18 games from Gamescom 2018 we're still thinking about today
Our round-up of all the Big Indie Pitch entries from last year's Gamescom
Gamescom 2018 may have been some time ago, but thanks to our Big Indie Pitch, there's still a whole heap of games we saw that few other people did - and we're sitll thinking about them to this day.
It's always a joy to be the first to see a new indie game, to get your hands on an innovative title from a small studio way before it becomes the next big thing. Imagine being the first person to play Reigns or Florence.
That's why we set up the Big Indie Pitch. It's our regular international competition for indie developers. We run about 20 of them a year, all around the world, and they're a chance for local studios and individuals to show us what they're working on. There are prizes, sure. But the real winner is you, dear reader, who gets an exclusive glimpse at the underground hits of tomorrow.
Not so long ago, we held one of these much-celebrated BIPs at Gamescom 2018, Europe's biggest gaming convention and one of the best chances to see indie games from around the continent.
The clear winner was Airheart - Tales of Broken Wings, a colourful shmup which takes the action vertically and sees you catching flying fish and shooting down enemies, much like Amelia Earhart literally never did.
But there's so much more than that, covering a wide genre of games to boot. Expect RPGs, roguelikes, and a photo-collecting game for all the family. Each one is interesting and fun in their own way, and we thank each and every developer for swinging by to show off their game.
Want to take part yourself? Check out the Big Indie Pitch website for a list of all the upcoming pitches, and find out how you can get your game in front of our panel of judges.
1
Airheart - Tales of Broken Wings
By Blindflug Studios
Airheart - Tales of Broken Wings sees you taking the yoke as Amelia Earhart, though in a slightly more violent and particularly more vertical take on her historical flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
For one, you'll be shooting for the stars, rather than simply flying around the globe. And for another, you'll be shooting other people out of the sky while you climb.
You'll also need to catch flying fish and customise your plane in order to progress further and see what the stars truly hold.
2
Horizon Chase Turbo
By Aquiris Game Studio
Making its way from mobile to Switch, Horizon Chase Turbo retains its OutRun gameplay stylings and gorgeous art style, but adds a few new tricks for the console audience.
Chiefly, you can now play in split-screen with a friend, and you can take part in a new "live challenge" mode online against other players from around the world.
3
Pic-It-Up
By Funster
A photo-gathering game for all the family, Pic-It-Up asks you and a group of friends to sync up your phones, then run around taking pictures of things nearby for three minutes.
Once that's over, you need to pick a picture from someone else to match, and then go find an item to photograph and score huge points. There's also boosters and moves you can use to trip up your fellow players if you're falling behind.
4
Stars Ascend
By Quicksave
A Facebook Messenger game, Stars Ascend has you trying to jump back into space as a small star that has fallen down.
You'll receive help from a squirrel named Otava, and once you grab enough star pieces you'll be able to start again from higher levels to give you a better chance at a higher score.
5
Knights of Fortune
By Flying Sheep Studios
Knights of Fortune has you commanding a squad of three mercenaries in turn-based combat which takes some elements of Clash Royale and mixes them in with more traditional mobile RPGs.
It's bright and colourful, and it's full to the gills with loot. And best yet, it runs on HTML5, so it's got a tiny file size and you can play it on basically any device.
6
Farmstead
By Thoughtfish GmbH
Farmstead is a farming game with a twist - yes, you'll be building up your farm and growing crops and the like, but you'll need to find seeds out in the real-world to make it happen.
Much like Pokemon GO, you'll have to wander around the world, checking your phone every now and then to find different items to use on your farm. Weather data and geographic data will affect which items you can find, so you'll have to explore far and wide to get a big ol' farm going.
7
Creature Island
By Quantumfrog GmbH
Creature Island is a colourful endless runner where you play as a variety of different animals, jumping over ravines and collecting diamonds as they go.
Every level has a boss battle at the end, and there are collectibles like magnets and the like to help you out on your quest for high scores.
