With the AAA-dominated PAX West just around the corner, our friends over at Six One Indie decided to throw a little more indie out into the atmosphere. Following up their fabulous Play NYC Spotlight, today’s showcase boasts thirty-three different titles all jammed into an amazing forty-seven minutes.
I intended to pick out just a few of the best gems to share, but the bangers kept coming. I managed to narrow my selections down to fifteen favorites, though you legitimately have to watch The Mini Indie Showcase in full when you get the chance.
Horla
The show kicks off with one beautiful-looking Nope of a survival horror game, Horla. I hate how much I love its pop art look. I know it’s going freak me out — did you see the spider hallway? But how can I resist?
An Ankou
Keeping to the creepy theme, the next title starts off with the word “die” scrawled across the screen. It’s quickly followed by a string of terms that has me wanting more, including survive, craft, and summon.
Heretic’s Fork
Undoubtedly off-color, but a game I’ve gotten the chance to try out before, Heretic’s Fork puts you to work in Hell. The deck builder/tower defense/job simulator has a demo out now. But be careful, it’s hard to put down.
Mirthwood
“Alas. All good things must come to an end.” Or, in this case, a row of unsettling titles make way for an immersive fantasy experience. Who wouldn’t want that? Mirthwood’s setting seems intricate, but it’s the art style that has me struck.
Spirit Swap
Spirit Swap is a veteran of Six One Indie’s showcases, and it looks better every time I see it. The name behind the game, Soft Not Weak, might sound familiar to fans of The Indie Council as Jenny Windom works as the team’s producer.
Vaporwave Pinball
Something is real wrong with this pinball game… and I have to find out what it is. Starting off in lofty-seeming columned rooms, the game takes a turn straight into The Backrooms. If that doesn’t ring a bell, have fun going down this rabbit hole.
Extracoin
I’m still wrapping my head around this one. It looks like a Ready Player One setup with a blue, nondescript protagonist taking up most of the screen time. But then characters start morphing into their real selves. Plus there’s a game involving racquetball with swords.
Checkmate Showdown
Six One Indie made a big deal about this being a World Premiere, but I’d just like to point out The Indie Informer dove into a preview of this game back in June. If you’re a fan of chess or fighting games, you’ll want to check it out when it launches on November 15.
Doggy Don’t Care
I want to be a stupid-looking dog getting up to mischief so bad. I’m not going to spoil anything from the trailer here because you really do have to watch this delightful and absurd clip.
Squirrel With A Gun
Folks, Squirrel with a Gun is a perfect video game idea, and the trailer does the concept proud. You’ve never seen a more tense woodland creature staredown. The team didn’t have to go so hard with the theme song, but I’m so glad they did.
Slay The Princess
Just a straightforward game of finding the locked-away damsel in distress and saving the world. Nothing more to see here. Nothing at all. Don’t even worry about it.
Crystals Of Irm
My favorite of the RPG section of the showcase, Crystals of Irm sports a whimsical old-school adventuring look. There’s dungeon-delving, quest-taking, and a party of odd-looking characters to play with.
Phoenix Springs
This might be he most striking title of The Mini Indie Showcase. Its visuals are bold, stark, and vibrant while the narrative reserves all the complexity for itself.
Crypt Custodian
A hand-drawn metroidvania starring a cat with a broom for a weapon. It’s also got one of the most fitting taglines of the show, “Sweep Up The Afterlife.”
Kristala
One. More. Thing. All of the greatest showcases have that final title meant to end the event with a bang, and today’s is a Soulslike with a cat-person protagonist. Near-and-dear to Six One Indie, Kristala took part in Play NYC, but the crew managed to keep the title under wraps until this Mini Indie Showcase.
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