By Amanda
PAX Prime featured over 120 exhibitors, 80 different games, and an impressive amount of independent developers in the Indie Megabooth. The PAX 10 already votes for their own top games and developers, so we thought we’d give you some of our personal favorites. (There were awesome games released by the major gaming corporations that we’re looking forward to, but they don’t need our attention to make a dollar.)
1. Universe Sandbox2: The game caught my eye on Friday, and I knew I’d be making my way back for a second look. Basically, this is the game we all loved as kids where we’d build different bridges, trains, or other worlds and watched them boom, pow, and explode. Take those games and multiply them by killer graphics and scientifically-correct models for planetary motion, climate, and gravity and you get Universe Sandbox2. You can test our solar system or create your own. While there wasn’t a demo, the creators ran simulations: for example, if the Earth moved closer or further from our sun or what happens to a comet near Mars. Actual astronomers and climatologists helped with the creation of this game, which made it my favorite. You can learn as much or as little as you want from this game, which makes it a versatile educational tool or entertaining purchase. For Windows, Mac, and Linux.
The Alpha is available on Steam for $24.99, but find out more at: http://universesandbox.com/
The Alpha is available on Steam for $24.99, but find out more at: http://universesandbox.com/
2. Salt and Sanctuary: This game is a 2D RPG in which you fight your way through graveyards and dungeons. What first drew me to this game was the look—it looks like the black-and-white version of Child of Light. Most of the game is dark and creepy, with spots of light and color from torches. In the demo, you begin choosing your player class of the usual fighter, rogue, mage, etc. and equip classic dungeon explorer items. Salt and Sanctuary is an ideal game for Dungeons and Dragons fans. My only complaint with the gameplay is that the controls are not your typical X select/fight, ∆ select, and so forth, which made it more difficult to immediately immerse myself in the world. This obstacle is easily overcome, but will make initial gameplay seem slow. For Playstation 4 and PS Vita.
Salt and Sanctuary will be available in 2015: http://ska-studios.com/2014/08/28/salt-and-sanctuary/
Salt and Sanctuary will be available in 2015: http://ska-studios.com/2014/08/28/salt-and-sanctuary/
3. Moon Hunters: This 1-4 player game from Kitfox Games follows a pixelated group of explorers in a randomly generated world. The moon has disappeared and it is the player’s job to figure out what happened. What is neat about Moon Hunters though is its emphasis on storytelling and mythology. The game builds on how the player(s) interact with the world (does anyone detect a D&D theme going on here???). Your character develops as a bold warrior or the sly occultist, which determines what constellation you become at the end of the game. Since it’s already been funded, there is no suspense in waiting to see if it will be a reality—I’m super excited for the playable class Songweaver, a bard-mage hybrid—but it still needs support to bring it to even more platforms. For PC and Playstation 4 in Summer 2015.
For more information on the game, visit: http://www.moonhuntersgame.com/
To back the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kitfoxgames/moon-hunters-a-myth-weaving-rpg
For more information on the game, visit: http://www.moonhuntersgame.com/
To back the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kitfoxgames/moon-hunters-a-myth-weaving-rpg