For some reason, I was going to give EGX 2022 a miss. I’m not sure why, but my two sons gave me the nudge I needed, and I managed to grab some tickets for Sunday. And I’m glad I went because there were not only some lovely people to meet but also GAMES!
I quite liked EGX 2021. It felt quite intimate and gave the indies the spotlight they deserved. Even though the show had bigger games this year, they still had some amazing indie games to showcase, and I would like to highlight some of those games that I played at the event, which I hope encourages you to keep an eye out for them nearer to their release.
The Last Worker
You are the last worker in a delivery factory, with the mission being to make dreams come true by posting out parcels. You play as Kurt, and you control him in this sit-in machine, which helps him to deliver said parcels from a first-person perspective. one day, Kurt wakes up and realises not all is right, and it’s up to you to struggle through all the machines and automation we take for granted these days to work out what’s happening.
The game is visually beautiful, with its hand-crafted art style shining through its intriguing world. The voice acting was well done, with the voices matching the characters well. The mechanic of sitting in a machine brings a different spin on what you can do while exploring the factory, with a few different functions to use. I enjoyed the demo and am excited to get my hands on the full game when it eventually releases on consoles next year.
The Last Worker website is live for you to check out the trailer and wishlist it on Steam.
Polterguys
This was a great find in the sea of indie games at EGX and one I have to credit to my eldest son with finding. This take on a multiplayer game is genius, where you take control of an ectoey little creature who can possess everyday objects and is being chased by a monster. The aim is simple, to be the last one to not be caught by the monster chasing you. To aid you are a multitude of power-ups, but they also hinder your opponents. Shortcuts and hidey holes are scattered throughout the maps, ranging from the attic to the beach.
We took away some happy memories of playing this, and we both agreed it was a refreshing take on the multiplayer genre and one with which we might not get as angry as some other multi-player games (looking at you Mario Party!). At present, it is only available on Steam. This is certainly one to keep an eye on.
They do have a website but it’s a bit bare right now. Hopefully it will fill up as the launch becomes closer.
Post Void
As soon as you start Post Void, it whacks you in the face like a sack of potatoes with its art style and music. It’s like nothing I’ve played before, and I’m all in. From what I can gather, the basic premise is that you control someone who in one hand is holding a heart and in the other is a gun. In a first-person perspective, you have to roam corridors with the mission to kill enemies within a certain time limit; otherwise, you will die. Because of this, the gameplay demands speed and careful precision. Each playthrough is timed, so you can see if you’re improving by trying different tactics. I died ALOT playing the demo, and I think it will take some time to master, but when you do, it’s going to be a blast!
Take a look at the Super Rare Originals website for trailers and more pictures.
Planet of Lana
I have followed this game since it was announced at 2021’s Summer Game Fest, so to hear it was playable at this year’s EGX made me a very excited man. Planet of Lana is a narrative platform game, very much in the vein of Limbo and Inside, but way more colourful! There’s a whole back story to the game which I won’t get into here, but the basic outline is that you wake up on this beautiful planet and you’re trying to keep it that way against an invasion of robots. What the robots’ intentions are is a complete mystery, which I am sure will be unveiled as the game progresses.
You are joined by a little companion creature called Mui to help you on your journey. It is vital to solve the many puzzles you will come up against. One of the biggest hooks this game has is the ability to control Mui by instructing it to stay where it is or to order it to other areas to complete tasks that you can’t reach.
The visuals of this game are quite incredible, and there were moments when playing the demo where I just stopped to take everything in. This, including the soundtrack, which was very quiet during calm, puzzle-solving areas and stepped up bashfully when the game started getting intense, created this amazing atmosphere while I was playing. I didn’t want the demo to end, but I’ll just have to wait for it to drop onto Gamepass next year.
Check out the website for more gorgeous pictures and trailers.
Wildfrost
Wildfrost is a tactical, roguelike deck-building game that sees you thrust into a land where the sun has frozen over and succumbed to the Wildfrost. It’s up to the residents of the last town standing to battle their way to the sun temple and end the Wildfrost before all living creatures lose the struggle for survival.
Each run sees you choose a tribe leader, who all have different randomised skills and stats, and it’s up to you to protect them so they can reach the sun temple. Of course, they have an
army of enemies to stop you, and it is very important to protect your tribe leaders as if they die, it’s game over. To aid you in your run, you can receive elemental and ally cards to help protect your tribe leader to the end.
Wildfrost is an interesting and intriguing take on a roguelike card game. In between battles, you are presented with a map that allows you to choose the route you want to take, with treasure and shops on the way to bolster your card deck. This is all enveloped in a stunning cartoony, kinda Wargroove-esque graphical style with some of the best music in any of the games I played that day. The demo was a great showcase for the game, and I’m hungry for more.
Wildfrost is due to be released this winter, find out more information on their website.
Honourable Mentions
I would just like to mention a couple of other games that I tried out and enjoyed at EGX, and first up is Sonic Frontiers. I’ve been a massive Sonic fan ever since the release of Sonic 2 and have ridden the rollercoaster that Sega has provided us with the 3D games, so I was apprehensive about starting up the demo. But, from what I played, I walked away somewhat relieved. It came across well, and I’m excited to see where it goes. I still have some uncertainty around the open world, but hopefully, this Breath of the Wild clone will tick most of the boxes.
And the other was Eastward. I have been wanting to play Eastward ever since it first came out, so I was excited to see it was playable here. I really liked this game. It shares a lot of features you would find in a Zelda game, with the main hook being that you control two characters at once, each having their own abilities which you will need to overcome the obstacles that block your path and defeat the many baddies trying to stop you. A big chunk of the demo was an area where the characters got split up, and you had to change between them to unblock each other’s path from across a river.
The interchange between the two was instant and some ingenious ways were used to be able to progress. There are a few other surprising ways to complete these puzzles, and one section at the end of the demo I absolutely loved, with something you certainly wouldn’t see in a Zelda title. The pixel graphics are perfectly done, with some lovely music to match. Everyone who’s involved with Eastward should be proud of their achievements, and I can’t wait to pick up the full game.
There you have it, my picks of EGX 2022, and there were so many more indie games there that deserve your attention, with such imagination and clever ideas on show that it was all a bit overwhelming. I hope to have the chance to play them all one day, but as always, time is always against us gamers. Let us know on socials what your favourite EGX game was!