Top 4 Indie Games on Kickstarter - August 2015

An underwater vehicle shooter packed with submarine battles isn’t the genre of game you see getting published every day. In fact, there probably hasn’t been one since the last Aquanox in 2003. And so, it’s rather apt time that Aquanox bubble back up to the surface. With this new instalment in the series, Deep Descent there are three things that really appeal. First, the action involves on the original. A variety of weapons like torps and mines is paired with deep sea pressure and currents that affect vehicle handling. Secondly, the world is rich and so much affects it. There’s a layered ecosystem, characters whose personal problems affect the narrative, and political and economic consequences for this dystopia under the sea. Lastly, multiplayer presents many options including drop in co-op. If you like water, and guns and vehicles, chances are you’ll like Aquanox. I’m on a boat, its pure chaos and its name is Blackwake. It’s a team-based FPS, set amidst 18th century naval battles. This requires a lot of co-operation, not only do you have to gun down the enemy ship, but also keep yours afloat. This means roles. Jobs include pumping water out of the ship, putting out fires, repairing sails and loading the cannons. But as much as this may seem like a game that needs perfect team harmony, it can also lend itself to stupidly crazy situations. If sabotage may tempt anyone, there’s the always solid option of whacking a teammates skull off with a cannonball. Blackwake, it’s the Guns of Icarus of the sea. Everyone seems to be in love with No Man’s Sky, the game that promises infinite exploration, but is yet to come out. We raise this because on first inspection Everspace looks like it has been highly influenced by No Man’s Sky; the cockpit view, open space and rogue-like elements are all eerily similar. However, to be fair to developers Rockfish Games, they’ve been making the popular mobile series Galaxy on Fire for the last few years. Everspace is their chance to bring their game onto PC and possibly other traditional platforms. The pitch is intuitive action and non-linear storytelling wrapped up in gorgeous graphics. What we really like is that you can customise the look and improve the starting abilities of your ship before every new run. It’s a visual treat and it keeps the game fresh. If you ever wanted to explore space, Everspace is a good virtual start. Eco is Minecraft with a greater environmental and community conscious. Players inhabit a world together. As a group they must survive and aim to build a civilisation. This includes the building of cities and player-run governments and economic systems. In this way the game channels EVE online. The problem with civilisations is that they require food and shelter; resources that are finite. Resources will run out in Eco’s world, and even more than that every change to the environment messes with the ecosystem. Mining for the minerals to build a home can cause surface runoff, which can then pollute and limit the water supply. This may encourage a slower progression, but then the question arises that if the civilisation was more advanced it may have access to technology to prevent natural disasters. In the end, not only do you need to survive, but so do the players as a group and the world itself. Eco’s a great reflection on the role of humans in the ecosystems and a potentially great tool to test our decision making and collaboration. Thanks for watching my name’s Laurence, and my name’s Josh; we’ll see you next time here on Indieformer.