The PC Gaming Show leading into E3 showed off a lot of independent titles. While most of the reveals were for mature related content, we found some family-friendly games that we think you would be interested in. Take a look below and see what we mean.
Satisfactory
Satisfactory is a first-person building game much in the same vein as Minecraft, but with a focus on production and simulating science and engineering. Build giant machines to make things to make bigger machines. That plastic container? You are going to need to build pipes and pumps to draw oil from beneath the ground. I wonder what this games equivalent to “punching trees” will look like?
Neo Cab
Neo Cab is a suspense story set in a cyberpunk Uber. Narrative constraints can often lead to interesting possibilities in storytelling, and this seems to be an entire story set in the cab driving through ruined neon streets. I look forward to seeing more from this as the trailer was family friendly, and I am hoping the rest of the game is too.
Star Control Origins
Star Control Origins is a science fiction open world exploration game with a splash of humor. Star Control Origins is billed as a 100% explorable game where the entire universe is simulated at all times, While small in scale it is trying to do what No Man’s Sky failed to deliver, in giving a fun endless exploration of the universe as well as solid multiplayer content.
Puyo-Puyo Tetris
Puyo-Puyo Tetris is a mashup of the Nintendo classic as well as a franchise that is very popular in Japan and has seen moderate success in the States. It is a game that combines both puzzle styles into a single experience. Puyo-Puyo itself feels, to myself, like a cross between Dr. Mario (placing rotating two color pieces), and the chain combo systems of candy crush and its progeny (where clearing matching colors can cause other sets of pieces to fall into place, scoring and clearing more pieces). You can’t go wrong with the classics.
Morning Star
I want to know more. I would call this a farming sim, but there is a lot more than meets the eye. Farming seems to be a metaphor for something else in this game. Just watch the trailer and halfway through you will realize why I am at lost for how to describe it.
Jurassic World Evolution
Yo, this is “Roller Coaster Tycoon” with dinosaurs. You create your park, breed and genetically modify your dinosaurs while trying to balance profit, safety and pleasing the different factions in your leadership team. This is as close to that dream as I can imagine were are going to get without an actual Jeff Goldblum and/or Chris Pratt. (Correction from the readers: Jeff Goldblum is technically in the game. He does voice acting as his Ian Malcolm character.)
Stormland
Oculus Rift. First Person. Open World Exploration Game. Robots in a distant future exploring a broken land. Did I mention this was in VR? Exploding Robots worked to keep Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles family friendly, it can work for Stormland.
Sable
Single player, open world, desert exploration, a love child of Hiyo Miyazaki and Journey. This game is just plain gorgeous and looks action-packed. I hope to see more from this two-man development team in the future.
Noita
“An action roguelite where every pixel is simulated”
This game is going to be fun, and to tell you why I have to explain that opening sentence from the developer. “Action roguelite” is a style of game where a person, in this case, a wizard, explores endless dungeons in a quest further within, with each death forcing them to start over from the beginning (with some resources carrying over to the next adventure). “Every pixel is simulated”: imagine a cartoon where the entire animation and drawing, including every background feature, was redrawn for every frame of animation. What you get is a setting that is designed to be constantly reactive and destructible, paired with wizards who have all of their spells turned to 11.
Ooblets
Double Fine makes a Pokemon Game. I have said previously that you can tell where people have drawn their inspiration, but the sheer beauty and whimsy of what I saw in this trailer had me bobbing to the pace of my wacky young protagonists. Why have monsters fight when they can have… a dance battle? The blocky pixelated art is just detailed enough to show all of the adorable expressions on every creature and townsfolk. This one is also coming out for Xbox One as well, which is an added bonus.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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