Survival games, “pen & paper” implementations or puzzle adventures. If you're looking for diversity, the indie games are the right choice. Gamescom will be a big stage for dozens of titles, ntv.de has taken a look at some of the highlights among the gaming gems.
Gamescom is the largest video game trade fair in the world. The most famous developers show their latest hits here. There are a lot of people and a lot of money behind big titles. But at Gamescom there are also many gaming gems to discover that have a small budget but are all the more creative. The stand at Gamescom is over 1,500 square meters in size and shows more than 170 games from 37 countries. There's pretty much everything there in terms of genres. ntv.de explains why a visit to the Indie Arena Booth is worth it.
30 Birds
30 Birds is a narrative puzzle game set on the surface of rotating lanterns. Hard to imagine? The trailer shows protagonist Zig roaming a beautiful open world inspired by Persian art. Each edge is the entrance to a new area of the lantern map.
While you solve small puzzles, the big goal of the game is to help Zig save Simurgh, the missing bird goddess. You can already play the title at Gamescom and put it on your wish list for 2025 on Steam.
Doronko Wanko
This game is so wonderfully crazy and every dog owner's nightmare. In Doronko Wanko gamblers take on the role of a cute dwarf with the aim of making their master's apartment dirty. This is what they say: wallow in the mud and then give it a good shake. The more creatively you throw the home into chaos, the more points you get.
Winter Burrow
The survival adventure Winter Burrow is about a mouse who returns from the big city to the forest to his old home, a hollowed-out tree trunk. But the parents' house is in ruins. To make matters worse, your aunt, who was supposed to look after it, has also disappeared.
Collect resources, repair the house and protect yourself from the bitter cold. The title is not only lovingly animated, but in testing it also turned out to be not as cute as the game looks. Because there are all sorts of dangers lurking in the forest that can be fatal to the little rodent. In addition to the Indie Booth, the title can also be played at the Xbox stand.
Goodbye Seoul
But there are also more serious titles at the Indie Booth. Goodbye Seoul is a narrative puzzle adventure that focuses on the search for hope through courage and connection in a crumbling city. In the pre-apocalyptic game, the young woman Rion has to uncover a secret. The game is particularly impressive because of its setting in an atmospheric pixel look.
Morriton Manor Stories
The Rocketbeans have breathed new life into “Pen & Paper” adventures with their YouTube channel. While the version of the board game presented in the stream relies on the imagination of the participants and viewers, the offshoot Morriton Manor Stories: Nordic Whispers visually has a different foundation.
The German development studio relies on classic “pen & paper” elements such as dice tests and character development, but also has a photo function to save the many puzzle clues and access them again when the time comes.
SCHiM
Visually and playfully, SCHiM is probably one of the most beautiful and somehow more puristic games at the booth. SCHiM is a kind of ghost that can only move in the shadows and has to move through the different levels. This 3D platformer takes elements of light, shadow and animation and inserts them directly into the gameplay. You jump from shadow to shadow, using moving objects, people or changes in the weather to move forward. This is sometimes not so easy, because many of the small shades have to be discovered first.
Bloodless
Anyone who likes retro style will have fun with Bloodless. In the action-adventure, the female ronin Tomoe must end Shogun Akechi's reign of terror. The trick is that the game does not involve death or destruction. Tomoe's job is to disarm her opponents with well-timed counterattacks. When we played it, it turned out to be trickier than initially expected. The story also has a pinch of humor and entertaining sequences.
Tavern Talk
Off to the Bar Part 1: Tavern Talk is a text-heavy, visualized “Pen & Paper” in a fantasy setting. However, you don't play in the role of an adventurer, but rather experience the game from the other side as an NPC, the tavern innkeeper. As a trusted bartender, your job is to talk to adventurers, hear their stories, learn new rumors and send them on new quests. You can help the adventurers with magical potions.
Tavern Keeper
Off to the bar part 2: This time you are also the owner of a pub in a knightly fantasy setting. Anyone who loses control will not only have logistical problems. The economic simulation presents players with the challenge of running and expanding a well-running tavern and dealing with unpleasant guests or bar fights.
