Having checked out scores of indies at PAX last week, I’m ready to share the absolute best of the best. And to do that, I’m stuffing the site with top 3 lists spotlighting the wildest, most thoughtful, and brightest games of the bunch. Each list doles out much-deserved accolades to a different category.
Pinkies up, y’all! We’re breaking out the nostalgic vintages to celebrate the games on the horizon honoring the past. These contemporary classics beat out the competition to make my PAX West top 3:
Everdeep Aurora
Leading the cutting edge of old school is Everdeep Aurora, a violence-free Metroidvania in the style of a GameBoy Color title. In my demo, I wake up alone on a park bench with my mother missing. Which isn’t as scary as it sounds, because I’m a cat. What is scary thought is that the world has gone through some kind of apocalypses while I napped. I must be a seriously deep sleeper. In the wake of this world changing event, what’s left of civilization has gone underground — literally — and I have to drill my way down and help others out to find my mom.
[I] Doesn’t Exist
Ever wanted to play a modern text adventure? I Doesn’t Exist explodes with both historical gameplay and super modern concepts. I walked away from the PAX demo with my head filled with exciting thoughts, and, luckily, I didn’t have that long to wait to play the full game. This mind-teasing experience is set to be out now (though it initially struggled with a Steam hiccup, which, honestly, is kind of on-brand for the game.) But you can catch my rambling thoughts on the game’s opening here. This could well be a GOTY candidate.
Rugrats: Adventures In Gameland
A child of the 90’s and a huge fan of the original show, I’m both horrified and delighted this cartoon is represented in the retro games category. I hopped into this demo during The MIX’s evening event, which didn’t leave me a lot of time. My short adventure was led not by the ever-courageous Tommy Pickles, but the best twin of the bunch, Phil DeVille. I could have chosen any of the four main characters, and each have their own stats, but I thought I’d go off the beaten path, like our heroes do in the game as they sneak past a grilling Stu into the wilds of the backyard.
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