Geek alert! This weekend, the BF and I headed over to the Montreal Independent Games Festival which took place at Dawson College. I was super excited because:
#1: I love me some indie games.
#2: Dawson was hands down my fave school to attend and what better excuse to visit than a gaming festival?
#3: Seeing what fellow Montrealers are creating for our enjoyment? Yes, please!
So let me tell you what I look for in a game: it's got to look good, have stress-free and logical controls, have a fresh concept, and most importantly, it has to be challenging and fun. That being said, here are a couple of games that I found refreshing and which you should all definitely be on the lookout for!
The Fat MaxK Show
The FatMaxk Show Gameplay (Devlog / Paper Cult Games)
Developed by a team of three, The FatMaxk Show is a game-show-like multiplayer that allows players to build up combos by stacking a few blocks together, get points for said combos, all the while trying to steal these combos away from each other. It's like a game of Two-Dots but with the added pressure of time, since you're only getting the point once the timer on it is up. Or someone is adding a block to your combo before your timer runs out, in which case - they're getting that point.
The FatMaxk Show Gameplay (Devlog / Paper cult Games)
So what drew me first and foremost to this game? The start screen!
Nowadays, it is super hard to come by a 4-player game, let alone a 2-player game so you bet your behind I was excited to see a game that allows four players to game against eachother on one screen. The videogame market is saturated with one-player and online multiplayer games, which blows for multi-gamer homes like mine! I don't want to own two next-gen consoles and sit in a separate room just to play a videogame with the BF, so multiplayer games like The FatMaxk Show are much needed.
You can follow the development of this game on their Devlog.
Ultimate Chicken Horse
It's no secret - I love a good colour palette and clean and simple design. Which is why I initially wandered over to Ultimate Chicken Horse's table with my gaping face hole (aka my mouth.) Developed by 3-person studio, Clever Endeavour Games, this game was like a mishmash of Little Big Planet meets Portal 2 meets Super Meat Boy.
It's a multiplayer 2D platformer that allows you to build a level packed with obstacles to stump your opponents but which you - on the other hand - can beat. For every level that you complete and that your opponents don't, you get a point. The first player to reach 5 points wins. Pretty simple, right?
Ultimate Chicken Horse Level Creation (Presskit / Clever Endeavour Games)
It's also got a one-player mode in which you have to stategically place a few pre-determined pieces in order to complete each level. Now that's a challenge I like!
You can help get this game on Steam here, which I encourage you to do because well - I want it.
Z'isle
Explore Montreal (Game Info / Z'Isle)
Finally, what better way to wrap up my MIGF faves than with a game that's set in Montreal? Z'Isle is a post-zombie apocalypse survival simulator based on the comic book series of the same name. The purpose of the game is to survive and rebuild our city which has completely gone to sh*t thanks to a zombie outbreak. It's up to you to find safe zones and fortify certain locations.
I love that the game allows you to explore Montreal's different boroughs and doesn't simply acknowledge 5% of our city (I'm looking at YOU AAA title that inanely placed the CN Tower in Montreal's skyline!!) There's also lots of recycling in this game: just check out the nifty weapons you can build! Maybe those Bixis will come in handy after all.
Did I mention that Z'Isle picked up the audience favourite award on Saturday? Yup - it's looking to be a goodie. Z'Isle is still in its early stages of development, though its makers, Miscellaneum Studios, recently got its Canada Media Funding so we definitely have some action-packed local entertainment to keep an eye out for. Give 'em a follow on Facebook to stay in the loop.
Are you looking forward to any of these games? If you want to take a look at the complete list of games presented at at the MIGF, head on over to their site.