The Montreal Comiccon features comic books, toys, games, science-fiction, horror, anime, non-sport cards and collectibles.
Montreal Comiccon is also a great gaming event and the Indie Game Zone is a constant highlight with around 30 games featured. While there are many familiar titles that we’ve had a look at already, here are some to catch up with and a few new titles that deserve a look.
King of the Hat (Hyroglyphik Games)
Not the first time (or even the second) that Hygroglyphik Games is at these events. In fact, they have been a guest on Game Warp last year when they launched their Kickstarter for King of the Hat, a 4 person multiplayer experience that takes place in Hatlandia with a cast of creative and unique characters with their perks depending on your gaming style and having new experiences. The devs did mentioned that the release date will be later in 2018.
You can check out our interview with Hyroglyphik Games about King of the Hat HERE.
Trinity (Maelstrom Rabbit)
Trinity is a first person puzzle game which utilizes puzzles in a surrealistic world. From when we saw this game back in March at EGLX, it has been polished with a little more guidance to the experience to help gain a better foundation. You can find more info on Steam.
NITE Team 4 (Alice & Smith)
NITE Team 4 is a military hacking game set in The Black Watchmen universe created by Alice & Smith. In this game, you are an agent in the Network Intelligence & Technical Evaluation Team tasked to build up military hacking skills to solve different missions. Still in development and funded via a Kickstarter campaign a while back, this game brings in an immersive and authentic alternate reality experience.
You can watch our interview with Alice & Smith back when they first launched their Kickstarter for Nite Team 4 HERE.
Sneak In/City Game Studio (Binogure Studio)
Currently out on Android completely for free and ad-free, Sneak In is a tribute to Zuma with slick minimalist art and both an adventure and infinite mode. For those unfamiliar to Zuma, the game idea is a moving match-three game with the goal to match up the colored pieces before it reaches the end. Its addictive can get pretty intense. Sneak In does a great job at replicating this idea while adding their own twists with some different shaped pieces that create their own obstacles.
Binogure Studios also is showcasing their upcoming game, City Game Studio which is a PC management game set for release in October 2018.
The Inner Friend (Playmind)
The Inner Friend is a psychological horror game that follows a little boy as he falls into his childhood nightmares. The game will have 10 levels averaging around 3 hours of gameplay. Last year, we saw the Hair Salon level with a terrifying monster. This show we saw the High School sequence which has a fungi teacher throwing lasers at the kids with a few puzzles to solve. This level was more relaxing and methodical but still very atmospheric. Suffice to say that the contrast of the hair salon and the high school shows the ease Playmind has in creating psychologically atmospheric scenarios.
The Inner Friend will release on PC first and hit Playstation 4 and Xbox One later.
Just Shapes & Beats (Berserk Studio)
Released earlier this year, Just Shapes & Beats is a 1 to 4 online and couch co-op player rhythm game where play as a small colorful speck that has to avoid the dangers crashing towards you in each level paired with fantastically intense music. When in need, your team can revive you. The level restarts at the checkpoint with a few times of death before having to restart the complete level. Challenging, intense great music makes this a fun time with friends. Just like last year, it’s a crowd pleaser at Montreal Comiccon, a perfect setting to gather different people to try out the multiplayer aspect. You can find more info on Just Shapes & Beats on Steam.
Legends of Ethernal (Lucid Dreams Studio)
Currently presenting their pre-alpha build for Legends of Ethernal, this Zelda-inspired 2D action adventure game tells the story of a little boy searching for his parents. The game will have 5 dungeons and 6 bosses to defeat upon completion. Smooth controls and nice art style appeals to a wide audience especially as it tries to find a balance between challenge and delivering narrative. Lucid Dreams Studio plans to release this 2D action adventure game in 2019.
Primus Vita (Epsilon Games)
Primus Vita is an upcoming episodic sci-fi adventure. In the first episode, we follow the character Austin and explore the different areas to piece together clues and mementos to solve puzzles to fill in her story. In the demo build, we heard some good background music and world building simulation as well as quick time event battles. The first episode of Primus Vita is set for release next month on Steam.
MageRift (Wrecko Studios)
MageRift is an upcoming arcade action game. It will have two modes. One side is the adventure of fighting levels and bosses and the second side is to have player created levels. Inspired by the Diablo games, MageRift has easy controls but some tough and challenging battles as it works with swiping to shoot and using three fingers to activate special abilities. It is set for release in September 2018 on the App Store.
Star Renegades (Massive Damage)
Still very early in development, Star Renegades is an upcoming sci-fi squad-based RPG roguelite game. Massive Damage has only started in early 2018. Until now, there is still a lot more of the game to flesh out including the story itself. This pixelated art style paired with its balance of colors and enemy and character designs looks incredible. They hope to release a closed beta later this year and full release for next year.
The Last Aura (Leyline Games)
Set in a dark ruins landscape, The Last Aura is an upcoming action puzzle game where you play as one of the last aura who defeats with their light. Knowing when to shine the light and subdue it is what will be the key to clearing each puzzle. This game is fairly simple however as it is still in development, with some better polished controls, this game could be even more enjoyable.
The Protagonist (3Mind Games)
The Protagonist is a sci-fi tactical turn-based RPG. With an XCOM layout in battle, there are cutscenes and a strong narrative behind this game. You play as a secret agent in a military force called ANGEL who wakes up in the infirmary of an alien ship with no idea how she got there and leaves with the goal to find her memories, fight here way as well as completing the mission that will end in the impending war.
Here are some games that we saw in previous shows and didn’t get to but were at this year’s Indie Game Zone that you can check out on your own.
- The Messenger (Sabotage)
- The Grand Block Odyssey (Oddbreeze)
- Save Your Nuts (Triple Scale Games)
- Gauche Droite Le Manoir (Triple Boris)
- Tiny Derby (Triple Boris)
- Eden Rising: Supremacy (Invizzio)
- Cefore (Pixelz Games)
- The Blobs Fight (SkyPyre Studios)
- Flinthook (Tribute Games)
- Chiaro and the Elixir of Life (Martov Company)
- 0000 (Alvarop Games)
- Spacemen in Space (Greatnest Studio)