Choose one of the indie designers / developers and outline why their work and approach is of interest to you.

One indie developer I have enormous respect for is Playdead, both for their outlook on making games but also the sheer quality of their games. I am a huge fan of 2D platformers and I find Limbo and INSIDE to be two of the best, for their incredible atmospheres and attention to detail. INSIDE was in development for six years, a very long time for an indie company to make a game, but it does show. Even the smallest details have thought and time poured into them, especially the sound design; a real human skull was used to create haunting echoes and ambient sounds, and real breathing audio data was used to match the protagonist’s interactive movements to make his character seem more realistic. These considerations add up to make the game experience that much more enjoyable; I really admire that they only released the game when they knew they were fully happy with it. This shows that they like to create experiences that people will enjoy the most, rather than focusing on what could be the most profitable idea.

What do you think could be the most exciting indie projects that are in development?

An indie game I’ve very excited for is The Last Night which is in development by Odd Tales, and slated to release in 2018. The art style looks very impressive, with a combination of 2D pixel art and 3D environments. It is also very reminiscent of Blade Runner, full of neon signs and flying cars. While only a small trailer has been released so far, the unique art style and gorgeous animations sees it as already one of the most ambitious indie games of next year. As far as gameplay goes there isn’t much known about, although from the trailer it seems there could be a lot of interacting with other people. Any game that can show evidence of having fresh and innovative ideas is worthy of being on my watchlist I believe, and this is no exception.

Another indie project I’ve been keeping my eye on is Hello Neighbour, developed by Dynamic Pixels, which comes out of early access in early December and is a stealth horror game centred around trying to break into your neighbour’s house to find out what he’s hiding in his basement. I think the concept sounds intriguing, and from the beta footage I’ve seen it seems like it has a lot of potential, with an advanced AI that counters your moves and evolves based on what you do. It has promised a variety of gameplay too, with many different ways to attempt to break into the house and objects to interact with. Because the developers chose to go down the Early Access route, they have been working closely with the community and have tweaked the game continuously based on feedback. Because of this and positive reception from beta players I think there’s a high chance this could be a great game.

Lucas, D. (2017). The best upcoming Xbox One indie games heading your way. Retrieved from Gamesradar: http://www.gamesradar.com/the-best-upcoming-xbox-one-indie-games-heading-your-way/

Broomhall, J. (2017). Heard About: How Playdead used a real human skull for Inside’s audio. Retrieved from Develop-online:http://www.develop-online.net/interview/heard-about-how-playdead-used-a-real-human-skull-for-inside-s-audio/0209170

Tinybuild. (2017). Hello Neighbour. Retrived from Tinybuild: http://www.tinybuild.com/helloneighbor

Robertson, A. (2017). The Last Night was one of E3’s most dazzling games — and also its most frustrating. Retrieved from The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/16/15802708/the-last-night-hands-on-gamergate-cyberpunk-e3-2017

Image 1: https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/16/15802708/the-last-night-hands-on-gamergate-cyberpunk-e3-2017