The swell gang at DreamHack have chosen an array of thoughtful, striking, ridiculous, spooky, and action-packed titles for their Indie Playground at DreamHack Dallas 2019! So, come take a peek at them.
Best Action
Black Salt Coreuption – “Black Salt Coreuption is a one-on-one 3D arena fighting game that allows complete freedom of movement around the arena rather than 3D fighters doing combat on a 2D plane.”
Prodeus – “Prodeus is the first person shooter of old, re-imagined using modern rendering techniques. It reaches the quality you expect from a AAA experience while adhering to some of the aesthetic technical limits of older hardware.”
Them’s Fightin’ Herds – “Them’s Fightin’ Herds is an indie 2D fighting game featuring a cast of adorable animals designed by acclaimed cartoon producer Lauren Faust. Beneath the cute and cuddly surface, a mechanically-deep GGPO-powered fighter awaits!”
Trap Labs – “Follow Billy’s ascent on Trap Lab’s building in pursuit of pocket money in this online action puzzle. Dodge trap doors, spikes, vortices, cats on Roombas, salary-chickens, and other weird things to survive! It’s a game inspired by the strange combination of RTS games and cartoons from early 2000s.”
Best Action Adventure
Dreamscaper – “A fluid, action-packed, RPG Rogue-lite – every slumber is a different dungeon and you must unlock the powers of your dreams to fend off nightmares and see a new day.”
Freedom Planet 2 – “The fast paced platforming of Freedom Planet returns! Become a full-time cartoon heroine and use abilities and items suited to your play style to explore the world of Avalice and defend its animal citizens!”
Outpost Delta – “Outpost Delta, the latest game from Hidden Achievement, is a single player, 2-D side-scrolling sci-fi shooter for PC. Take on the role of Delta, the outpost’s emergency defense, along with her AI companion, Joule, as you defend the outpost against alien intruders called the “Klaath.””
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines – “The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines is an action packed twin-stick shooter built around your ability to stop time.”
Best Adventure
Depths of Sanity – “Something is brewing at the bottom of the ocean and it is up to you to investigate. Dive into this underwater metroidvania, coming Q1 2020.”
Best AR/VR Experience
XING: The Land Beyond – “You died. Welcome to XING: The Land Beyond, an atmospheric first-person puzzle adventure for desktops and virtual reality. Enjoy your peaceful escape from the chaotic world of the living, and travel the lands of the dead.”
Best Arthouse
Blink – “You are trapped within the perception of a mysterious Eye; everything it sees is a reality for you. But a curious thing happens when its eye closes, the world disappears around you and anything brightly lit up leaves an afterimage burned into the vision of the Eye. To you, these afterimages are solid objects, and you can jump on them to get to unreachable places and accomplish impossible feats.”
Heartbound – “Heartbound is a non-traditional role-playing game about a boy, his dog, secrets, and sanity.”
Project Arrhythmia – “A rhythmic adventure in which all things beautiful are deadly. Avoid the musically timed pulse of blocks and bars, and in the process you might just find out what this mysterious “Project Arrhythmia” is.
Best Casual
Alluris – “Alluris is what would happen if you asked: “What if someone mixed Oregon Trail, D&D, Hearthstone, and Tinder.” The answer is an adventure game with nearly limitless opportunities yet only two inputs: swipe left or swipe right. Swipe your way through an adventure that is uniquely your own!”
Merchant – “Merchant reimagines the classic RPG experience from the perspective of a Merchant. Hire Heroes and Crafters to do your bidding for you.”
Ooga Booga: The Prehistoric Survival Game – “Follow a tribe of the ancient world’s laziest hunter gatherers. See how long you can survive without leaving your cave. Hunt, cook, and eat various pre-historic wildlife and invent new ways to stay alive as long as possible in this weird and wonderful survival game.”
Roundguard – “Roundguard is a bouncy dungeon crawler with pinball physics, lots of loot, and a randomized castle full of oddballs. Press your luck against hordes of dangerously cute monsters and challenging roguelike elements in this all-round bouncy adventure!”
