Unnatural Disaster crowned champion as 14 exciting developers showcase at the digital Big Indie Pitch
Discover all the indie games pitched at our most recent digital Big Indie Pitch
The mobile games industry has long been known for all of the unique and different independent games that can be found around every corner within the various app stores. From the likes of Florence, to former Big Indie Pitch winners like What The Golf!?, we’ve seen many go from breakout hit to stardom. Nevertheless, with the potential next big thing hidden behind every corner, it can sometimes be somewhat hard to discover that next indie gem.
Well, this problem is exactly why we set up our regular international competition for indie developers, The Big Indie Pitch, around 8 years ago. From San Francisco to Hong Kong and everywhere in between, we currently run around 20 of these global events a year in order to showcase all the amazing new indie games in development. Of course, there are prizes and international recognition, but the reward is the chance to show all of you readers some of the latest games in development.
Understandably, 2020 is proving to be a challenging year for all in the industry. As such, we felt it was important to continue to highlight all of the indie talents in any way we can and took the Big Indie Pitch digital, with our first digital pitches taking place earlier this year during our Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #1 conference.
Much like with our previous digital pitches, the demand for our next digital pitches was as high as ever, with 14 of the most exciting developers battling it out for the crown. Nevertheless, three games rose to the top, with Armenia and USA-based Rumor Games’ Unnatural being crowned the winner. A game you may remember as the honourable mention from our first digital pitch
Of course, Unnatural Disaster, as you already know, was the winner, but we always award prizes for the top three. So read on to not only find out more about Unnatural Disaster but also our runners-up and honourable mention from The Digital Big Indie Pitch #3 sponsored by our season sponsors, Kwalee and G-Star.
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1st Place - Unnatural Disaster by Rumor Games
Having God-like powers has become something of a common gaming mechanic. So much so that it can be seen within many city builders and top-down battlers. However, what happens when you're not that loving God looking to help your tiny citizens but are instead a vengeful God looking to use all of your powers to destroy everything in sight? Well, Unnatural Disaster is what happens.
In this game, players are armed with a range of God-like powers, such as the ability to cast tornadoes, earthquakes and thunderous lightning. What's more, players must use these powers in order to strategically smash and destroy skyscrapers and entire cities to dust. Just be careful, sometimes destruction is not as easy as it seems.
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2nd Place - Noodle SouperStar by BattleBrew Productions
BattleBrew Productions are no stranger to the Big Indie Pitch, having walked away with prizes at our physical pitches. However, such is the strength of the studio that they can now add a digital runner-up award to the resume. What's more, this was awarded to their brand new title, Noodle SouperStar. A game that sees you helping the iconic BattleBrew bunnies as they turn their paws to running a noodle themed restaurant.
The core gameplay focuses on you learning the ways of the Ramen restaurant, whilst also face off head to head to impress judges, bring in the most consumers, and make the tastiest (and craziest) dishes in the land in both single and multiplayer environments. Of course, as any good foodie knows, the ambience of a restaurant is also key, and as such, in Noodle SouperStar players will also have the ability to decorate and customise their restaurants in order to make it truly their own.
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3rd Place - OtherWordly by IDEA Games
In this space themes world puzzler, players are challenged with matching the displayed core word with the orbiting words, all of which have obscured letters. This is achieved by tossing the core word across space towards the orbiting words, all whilst dealing with ever-changing obstacles and environments.
Now, this might sound easy enough, however, thanks to these obstacles and the word-based puzzle play, those who jump in will be treated to a thoroughly thought-provoking puzzler that truly grabbed the judges attention. That's not all though, as, on top of this, the game also delivers a peaceful meditative like experience, whilst never under-delivering on the challenge, meaning the players can look forward to a name that both engages and relaxes.
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Old Friends Dog Game by Runaway Play
Old Friends Dog Game is a game first and foremost about friendship, love and support. It’s a game built for animal lovers, especially those who love dogs of all kinds. In this game love never gets old, as you are put in charge of a studio ghibli inspired dog sanctuary. One in which you can nurture and care for old and new dogs alike by baking them delicious treats, playing with them, and of course by making sure they feel as loved as they deserve.
As each dog’s loyalty and love for you grows, you will unlock story chapters full of meaningful choices, and learn more about the dogs’ loveable personalities. All whilst fully customising your sanctuary. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Old Friends Dog Game is inspired by the real charitable organisation, and each of the loveable dogs you meet in the game is based on a wonderful dog resident from the real sanctuary. For anyone looking for a game filled with story, love and heart, then this is the game for you.
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QB Planets by Madowl Games
QB Planets is a Rubix cube inspired puzzle game in which players must solve planet based puzzles all whilst navigating and exploring a constantly shifting environment. In order to achieve this, you’ll be placed into the shoes of an astronaut explorer, who with your help will collect treasure, escape dangerous situations and hopefully get home safely.
