Larger than life

There’s something slightly unusual about this month’s Hype crop, although at first glance, you certainly wouldn’t notice it. What is most immediately striking about many of them, after all, is just how sumptuous they look.

Call Of The Sea (p32) pays tribute to a different, less grimdark side of HP Lovecraft’s work. Its chromatic environs are a joy to behold, and that’s the point: Spanish studio Out Of The Blue tell us it wanted to set its narrative mystery in a tropical wonderland that purposefully invites a slower pace of exploration and inspires curiosity – there are secrets aplenty to uncover in Norah’s search for her missing husband.

While Ghostrunner (p36) and Bright Memory: Infinite (p48) take a more photorealistic approach to their art styles, the results are no less breathtaking. The former, a cyborg-ninja-parkour collaboration between One More Level, Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms, tests our graphics card as much as it does our reflexes; the latter, FYQD Studio’s action-RPG that pits technologically advanced supersoldiers against magical ancient warriors, also makes lavish and dramatic use of ray tracing technology.

Here’s the thing: these next-gen contenders are all being made by compact indie teams. Call Of The Sea is the work of only 12 developers; Bright Memory: Infinite, just one. More early signs, then, that even the smallest indies – thanks to a decade of engine advancements, investment from the biggest players and the forthcoming power of the new consoles – will be as capable of creating blockbuster-style spectacle as anybody.

Still, as many of you will know, compelling mechanics tend to sit far above shiny graphics on Edge’s list of desirable game qualities. Patrick’s Parabox (p44) might not be the prettiest game at the party, but this recent IGF winner’s unique Russian doll-style recursive puzzling proves that solo developers don’t necessarily have to sculpt entire civilisations down to the last detail to dazzle.