The Big Indie Pitch heads to White Nights Amsterdam to discover even more future indie hits
Discover all the indie games pitched at The Big Indie Pitch at White Nights Amsterdam
In many ways, it could be argued that the heart and soul of mobile gaming lie within those unique and different games being developed on a daily basis by the indie community. We’ve seen many of them rise to stardom, such as Monument Valley and former Big Indie Pitch winner What The Golf?. However, as the number of indie games being developed continues to grow exponentially, it can be hard to discover the next big indie hit.
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.
Of course, as you will already know, we held our flagship pitches at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2020 back in January. However, those weren’t the only pitches we held at the start of this year. As the moment we crowned Rocat Jumpurr the winner we jumped on the road in order to host the second pitches of the year at White Nights Amsterdam 2020.
Just like in London, the Mobile / Portable edition of the pitch was just as close as it always was, with some very tight deliberating from the judges. Thankfully though, unlike when we award the prizes, here we can highlight every single game that pitched as a part of the competition. So read on in order to discover some of the most exciting indie games currently in development.
Oh, and if you want to take part yourself. Then all you have to do is 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.
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1st Place - Dice Hard 3D by MORKWA
Cool, sleek and simple, Dice Hard 3D is a hyper casual game in which players must race against the clock in order to both avoid, and at the same time take down their opponents. The more enemies you take down the larger your dice will grow, giving you even more of an edge to take down your opponents.
Of course, it’s not that simple though as those remaining can team up to take down the largest enemy, whilst also making use of a range of bonuses and environmental hazards to rebalance the fight in their favour. Creating something new and exciting in the hyper casual market certainly isn’t an easy task nowadays, however that’s exactly what MORKWA have done, and as such, they were deserving winners of the pitch.
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2nd Place - Gerrrms by Bugbomb
Developed first and foremost for Nintendo Switch, Gerrrms is a competitive multiplayer game that has family fun and a party atmosphere at its core. Here you must take control of one of a variety of tiny germs as they fight within single cells for dominance.
Utilising 3 game modes, including Deathmatch, Bomb Tag and Capture The Flag, players must swing from point to point while trying to knock their opponents into the spikes that surround them. It sounds simple, and in many ways it is, but that’s the beauty of it, and thanks to this simple and accessible gameplay alongside an easy to grasp two button control, Gerrrms promises an experience that is fun for every single player, regardless of skill level.
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3rd Place - Ski Resort by Friends Games Incubator
What do you think of when you think of skiing? Maybe beautiful snow, good sun, tricks and slaloms? Well, that’s exactly what Ski Resort has in abundance. It also looks stunning too and is filled to the rafters with content.
Seamlessly blending idle and hyper casual mechanics, Ski Resort by Friends Games Incubator really impressed the judges. Not only does it have a solid monetisation strategy, but it is also filled with lots of customisation to keep players engaged long after the real life skiing season is over.
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Special Guest - Please, Touch The Artwork
One of our past winning games, returning as a special guest, Please, Touch The Artwork promises players a relaxing, inspiring and educational experience. One based around solving a series of puzzles based on famous abstract paintings. However, unlike a relaxing trip to an art gallery, this game encourages you to get your hands all over the art in order to solve these puzzles.
Initially, the game's first season is set to contain three mini-games all based around the art of Piet Mondrian, one of the founders of the abstract art movement. Each of these mini-games will use puzzles and narrative in order to tell the story of not only the art movement but also Mondrian's story, and even an independent story set in 1940s New York.
Featuring more than 100 elegant stylistically designed puzzles, alongside one-touch controls, procedural generation to encourage replayability and uniqueness, and the promise of more seasons to come, Please, Touch The Artwork more than grabbed the judges attention, and much like a classic piece of art, promises to linger long in the memory.
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Project Downfall by MGP Studios (Big Indie Pitch PC / Console Edition Winner)
Inspired by the likes of Falling Down and John Wick, Project Downfall is a highly stylised trip into the darker side of society. By day you live the regular middle class life. The 9-5, spending time with your partner and relaxing in your apartment fill your days. However, by night you attempt to step into the darkness within the society you live in and deliver some much needed justice. Well at least that’s what you think.
You see, things aren’t always as they seem in this 80s inspired retro infused cyberpunk adventure, as not only will each decision affect the direction of your story, and potentially even your downfall, but every single action will affect this. From interactions, to pickups, and even to the way in which you open the door, every single action has a consequence as you attempt to hold onto your sanity and clean up society.
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WarpThrough by Roofkat Games (Big Indie Pitch PC / Console Edition Runner Up)
Currently available on Steam for PC, but looking at a range of different platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, WarpThrough is a fast and frantic arcade inspired platformer. One in which must utilise a range of different combat skills in order to find the flow and defeat the enemies.
