Part of the pre-show before the Xbox Games Showcase stream is a reveal of indie games that are coming first to Xbox. These games will debut on the next-gen console and for Xbox exclusively before making it to other platforms.
Shredders, from developer FoamPunch, looks like a snowboarder’s fantasy with a massive mountain range to exploit for big runs in the powder. As its name suggests, the game will be encouraging players to shred—and shred hard.
Last Stop from Variable State will explore a supernatural story from the perspectives of three different characters. A teenager in the middle of a crisis, a middle-aged man with his own inexplicable problems, and a weary female agent with a mark to track down.
The Artful Escape is a psychedelic video game from maybe one of the best-named developers ever—Beethoven & Dinosaur. The most trippy multiverse in the world awaits players as they journey with the young protagonist to forge his onstage persona.
Andrew Shouldice, the developer of Tunic, shares details about his upcoming game that features a furry fox that’s ready for adventure. It looks similar to a Zelda game with its own whimsical visual style and a world that is both beautiful and ripe for exploration.
Lake from Gamius puts players in the shoes—and delivery truck—of a mail carrier in a tranquil setting. It’s a light-hearted narrative that is meant to reveal truths about the characters around the protagonist, and the woman herself. If you want a game with a peaceful pace for these trying times, this looks to be it.
Developer Shedworks has a gorgeous game coming out titled Sable and it looks like the love-child of Star Wars and Journey that we never knew we wanted. The world is alien, but the journey is deeply human. The visual style alone makes me excited for this game.
Song of Iron looks like everything I wish Niffelheim had been. From developer and publisher Escape, it’s a side-scrolling action game that centers on a meaningful story that brings out the best of Nordic setting.
Exo One is one of the most exciting indie games in the showcase for me. It’s a game of movement and exploration as players pilot an alien craft through different worlds. It feels like a fast-moving new take on the galactic exploration that comes to mind when I think of games like No Man’s Sky.
If you haven’t seen any trailers for The Falconeer before, it’s the project of solo developer Tomas Sala and it’s all about aerial combat with, you guessed it, birds. Big birds. If there was a video game about the eagles from Lord of the Rings, I imagine it might look something like this.
Luis Antonio is the creative director and developer for 12 Minutes, and he’s made some remarkably novel. It’s a time-loop game that plays top-down, and it feels like a savage version of Groundhog Day that I absolutely can’t wait to play.
Neon Giant has introduced an action-RPG that takes games like Diablo into a sci-fi future. What’s shown is in-game alpha footage, and I’m very excited to try out this upcoming indie. RPG games like The Ascent were some of my first and favorite games growing up, so this next-gen release has me all jittery in anticipation.
The Big Con from Mighty Yell Studios plays like a ‘90s video game directed by John Hughes, replete with all of the awful fashion that used to roam the streets. A teenage girl must steal, deal, and connive her way to a massive payday in order to save her mother’s business.
Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer’s Legacy is the next project from Ludomotion and its an alluring top-down adventure game that captivates gamers with a world that begs to be explored and enemies that must be defeated. Every game is different for each gamer, so it’s a truly unique experience.
Crash on the couch, grab a friend, and brawl in the alleyways with Mad Streets. Developer Craftshop has thrown in greasers, punks, hoodlums, and all manner of scrappy street fighters into one game. It’s a combination of animation and a fully-fledged physics system for players to prove who’s the best fighter in an absurd fighting game.
What game impressed you the most?
Let us know in the comments and get ready for more next-gen reveals!
