There are a lot of big name titles at this year's E3, but the indie game scene is still burning bright. Here are some of the most inventive and exciting new titles coming from smaller teams that you should have on your radar. We're trying to get our hands on as many titles as we can, so keep checking out this evolving list of the best indie gems from E3 2015.
This story includes contributions from the E3 2015 crew, including Ben Reeves, Matt Kato, Tim Turi, and Mike Futter.
Mother Russia Bleeds
Developer: Le Cartel
Estimated Release: Spring 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
Mother
Russia Bleeds takes us back to the age of beat-em-ups like Final Fight
and Streets of Rage. Thankfully, storytelling and mechanics have
matured, even if the graphics for this bloody tale of drug addiction and
revenge haven't.
In addition to a standard repertoire of kicks,
punches, charge attacks, and grapples, Mother Russia Bleeds introduces a
clever drug addiction mechanic. Each player has a syringe with three
doses. A single use can be used to heal up, but consuming the entire
syringe sends your character into a rage of instant, bloody kills.
Refilling the vial requires drawing the blood of fallen, convulsing
addicts.
Because of the psychotropic angle, players are subjected
to terrifying nightmare hallucinations. Enemies I fought in the sex
club stage were appropriately decked out in inappropriate attire for
everyday wear. Leather, chains, and masks were the prevalent theme.
The
four fighters all have different strengths and weaknesses, special
moves, playstyles. This also plays into the extra modes, like versus
play, escort missions, and survival scenarios. - Mike Futter
Shadow Warrior 2
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Estimated Release: 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Shadow
Warrior 2 is what happens when a game unexpectedly draws more attention
than expected. The violent, funny, and bloody title that initially was
released on PC and then made its way to current-gen consoles is getting a
significantly improved sequel.
Instead of the linear corridors,
areas are open, with multiple ways to progress through missions. The
maps are procedurally generated, so that returning to main missions or
taking on side-quests (a new feature) give players new surprises.
The
exploration and mission structure is in service of a new loot mechanic.
Watching the game played reminded me of the jump Vigil Games made from
Darksiders to Darksiders II. The experience seems deeper, especially in
light of cooperative play.
There are also new traversal moves
that give the game a parkour feel, most akin to Techland's Dying Light.
The weapon count has been significantly augmented, with 70 available
compared to 10 in the first title. Enemy types have been increased
three-fold, and a new augmentation system lets players slot gems into
weapons to increase stats and add elemental effects.
This time
out, Flying Wild Hog is planning a simultaneous release across Xbox One,
PlayStation 4, and PC. You can look for the game next year. - Mike Futter
Eitr
Developer: Eneme Entertainment
Estimated Release: 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
Eitr
plays upon the popular Souls style of games, with a different
perspective and aesthetic. The title is deeply rooted in Norse
mythology, with players taking on the role of a shield maiden who must
traverse the nine realms to undo damage caused by Loki, the god of
mischief.
Players must manage both health and stamina, know when
to retreat and when to strike. There is both a block and parry mechanic,
the latter of which has the same risk/reward element of From Software's
titles.
Like the Souls games, players have both a regular level
and a "favor" level. The latter of these can be lost upon death, but
building favor instead of turning it into permanent boosts makes for
more potent benefits.
The game has large bosses, overwhelming
numbers, and gameplay that captures what we love about From Software's
titles without aping them entirely. You can look for it to release next
year. - Mike Futter
Crossing Souls
Developer: Fourattic
Estimated Release: Mid-2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
Crossing
Souls is an adventure game ripped from the 1980s, complete with VHS
scanlines, tape distortion, and heavy synth music. As a team of five
teens, you must keep a mystic stone out of the hands of a villain who
wants to use it for nefarious purposes. We understand why one would want
an army of the dead, but following through on it typically makes you
the bad guy.
Players can solve puzzles by looking into the spirit
world (and controlling a recently deceased party member who can walk
through some walls). Each of the five characters has his or her own
abilities and fighting style, and they can be switched among on the fly.
The
combat isn't overly challenging, and serves more as set dressing. The
encounters with police and the Charles Branson lookalike villain serve
to drive home that the protagonists are being hunted.
The demo
ended with a Battletoads-style bike riding segment. It was every bit as
maddening as its source material, but I also wanted to try again and
again with the belief that the next time would be the one that saw me
through to the end.
Crossing Souls is bolstered by its 1980s
aesthetic, and I can't imagine the game would show as well without it.
I'm looking forward to checking out more when it's released next year. -Mike Futter
Enter the Gungeon
Developer: Dodge Roll
Estimated Release: Early 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, Linux
We've
played Enter the Gungeon before (you can read our PAX East preview).
This time, we had a chance to go hands on with a PlayStation 4 build.
The
game controls extremely well on console, with firing and the
all-important dodge roll mapped to R1 and L1 respectively. Refreshing on
the controls was trial by fire, as we were thrown into a new area of
the Gungeon: the catacombs.
There, we encountered new enemies
with new abilities. Large ice blocks slide across the ground to slam
into us, while also shooting out icicles. Horde-type foes crumble, but
have a chance to immediately respawn.
Thankfully, new elemental
weapons can give players an edge. Shooting electrically charged guns
across the water trail left by the giant ice blocks electrifies the wet
ground, for instance.
