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Best Of PAX Prime 2013: Indie And Mobile

This article is more than 10 years old.

PAX Prime always provides ample opportunities to check out upcoming titles and see the best the industry has to offer.  Here’s a selection of some of the indie and mobile “new and noteworthy” fare that stood out at the show in 2013.

Crypt of the NecroDancer: One could scarcely maneuver around the indie area without seeing a crowd bustling around this title.  It’s a roguelike rhythm dungeon crawler.  That means exactly what you think it means – Players can use a Dance Dance Revolution pad to traverse forgotten dungeons and crypts.  You have to see it to believe it, but it was one of the most unique offerings from the many interesting concepts on display at the Indie Megabooth.

Contrast: Out of all of the great indies at the show, this is probably the one to watch.  Think a darker, light and shadow based Portal-esque puzzler.  Contrast features beautiful, fractured environments and a remarkable soundtrack.  While it’s always difficult to make judgments on a demo, this title stand out as an indie to watch, expect this one to get plenty of discussion and attention when it launches.

Chromancer:  There are a lot of new titles coming up on the digital card game front, but in the end a lot of them are deeply rooted or even chained to the mechanics of industry titan Magic: The Gathering.  Chromancer is aspiring to do something quite different in the space and although the bare bones demo didn’t have a lot to show off graphically, the game mechanics promise something original. Players can opt to attack various pieces of game territory like the resource generating bank or the deck itself.

Forced: We’ll have a full review coming for this one soon.  Think Dark Souls meets Diablo meets Dota 2.  It’s a co-op hardcore multiplayer group arena experience that pits players against a multitude of level-based challenges.  There’s no loot, things are position and skill based, and it doesn’t hold back.  How far can your team make it?  We’re going to be taking a deeper look at this one.

Tiny Brains:  We had a chance to play the primary game modes at E3, but the “PVP” mode Tiny Soccer was on display here.  Essentially the team has taken the abilities that make the co-op standard game mode fun and plastered them into a competitive mini-game.  This remains a “living room” favorite that begs to be played with other people within arm’s reach.

Quingo:  What’s better than quizzes and bingo?  Playing a mix of the two for your favorite charity. Quingo lets players pick charities and then play a combination quiz/bingo game for the cause.  Answers “lock in” and over the course of five questions answers will line up and form “quingos”.  It’s a casual but quirky experience and should resonate well with the You Don’t Know Jack crowd.  The draw here over other quiz titles lies in accessibility, polish, and the fact that players are contributing to a good cause simply by playing.

Glacier Blast:  A casual Microsoft mobile title that has some interesting multiplayer functionality.  As tablet titles become more robust, games like Glacier Blast are moving into a sort of mobile “party game” space.  It’s a bit like a more cerebral Mario Party mini-game.

Plants vs. Zombies 2:  While this title was available well before PAX Prime began, it’s become interesting seeing full-size booths serving up nothing but mobile titles at shows over the past few years. Despite the pricing model and the attempt to sell spicy peppers, the sequel retains a considerable amount of the original title’s charm.