I had fun putting together last week’s Indie Game Lookout, so I went hunting for more promising indie games this week with much more vigor. As usual, there is no overriding theme to my picks; I simply point out the titles I find promising. First among them is a title I am really hyped for.
Prisma
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Developer: Shiny Bolt
Platform: PC, Mac
Release Date: TBA
Available via: Prisma website
This game ticks so many of my check boxes that I can hardly contain myself.
Prisma is a fast-paced puzzle platformer where you assume the persona of Ray, a young explorer. You are tasked with helping a girl named Fractal collect some magical masks. The story is simple and straightforward, but the real beauty of this game lies in its dimension-changing powers.
As you play, you have the ability to shift between dimensions, each with its own augmented abilities. When you shift to the blue dimension, you gain the ability to jump higher, allowing you to reach hard-to-reach areas. Switching to the yellow dimension lets you run faster, and switching to the red dimension allows you to smash some obstacles.
This Ikaruga-style color mechanic is very satisfying, allowing Ray bound and speed through ingeniously-designed levels. I enjoyed the game’s demo tremendously. If you are a fan of puzzles and platforming, you must give the game’s demo a try. I want this game yesterday!
Hue
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Developer: Henry Hoffman
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: TBA
Available via: Hue website
Talk about ticking check boxes. Hue, two years in the making and counting, is another puzzle platformer with a color-changing mechanic. The mechanic in this case: changing between ten different colors to reveal or conceal objects. The gameplay does not seem as fast-paced as in Prisma, but the more deliberate gameplay is great for those times when I want to think my way through situations. The game’s art style –meant to convey a monochromatic world doused with color – is equally pleasing to me.
The one thing that makes me tick check boxes like a maniac taking a test, though, is derived from a small comment on the developer’s tweet about the game being feature-complete and ready for porting. The game may support the Philips Hue, the smart wireless home lighting system that changes color programmatically. If they can get my room to change color in sync with the game, I may just pee myself! Henry Hoffman, your game looks awesome, and if you make my room as awesome as the game, I will nominate you for President of the World!!!
No promises on that last part…
A Cat’s Manor
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Developer: Happiest Dark Corner
Platform: PC
Release Date: TBA
Available via: Steam Greenlight Page, A Cat’s Manor Website
This game looks creepy as all hell. And I have absolutely no problem with that!
In A Cat’s Manor, you assume the role of…a cat. This puzzle-based adventure game, on Steam Greenlight now, has you guide the cat through a creepy house inhabited by a family straight out of a Tim Burton nightmare. Your goal is to escape, and also to figure out what got you there in the first place.
The trailer does everything to unsettle you without resorting to full horror. It is another platformer with puzzle elements, but the dark, foreboding atmosphere permeates every corner of it. The music, the visual cues, the creepy narration…this game has tons of character, all of it spooky.
A Cat’s Manor is still up for voting in Greenlight. I gave it my vote without hesitation. If the visuals and atmosphere are in any way indicative of the full experience, this will be an excellent game to dig into.
