The Big Indie Pitch highlights over 20 upcoming global games by taking the competition online

Ever wondered what it would be like to create your own level from scratch using nothing more than a pen and paper, or whatever else is lying around your room? Well, look no more, as Paper Game offers that in abundance. Not only that, but it also offers tight and challenging platforming action too.

Described lovingly by the developers as Mario Maker on phones, in many ways this game goes much beyond that and even throws in elements of LittleBigPlanet and Scribblenauts too. Rather than creating levels within a custom maker, players can literally draw their own level, or even take a photo of their own course using household objects, before adding it into the game in a matter of seconds.

From here players can not only take on their own crazy creations but even share these around the world in order to make a truly limitless platformer, in terms of both content and imagination.

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Gaming doesn't just have to be for us humans. In fact, gaming can and should be for all, especially our feline friends. Enter Mew and Me, a collection of tablet games just for cats. From playing with string to catching virtual flies, and even allowing them to stalk and hunt prey, this collection has everything our furry friends would want.

Of course, there's a lot for any loving cat owner too, as the game allows you to play along with your pet, and also records their usage, so you can see everything they've been up to. Don't be too upset if they end up being better at the game than you are.

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Wreckout is a game that mixes air hockey, Speedball 2, Arkanoid and Rocket League into one glorious retro-inspired multiplayer battler. In the game, players must fling the ball at their opponent's end section in order to destroy all of their blocks.

Of course, it's never as simple as that, as players can stop shots mid-flight, utilise the environment, and even ram their opponents. The game may still be in development, but it already looks set to be a perfect couch multiplayer title.

Finally, Wreckout was one of our honourable mentions at our flagship Pocket Gamer Connects London 2020 event, and as such has gone one better with its return. Maybe we'll see it even higher up the honours list in the future.

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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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Described by the developer as Portal meets Alice in Wonderland with a touch of The Room, The Door is an AR/VR puzzler that will see players explore a digital world led by a ruthless and controlling AI system. However, within this system lies one renegade AI who wants to help free the player from this maze.

Currently under development, the game is set to feature 4 hours of gameplay, a fully realised and engaging story and universe, alongside a scaling difficulty that even takes into account physical player movement.

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Currently available on Apple Arcade, BattleSky Brigade: Harpooner is a scrolling shoot ‘em up in which players must scavenge their way through treacherous skies, avoiding enemies and collecting as much as they can. Of course though there’s a twist, as you can only explore as far as the rope tethering you to base will stretch, and once you’re at the max you’ll be dragging all the way back to safety. Luckily though, this backwards journey will give you a second chance to grab that all important loot.

As with previous entries in the series, the game is of course filled with ever so loveable cute and cuddly bunny brigade, something which brings a tremendous amount of life and energy to the experience. This is also complimented by the five different worlds that are available to explore and the breath of diversity in the weapons and power ups too.

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There's something quite unique about Martian Mixer. On the face of it, Martian Mixer might seem like any other match-three, however look a little closer and you'll see that not only is it the exact opposite, but that it has actually done something very unique with one of the world's most popular mobile game genres.

That's because this time around you're tasked with mixing rather than combining the colourful little aliens, in order to throw killer parties. The more you mix them up and encourage them to interact with other martians the happier they will be and the more the party will keep on rocking.

Finally, the game was also created to have a subtle, pro-diversity message, something that adds even more happiness into this fun, unique little game

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Inspired by the memories of the game director’s grandmother, Snowfall is a RPG-RogueLite about a woman during World War 2 who refused to be a part of the horrors that took place within the German-occupied zones of Europe. More specifically, you play as Gerda, a nurse from the countryside who not only must contend with the harsh winter of 1945, but must contend with this whilst trying to work out how to free her husband from captivity.

The game poses questions such as whether you would be able to survive the final days of the war whilst remaining peaceful and non-violent? In addition, the judges noted that despite the very sensitive subject matter, it has been approached with so much care and respect that you can’t help become engrossed within the story. Not only that, but the game also features a mechanic in which interactions can change based on a variety of different factors. All of which helps to make the game unique for each player.

Possessions is a game all about perspective. For example, what may seem like a TV on a table from one viewpoint, could look like something totally different from another. In fact, it could even look like it’s physically impossible, such as floating objects, or items appearing larger than they are. This is the core of Possessions unique and innovative gameplay.

Focused on minimalist 3D puzzles, Possessions challenges players with being aware of both their perspective and their spatial awareness. Not only that, but the presentation itself is truly stunning, with the wordless story helping to also bring character and life to the experience. The game is available right now on Apple Arcade and is definitely one that fans of puzzle games and minimalism should check out.

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Amira and their Honor is a game that looks to tell an important story, namely one of acceptance and inner strength. Placing players into the role of Amira, a girl born with a defect in an unaccepting community, this story focused 3D platformer focuses on not only the good she finds in life, but also on how she is able to dig deep and break free from the control and repression of her surroundings.

With themes such as honor killings at the games core, Jondob Games don’t want to shy away from challenging topics. Instead they want to face them head on in order to shine a light on these issues and hopefully make people think about their damage to society. Ultimately showing that through sadness positive change can still happen.

Set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi universe, Sandship is a factory management game in which you control the last remaining sandship. This sandship is a humongous artificially intelligent mega-factory, one which now spends its day endlessly roaming the galaxy for resources and life.

The story sees the last remaining remnants of Noranti One, a once highly advanced civilization that has long fallen into ruin, on a journey to rediscover forgotten technologies, create a better future for those left, and also fend off an evil cult which for a hidden reason seems determined to end Noranti One once and for all.

