The program for the development of independent titles is shown during the X019 festival; We have already tried them.
Our coverage of the X019 is ongoing. The festival dedicated to celebrating the Xbox brand has left us moments that will mark the future of its ecosystem over the next year. The news in Xbox Game Pass, the sensations that left us games like Bleeding Edge and the new works of studies like Obsidian and Rare, all condensed in three days of incessant work.
But behind the spotlights that gather the big names, there is also room for the little ones, those projects of the independent scene that arrive to show playable muscle. Because, like the power offered by internal studies, the ID @ Xbox program serves as a gateway for developers from all parts of the world to enter the platform.
Having tried them on the London stage, we put the focus on the five titles that we feel stand out in some particular facet. These are our chosen ones:
Cyber Shadow, love for the 8 bit
When it comes to removing the nostalgia of those who grew up playing 8 bits, few studies do it better than Yatch Club Games. After the overwhelming success of Shovel Knight, the study focuses on a new work that points directly to the Metroidvania guidelines.
The chosen demonstration barely reached five minutes. We must confess that it still felt a half-done product. There was a lack of balance between the possibilities of the player and how our blows influence the enemy's impact box. Despite this, its virtues are already sighted; The control works like a clock: fast and accurate.
At the time of the test, we only had the help of our sword, which resulted in a "dog face" combat. That characteristic way of engaging in combat was fused with a level design that forced us to dance among rival artifacts. It promises, but we must go deeper into a somewhat more formed build.
Be the beast in Carrion
Carrion is a dream for those who enjoyed works like Alien: The Eighth Passenger or Life. Unlike what we usually see, here we will control the enemy: we will be the deformed mass that will terrify those who stand in our way. It showed its potential over short distances.
From the first moment your way of getting along catches you. The control is fast, agile, we almost took a speed devilish by all the ducts that reside through the levels. We will start being a small red mass that as it feeds on human flesh, grows in size … and possibilities.
The bigger we are, the more tentacles we will have, which will allow us to attack the special archetypes of the adversary. At the beginning of the demonstration, we saw basic humans armed with a simple gun. Shortly after they appeared, this time carrying a shield, so you have to play with the environment to surprise and ambush whenever it is in our hand.
Contrary to what it may seem, in Carrion we are fragile in excess. A flurry of lost projectiles can send us directly to the canvas. To avoid it we will have to be quick, study the environment and adapt to any circumstance. The demo chosen allowed us to experience very little with the small puzzles we will find.
To access some areas you had to move locked panels according to the direction in which they are embedded. Selecting through the right stick we can freely direct the tentacles to interact with the environment.
Tunic, the adventure with which to let yourself go
Event after event Tunic continues to demonstrate why it is one of the spearheads of the indie universe in the future, although it still does not have an official date. Its staging was one of the best during the X019. Because it is not necessary to show technical muscle to shine on the screen. Sometimes, an appropriate artistic direction is the only thing you need to surprise the viewer. It's hard to resist loving the little fox who wants to emulate the great heroes of the video game.
The first bars of the build serve to adapt to the controls. We are defenseless, we have neither a sword nor defensive contraptions that facilitate the confrontation with the bugs that populate the levels. It may seem like a strange decision, since you must sell your title to the public in a matter of minutes. The greatness of Tunic is to show its qualities without resorting to violence.
We say this because the perspective of the levels plays a fundamental role in the puzzles on our way. We must be astute to read the visual cues that swarm through the levels. We are a tiny speck in a kind of structures that enclose intelligent puzzles, attractive in the playable.
Once we achieve the edge, in the combat, typical nuances of the action influenced by the works of the From Software factory are presupposed, saving distances. Managing the energy bar is essential to control movements and balance defensive and offensive movements. Tunic cheats for its pleasant appearance: there is much more in there.
The Good Life: Swery must improve
The click of the day we took with the work of Swery 65, which we already knew that he is also immersed in the development of Deadly Premonition 2. Upon seeing the game station we were quick to see what he was capable of. The disappointment came shortly after seizing the command, and we saw a game that is far from current standards.
There is a total absence of sound effects around the world, animations and lines of dialogue. The framerate was catastrophic, it was hard to keep an eye on it for a long time. It was awkward to be watching a slide show, literally.
Nor did we find playable motifs that kept us hooked on him. Secondary missions always revolve around taking snapshots, which we must distribute back to those who reported the mission. Navigating the world is going back two generations.
Surprisingly, the absence of the Dead Life Premonition Sim Life components collides with the poor implementation of certain mechanics linked to the time cycle. On the one hand we are told to wait at dusk to follow the main plot, but there is no other change in between that impacts the neighbors. What are we supposed to do in a soulless world?
It was difficult to understand how a degree in this state can have a place for the demonstration, there were not even those responsible for the study to manage the experience, unlike their standmates.
A “clean punch” in Streets of Rage 4
We had the opportunity to test the benefits of Streets of Rage 4 in local mode for two players. The same experience that minutes ago we had enjoyed with Battletoads, so the eternal comparative flourished again.
In the direct confrontation, the DotEmut game feels much more solid in the playable. The pace of the fighting is fast, the error is punished more and the combinations of movements are much more satisfactory to perform.
The feelings at the controls are unmatched. We must make special mention of the interaction with the environment and objects, fundamental if we want to overcome some areas prior to the meeting with the final boss. For example, some enemies carried knives that we can use temporarily on our behalf.
It seems that we are facing a game that is in its final stages of development. Of the catalog that populates this piece, without a doubt the one that best develops is this.
