7 of Sweden's top indie games you need to check out
As seen at the Sweden Game Arena BIP
Ah, Sweden - home of amazing indies such as Simogo (developers of Year Walk and DEVICE6), Coffee Stain Studios (Goat Simulator), and a little-known former indie called Mojang? Something about crafting mines? I dunno.
It's always a joy to be the first to see a new indie game, to get your hands on an innovative title from a small studio way before it becomes the next big thing. Imagine being the first person to play Reigns or Florence.
That's why we set up the Big Indie Pitch. It's our regular international competition for indie developers. We run about 20 of them a year, all around the world, and they're a chance for local studios and individuals to show us what they're working on. There are prizes, sure. But the real winner is you, dear reader, who gets an exclusive glimpse at the underground hits of tomorrow.
Not so long ago, we held one of these much-celebrated BIPs at Sweden Game Arena, a lovely little conference held in Skövde which saw indies from Sweden and further afield descend to discuss games, business, and everything else - and enter our BIP of course!
The clear winner was Legacy 3 - The Hidden Relic, the third entry in a series of wonderful point-and-click games which wowed our judges with its clever puzzles and strange environments.
But there's so much more than that, covering a wide genre of games to boot. Expect a wacky idle game, puzzlers galore, and a visual novel about collecting cats which is definitely down in our books as having the potential to be the Greatest Game Ever Made.
Click through the list to all 7 indie surprises. And if you're a small developer, remember to register your projects for PGC London where we'll be running the next pitch!
1
Legacy 3 - The Hidden Relic
By No Signal Productions
The third entry in the Legacy point-and-click adventure series, The Hidden Relic tasks you with solving tricky puzzles, searching strange environments, and trying to solve the grand mystery within.
2
Shuhari
By Picnic Games Lab
Shuhari is what happens when you take rock, paper, scissors and turn it into a totally different puzzle game. You'll be commanding a rock, some paper, and a pair of scissors as they solve puzzles together using their unique properties. And it's cute to boot!
3
Engineer Millionaire
By Airapport
Engineer Millionaire is what happens when idle games go absolutely mad. You're building intricate factory machines full of cogs and pulleys, trying to generate a ton of money so you can keep building more cogs and pulleys. It's totally weird. Check the video to see if you can make more sense of it than us.
4
Akihabara - Feel the Rhythm Remixed
By JMJ Interactive
Akihabara - Feel the Rhythm Remixed is a revamped version of the original Akihabara game, combining elements of Tetris with rhythm games to make a unique experience of its own. Stack blocks, match colours, and destroy them in time to the beat to score hecka points. How simple could it be?
Another sneak peek from one of the tracks in Electric Symphony, the new album in Akihabara - Feel the Rhythm Remixed. #feeltherhythm #IndieGameDev #indiegames #gamedev #Switch pic.twitter.com/BCOwBsJhlF— Mårten Jonsson - JMJ Interactive (@JMartenJ) October 14, 2018
5
Robbotto
By JMJ Interactive
Another entry fromJMJ Interactive, Robbotto sees cute robots Robb and Otto (hey, clever!) as they navigate through maze-like levels, defeating baddies and making their way to the end of each room. You can play it on your own or with a friend, but either way you'll need to make sure that you use both robots' abilities to find your way to the goal.
6
Cateau
By Lemon Curd Games
Now we're talking. Cateau is a cosy visual novel all about cats. Done. Dusted. What else is there to say?
Alright, how about this - you'll be interacting with homeless cats around what I assume is France, then encourage them to come back to your home for a better life. Snuggling with kitties? Mega sold.
7
Lanista's Ludus - The Gladiator School
By DesignLayout
Ever wanted to build your own gladiator school? Now's your chance. Lanista's Ludus lets you grow your own school, train gladiators, and quash rebellions when they suddenly decide that there's more to life than killing each other. Like killing you, for example! Expect micromanagement, blood, and gore.
