#IndieSpotlight: History, Geomancy, and Death

It’s time again to highlight a few indies as doing them one at a time is a tad counterproductive. This time, I’m going to show 3 that have yet to come out but have some pretty good premises/gameplay that you should keep your eyes on. At the very least, they’ll break up the output of games from the AAA space. You know the ones.

Let’s start with Bookbound Brigade. It’s a metroidvania (one of my favorite kinds of games)that puts you in control of 8 characters based of real and fictional characters where you basically beat up other figures in history. It looks as though you get many of the tropes of the Metroidvania here; different formations you pick up through the story, boss fights that’ll test what you’ve learned up to that point, different locales, and a level design that makes you use all your skills. There isn’t a whole lot more I can really say about it, but I do look forward to it. While I’m not the biggest history buff, beating up historical figures does sound…appealing. I’m not sure which platforms it’ll be on as the publisher doesn’t say, but for now we’ll assume all the major ones.

Georifters is next, offering the most interesting gameplay to me. It’s a puzzle platformer where the platforms are the puzzles and you have to manipulate them to solve it. I’m a fan of games like this where you have what seems like full control of the design and you have to take advantage of that for the best results. You can crush enemies under the blocks you move, shift platforms to clear obstacles, create things like stairs, or even make new platforms. Whatever the situation calls for. There’s also a co-op element as well as a versus mode. So if you’ve ever wanted to drop blocks of concrete on your friend, then this may be foe you. It’ll be out for PS4, XB1, Switch, and PC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFfURhDwC6w

The last game for today is going to be Spiritfarer. It’s a…strange game to describe in a genre. You’re playing as Stella, a ferryman who helps spirits cross over to the afterlife. Part of this includes building up your boat, a little farming, a little cooking, and making connections with these spirits before sending them off. This looks like it’s going to be one of those emotional artsy games and I’m here for it. Though, I don’t think everyone is quite willing or ready to deal with death and the realities of having to let people go. Either this game will help with that or make that feeling even worse. It may sound a bit ridiculous, but we’re in a time where games can really send a message. I think this’ll do the same. Spiritfarer comes out on PS4, XB1, Switch, and PC in 2020.

While there are plenty of games out there, I’ll leave it at these 3. You guys should look out for yourselves and see what kind of games you like or games you’re curious about. Let us know and we’ll give you the best answer we got. Chances are, I’ve played that game if it’s indie.

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