Team Röki at EGX 2018 — Polygon Treehouse

Last week some of team Röki made the trip from Cambridge up to Birmingham for EGX 2018. It’s a great chance to have a few meetings, meet up with fellow developer/friends, check out some new titles and get out of the office for the day.

We thought we pick some of our favourite games from the that were on show for this week’s Röki blog. As a disclaimer, we tend to steer away from the larger AAA stands and focus on the new and exciting indie titles so if you find our choices skewed towards the independent, that’s why! We’ve also chosen titles we haven’t had the chance to play before rather than focus on games we’ve been hands-on with before.

If there’s an indie gem you think we’ve missed feel free to reply to the blog-post’s Twitter thread and tell us! Anyway, without further ado…

Disco Elysium

We had the pleasure of meeting the Disco Elysium team and sitting down to play the opening of their game. It’s very visually striking, as was their stand. The introduction had the lead character waking up with a splitting hangover and recovering his clothes from around his flat. Writing looks to be strong, verbose and darkly humorous. More from the developers below:-

"DISCO ELYSIUM is a groundbreaking blend of isometric RPG and hardboiled cop show. Solve a massive, open ended case in a unique urban fantasy setting. Kick in doors, interrogate suspects, or just get lost exploring the gorgeously rendered city of Revachol and unraveling its mysteries. Tough choices need to be made. What kind of cop you are — is up to you."

You can follow the game’s development here.

Gardens Between

“A surreal adventure through moments in time. Fall into a series of vibrant, dreamlike island gardens with best friends Arina and Frendt. Manipulate time to solve puzzles and illuminate threads of a bittersweet narrative.”

From a character animation stand-point the Gardens Between really clubbed me over the head. The interaction and little touches of personality as you scrub time back and forwards were lovely and imbue the game with a real personality. It’s also gorgeous to look with each island you visit a real visual treat.

You can follow the Voxel Agents here.

Valfaris

“Skulls in space! Gore in space! Metal in space!”

Valfaris hit us around the chops as soon as we entered the exhibition hall and is described by the developers as a ‘heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer’. It was a lot of fun and reminded us of Turrican and Contra. One to keep an eye out for, especially if you’re partial to music that needs turning up to 11!

You can follow Valfaris’s development here.

Inmost

“Inmost is an atmospheric, story-driven puzzle platformer, following three playable characters within one dark, interconnecting story. In an old abandoned castle, you’ll need to explore every nook and cranny, avoid detection, slice your way through enemies and spring deadly traps in order to escape the evil that lurks within…”

We’ve been tracking Inmost’s development for a while, having spotted it on #screenshotsaturday on Twitter. It’s dark pixel-art and sinister tone are a real draw and we look forward to playing more.

You can keep up to date with Inmost’s development here!

Bradwell Conspiracy

“The year is 2026.

It's Summer Solstice, and Bradwell Electronics is celebrating the launch of its 'Clean Water Initiative' - a technical breakthrough guaranteed to change the world - at its prestigious Stonehenge Museum.

But as the event unfolds, it becomes clear; there's something seriously amiss... A searing bright light engulfs the room.

You wake up, disoriented - your throat ragged and raw. Rising from the rubble, it's not long before you come across another survivor; Amber - trapped on the other side of a locked doorway.”

We’ve met some of the games’ developers, who are lovely, via BAFTA Crew. Plus, we also share a sound designer with the project (Ali) so it was really nice to be able to go and check it out ‘in the flesh’. The game was really intriguing so we look forward to sinking some more time into it. They also win the prize for best marketing gimmick with their Bradwell Foundation ‘Clean Water’ (see below). Remember, stay hydrated folks!

You can follow the game using the the hashtag #TheBradwellConspiracy on Twitter or check out the game’s website here.

Billy Bust Up

We’ve met Katie before at some BAFTA Crew events and we were keen to get hands-on with Billy Bust Up, one of the games the UK Games Fund’s pitch development program. It’s billed as:-

“Puzzles, 3D Platforming and cute characters! a thrilling mystery that will put a spring in your step! “

It’s still in development but is already looks super promising, very cute and certainly left us feeling all warm and fuzzy! If you’ve got a soft spot for joy-filled cartoony platformers then keep your eyes on it (you can do so here).

That’s a Wrap

That’s it for this week. We’ll catch you next Friday for another Röki blog. Have a good one.

Cheers,

Alex & Tom