A parade of indies
Aspreviously discussed,Venus PatrolandMOCAtv‘s “alternative E3 event” HORIZON was pretty interesting both conceptually and in how it was executed. But what about the games?! That’s why we’re even here, right!?
A few of the larger announcements to come out of the event havealreadybeencoveredhere at Dtoid, but what about those smaller, beautiful indie games HORIZON promised?
Broken Age
Developed by: Double FinePlatforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, OuyaRelease Date: 2014
You may have heard ofBroken Agealready. It’s the project thatDouble FinerecentlyKickstartedwith the help of “over 90,000 of their closest friends.” The point-and-click adventure game will follow the parallel lives of a boy and a girl; the girl has been chosen by her village as a sacrifice to a terrible monster, and the boy is trying to escape the overbearing grasp of a motherly computer.
Double Fine’s presentation at HORIZON focused on their mind-blowing Kickstarter experience and how they’ve been able to directly connect with the fans that will be playing the game and even how they have let them in to the decision-making process of the game. I could spend hours talking about the weird and wonderful world of Kickstarter, but nonetheless it will be interesting to see how the fans feel after actually playingBroken Agewhen it releases next year.
Developed by: Capybara GamesPlatforms: Xbox OneRelease Date: TBA 2014
First off,Belowlooks gorgeous.
Coming from CAPY, part of the group that created the much-laudedSword & Sworcery,Belowfollows a rather non-descript main character traversing through epic landscapes, further and further into a mysterious cave.
At HORIZON, Nathan Vella and Kris Piotrowski of Capybara explained that the game will be one of those “no text, no dialogue, no hints and no hand-holding” allowing the player to discover everything in the game on their own initiative.Belowalso hasan awesome trailerfeaturing the music ofJim Guthrie, who will also score the game.
Developed by: Media MoleculePlatforms: PlayStation VitaRelease Date: Jun 24, 2025
TearawayisMedia Molecule‘s upcoming game in which players will guide a little character through a tactile,papercraft world, which the player holds in their “god-like hands.”
At HORIZON, Rex Crowle and Siobhan Reddy of Media Molecule demonstrated some of the game’s big and small ideas; from the way the player can use the PS Vita’s touch sensors to practically physically interact with the game’s world, to the little details like the “squashiness”of the ground under the game’s character’s feet.Tearawayseems to be heavily investing in the odd notion of “virtual tactility” and it’s probably an investment that will pay off.
Sportsfriends
Developed by: Die Gute FabrikPlatforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3Release Date: Fall, 2013
Sportsfriendsaims to be straightforward in intent and content: it wants to be a multiplayer, spectator-friendly game for groups and parties. No big hooks, no intricate story-lines. And it absolutely delivers that.
Featuring a collection of smallish, highly-competitive multiplayer games;Hokra,Super Pole Riders,BaraBariBall, andJohann Sebastian Joust,Sportsfriendsis all about non-committal, easygoing fun. I had a chance to playSuper Pole Riders(pictured) at HORIZON, and while it was totally fun, I found it oddly challenging. It’s definitely the kind of game that you may get really good at if you play it enough, though.
Developed by: Die Gute FabrikPlatforms: Windows, Mac, LinuxRelease Date: TBA
Mutazionesounds like it has the potential to be one of those breakout oddball gems. Developed by Die Gute Fabrik,Mutazioneis about a young girl who mysteriously wakes up in a town full of mutants and monsters. The game will have almostAnimal Crossing-esque features like real-time changes throughout the day and the town’s different characters will be doing different things throughout dates and times.
It also has an interesting “gardening-mechanic” which will allow players to plant and grow different plants in their garden in their character’s home that directly influence the ambient music in the game. Die Gute Fabrik’s Doug Wilson described the gardening mechanic as allowing the players to “grown their own Brian Eno’sMusic for Airports” in a sense.Mutazionedoes not have a release date at this time, so hopefully we’ll hear more about it soon!
Hohokum
Developed by: Honeyslug and Richard HoggPlatforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation VitaRelease Date: 2014
InHohokum, players take control of a colorful, snake-ish, kite-like being and fly/swim through various environments. Interacting with the environment is a key part ofHohokum, whether it’s carrying characters from one part of the world to another, or running into objects to create new sounds.
Hohokumalso has abeautiful trailer, with a sweet soundtrack by musician Tycho, who will also score the game.Hohokumwas playable at HORIZON, but I don’t think I got to experience it fully in the hustle and bustle of the mixer. It’s probably a game best experienced in a meditative state, though it was lovely to look at regardless!