The gameplay itself utilises easy to understand touch screen controls, alongside a unique AR mode. All in all, the game is absolutely beautiful with fun and accessible gameplay, making it appealing to all gamers, new and old.
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Knights of Fortune by Flying Sheep Studios
Knights of Fortune a character and team focused 3v3 hero brawler in which battles take place over the course of 3 minute sessions. Within the gameplay you’ll take command of your customized team of mercenaries in turn-based combat which takes some elements of Clash Royale and mixes them in with more traditional mobile RPGs.
All in all, It's bright and colourful, and it's full to the brim with loot and unlockables. Even better, it runs entirely on HTML5, so it's got a tiny file size and you can play it on basically any device.
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Dashero: Sword & Magic by Treble & Co. Game
Set in an expansive fantasy setting, and with just a sword and magic staff to hand, Dashero sets players off on a quest to explore this region and uncover its treasures. Of course, as is to be expected this will mean delving into the darkness of a variety of dungeons, alongside facing hundreds of monsters.
Much like any game like this, whilst players only start off with a sword and staff, the game features a range of ways to customize your battle experience, alongside intuitive controls that are accessible to newcomers and veterans of the genre alike. Dashero really is a casual action that can be enjoyed for long plays or small burts depending on your preference.
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Get Together by Studio Sterneck
Get Together is a co-op communication-based puzzle adventure in which you find yourself trapped within a mystery filled otherworldly experience surrounded by forgotten stories and hidden secrets. Within the game, you’ll step into the shoes of a down on their luck explorer who has somehow been split into two beings. Even worse, these two beings have been separated from each other.
Luckily though, it’s this separation that adds a unique element to the gameplay, as by teaming up with a friend and each taking one part of the explorer’s spirit, you’ll be able to solve the puzzles and hopefully find your way back together. As such, unlike a lot of other games, here it’s your communication that will be your biggest asset in uncovering the secrets that this highly stylised, story-filled world has to offer.
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Time Drifter by Lonely Boy Studio
Time Drifter, follows a concierge through an adventure where the very fate of the world hangs in the balance. After being returned too far into the past my time scientist, the concierge must now drift his way through a variety of different time periods in order to return to what we know as the modern era in order to save us all from a mutant Panda (yes you did read that right).
Now with the fate of the world in their hands, this unlikely hero must not only save the world from a mutant Panda, but will also have to clean up all of the historical messes his employers have created within their experiments. Overall, this is a game that is heavily focused on story, whilst also being optimised for mobile devices and 5 to 15-minute sessions. Sessions that are designed to vary drastically from one to the next in order to offer players an exciting story and companion to dive into within mini-breaks in their day.
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Awakening of Heroes by COFA Games
In this upcoming MOBA for mobile devices, players take part in 5v5 battles with a variety of different objectives. This includes not only a standard battle, but also favourites such as capture the flag, tower defence, and RPG inspired objective targeted quests.
On top of this, the game also features unique characters that can be used with your 5 person teams. Each character as you would expect has different skills and abilities, all of which helps to create a very customized experience. Finally, players can also look forward to a range of innovations in the gameplay which the developer promises will not only bring a new experience to the table but also complement existing MOBA genre standards.
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Dragon ERA Online by Nedi Games
Dragon ERA Online is a multi-platform online experience that looks to combine all of the best bits of the MMO genre. As such, players can look forward to not only a range of PVP and PVE battling but also a plethora of customisation options and building elements.
In fact, players will be able to not just craft their own weapons, but also build their own private islands, guild zones, and more before either keeping these private or sharing them in the public build area. Finally, in a twist, you’ll not be controlling a human character on this occasion, but instead, you’ll actually be a dragon. So get ready to breathe some fire and take control of a fully customised land.
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Nodeshifter by Bottled Galaxy
Set in 1986, on an Earth under attack from a relentless fleet of aliens invading life through our computers, Nodeshifter places you in the shoes of one of the secretive DARPA project’s advanced pilots.
The gameplay takes the form of a modern, roguelike arcade game, and players will also have the chance to make use of a variety of 80s themed upgrades and power-ups in order to hold back the onslaught of pre-internet invaders. The game also features dynamically generated levels in order to ensure that the pixelated obliteration feels unique and fresh to the player every time they boot it up.
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Bumper cops by Tiny Bits
In this police highway chase inspired game, players have to catch criminals brawling across the expansive streets of the city. The gameplay itself is fast-paced and simple to grasp, with a variety of vehicles and upgrades on offer so that you can round up as many hooligans as possible.
Of course, it’s not just criminals you’ll have to worry about though. There’s also everyday vehicles to avoid, alongside not mistaking civilians for criminals whilst also making sure that they stay safe as you identify and apprehend the criminals.
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BLOX by Block Bastards
BLOX is a blockchain focused Tower Defense game. One in which you must defend your computer against the worst enemies on the Blockchain.
The game itself looks gorgeous, is free-to-play and has solid tower defense gameplay. What’s more, players can look forward to having their in-game efforts rewarded with real cryptocurrency.
