Last Wednesday night, myself and the rest of the MonsterVine team attended the Asian Game Showcase. On display were some of the most interesting and most unique games at GDC, from cyberpunk-fantasy, visual novels to rhythm-based action games. Here are the games that most piqued my interest:
The Good Life (White Owls Inc., Swery)
You may know Swery (whose real name is Hidetaka Suehiro) as the man behind eccentric games like Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die. He makes strange but endlessly captivating stuff, and my short time with The Good Life has convinced me that it will continue on with this tradition.
In The Good Life, you play as Naomi, a young journalist who moves to the small British town of Rainy Woods to pay off a large debt. As I roamed the demo area of Rainy Woods, I was given side-missions by quirky NPCs. These missions would have me taking photos of cars, buildings, and people, for reasons ranging from nostalgia to what is essentially blackmail. It’s all in good fun though, as the wacky characters would strike up some fun banter with the ever-cynical Naomi as they bragged or complained about their peculiar lives. I didn’t see much of The Good Life, but I like how weird and charming everything I played is.
No Straight Roads (Metronomic)
Directed by Wan Hazmer (the lead game designer of Final Fantasy XV), No Straight Roads is a colorful music-based action game that blends a Psychonauts-esque aesthetic with the rhythmic style of Jet Set Radio. The demo for No Straight Roads lets you swap between two characters: a female guitar player or a male drummer, both with their own unique rhythm-based skills and abilities. I was up against a young piano prodigy who has some of the most adorable voice-acting on the planet, and her terrifying monster-mom who wants nothing more than to let her daughter finish her piano recital.
Gameplay-wise, the battle against the pianist and her mother went through a number of different phases. Sometimes I’d be dodging projectiles that shot out to the beat of the current piano track, while the next minute I was shooting music notes at the strings that suspended her in the air. Then I’d be whacking away at her mom’s massive arm with my guitar or drumsticks. The gameplay of No Straight Roads feels nice and smooth, just like its music. Keep an eye on this one if you’re looking for something creative and catchy as hell.
Yet Another Exhausting Day (Candleman Games)
Yet Another Exhausting Day is an incredibly simple game. You play as, assumedly, a tired guy who just had his titular exhausting day. Perpetually slumped on the floor, you have to drag yourself across the ground to spell words and solve puzzles. Sometimes you have to slam your head into the floor, other times you have to roll around somewhat quickly. There’s not a lot to say about this one, except that it’s as charming as it is simplistic.
And those were some of the games that I enjoyed most at the Asian Games Showcase. Which of these titles are you looking forward to? Leave a comment below, and stay tuned to MonsterVine for more GDC content.