Presented in stunning pixel art, WarpThrough also features an eclectic range of loveable and unique characters, all of which have their own skills and abilities for players to master. Moreover, the game also features a short story and engaging multiplayer gameplay. For any fans of games such as Towerfall and Celeste should definitely check this one out.
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Kunai by Turtle Blaze (Big Indie Pitch PC / Console 3rd Place)
Kunai is an intense and action packed Metroidvania for PC and Nintendo Switch. One in which you take the controls of Tabby, a tablet that also happens to be infused with the soul of an ancient warrior and master of ninja parkour.
As Tabby you must grab your trusty Kunai weapon and head out on quest to save the now barren planet Earth from the clothes of the evil A.I. Lemononkus who has almost wiped out all human life. Starting out with nothing but the basics, players will be able to explore a post apocalyptic world filled with secrets, hidden routes, and unique characters. That’s not all though, as you'll also be able to increase your abilities as you progress on your quest, giving players a range of ever growing skills to utilise.
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Sketch Tales by 8D Studio
Sketch Tales is a unique sandbox RPG where everything you draw comes to life right in front of your eyes. With limitless creations available players can not only build their own worlds and creatures, but even their own weapons and special abilities.
THat’s not all though, as your creations aren’t limited to your own game, as Sketch Tales also includes the ability to share all of your creations with the community, and even the chance to use them in a multiplayer match against the creations of others. Of course, for those of less creative the game also has a story mode which allows players to choose their own path, including whether to join the colour stealing villain, or set off to defeat him and restore the world.
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Philatelist by Oleskii Stepanov
Stamp collecting, or philately to give its precise name, is one of the world’s oldest hobbies. So what better idea for a fun and intuitive puzzler. In this game players travel from one location to another collecting stamps that symbolise these travels.
The catch however, is that these stamps are collected as fragments, and once you have them all, players are challenged with putting them together through logic and forward thinking. It all sounds very simple, and in many respects it is. However this is what makes it so appealing, as not only is it accessible to all, but it also offers relaxing gameplay wrapped in some absolutely stunning artwork and visuals.
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Zombie Derby: Pixel Survival by Brinemedia
Zombie games have become fairly common these days. So it can be hard to find a new take on this established trope. However, Brinemedia may have just done that, as they have injected some much needed comedy and humour into the Zombie genre, whilst also taking it squarely into the Hypercasual space.
As such, here players must jump into their comedically overpowered vehicle, before racing along mowing down as many zombies as they possibly can. Of course, it’s not just about how fast you can go, as there’s also a range of tricks that will grant you extra points, alongside an arsenal of weapons for those harder to reach hordes of the walking dead.
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Crowd Cat Battle by RustyGames
In many respects, Crowd Cat Battle does exactly what it says on tin, by collecting as many of their opponents’ cats as possible in order to be crowned the victor over their opponents. To achieve this, you’ll be given what resembles a paint gun in order to mark the cats and take control of them. There’s also leaderboards so that you can prove your dominance over the competition. But let’s be honest, it’s really all about becoming the ultimate crazy cat person.
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Puzzle Squad by Uniday
Utilising a unique puzzle mechanic that seems to seamlessly blend matching mechanics with tetris-esque blocks, Puzzle Squad is a deep mobile RPG in which you explore a cyber post apocalyptic world. Within this world you’ll have the ability to create your own base, recruit a team of heroes, and even fight in PvP battles with other players.
Much like classic titles like Puzzle Quest, Uniday’s Puzzle Squad wants to both offer players an engrossing and in depth story with multiple layers to explore, all utilising a unique and new puzzle mechanic.
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Aztec Vault by Puzzles & Games
Aztec Vault is a casual puzzle game in which you must collect together a range of Aztec treasures by unlocking the mysterious doors of the temple. In order to achieve this players must place the tiles on the correct spots and point the gemstones on the tiles in the right direction.
However, it doesn’t always work out to be this simple, and with an ever increasing difficulty, based around new challenges and gameplay mechanics, Aztec Vault promises to be a puzzle game with a wealth of content to explore. Finally, Puzzles & Games are also including a multiplayer mode, and an automatic level generator in order to increase the amount of content on offer even more.
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DICED Pilot by Yoa Games
In this 2D action game you control a spacecraft known as the 'DICED dimension ship', and are tasked with maneuvering it through a variety of different dimensions in order to find the way out. Obviously this won’t be as simple as staying on course to the exit, as you’ll have to collect as many gems as possible whilst also avoiding a wealth of obstacles.
These obstacles include, constantly shifting gravity fields, remote mines, objects that must be manipulated, and of course, hordes of enemies. The final game is set to feature over 150 levels, multiple online leaderboards, and a range of different game modes including Time Challenge, Boomerang Mode, and Chaos Factor. All of which promise to significantly alter the way the game is played.
