KeenGamer’s Top Picks from Rezzed 2018

This is KeenGamer’s selected highlights from EGX Rezzed 2018 which showcased a colossal variety of indie and experimental games. This year-round up features Lovecraftian flooded cities, solving puzzles through haikus, a completely hand-crafted universe, intense chats with your frontal lobe and an adorable double-ended dog.

KeenGamer’s Top Picks from Rezzed 2018
EGX Rezzed gives an opportunity from players and developers to have a dialogue together, playing a game that you really enjoyed and then talking to the talented developer who created it is something special. This year’s Rezzed had over a hundred games on show; from big industry publishers to small indie devs, there was Leftfield’s pocket-sized showcase and Rock, Paper Shotgun’s experimental hardware games, this year’s Rezzed was a variety of all types of indie games. I have picked out a handful of games from Rezzed that are a mix of both popular and personal favourites of mine. I’ve written a small description and included all the links I can find to each game. Let’s go!

Disco Elysium

Let’s start off the list with the game that everyone is talking about from Rezzed: Disco Elysium created by ZA/UM is an isometric RPG were you play as a disgraced lieutenant detective who lives in a city riddled with corruption and murder. What captivating about the game is that you have conversations with parts of your brain, giving voices to your perception, feelings, doubts, and memories. These conversations help shape what kind of cop you become, good or bad. The demo featured a heated, intense conversation with your brain deciding whether to get up out of bed or ‘sleep forever’. This game was the talk of Rezzed for a reason, make sure you keep an eye on this one. Disco Elysium has pages both on Steam and Humble so wish-list it to support the game.

Lake Ridden

Lake Ridden is a story-driven puzzle game with mysterious and supernatural features. Originally designed as a horror game, Lake Ridden has some hauntingly gorgeous visuals as a backdrop to its story. You play as a young girl who has to find her lost sister in a creepy woodland, you must solve puzzles and uncover the true story here in order to find her safely. Lake Ridden in due to release in May this year and is available to wishlist on Steam now.

.KeenGamer’s Top Picks from Rezzed 2018. Lake Ridden

Shift Quantum

Shift Quantum is a cyber-noir puzzle platformer where the player must shift the environment to solve level based puzzles in a mechanic called ‘shifting’. In Shift Quantum you play as an avatar who is trying to solve the mental maze that is your own mind. In the game’s universe Shift Quantum is a game made by Axon Vertigo and is designed to make the player smarter after each session. I like the story that’s behind this game and it sounds a little fourth wall break-y so be sure to check it out on Steam when it releases later this year.

Haiku Adventure

Haiku Adventure is a point-and-click puzzle game made by Small Island Games that was inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock landscape prints and haiku poetry. It’s a gorgeous looking game that has the player solve environmental puzzles by discovering poetry lines to create haikus. The game features elements of Japanese myths, magical realism, and a calming soundtrack. Haiku Adventure is in early development so you should follow the team on twitter its see its development progress.

KeenGamer’s Top Picks from Rezzed 2018. Haiku Adventure

Wobble Garden

Wobble Garden was one of the more experimental games at Rezzed this year and hypnotized anyone who walked past it. It’s essentially a piece of hardware made from a sort of mix board with toggles that when you touch of lick one the board reacts with bright colours. Using the toggles you can play arcade mini-games on its hexagonal grid. The game’s developer Robin Baumgarten specialises in experimental hardware games and you can find his whole collection on his website.

KeenGamer’s Top Picks from Rezzed 2018. Wobble Garden

PHOGS!

Another popular game at Rezzed was PHOGS! by bitloomgames, a two-player game that has you play as a double ended, two-headed dog. Playing as this surprisingly adorable doggo, you explore a bright and colourful world of adventure and puzzles. Each player controls one head and together you must cooperate in stretching, moving and grabbing to solve puzzles. It’s a fun and silly game that brought a smile to whoever passed by its stand.

Q.U.B.E. 2

Q.U.B.E. 2 developed by Toxic Games is a first-person puzzle game where you play as an archeologist who is stranded in the ruins of an alien planet. With the help of another survivor, players must face the puzzles of the Q.U.B.E and try to find a way back home. You must use you manipulation gloves to manipulate the architecture and environment around you. Q.U.B.E. 2 has a Portal feeling about it, its puzzle mechanics look interesting and it has a glossy shine to its visuals. The game is already out and can be purchased on Steam, the Playstation Store or Xbox Store for £19.99.

The Sinking City

The Sinking City is a 1920s Lovecraftian open-world mystery game by Frogwares. You play as a private investigator who must solve a mystery in a flooded city caused by some supernatural origins. What caught my attention about The Sinking City was its visuals, the city that you explore is in decay and waterlogged, you have to travel by boat to get anywhere with no idea what lurks underneath the surface. Just slapping on the Lovecraftian label is easy enough but I do think that The Sinking City has some potential to love up to H.Ps name and should be released later this year.

KeenGamer’s Top Picks from Rezzed 2018. The Sinking City

Lost Ember

Lost Ember is an animal adventure game where you play as a wolf who can change form into other animals. Made by Mooneye Studios, is a story-driven game where you use different animals to explore and uncover parts of the narrative. In the same vein as Journey or ABZU, as you explore the ruins of a lost civilisation you uncover what happened to them and how they came to their demise. It’s a beautifully fluid and gorgeous looking game so be sure to follow its development progress on its social media.

Harold Halibut

The last game on this list was the surprise game in the Xbox showcase, Harold Halibut. Harold Halibut is an adventure game made completely from stop-motion animation. The game is crafted using handmade clay puppets and doll-house sized textile sets. The story revolves around a janitor called Harold and the day-to-day happening of the underwater city he lives in. Whats interesting is that from the screenshots it looks kinda flat but the environments are completely 3D so there depth when you are moving around. Made by German-based developers Slow Bros, Harold Halibut stood out because of its carefully crafted and detailed visuals and the stand even had two of the puppets on display next to the demo. There is no release date for Harold Halibut keep an eye on the game’s website and social media for more information.


Hope you liked this list and found some new games to follow. If you want a break down of EGX Rezzed and what happened make sure you check out KeenGamer’s EGX Rezzed Coverage. The next EGX event is next September so if you are interested you can find more information on their website.


Be sure to check out the rest of our London Games Festival coverage!

London Games Festival 2018
Now Play This: Experimental Game Design Exhibit
LGF HUB 2018 and Ensemble Exhibition
Trafalgar Square Games Festival
EGX Rezzed 2018 Event Coverage

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