Best Early Access
Super Animal Royale – “Select your favorite adorably murderous fox, panda, or sloth and parachute into a FURocious 64-player battle arena.”
Best Horror
The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] – “The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] is an ambitious attempt to modernize an old classic in order to keep its memory alive. Through detailed research and hard work, the production team tried to expand the experience while keeping the same ‘feel’ and emotional flow of the original masterpiece from 1987.”
Krumpet Town – “Krumpet Town is a slice of life meets horror game. Customize your character, explore exciting new environments, help your neighbors, and investigate the strange occurrences that are taking place on your home island!”
Best Humor
Shadow Fencer Theatre – “Shadow Fencer Theatre is the competitive awkward physics sword fighting game set in the world of shadow puppets. Take center stage with a unique cast of characters and make your way to become a Grandmaster of the theatre.”
Wave Break – “Grab and grind to your heart’s content in Wave Break! Inspired by classic arcade skateboarding games, with a splash of boating, explosions, and cold-blooded murder.”
Best Multiplayer
Balls Out – “Balls Out is a 4 player Cooperative Third Person Action Game Show Shooter. Think Rocket League meets Smash TV. Play solo or with 3 co-op friends, fighting to survive waves of Aliens in an episode of a space survival inspired Running Man type show.”
Mini Wheels – “Mini Wheels is a story-driven karting game. Play one of the five available game modes: Story Campaign, Single Racing, Capture the Flag, Burnout and Boss Battle. Help Pipo – the lost and lonely toy – find the way back to his favorite human through an action-packed series of races.”
Project Winter – “The perfect game to back-stab your friends. Project Winter is an 8 person multiplayer game focusing on social deception and survival. Communication and teamwork is essential to the survivors’ ultimate goal of escape. Gather resources, repair structures, and brave the wilderness together.”
PROTOCORE – “The bad news : you’re lost in a massive spaceship, your memory’s gone and there’s an army of robots that wants you dead. The good news? You have guns. Lots of guns. So lock and load and get your memories back, one bullet at a time.”
Best RPG
Bound By Blades – “In the Action RPG, Bound By Blades, the desolate land of Ashmyr has become overwhelmed by bloodthirsty beasts. Scavenge materials, forge gear, and fortify yourself to confront the ferocious foes that lie ahead in order to rekindle the last hopes of life.”
Last Epoch – “Last Epoch combines time travel, exciting dungeon crawling, engrossing character customization and endless replayability to create an Action RPG for veterans and newcomers alike.”
Popup Dungeon – “A papercraft roguelike RPG that lets you create any weapon, ability, enemy, and hero imaginable.”
Rogue Empire: Dungeon Crawler RPG – “Rogue Empire is a tactical turn-based RPG with randomly generated content and heavy Rogue-like elements. Choose one of multiple character combinations and advance it with unique abilities! Embark on a quest to heal the 5 kingdoms and understand the mysteries of the First Shadow!”
Best Strat/Sim
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark – “Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is a turn-based tactical RPG with a focus on storytelling and strategic battles. Unfold a mature story as you progress through hand-crafted scenarios, controlling your own group of Arbiters, with each character customizable from a wide selection of classes and abilities!”
Summoners Fate – “Summoners Fate is a top-down deck builder adventure game with turn-based combat. Determine the destiny of hundreds of diverse characters by choosing cards as you explore an ever-changing single player experience. Battle other players on desktop and mobile in async and real-time cross-platform multiplayer.”
Wildermyth – “Wildermyth is a character-driven, procedurally-generated tactical RPG. Lead a band of unique heroes as they grow from reluctant farmers into legendary fighters. Battle the threats lurking in the Yondering Lands and discover secrets that the land has to offer.”
Dive headfirst into the exhibiting experience by joining the Indie Playground at DreamHack Dallas this June. Selected games will receive a free booth in the Expo at a festival that encompasses everything gamer life from esports, to indie games, to midnight horror films.
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