging my colleagues across the show floor so I could take a closer look. I mean, just check out thatbrooding androgynous angel in a sharp trench-coat. Totally a Rebecca game.
I was expecting a dating sim, but what I got was something more along the lines of Untitled Goose Game, starring a cynical cupid rather than naughty waterfowl. Eros Xavier looks and talks like a noir detective, but the Love Solutions agency specialises in break-ups to order. Basically, you sneak into couples' homes and mess with their stuff until they’re so annoyed with each other they call it a day. It’s quite silly, although the end of the demo takes a surprisingly dark turn — and drops some lore hints I need to see followed up on. A chat with the devs revealed that they’re on the hunt for a publisher, so I’m asking pretty please for someone to pick this up ASAP so I can find out what happens next!
Aptly enough, I almost missedTiny Bookshopentirely, tucked away as it was next to Chucklefish’s extremely eye-catchingEastwardstand. I’m so glad I didn’t overlook it, though, because this is most definitely the chill and charming management sim I need in my life. I was semi-seriously looking into becoming a bookseller when I felt the call of writing about video games for a living, so this was like a glimpse into an alternate timeline for me. I can honestly think of few things I’d rather daydream about than rocking up at the seaside in my tiny caravan, and helping well-loved second-hand books find a new home.
Wildfrost is a tactical roguelike deckbuilder that has a weird obsession with naked gnomes…
Eschewing traditional CCG mechanics, cards can be placed on the battlefield for free, with Wildfrost introducing challenge through the use of timers that count down every time you select a creature or spell from your hand. Once these timers hit zero enemy combatants will attack your pals, your goal being to destroy a rival leader before they can knock out your own. It’s a compelling twist on the classic Slay The Spire formula, and combined with beautiful animations, gorgeous character design and top-notch music, Wildfrost is definitely one to watch. And I’m not just saying that because the PR handed mea tiny pin badge of a naked gnome after I finished my demo.
Oh, I also playedSonic Frontiersand thought it was absolutely fine. The six year old on the station next to me however was having the time of their life, so I guess that’s the opinion that truly matters.
Street Fighter 6 was one of the bigger blockbusters at this year’s show.
Hayden: I also wanted to chat about Wildfrost, but I can see Liam already mashing out some words. In that case, I’ll just say that Big Berry is the best card. It’s a big, beefy berry person with a naive expression, and I love it. I want Big Berry merch. The rest of the designs are very funny too, but Big Berry is a personal favourite.
Outside of that, my highlight was beating Liam, Ed, and technically James inStreet Fighter 6(I didn’t battle James directly, but he lost to Liam and I beat Liam, so he wouldn’t have stood a chance). This impromptu Street Fighter competition proved a few things. Firstly, fighting is a youngsters' game, and the dinosaurs of the team simply couldn’t compete. Secondly, Street Fighter 6 is incredibly stylish. It’s still muscly people whacking each other and leaping through the air, but with streaks of paint or surging neon sparks that accompany every punch, kick, and block.Katharine’s recent previewandEd’s thoughts on the modern control schemeboth have far better words than I can provide in this short snippet, so go read those and get excited for Street Fighter 6. It’s a good’n.
A happy Ed playing Judgment on the Steam Deck.
Ed: There was a point where Liam, James, and I perused the shelves of a body pillow stand for a bit. Liam and I even crouched to get a closer view of the body pillow casings (if that’s the technical term?) and flicked through various anime folks in ‘relaxed’ positions. We (I) was on the hunt for aYakuzapillow, preferably Kiryu or Majima to take home and clutch tightly. Sadly, it didn’t happen, but I did recognise a few more of the anime folks than I cared to admit.
Hayden and I checked out the Steam Deck for the first time in EGX’s Steam Deck Zone too. I thought it was much bigger than I’d expected, perhaps big enough that riot police would adopt it as their next door-smashing ram. It was comfortable to hold, though, and the screen was nice!Judgmentran smoothly, which was madness in my books. Also - Judgment on a handheld device? Nowthat’sa treat.
Morse was one of the games on RPS' Future Of Play booth.
A few yards away in the Leftfield Collection, I also enjoyed pottering about inAlbedo Approaches Zero. Walking sims aren’t often my jam but desolate sci-fi planetscapes certainly are, and between the curious star streaks and musical monoliths dotted around whatever moon I was stuck on, Albedo Approaches Zero had atmosphere to spare.
Also, I was only at the body pillow stand as emotional support for Ed, so there.
Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun | Announce trailerWatch on YouTube
Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun | Announce trailer
