Ones to watch from EGX 2018
Our takes on the indie games shown at EGX 2018 to look out for
Last weekend we travelled up to the NEC to attend what is probably my favourite convention of the annual nerd calendar; EGX.
Whilst there were some obvious big hitters both already released (Destiny 2, Crash, Spider-Man, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider) and up and coming (Fallout 76, Smash, Spyro, and AC:Odyssey) – there were a few notable indie efforts that we felt deserved some attention.
Tracks
If you never had one of those wooden train sets as a kid, this is the game for you. Even if you did but you’re now approaching middle age like myself, and wish to relive the wooden block life — this game is for you.
A charming and simple, yet sometimes hilarious take on the train sim — Tracks relives your childhood wooden train set dreams. Not limited to just tracks, there are all sorts of extras to make your own tiny town from store fronts and houses to flora and fauna.
The game has come a long way in a short period so it’s definitely one to keep an eye out for, but if you want to try it now now; whilst I do have a fundamental aversion to the concept of Early Access the game is available to play now on Steam or through utomik.
Sketch Town Showdown
This nifty little game is very much in the early stages and searching for investment, but Cation Games, Dare Academy finalists have come up with Sketch Town Showdown.
There are clear inspirations from the likes of Drawful — get your phones out to draw but everyone looks at a larger screen… but instead, the drawings are everything from controls on a jumping game, to ramps for a ski jump game.
Keep an eye on @CationGames on twitter for details on a potential release!
Untilted Goose Game
Anyone that knows me knows I have been excited for this game since the teaser first appeared on YouTube nearly a year ago.
After nearly 30 minutes queueing, we got to play the game for a grand total of 6 minutes at EGX this year, and frankly despite how briefly we got to play the game, it was probably the highlight for me.
For anyone unfamiliar with Untitled Goose Game (aka Jerk Goose Simulator) — you essentially play a Goose, and have a small list of tasks to complete, from tricking a human into swapping their hat, through to stealing a sandwich and having a picnic. The movement of the Goose, the adaptive score and overall charm of this game has to be experienced to get the full idea but for now you can check out the trailer below.
Originally slated for release later this year, we’re currently looking at early 2019 on PC, Mac and Switch.
Catastronauts
We’ve talked about Catastronauts before, but we genuinely think that this is one to watch (and play). The brief is basically Overcooked, in space — which very well be a moniker that neither developer particularly wants, but it’s hard to escape the similarities.
Working in a team you have to complete a range of tasks to fight enemy invaders from arming torpedos, repairing equipment, and putting out fires to the less obvious stuff like avoiding solar flares, and cloning your departed team mates. Check out the trailer below!
Catastronauts is out TODAY (28 September) on PS4, XB1 and Steam.