8
Rooster Booster
By Add Inspiration
This is an idle clicker in which you'll need to swipe a screen of chickens to collect their eggs and rack up that sweet, sweet money.
You can build new rooms to unlock more chickens to tickle, and it looks silly enough to keep you smiling as you swipe.
9
Game of Goats
By RETgames GbR
As the name suggests, this is a game all about goats. But it's not what you might think - instead, it's a competitive party FPS of sorts.
Think Mario Party with first-person shooter controls, and you're probably in the right ballpark. There's all sorts of mini-games to play through with your friends, with a fantasy goat world tying the action together.
10
Dungeon Squeaker
By Michel Mohr
Picture Minesweeper, but instead of bombs you have cats, and you're playing as a mouse with a sword. That's sort of what Dungeon Squeaker is all about.
Dubbed a "puzzle adventure dungeon crawler", it has intricate pixel-art and a cute story to draw you in, and a fully-fledged level creator to keep you coming back once you've finished the main levels.
A trailer for Dungeon Squeaker! Currently in open beta, sign up for the newsletter for demo access: https://t.co/dWghJD8wvv #indiegame #pixelart #madewithunity @madewithunity #indiedev pic.twitter.com/iyru56J20z— Dungeon Squeaker ?????? (@DungeonSqueaker) October 5, 2018
11
Haiku Adventure
By Small Island Games
A poetic point-and-click adventure game, Haiku Adventure pins its story around the titular poetry style, and asks you to prevent a volcano from going off and destroying everything.
With an art style so unique that it's currently being shown off in a gallery in London, this is definitely a treat for the eyes, and an experience for those who like to write poetry and save the world at the same time.
12
Hexland Heroes
By Niebla Games
Join a band of adorable creatures in this grid-based strategy puzzle game that's built entire around hex grids, as the name suggests.
Inspired by 4X strategy games, Hexland Heroes boils down the essential parts into a fast, fun game designed for short puzzles on the go.
13
The Tower of Egbert
By Giggly Mil Productions e.U.
Egbert is a tiny wizard who needs a hand rebuilding his home, and it's up to you to stack various bits and pieces on top of each other to build the finest tower you can.
You're given the base structure and asked to stack a bunch of items on top of it to make sure it hits a certain height and doesn't topple over - which is a lot harder than it sounds.
14
Heroes of Venturia
By Riimu Games
Like a fantasy take on Fallout Shelter, Heroes of Venturia sees an old legendary warrior set up a tavern and start sending out the new breed of heroes to complete quests.
You'll be hiring heroes at your tavern, then sending them out on text-based adventures for as long as they can handle it, before calling them back to share the loot with you.
15
BOAA
By Illuminia Studios
There's a lot going on in BOAA. On the surface, you're jumping between falling asteroids, shooting obstacles and trying to keep yourself alive for as long as possible.
Underneath all that, there's also talks of cryptocurrency, massive boss battles, four-player multiplayer, and a bunch of different modes to contend with. Sounds like a lot!
16
BOSSGARD
By SandSailorStudio
Ever wanted to be the boss who clobbers the heroes at the end of a level? That's what Bossgard is all about - becoming a huge, destructive beast and trying to kill all the puny adventurers trying to take you down.
You can even join up with friends to take on the boss character yourself, with up to six players at one time tackling enormous creatures like a giant die or a massive piece of bread. Yes, it's a silly game too.
17
KILLSCREEN- Ridiculous Glitching
By Firepunchd Games UG
The glitches are ruling the game, and now the characters are running loose in Killscreen. You and three other friends can battle it out to see who can get the furthest in this Flappy Bird-esque arcade game.
18
ICON
By Puzzles & Games
A word puzzle without the words, ICON instead tasks you with matching images together to create words.
The player has to mentally translate the images into the first letter of their name, then combine a bunch of different images together to make a new word. Sounds complex, but it's pretty easy to wrap your head around when you're doing it.
