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.
Booths line the walkways at PAX, each vying for players’ attention. With so much to see, games can seem to blend together. However, the next three games had no trouble standing out from the crowd with their distinctive styles.
Time Flies
The black-and-white aesthetic can be really powerful. In fact, one of my favorite games to use this color palette, Minit, shares a lot with the eye-arresting Time Flies.
By choosing my country of origin, I learn the average lifespan of the game’s protagonist — a fly — only lives about 77 seconds in the US. That may seem like a fact of little consequence to tuck away for later, but it has a huge impact on my gameplay. You see, as I flutter my way around the contrasting colors of a home, that time becomes a countdown clock. I have barely above a minute to accomplish all my life’s goals and ambition before shuffling off my mortal coil and starting again at square zero.
Chicken Police: Into The HIVE!
The original Chicken Police reflected its noir-inspired attitude with moody, restricted visuals, but the sequel is giving players an interesting choice. They can either stick to the game’s original vision or light up the world with saturated colors.
While the game confronts players with the choice at the beginning of the demo, I’m assured I can move back and forth between the two modes at any point as I take care of my emotionally distraught partner and drag his semi-conscious form off to a new case. And this time, the two fowl agents are headed into the city’s most notorious district: The Hive.
ZOE Begone!
While the previous to games play around with muted visuals, ZOE Begone leaps out of the screen with a cacophony of in-your-face hues. Which makes sense, considerig it’s a game focusing on artistic output.
Or rather, it’s a game about finally putting a stop to artistic output. You see, our protagonist just wants to enjoy a peaceful, relaxing nap. But the selfish artist that becomes my nemesis is bent on making that dream impossible to achieve. And it’s time someone put a stop to it. If I want to finally catch a few Zs, I’ll have to take on the illustrators increasingly wild creations.
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