Never one to waste an opportunity to play video games, I dashed around the show floor during my time at Gamescom LATAM and consumed as many indie games as I could throughout the three day show.
And a lot of what I played was very raw – local Brazilian developers with no publishers pushing their games forward through sheer passion and creativity. That's the beauty of not just video games, but art in general. If your creation connects with even one person, you've achieved something very special, even if it's in the middle of a crowded convention space.
There were a variety of genres represented throughout the show, many of which had a focus on portraying authentic Brazilian culture and history. There is clearly a lot of cultural pride among developers in the country, and their enthusiasm is being rewarded with significant investment from local and national authorities in recent times.
But more than just local developers were there. There were plenty of indie developers making the trip from Japan, eager to find publishers for their upcoming games. Despite the colossal size of the gaming industry in Japan, few developers risk striking out on their own, preferring instead to join one of the country's many giant developers and publishers.
But after trying quite a few games these were the best I played. Mind you, I deliberately avoided some of the biggest offerings like Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, in part because I already sampled them last year at the flagship Gamescom event in Germany.
An honorable mention also goes to an unannounced project from Coffenauts (Spacelines from the Far Out), which was one of the best games I played at the event, but has yet to be officially revealed by the developer.
Talaka
Talaka is a sort of Dead Cells-like roguelite Metroidvania, with fast-paced combat, multiple weapons, and stat-based progression. Movement was silky smooth, with a double jump, mid-air dash, dodge and everything in between.
Its story makes use of Afro-Brazilian myths and legends – in the same vein as Hades, you often talk to these characters as you advance through levels. Meanwhile, the entire game is hand-painted in a watercolor style, giving a fluid feel to the environments that matches the pace of the game.
Developer Potato Kid has put a lot of emphasis on accessibility, which is a rare trait in a genre that often prides itself on being difficult. Talaka will have multiple difficulty levels, and will even suggest the level a player should play from data collected by the game during the first few levels. Talaka is a local take on an established genre and has all the ingredients to succeed.
Rain98
Rain98 is a visual novel by Shibuya-based indie developer C#4R4CT3R. The story revolves around a youth who is transported back in time to 1998, where he encounters an apocalyptic angel determined to bring about the end of the world (of course she is in the guise of a young Japanese woman).
It's 1998, so you can expect CRT televisions, Tamagotchi digital pets and lots of angst. Rain98 has a moody aesthetic, with everything bathed in rain, darkness and neon lights. As is usually the case in these isekai-style visual novels, the player character is quite compliant despite everything going on around them and is more than happy to help bring about the coming apocalypse.
I'm a big fan of the aesthetic, although Rain98's true identity as a romantic story is thinly veiled. This is evident in the interactions between the “tsundere” angel and the player character, her framing in certain panels, and the fetish bait minigame where I was forced to put her long stockings back on. Still, I appreciate the artistry and aesthetics, and I'm sure there are people who will pursue other things as well.
Absolutely not me. I hate anime girl feet. Abominable things!
Moonlight Motel
Moonlight Motel (no Steam page yet) from Black Lantern Collective is an interesting experiment in combining the mundane with the terrifying. Your character is the night porter at a small town motel, responsible for checking in guests, updating registers, making coffee and doing laundry. But there's a conspiracy afoot… and a serial killer is on the loose.
With a constant stream of guests checking in, you must balance the grind of managing a motel with the fairly simple act of solving a mystery and not getting murdered. The 20 minute stretch I played was very tense. Sometimes I wanted to take off my headphones so that my eventual demise would be less terrifying.
There's a Meet the Roottrees to Moonlight Motel section where you spend time on a computer researching the latest murders and conspiracy theories to try and catch the serial killer. This adds another layer of tension, as you're constantly worried about what might be happening off-camera while you're staring at the computer screen. While some of the assets and writing still need work, Moonlight Motel has a lot of potential.
Rogue Reigns
Rogue Reigns from Venn Studios is a dark fantasy, party-based deckbuilder roguelike. This is probably one of the rawest games I played at the show, but I can see the potential when the game has more assets and animations to its name.
You play as an anthropomorphized party of characters that conform to common tabletop classes, such as warrior, rogue, paladin, and so on. You equip these characters with a deck and then use them in turn-based battles à la Slay the Spire.
Rogue Reign's dark fantasy aesthetic is its most compelling feature, with moody lighting and muted backgrounds making every encounter feel like a sad, wet and messy fight to the death.
Venn Studios has a long way to go with Rogue Reigns, but if all goes well, we'll have another deckbuilding roguelike to enjoy for years to come.
- Place
-
São Paulo Expo, Brazil
- Date
-
26–30 June 2024