When the game ships in early 2016, it will
include approximately 10 different areas, 200 guns, and 100 items that
complement the armaments. There will be about a dozen bosses,
mini-bosses, and secret areas to explore. Hidden zones are tough to find
and extremely challenging, with their own enemies that want to fill you
with lead.
Enter the Gungeon is one part roguelite, one part
bullet hell. Thankfully, those two things blend quite well. And if
you're wondering about a Vita release, it's not set in stone, but Dodge
Roll is making every effort to port the game to handheld, also. - Mike Futter
Moon Hunters
Developer: Kitfox Games
Platform: PS4, Vita
Release: Late 2015
Originally launched as a Kickstarter, Moon Hunters is a 1-to-4-player, mythology-building action RPG with roguelike elements. Set in the fantastical version of ancient Mesopotamia, the world is thrown into chaos when the moon suddenly goes missing. In true roguelike fashion, the game only takes a few hours to play through, but will be different every time you start it up. However, your actions leave tiny impacts on the world, so you might encounter people who recall your old hero or whisper legends of your heroism. People will remember if you terrorized them just for fun or if you were noble and helped save them from monsters. At the end of your journey, your hero becomes a constellation in the sky, forever marking your progress in the world. Fortunately, every time you jump back into the game you unlock new character classes, tribes, and environments. Combat plays out in real-time and each hero has their own upgrade tree. An up close fighter class called the Spellblade has a shockwave ability that knocks enemies back. However, his vacuum blade upgrade makes it so he actually draws enemies towards him before stunning them for a few seconds. The Ritualist is a long ranger fighter who shoot energy bullets at foes, and one of her upgrade makes her projectiles pass through multiple foes, so you can line up enemies and whittle down their health in one shot. The game encourages players to work together and coordinate their attacks. This is an intriguing little indie game with some great music and a cool pixel art style. – Ben Reeves
Bedlam
Developer: Skyshine
Platform: PC, Mac
Release: 2015
Centuries from now, civilization has spiraled into a Mad Max-esque wasteland. The last bastion of human civility, known as Astec City, lies to the South, and it's your job to pilot a giant fortress on wheels through the desert and reach this utopia. Unfortunately, the desert is filled with marauders, rogue A.I., and toxic mutants. Based on the Banner Saga engine, Bedlam lets you outfit your mobile fortress with a specialized crew and as many supplies as you can carry before making a run for the border. Throughout your journey you'll encounter various landmarks, eccentric strangers, and rival clans. Some of your interactions with these groups will lead to turn-based strategy battles. There is no turn order during combat, so battles play out more like chess where you can move and attack with any of your characters once per turn. I found this level of strategy refreshing and fun. I liked maneuvering my units so they were out of the opponent's attack range. Bedlam features four different unit types and each have their own specialties and attack ranges. Bedlam looks to offer up a great deal of challenges since there are no game saves and you'll only get one change to get your crew across the wasteland. Fortunately, the game will play out differently each time you sit down to it, so there will be plenty of reasons to keep trying to send your forces through the Bedlam. – Ben Reeves
The Banner Saga 2
Developer: Stoic
Platform: PS4, PC, Vita, iOS, Android
Release: Winter
The first Banner Saga immediately drew me in with it's lush Disney-inspired visuals, and narrative rich viking/fantasy world. The ex-BioWare developers that formed Stoic developed a challenging, yet rewarding top-down strategy game that shouldn't be missed. The sequel looks to continue the first game's epic story about the end of the world and one clans journey to find safety. Like the first game, you'll manage a clan as they make their long journey through a fractured land, making difficult choices and settling disputes among your band. The battles themselves remain deep and challenging, and the combat challenges are more varied than ever before thanks to new units and enemies. Certain objects on the battlefield will offer cover for your units, but these objects can also be destroyed. Like the last game, your units have both health and armor stats, but their health is tied into their strength so as they get wounded they become weaker and begin to feel the exhaustion. Dredge Skullkers are a new enemy unit that look like mutated hounds. They can turn invisible and often hunt in packs and try to surround your characters. Meanwhile, Dredge Direguard are support enemy units that transform the battlefield, buffing their allies and creating traps. Choices you make off the battlefield will often effect your win conditions in combat, so make your choices carefully. Fortunately, you'll have a little bit of time to think about these choices since this second entry in a planned trilogy is planned for a winter release. – Ben Reeves
Chasm
Developer: Discord Games
Platform: PS4, PC
Release: 2015
After a small mining community goes dark, a young soldier named Daltyn is sent to investigate. Unfortunately, Daltyn finds the mines overrun with all sorts of paranormal activity and quickly finds himself trapped in the mines. Chasm is a platformer that takes inspiration from hack 'n slash dungeon crawlers and exploration-based Metroid games. The unique twist here is that the game is procedurally-generated, which makes it different each time you play through. I was initially skeptical about this, but after playing through an early portion of the game, my fears subsided. Each room in the game has been hand-crafted, but the order with which you attack them will get mixed up each time you play the game. However, players can also input a specific seed number into the game before they start if they want to play through the same layout as a friend. The game features six massive areas all filed with their own unique enemies and power ups. Players might not find the same weapons, equipment, or power ups each time they play it, so that will add to the games replayability. After my brief hand on this Chasm, I'm more excited than every for this unique twist of Metroid and Hack 'n Slash titles. – Ben Reeves