One thing that I’ve really enjoyed about this blog is that it has pushed me to go past my comfort zone on several occasions. While I’m open to almost any genre out there, I’ve played enough video games over the years where I can usually tell if I’m not going to like a game. Even if I see tons of good reviews coming in, I’ll still be confident that it isn’t for me.
This is exactly what happened for me with Death Stranding. I passed on it when it first came out because I didn’t like almost anything I saw from it.
Finally, the blog inspired me to try it with the sequel on the way. After some shaky moments, it finally clicked for me, and now I consider it to be a top 50 type of game for me. It doesn’t always work that way when I step out of my usual wheelhouse, but it’s an amazing feeling when a game truly defies your expectations.
I had similar feelings to that while watching the recent Six One Indie Showcase. I love indie games. I’d say I even really love some very fringe ones that have not gotten much popular acclaim (I need more of you to play Astral Ascent). But I would also say that I probably lean in some very specific directions when it comes to indie games that catch my eye. I guess I probably like the more “normie” indie games if that makes sense. I don’t tend to get drawn in by indies that are more weird or wacky. Those aren’t bad words at all, just not high on my usual taste profile. I also don’t tend to get drawn in by horror unless it’s survival horror.
The Six One Indie Showcase showed off an amazing 48 different video games during its show last week. And a lot of those games fit in one of those two buckets that don’t usually appeal to me as much.
With Death Stranding 2 on the way next week, and with it currently being my most anticipated video game by a mile, it feels like an appropriate time to take some chances. As I watched this showcase, I saw a lot of games that I might not usually play. But I also saw a lot of passion, creativity, and risk-taking. I think it’s important for the medium that we try and reward that kind of mentality, even if it doesn’t always work for us. So that’s what I want to do. And it’s not all charity. Sometimes, it will more than work for us and become one of our favorite games ever. And sometimes, it’ll change a genre or even gaming as a whole, forever.
Here are the ten games from the showcase that I came away the most impressed with. A few of these are definitely in my usual wheelhouse, and a few are not. I am excited to watch any future Six One Indie Showcase after this one, as it was really cool.
10. Scratch The Cat
Scratch the Cat isn’t fully my type of game. I’m not huge on 3D platformer collectathon type games unless they are absolutely at the top of the genre. But Scratch The Cat blending musical elements with the gameplay and level design seemed like an interesting enough hook for me.
But more than anything, I actually got even more sold on the game from the “meet the team” feature after the gameplay trailer. I’m a huge fan of the Xbox Developer Direct showcases because seeing the people making the game talk about it tends to sell me on games almost as much as any gameplay. Seeing them in their workplace somehow makes it hit even harder as well. I loved the team’s passion, and there were actually a few more gameplay clips shown during that segment that sold me even more on this one.
Once again, this is not a game that would usually be super on my radar, but this trailer made it where I might very well give it a shot.
9. Inkshade
There was a whole lot going on here. This appears to be a tactical board game roguelite type of game. But there was a lot more that had me not quite sure how this one would work.
First off, the board game aesthetic and the way the pieces moved and attacked was just really cool. I love the art style here, and the turn based gameplay seemed like it had quite a bit of depth. It feels like the environments are really going to alter how much battle goes.
Then, the game showed off some roguelite esque decision trails. It also showed off some gameplay outside of the board game stuff. The stuff outside of the board game and the general atmosphere gave me some Inscyrption vibes. I’m not quite sure what to fully expect here, but I’m excited to find out more.
8. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
This is an indie game that has gotten a lot of attention in the past year. MOUSE is an FPS with a retro black and white cartoon aesthetic. It basically seems like the Cuphead of FPS.
Yet, I found myself not sold at all on some of those early trailers. Yes, the visuals and animations looked awesome, but the actual gunplay seemed kind of weak to me. Characters didn’t seem to be responding to hits in satisfying ways, and the gameplay seemed a bit stiff.
This trailer is where I actually find myself believing in the game a little more. Simply, having an FPS with this kind of look but all vanilla guns would have been silly. It turns out that the game is actually going to lean in on more wacky guns, too. This trailer showcased a mind control gun, a freeze gun, and a gooey poison gun of some sort. This just seemed to fit way better, and the guns all had very noticeable visual effects on the enemies as well. Bringing me over from a doubter to mildly interested was a big win for this trailer.
