BitSummit 2021 is finally here and it’s gathered plenty of great creations despite being a smaller affair this year. For those not already in the know, BitSummit is a convention meant especially for independent game makers. While there are recognizable publishing umbrellas like Devolver Digital present, most of what one finds here are virtually unknown titles from much smaller operations. It’s kind of a shame that these games aren’t more widely known because they’ve all been a blast to try. Here are a few of the highlights from the show floor:
Ex-Zodiac
Rail-Shooters as a genre haven’t seen a great deal of attention in the recent years and that’s a shame since it turns out that these games can still be a ton of fun if made properly. Ex-Zodiac serves as an excellent reminder of this, leaving one wishing it were coming out sooner rather than later. As for what exactly it brings to the table, Ex-Zodiac features both 90s nostalgia and modern power.
For those that have either played or at least watched the likes of Star Fox or Space Harrier, Ex-Zodiac will be immediately familiar. It plays similarly to those games, and its low-poly, low-res aesthestic screams “Star Fox;” there are other similarities too such as flying into power-ups and such. The difference lies in the modern technology powering Ex-Zodiac.
This game is smooth, wonderfully smooth. There wasn’t a single noticeable dip from the 60fps framerate over the course of the demo and the ship controls like a dream. No lag was felt, and no hit felt like a cheap shot. Honestly, this sort of tight, responsive control is hard to come by even in AAA games. As for story, the pilot of the ship is known as “Kyuu” and she’s the Sanzaru system’s last best hope of defeating the evil, intergalactic “Zodiac” terror organization. This combined with the gameplay, classic look, nostalgic sound effects and music made Ex-Zodiac and immediate standout at the exhibition. The full release won't be out until 2022, but there is already a demo on the Steam page. Why not give it a whirl?
Dungeon and Gravestone
As the name of this one might imply, Dungeon and Gravestone is a dungeon-crawler with roguelite elements. Players enter its world as a newly-resurrected spirit and must somehow make it all the way through the dungeon at the edge of town and rescue the princess who summoned them. Sounds simple enough, but one mustn’t forget those roguelite elements. It’s not going to be a matter of simply blasting through the dungeon in one go; ya gotta build up some power and equipment first.
Players only have a limited for each run in the dungeon, meaning they need to get in and out before time runs out. If they don’t, the curse of the dungeon will overcome them and they will die (again), leaving all of their gains behind. Make it out in one piece though, and one can upgrade their character with new equipment or abilities and get more money by turning-in quests.
The dungeon is at least partially procedurally generated, so each run will likely feel different. Aside from this, the main draw of Dungeon and Gravestone is its blocky art style reminiscent of Minecraft and 3D Dot Game Heroes. It might not sound like much, but it truly does succeed in elevating the experience and increasing the fun factor somewhat. Dungeon and Gravestone is available now on Steam, Switch, PS and Xbox, so make sure to take a look at it sometime.
CHOOSE
CHOOSE is a unique puzzle game wherein the player must move both their character and the level itself around in order to reach the goal. Players experience the game as a little mouse that absolutely loves apples. The problem is they’re difficult to get to. Every stage takes place on an infinite loop, so it’s not enough to just keep walking and jumping. That’s okay though, because the player can take their segment of the stage and change its position among the others. Further, it becomes inverted relative to the rest if they cycle it all the way through the loop. So, the key is to shift around the sections in a way that allows the mouse to just walk right up to the apple and take it.
This is easy at first, but as one might expect, it doesn’t stay that way. CHOOSE wastes little time in getting mind-bendy, introducing gravity puzzles within the infinite loop. It also doesn’t take all that long to get used to CHOOSE’s twisty rules, however, and the challenge is genuinely interesting rather than frustrating. It's going to be a while before this one is available, but puzzle-lovers should keep an eye on it nonetheless.
Bonus: Star Chaser in Sea World
This one is another puzzle game, but it’s the bite-sized kind that can be played while riding the train or bus on the way home from work. The goal is simple: line up all of a level’s green stars in a way that allows them to all be hit with a single shot. Said shot can be bounced off of multiple surfaces, so it’s all about figuring out just the right place to fire at and predicting exactly where it’ll go. Star Chaser in Sea World is actually already available for Android, iOS and PC via Steam, and it sells for about $.99.
If any of these managed to inspire interest, make sure to check them out properly and give the creators some support. As mentioned above, though, BitSummit is full of excellent little projects like these, so make sure to stay tuned for more in the coming days.