Gameplay focuses on a strong and engrossing blend of base building and tower defense mechanics alongside puzzle elements too. Finally, Sandship is set to be released in a chapter by chapter format in order to build the story effectively, with aspects such as multiplayer also planned later down the line too.

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Lokko is a colourful and vibrant pixel art 3D platformer in which players must avoid obstacles, stay on course, and collect that all important “Lo”. With clear Crossy Road vibes, there are of course new levels and characters to unlock, alongside the differentiating free flowing platforming action.

That’s not all though, as the game additionally features multiplayer action in the form of races, challenges and leaderboards. Finally, players can also create and share their own challenges and stages with other players all around the world

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Mystic Pillars is a game that blends a range of different puzzles together with an immersive story. Set within Ancient India’s southern regions, players must not only find a way to put an end to the drought that has ruined the kingdom of Zampi, but also slowly uncover what else led to the downfall of this once prosperous kingdom.

Gameplay is delivered in the form 100 simple and unique logical puzzles that increase in complexity with the story. Additionally, players can look forward to a range of deep characters, hand drawn colourful 2D artwork, and animated cutscenes that all help tell the immersive story.

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In Inferno Manager you take control of a Demon Lord who must punish the souls of the departed in a range of both conventional and unconventional ways, all in order to rise up the hierarchy of Hell. Gameplay takes the form Farmville in Hell, and as such players must manage their punishments, hellfire, and minions in order to build an infamous city of misery and despair.

Filled with comedy and craziness, Inferno Manager definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously, with this injected into the core gameplay too. For example, on your quest to dethrone Satan himself nothing is off limits. In fact, you can even spread catastrophes on Earth and raid Heaven itself on your unholy quest to collect and punish as many souls as possible.

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Set in a colourful and vibrant land filled with some of the cutest dragons imaginable, Wonder Dragons is a match 3 puzzle game in which players can collect and raise baby dragons. From seeing them evolve into mighty creatures, to decorating the home with toys and furniture, there’s far more to this game than just a conventional match 3 puzzle experience.

Of course though, for match 3 lovers there is everything you would hope to see from the core gameplay, with combinations boosters, dramatic explosions, daily rewards and a variety of challenges.

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Imagine Angry Birds crossed with Super Mario, all wrapped up in a Ninja theme and setting and you’ve got Sling Ninja. Within the game players must fling their Ninja warrior across the stage in order to complete a variety of objectives, such as collecting coins and reaching the goal.

The controls are a s simple as you might imagine, with an intuitive one finger mechanic. What’s more, the game also features a colourful and polished presentation making everything you do all the more stylish. A fact that is very important when embodying the way of the Ninja

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In Terradel you are placed into the shoes of Hydro, a Terradian from Aquadel who must defend his land from a long forgotten ancient evil. To do so he must find a range of mysterious items known as the Terrastones which lie hidden throughout Terradel.

Terradel itself is a mystical island full of mystery and wonder in which the cities and people live in harmony with nature. Featuring four distinct cities each representing an element, players will get to explore tropical coastlines, soothing blue waters, expansive tropical forests, and never ending deserts to name just a few. Chapter one is set to focus on Aquadel, the city of water, with other locations coming in the future.

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Inspired by the likes of Toon Blast, Homeward is a puzzle game in which you must match two or more blocks of the same colour in order to grab the collectibles and advance to the next stage. Within the gameplay there is also a range of objectives and obstacles to contend with, alongside wacky and bizarre boosters to help you clear each and every stage.

The game isn’t all about this easily accessible and well known gameplay though, as Homeward also includes a deep and engrossing story penned by former veterans of Telltale games and classic adventure titles. As such, players can expect smart and witty dialogue, a mature story with fully developed characters, dramatic plot twists, and of course fully engaging and explorable environments.

Jigscore takes two of the oldest and most understood table top experiences in the form of jigsaws and dominoes, and blends them together to make one incredibly unique puzzle game. Within the gameplay players will be tasked with slotted puzzle pieces together, all whilst matching the dots that appear on each side.

Obviously, this alone sounds simple enough, however, each level will have a target score to hit. Not only that but by building the jigsaw you’ll also activate multipliers and other bonuses, meaning every connection counts. The final game is made up of several of these missions, combined with battles against AI opponents and other challenges too.

Much like some of our other entries, Strongs is another game with a simple and intuitive idea at its core. This time that idea is all based around simply plucking strings. Reminiscent of those puzzles where you can’t lift your pen off the paper, Strings evokes a very intuitive and playable puzzle experience.

Moreover, once you combine this intuitive gameplay with soothing presentation and audio, and you get an experience that is addictive without being frustrating. Of course though, don’t mistake this for meaning that there’s a lack of challenge, as the developer promises us that you’ll be scratching your head from time to time trying to work out the correct solution.

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Featuring a gorgeous and clear presentation style, alongside an emotional story about life and the passage of time, Feed the Pup is a match three puzzle game with both familiar and new mechanics. One of these mechanics involves the way in which you can create new shapes in order to solve the puzzles through your own imagination. This in particular was highlighted by the judges as being a cool and novel mechanic that added variety.

RPG Minigolf is exactly what it says on the tin, a hybrid-casual mobile game that blends minigolf mechanics and RPG elements. Interestingly though, it’s not the character that’s the hero of this tale, but rather your golf ball.

As such, you’ll be able to fly through your enemies, collect treasure, explore dungeons filled with tremendous boss battles, and of course shoot for that hole. And yes, this is all as a gold ball!

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Tone Pool is a meditative sound healing experience. Much more app than game, Tone Pool allows players to create beautiful soundscapes by combining different singing bowls in a pool of water. A perfect detox for these somewhat stressful times.