The NEXT Generation
Six exceptional indie games got a very special spotlight this year...
The NEXT Exhibition was a new addition to PAX Australia in 2018. Six games of exceptional merit, but of a kind that the general public tends to overlook, were featured prominently in the main hallway. Chosen from around 100 expressions of interest, this collection was getting due attention as I wandered past. I even had the opportunity to speak with Bradley Hennessey, designer of An Aspie Life, which frames conditions like stress, courage and overwhelm as game mechanics. An Aspie Life is ‘name your own price’ and released. I’ve now told you about it, so there’s no excuse to miss it.
Also unmissable and ‘name your own price’ is Florescer, which follows a few, pivotal days of a girl’s life. It’s light on interactivity, but every detail of the setting is carefully placed; bathrooms, bullies, breakfast. There’s an occasional mini-game, like shooting ducks at the fair. Bia is a confident, typical teenager, but several other characters react uncomfortably to the fact she’s transgender. Her family doesn’t know she’s living as a girl. I played to the end because I was rooting for her. I trusted that everything would work out okay, even if things got rough. They did get rough. But Bia is strong.
Anamorphine also depicts intense emotions. It unfolds as you explore, but chaotically. You get lost in memories and pictures. There’s musical notation on a blackboard, fancy instruments, a completed game of chess, a performance, flowers, cello students... The environment is constantly evolving. I didn’t read the description on the Steam page before I played and this was a good decision. Disorientation is essential to eventually understanding the game’s divergent paths. This is an artistic experience, for people interested in environmental storytelling and progression.
Before I Forget also relies on interacting with your surrounds and I particularly liked having to find my glasses before I could see clearly. A lot of games cast the protagonist with amnesia, probably because it’s a convenient way to incrementally discover aspects of a character’s story alongside them. In this case, I was trying to recall vivid memories of a significant other but kept walking into the same dark closet instead of what I thought could be the bathroom. My character clearly had a form of dementia. I was motivated to discover more about myself, but it’s difficult; appropriately so.
Of course, discovery can be many things and I was very pleased to play the gorgeous She and the Light Bearer as part of NEXT, too. It’s a point and click adventure based on the Indonesian folktale of Ibu Pertiwi. As well as being very open to stories that share culture, I found myself wanting to progress just to see whatever colourful artwork might come next. The puzzles in the demo aren’t tricky, but they felt fresh and fun to figure out. The protagonist is very charming. This is currently pre-release, although it may be released before the end of 2018. It would be a shame to miss.
Boyfriend Dungeon is also currently unreleased and the only game I wasn’t able to play at home. Several people told me they enjoyed how responsive combat feels, however. This is gratifying, given the main hook actually seems to be ‘date your weapons.’
This feature has aimed to bring indies to your attention, including NEXT’s entire, amazing collection. We hope you’ll find and enjoy a few.
An Aspie Life is ‘name your own price’ and released. I’ve now told you about it, so there’s no excuse to miss it.