Developed by: Little Flag SoftwarePlatforms: Windows, Mac, MobileRelease Date: TBA
Kachinais an engagingly whimsical game in which the player controls a hole in the ground that they can use to swallow up objects and characters in each level to solve puzzles or solve jokes as they make their way through the charming landscapes.
Taking place in the American Southwest,Kachinais also set to explore modern relationships between Americans and Native Americans through motifs of erasure and discovery, which personally will fascinate me to no end.
New Game from Keita Takahashi and Funomena
Developed by: FunomenaPlatforms: TBDRelease Date: TBA
FunomenaandKatamari Damacycreator Keita Takahashi announced at HORIZON that they’re partnering to work on a new game! What’s it about? Well, it’s still early in development, but Takahashi says that the game’s inspiration came from playing with his two-year old son and what it would be like if his son’s block toys came to life.
He also added that “Katamariwas about King and Prince.Nobywas about Girl and Boy. This new game is about Mayor and Deputies.” I’m sure we will be hearing more about Funomena and Takahashi’s new game soon!
Developed by: PolytronPlatforms: ????Release Date: TBA
Perhaps making the biggest splash at HORIZON was a 50-second-long trailer forFez II. Essentially the only information we have aboutFez IIis that it’s a collaboration betweenPolytronand Disasterpeace, but that’s enough to get people talking.
(A Game For) Two
Developed by: Simon Wiscombe (primary), Claire Hosking, Evan Stern, Andres Villareal, Jason GibsonPlatforms: Windows, MacRelease Date: TBA
(A Game For) Twois a really fun cooperative title in which two players each control a character that has crash landed on an island and they must work together to solve puzzles and get to the other side of the island where a rescue boat awaits. There is little text and no dialogue in the game, which forces the players to actually talk to each other an use their intuition as well as perhaps trial-by-error to complete the game’s challenges.
I really enjoyed playing a few levels of(A Game For) Twowith friends at HORIZON. For me there was a real sense of excitement in figuring out the puzzles with other people, and a heightened sense of accomplishment once we manage to finish a level together.
Hokra
Developed by: Die Gute Fabrik, Ramiro CorbettaPlatforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3Release Date: Fall, 2013
Hokrais described as a “digital sports game” and it’s one of the titles included in theSportsfriendscompilation. Since this requires four players and has no online multiplayer aspects, it’s purely meant for four physical people competing together on one television. This sort of interpersonal connection and shared experience is whatSportsfriendsis all about, of course!
Laser Cabinet
Developed by: Khalil Klouche / Media Design at Geneva University of Art and Design
Perhaps the most inconspicuous piece at HORIZON, theLaser Cabinetis an actual physical wooden cabinet that doesn’t look at all special, until you realize that there are two inviting buttons on each side. When the buttons are pushed, lasers illuminate a snake-style game on the cabinet’s surface, once again inviting games into a sculptural area that they normally do not inhabit.
Rehearsals and Returns
Developed by: Peter BrinsonPlatforms: Windows, MacRelease Date: July, 2014
Thematically,Rehearsals and Returnsis about conversations with famous people that will never happen. As designer Peter Brinson explains, mechanically, the game is about collecting explicitly nice, mean, or wise things to say to people like Margaret Thatcher, Genghis Khan, Lebron James, Whitney Houston, and many more.
Rehearsals and Returnswas playable at HORIZON as well, and though it may be one of those games best experienced in a deep way by oneself and not at a party setting, it was really fun to hear people saying things like “Ooohh yeah, gotta collect Hate level 12!”
The UCLA Game Lab Arcade Backpack
Developed by: UCLA Game Lab (design: David Elliott & Steven Amrhein)Release Date: 2011
TheUCLA Game Lab Arcade Backpackis exactly what it sounds like: a backpack with playable arcade games on it. TheArcade Backpackwas worn by some of its creators — Tyler Stefanich and Peter Lu — and played by a variety of people throughout HORIZON.
Designed to bring gaming to a public space, theArcade Backpackbecomes a bit of an interactive performance piece, though it’s funny because while the player is interacting with the games, they are not necessarily interacting with the person wearing the backpack, so the wearer essentially becomes a stand-in for a traditional cabinet. The backpack is definitely a conversation starter though, and it featured several playable games which were cycled through throughout the event.
All in all, HORIZON was an event about indie games, but for everyone. The talent that was showcased was strong, but paled in comparison to the excitement and joy everyone had about the expression and encouragement of delightful and fascinating ideas, and honestly I can’t wait to play all of them!
