It’s destination champion as Drimia Interactive’s Aztec Ride takes the first Big Indie Pitch crown of 2021
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.
It’s 2021, and whilst we’re still keeping socially distant, that doesn’t mean that The Big Indie Pitch can’t continue to highlight all of the amazing indie talent found all over the globe. 2020 saw us place the spotlight on so many amazing games, all of which were covered right here on Pocket Gamer, so whilst we obviously can’t wait to get back on the road, we were understandably excited for the first digital pitch of 2021.
Much like with our previous digital pitches, the demand for our next digital pitches was as high as ever, with 10 of the most exciting games battling it out for the crown. Nevertheless, three games rose to the top, with Israel-based Drimia Interactive’s Aztec Ride being crowned the winner.
Of course, Aztec Ride, 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 Aztec Ride but also our runners-up and every single other game from The Digital Big Indie Pitch (Mobile) #5.
1st Place - Aztec Ride by Drimia Interactive
What's more fun than a rollercoaster right? Well tapping into this pure joy, Aztec Ride challenges you with giving your Aztec community the ride of their life. However, whilst the fun can be never-ending, players will have to be careful not to lose their passengers as the ride flows up, down, left, right, and even around in circles.
The main reason behind this warning comes thanks to the game's unique gameplay mechanic in which not only can your passengers fall out as the ride becomes more intense, but players also have the ability to jettison passengers in order to increase the speed of the ride and keep it going before catching them again as they fall back down towards to rollercoaster.
All in all the game has that perfect feeling flow and synergy making it a perfect mobile game. An opinion that the judges agreed on as Aztec Ride joined an exclusive group of unanimous Big Indie Pitch winners.
2nd Place - OctoMaze by Octagon Game Studio
In OctoMaze you take control of an Octopus as it attempts to manoeuvre its way through increasingly more complex labyrinthine maze in order to recover stolen artefacts and prevent a growing group of parasites from taking over the world. This might sound intense, but the game is presented in a welcoming and appealing way that blends cartoon comedy and that classic mobile game Snake.
When it comes to the gameplay though, players can look forward to a challenging puzzler, one in which players must take on challenging enemies that look to both block your path and prevent you from recovering your lost possessions by killing your tentacles. Luckily though, players are able to collect items and objects to help you on your adventure and even use the maze to outwit the enemy.
3rd Place - Speed Builder by ConneD Games
Set in the wake of a global geological disaster, one in which fire, water, storms, the very earth itself, and even Zombies have become a daily threat to the remnants of mankind, you must look to build a vibrant town within this disaster filled planet. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that this town has to be built whilst on the run from all this danger.
You see, Speed Builder is a unique cross between an endless runner and a town builder. As such, players will have to think fast as they not only avoid these dangers but look to additionally build a town that can keep your hungry villagers well fed and supplied but also can also act as a conduit for escaping this never-ending peril. As the developer puts it - Keep on running, keep on building.
Honourable Mention - Crazy Planet by in2uitions
In Crazy Planet players will have to explore different planets as they look to survive a chaotic environment, one filled with dangers that include houses, trees, and even meteors. Of course, as with any good action game, you won't be left empty-handed and will be offered a rather useful rocket launcher in order to prevent these obstacles from blocking your path and bringing about your demise.
However, this rocket launcher offers a big twist to the gameplay. You see, unlike in most games where the rocket launcher is the ultimate weapon, here it is both saviour and enemy as each rocket that fails to hit its target will remain in the planet's atmosphere before possibly returning and damaging the enemy. So get ready to take out obstacles, avoid your own misfired projectiles and hopefully grab the high score.
Honourable Mention - Tschess by Bahlsenwitz
Tschess is a game that looks to reinvent the way we play Chess by making it more open and accessible to newcomers, and less about how well you have remembered openers and key moves. Even more impressive, it achieves this whilst keeping the core premise of Chess the same as it always has been.
How, you ask? Well, in Tschess players are allowed to determine the starting positions for each of their pieces on the board. As such this effectively eliminates opening strategies that have become the backbone of the game over the centuries and allows experts and newcomers to take on a new challenge, one in which the player has utmost agency over.
Questlike: Pocket by Spritewrench Studios
Questlike: Pocket is a mobile-focused, monster-hunting RPG inspired by the greats like Monster Hunter and Pokemon. Within the game, you’ll battle both cute and ferocious monsters utilising a wide range of completely customisable and craftable gear and weapons.
In addition to this, unlike the aforementioned games, Questlike: Pocket looks to take a different approach to battle mechanics by blending rhythm and action gameplay mechanics. Finally, of course, players looking for a solid collect, loot and grind title to fill their time won’t be disappointed here, as this formula is something that developer Spritewrench Studios has had in mind since the very genesis of the game.
MandalaGO by Digital Future Games
Mandala GO is a casual mobile game with a unique board mechanism based on 5 rings you can control to build a path for your pawns to score points in the centre portal. Those who keep up to date with the latest action of the pitch may well remember that last year we saw Digital Future Games’ first Mandala game, and MandalaGo very much takes this game to the next level.
Not only does MandalaGO utilise a much smoother and easier board control mechanism, alongside a quicker gameplay cycle, but there are also hundreds of levels to battle through, ensuring players are kept engaged for a long time. Alongside this, the game also features gorgeous graphics and presentation helping to keep the players both mentally and visually engaged as they look to keep their towers charged and pawns stocked in order to take over the game’s all-important portals.
Neyon Clash by Reaktor Berlin
Neyon Clash is a real-world AR game that looks to take laser tag outside and onto the streets by blending the likes of competitive fps gaming with AR features made popular through games such as Pokemon Go. Through this, they hope to create the world's first blockbuster real-world multiplayer action game.
Of course, in order to achieve this there is a lot of background expertise being put into the matchmaking and GPS functions in order to make the game both scalable, and most importantly fun. Maybe sometime in the future, your next battle with your friends may also put to test your local knowledge as well as your action-gaming prowess.
Matrix Fighter (working title) by ConneD Games
Matrix Fighter is another game that impressed our judges by taking a classic game and completely re-working it into something unique and enjoyable. That game is the timeless game of Rock, Paper, Scissors which ConneD Games have seamlessly blended with a 1 on 1 PvP fighter in order to create Matrix Fighter.
I’m sure you’re wondering though how exactly this works? Well, in Matrix Fighter both fighters enter a Matrix-inspired bullet-time slow-motion battle in which players must quickly input attack commands to create an attack sequence, with these attacks based on the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Once the bullet time ends, the attack sequence is executed and a winner is declared. Of course, it won’t always be as simple as outsmarting your opponent though, as the developer also promises modifiers and power-ups in order to keep players on their toes too.
Paper Wall by Breakpoint Games
Set within a refugee camp, in Paper Wall you’ll follow the life of a group of women struggling their way out the administrative hell to survive. Through this game developer Breakpoint Games hopes to shine a light on this global problem, and in turn hopefully help to shine a light on potential solutions for this problem, including the positives and negatives of these potential solutions.
It’s still in the early days of development, but given the strong message and good cause at the heart of this project, we’ll certainly be keeping our eyes out for more information in the near future.
