Each year E3 brings plenty of new games, from the biggest and smallest developers, all at once. As the biggest gaming showcase event of the year, it’s a great opportunity for developers to put eyes on games.E3 2021was a unique opportunity, because all developers big and small were given the same opportunity to show off on mostly equal footing. For instance, whereas the Day of the Devs indie developer event is usually held in an event hall, Double Fine and Iam8bit were able to show off the some of the best indie games at E3, in a complete digital showcase that was accessible to a much wider audience across the world.
This year, thenumber of indie games shownundoubtedly surpassed the AAA titles revealed and showcased. As is usually true, the indie developers brought a wide selection of games that range from standard genres, to the most outlandish and creative ideas ever introduced. The gaming market and new talent entering it has never been bigger, and players will be the ones to reap the rewards. While there were many indie games shown at E3 this year, some held attention more than others.
A Musical Story
A Musical Storyis a rhythm game about a musician named Gabriel’s journey, and the sacrifices he makes along the way. The protagonist has had a terrible accident and must come to terms with what has happened through his memories of his music, and the friends he made during his journey.A Musical Storywill deal withheavy issues such as addictionwhile progressing through the 26 song track list.
Atomic Heart
AtomicHeartis an action-adventure RPGset in a first-person world of Soviet Russia. The player will traverse Facility #3826 in the hopes of eliminating the consequences of a large disaster, before it gets released to the whole world. As a specially trained KGB agent, players will use a variety of weapons, including their own body, to fight against the variety of machines trying to take over the USSR.
Behind the Frame
Studio Ghibli inspired many games shown at this year’s E3, with noticeable example being thenew puzzle gameBehind the Frame.This game combines the best of a beautiful animation style, with the puzzle mechanics of a classic escape room. In these hand-painted sets, the player will live the life of an artist seeking to make it big, while also dealing with all the necessities of every day life.
Death’s Door
Working the standard 9-to-5 can feel like a monotonous task with no end in sight. However, when collecting the souls of the dead, the work is never done.Death’s Doorsees playerstake on the role of a Crow who’s tasked with retrieving a soul that was stolen and taken to a dangerous place. In this adventure, the Crow will have to go to the land of the undying, where many souls have long outgrown their natural constraints. In this Soulslike, the player will have to survive tough combat while learning about this new place.
Fallen Aces
The upcomingFallen Acesis a love letterto the crime noir genre, complete with the style and sound of the era. Players will be tasked with following a non-linear story where they decide how they want each mission to play out. Using a whole array of weapons, from fists to pistols, players will search the seedy criminal underbelly in the action adventure titleFallen Aces.
Lake
Abandoning her busy city job in 1986, Meredith Weiss moves back to her scenic hometown to fill in at her father’s job.Lakeis a mail-delivering narrativeadventure that takes place over two weeks in Providence Oaks, Oregon, where Meredith will interact with the new and old inhabitants. During her time as a mail carrier, Meredith will get closer with the people of her hometown and may even find a romantic interest along the way.
Moonglow Bay
InMoonglow Bay,players will take on the role of a rookie fisherman in charge of their partner’s shop after they passed away. As the heartbroken protagonist, the player will have to catch, cook, and sell their recipes in order to save the business and fulfill their significant other’s dying wish.Moonglow Bayalso offers a fishing twistin drop-in and drop-out local co-op, so players don’t have to embark on the open waters alone.
Phantom Abyss
For fans of the archaeologist experience,Phantom Abysswill let playerschannel their inner Indiana Jones as they journey through procedurally generated temples in a search for an artifact. However,Phantom Abyssisn’t like any of the rogue-like games that have come before it. In this asynchronous multiplayer game, players will only have one opportunity to make it through the temple and collect the artifact, and only one person will be able to successfully claim that specific treasure. All while they explore, they see the ghosts of previous players who have tried and failed before them.
Replaced
Replacedwill see fansplay an artificial intelligence trapped in the body of a human against both of their wills. The game takes advantage of beautiful cinematics and the best of platforming mechanics to deliver a unique experience to players that deals with a society that has fallen apart. This complex and gritty puzzle platformer is a unique cyberpunk adventure that fans of the genre will appreciate.
In the Summer of 1996, a young traveler makes their to the border, and thus freedom, by hitchhiking across the wide open road.Road 96boasts a procedurally generatedjourney that ensures that no two trips to the border are ever the same. There are thousands of choices in where to go in the authoritarian country of Petria, and players will learn all about the exciting places and people who call it their home.