7. Away From Home
This game looks absolutely wild. Many portions of the trailer make this look like a mostly light-hearted game with what looks like a rhythm battle system and some RPG mechanics as well.
But then it spots, it randomly gets extremely creepy looking. The game reveals an October 22nd release date, so obviously, this one is likely going pretty hard on those horror elements. It seems like Away From Home is trying to really thread the needle by blending some disparate moods and gameplay elements. It could be tricky to pull off, but at the very least, it caught my interest.
6. Kabuto Park
This one comes out in only a few days. Kabuto Park looks really chill and charming. This is a game where you collect bugs and battle them in a tournament. So yeah, it’s a Pokémon adjacent game with bugs.
The difference is that collecting bugs seems pretty easy and not super intense. And while the trailer only shows a bit of the battle system, it actually looks kind of cool, with a card system that seems to be attached to it. I have not particularly enjoyed Pokémon games for quite a while as those games continue to only evolve in the most meager of ways, so I’m always eager for a fix of that kind of gameplay but in different or more interesting ways. Kabuto Park’s card battle system and how easy it seems to be to pick up and play are both really appealing looking elements.
5. Quite A Ride
I’m not usually super into horror games, but there was a lot to like here.
First off, the game manages to look really eerie but gorgeous as well. There’s an interesting juxtaposition of riding a bike, which is usually a more carefree and fun thing, and the horror elements here. Riding the bike looks fun, and I liked how they threw some challenges like balancing on a beam and avoiding monsters to keep it interesting. The atmosphere looks excellent, and there seemed to be a few other intriguing looking gameplay elements as well. I had a lot of questions after this trailer, but it also had me thinking that this is a horror game that I actually want to experience. That’s not easy to do, and thus, it’s a big win for the trailer.
4. Petal Runner
This game is absolutely dripping with charm and style. Petal Runner advertises itself as a love letter to Game Boy Color RPGs, which absolutely gets my attention as someone who grew up in that era. I didn’t really see tons of the RPG elements, but it seemed really cute and relaxing either way. The trailer shows off a few different gameplay mechanics, but more than anything, it just nails the look, music, and atmosphere from that time. If this brings the nostalgia but also has modern sensibilities, this could be a big hit with him. I’m looking forward to learning a little more about this one.
3. Rue Valley
Back when I was in college and was dealing with a whole lot, I ended up seeing a counselor for several months. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and frankly, I’m not sure if the counseling helped me all that much in the moment. But over time, the things I learned have really helped me even today. The most important thing I learned is that there is a reason why you make almost every decision that you make in life. The biggest key to making changes is to understand why it is that you do that thing that you seem to do by instinct.
Rue Valley caught my interest by being exactly in line with this when talking about the human mind. But from there, there seems to be an interesting video game in there, too. RPG elements seem to be more associated with personality traits and the mind instead of enhancing things like your strength or dexterity. And it seems like the “combat” is more in conversations and decision-making. Basically, this looked like a game that is at least somewhat inspired by Disco Elysium. Even the art style has some of those vibes.
As popular and as well loved as Disco Elysium is, it’s not a game I cite very often as an inspiration for other stuff. Invoking that game will inevitably get people’s attention. And seeing those vibes here certainly got mine.
2. Artis Impact
This game is striking. This appears to be a turn-based RPG of some sort with lovely pixel art, great music, and really striking animations. The cutscenes and world map mechanics also look really unique and cool. It was tough to parse out too much about what the game is actually like. I didn’t get a great sense if the focus was going to be more on the combat, the story, or if it was gunning to be great at both. The trailer does a weirdly remarkable job of grabbing my interest yet not really telling me anything. But more often than not, when an indie game is this good-looking, they usually have some juice in other ways, too. I’m fascinated to learn more about this one.
1. Anatine
This trailer ruled. It managed to be both cute and badass and showed off some really solid looking gameplay. Anatine appears to be a Metroidvania where you play as a duck with a sword and some musical abilities. Fittingly, the music in the trailer also absolutely cooked.
The combat and platforming both looked pretty crisp to me. The trailer showcases several deaths to hint that this one won’t necessarily be easy, and I’m good with that as well.
The only thing that left me mildly skeptical is how well playing different songs in the middle of combat might work, but based on everything I saw here, I think this developer has things under control, I’m really excited to get my hands on this one.
Big Nerd Gaming 
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