This past weekend, I had the chance to attend BitSummit 2023. It’s an event sort of similar to Independent Games Festival, but smaller in scale. It’s all about the indies here, and seeing all the creativity on display was really a sight to behold. Seriously, I saw so many cool ideas this weekend, lots of games I’d love to try, and that kind of led to a realization on my part: the indie sector really is where most of the good stuff is at these days.
Now, I only just recently put out an article praising Final Fantasy XVI, so it’s not as though I think that there’s nothing good to be found in AAA. It’s just that I feel like I’m seeing fewer and fewer games in that space that are genuinely exciting. There’s stuff that I’m sure will be fun, and there is still the odd Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but otherwise I have the distinct feeling that there really is nothing new under the sun when it comes to AAA gaming.
This weekend I saw Xenotilt, a pinball game that offers a pinball enthusiast so much more than any physical table could offer. It was filled with fun events, crazy effects, cool bosses, and always had a ton of action happening on the screen! Until now, I didn’t think any pinball video game could ever hope to come close to the real deal, but I stand here corrected. What’s more, it’s a small indie team that shattered my expectations and not some big studio like Nintendo.
I saw Everdeep Aurora and Pepper Grinder, the former being a 2D Zelda-like adventure, but vertical rather than a top-down experience. You have to tunnel your way around, meet funny characters and do them favors as you search for your characters mother. It was a new twist on the formula and it was built around a story that had some heart to it.
Pepper Grinder on the other hand, is close to a puzzle-platformer, but you’re actually drilling your way through each level. You proceed through the momentum generated by your drill, puzzle your way through obstacles/enemies and must always keep an eye our for secret paths. The game is as fast or slow as you want it to be, and there’s real reasons to develop your skill and go back to old levels. Not to mention it’s addicting to boot! It was hard to walk away from that demo!
I tried a lot of other cool stuff, like a game you play by shaking a plastic soda bottle, but my favorite was Animal Well by Shared Memory. If you haven’t seen anything of Animal Well yet, you absolutely should look it up! It’s excellent! The atmosphere is spot on, immediately drawing you in and keeping you present in the game. I mean, it managed to do so for me, and I was playing it in a crowded exhibition hall, so just imagine playing it at home!
More than that though, the art, the creature design, the mysterious world you’re exploring…it was all irresistible! You explore it like a Metroidvania, but it’s more freeform than that. It’s not combat-focused, but rather is about puzzling through an area and finding indirect ways to either deal with or avoid enemies. Secrets abound too, with some apparently being so well-hidden that it’s going to take a community effort to uncover them! All in all, this is a really exciting one, and it’s a solo project! Just one guy is doing everything! Incredible!
There was so much at BitSummit that was actually new and fresh! So many truly exciting ideas, that I’m more or less convinced now that indie is where my focus is going to go as a gamer. AAA might be fun every once in a while, but its the smaller games and creators that have the real spark.
How do you feel about AAA vs indie? Are there any indie projects you’re excited about?
Image from the Animal Well Steam page
VIRTUAL BASTION 