From underwater seascapes to the rolling evergreen forests of Yellowstone National Park, the
lineup of upcoming PS4 Indie games are as diverse in their settings as they are in terms
of gameplay, ranging from open-world exploration to sand-box tower defense and strategy.
But what seems to be a common denominator for all the upcoming indie releases is a careful
attention and elegance to artwork � whether its GNOG�s hyper-80�s scheme, or the sharp
anime-esque contours in Banner Saga, there seems to be a general shift in consciousness
around game development.
Artists and developers are beginning to market their games not just as fun or engaging in
terms of characters and plot, but also as works of art.
Something meant to look beautiful.
Let's take a look at the top 10 most anticipated Indie games coming to PS4.
Banner Saga 2 One of the highlights of the previous year
was Banner Saga, a highly-narrative RPG that thrust players into a fantastic land of war
and politics.
The brains behind Stoic Games has returned with Banner Saga 2 which includes a number
of improvements including a heavier focus on inter-game combat.
A number of new units are available for both sides, including fearsome Dredge Skulker hounds
that can turn invisible � each new unit has its strengths and weaknesses, and the
outcome of a skirmish will depend heavily on how well a player utilizes them.
Another element that lingers from the first game is the emphasis placed on in-story decisions
that a player makes.
You never know what the consequences of your choices will be (some of them unbearably tragic),
but more than that you never know to what degree a single decision will affect the whole
plot.
And Stoic Games is pulling no punches in terms of stressing how nuance contributes to every
outcome.
Overall, the game promises to be a shade darker than its predecessor, but relies heavily on
the storyline and climax, taking place right after the events in the first Banner Saga.
As a result, newcomers to the game might find it beneficial to start with the original.
Tomorrow Children If you were looking for a post-apocalyptic
game that challenges a player on a metaphysical and socio-political level, then look no further
than Q Games latest release.
Tomorrow Children takes place in Russia in an alternate timeline circa 1960�s.
An attempt to merge all human consciousness into a singularity has left the population
decimated, and the player is created as a �projection clone� in order to explore
the Void.
Marketed as an open world sandbox game, it combines a slew of genres, including shooting,
resource gathering, world building, and tower defense, just to name a few.
What makes Tomorrow Children stand out though is its surprising graphics and dystopian narrative
� players will have to build their own communities, and protect them from invaders while trying
to rejuvenate human existence.
The Minecraft-esque emphasis on building will appeal to open world gamers, but there�s
something for everyone braided into this gem.
The release is expected for late fall, and it will be exclusive to the PS4.
Hellblade Hellblade is developed by Ninja Theory and
is a console exclusive for the PS4.
Ninja Theory is known for high octane actions games such as DmC and Heavenly Sword.
The story is based on Celtic myth and is focused on the protagonist Senua as she embarks on
a very personal journey through a hellish underworld.
The game is being branded as an independent triple A game.
Which means it will be developed and published independetly but with the quality and production
value of a triple A game.
This is because they want the game to be unique and take risks unlike most triple A published
games.
The combat is described as brutal and uncompromising as the developers has learned how to make
high impact action over the last few games.
Everybody's Gone To Rapture Everybody�s Gone to the Rapture tells the
story of the inhabitants of a remote English valley who are caught up in world-shattering
events beyond their control or understanding.
Made by The Chinese Room � the studio responsible for the hauntingly beautiful Dear Esther � this
tale of how people respond in the face of grave adversity is a non-linear, open-world
experience that pushes innovative interactive storytelling to the next level.
Over the course of the game, the player slowly pieces together the fate of the valley from
the fragmentary memories of the people who made it their home.
By finding and interacting with the traces of these lost lives, the player gradually
learns about the stories and relationships of the inhabitants � how they lived, and
how they died.
All this is accomplished through revolutionary environmental storytelling � what you see
and hear in Rapture is just as important as what you do.
Abzu Another unique game on the horizon, both in
terms of art and content, is Abzu.
Translated as �to know water�, the game is a collaboration between Giant Squid and
505 Games under the coordination of Matt Nava who is best known for his work on the award
winning Flower and Journey.
Abzu takes players into an underwater world inhabited by beautifully rendered fish and
unbelievably expansive in terms of its landscape.
Like all water-world based games, the ability to move in three dimensions offers players
an unrestricted vantage as they explore through a variety of different underwater landscapes,
including sunken eerie forests and deep jagged canyons.
From the screenshots and trailer, the game promises to be more than just eye-candy.
