EGX Rezzed 2018 – Day Two
My first appointment of Rezzed day two was with Midnight Hub’s Lake Ridden. I had previously played the 2017 demo at EGX in Birmingham but I was thoroughly excited to see what updates and extras had been added to the story. I was also lucky enough to interview Midnight Hub co-founder Erik Nilssson, that interview you can read here. The exclusive press pass demo featured advanced puzzle solving in an attic just over a quarter into Lake Ridden. The demo heavily relies on the interaction with items in your environment and whilst the riddles are hard to solve the mystery surrounding the game and your sister’s disappearance is more than gripping enough to keep you playing. Lake Ridden will be coming to Steam in May so its not too much longer before the Lake’s secrets are revealed.
Next I wandered over to ID@Xbox to play Capybara Games’ indie title, Below. Below is my type of game, with a dark 2D game design and lightly cell shaded environments reminiscent of INSIDE and LIMBO. Capybara Games describe Below as an ‘action adventure game with the focus on exploration and survival.’ The demo starts with a tiny warrior washed up on an abandoned island. Exploring this grassy expanse leads him into a cave full of enemies. Although combat in Below isn’t tricky (the protagonist is equipped with a sword and a shield from the off) the game includes ‘permadeath’ meaning that there is always the fear of starting all over again.
After playing Below I was drawn to Morkredd in the Indie Basement. This minimalist indie (playable on the Switch) caught my eye due to its black and white environmental design. Morkredd started its life as a one week gamejam creation by developers Hyper Games, and since then it’s been extended to a full game. Situated in a world where stepping into the shadows will instantly kill you, the player must follow an orb of light through a deteriorating world, the darkness is so dangerous that even stepping in the shadow of another player will kill you instantly. This short game is extremely entertaining and requires quick thinking to keep your shadowy protagonist alive.
The next game I played was Iconoclasts. Although already released on PlayStation and Xbox, I had the chance to play this game on the Nintendo Switch. Iconoclasts is a 2D platformer game with a bright and bold retro style, and it runs smoothly and looks beautiful on Nintendo’s console. In the demo you play as Robin, a mechanic who can use her tools to manipulate the environment. The game focuses predominantly on boss fights and I’ve been told that there is over twenty boss fights to battle your way through. I’m happy to report that the controls were smooth and easy to operate, and the platforming sections were fun to play through and totally addictive.
Lastly I was eager to attend one of the Rezzed Sessions. My attention was drawn to the 2.30 slot titled: The Making of Night in the Woods. Interviewed in this session was the co-creator, coder and composer of the game Alec Holowka and Adam Saltsman, an indie game developer. This chat was incredibly informative with inspirations behind key moments of the game being revealed. There was also a fascinating discussion on how and why mental health issues were depicted in the game, and how running a gaming Kick Starter campaign works. I’m yet to play this game but rest assured I’ll be doing so soon!
So, there’s only one day left of EGX Rezzed 2018, still hundreds of games to cover and I’ll do my best to provide a further recap for you this tomorrow night!
My EGX day one coverage here.