Tt also acts as a metaphor for her exploring her own subconscious, diving into the deepest
depths of the ocean.
Or, as the overarching mythology of Abzu would have us believe, one�s own mind.
Firewatch In keeping with novel game concepts, Campo
Santa�s Firewatch takes players somewhere I�ve never seen a game go � into a fire
lookout in the Shoshone National Forest deep in the heart of Yellowstone.
The historical background heralds back to the 1988 wildfires that tore through the park,
and the player takes on the role of Henry.
The gameplay involves exploring the surrounding wilderness in an attempt to dredge up clues
about the ransacking of your fire lookout tower while out on patrol.
As much as this is an adventure and mystery game, it is also very much a personal exploration
of solitude, and the importance of human interconnectivity.
The only other person available to interact with is Henry�s supervisor, a woman named
Delilah, who can only be reached by walkie-talkie.
The choices and decisions a player makes � both in terms of how he chooses to reply to Delilah,
or whether he ignores her entirely � will determine how their relationship plays out.
The longer you are isolated in the forest, and the more clues that are brought to light,
this tenuous connection to the outside world will start to take on an inflated importance.
As a social experiment, Firewatch is unprecedented in terms of launching a player into one of
the most beautiful � but also most perilous � wildernesses on the planet.
During E3, the lead game artist confirmed that they would be releasing it exclusively
for console and PS4, but have yet to set an actual date.
The Witness The Witness is a puzzle adventure game, experienced
in the first-person view.
The player, as an unnamed character, finds himself on an island with numerous structures
and natural formations.
The island is divided into ten sections arranged around a mountain that represents the ultimate
goal for the player.
Within each section, the player will encounter numerous puzzles, and once the player has
completed all puzzles in a section, a gold turret will emerge from around that section
and shine a light towards the mountain.
The player needs to complete seven of the ten sections to be able to access the puzzles
within the mountain and complete the game.
The puzzles within each section are based on a similar theme, with early puzzles in
the sections designed to help the player identify the theme and understand how to solve the
later puzzles.
All puzzles are based on a mechanic of tracing a path through a maze-like route; the goal
of these puzzles is not always to simply complete the maze but to find the right path of several
that completes the puzzle correctly.
GNOG One of the more unique looking games slated
for 2016 is the neon-pastel colored GNOG.
The Canadian team behind its production, Ko-op Mode, are known for their somewhat eccentric
takes on reinventing gameplay.
GNOG features a host of monstrous heads, each of them distinct in terms of artwork and style.
Almost as if the creators have taken everyday objects like stereos or fireplaces and infused
them with life.
But the alien-robot-looking heads are in fact the basis of the game, each acting as a kind
of puzzle that requires a player to interact with it by pulling, prodding, and clicking
on active parts � but how the puzzle is solved, and how it is interconnected to other
puzzles, is never explicit.
There is very much a trial and error mentality tied up in the gameplay, in the same tradition
as Limbo where the nature of the game can only be perceived by actually playing it and
seeing where you end up.
Explains Ko-op�s Saleem Dabbous, �playing the game is like discovering a weird toy you�ve
never experienced.
You mess around with it at first and figure out what it�s about, then you try to solve
the puzzle.� Visually, there is a toy-like sensibility to GNOG, with its technicolor
layout and many moving pieces � but underneath, the intricate and mind-bending puzzles promise
to be an exciting challenge for all ages.
Rime Rime is an open world adventure game with
huge breath-taking environments.
Rime stars a young boy who must use his wits and ingenuity to survive and escape from a
mysterious island and a terrible curse.
The game has a strong emphasis on puzzle solving using the help of a mysterious artifact that
is used to manipulate the environment and time.
The game will take advantage of PS4 exclusive features on the controller through sound,
light, and touch.
No Man's Sky No Man�s Sky is a game about exploration
and survival in an infinite procedurally generated galaxy.
You can fly seamlessly from the surface of a planet to another, and every star in the
sky is a sun that you can visit.
Where you�ll go and how fast you�ll make your way through this universe is up to you.
It�s yours for the taking.
Explore uncharted solar systems and catalogue unique new forms of life.
Every planet�s landscape is different from the next, and populated by species never before
encountered.
Find ancient artifacts that could reveal the secrets behind the universe.
Every solar system, planet, ocean and cave is filled with danger, and you are vulnerable.
Your ship and suit are fragile, and every encounter can test your skills to the limit.
From dogfighting in space to firstperson combat on a planet�s surface, you will face foes
ready to overwhelm you.