MAGFest 2019 has come and gone and with it another successful Indie Video Game Showcase. With a wide variety of demos of works in progress made open to the public, there’s a lot to look forward in the coming months. Listed here are some of the games Indie Ranger got a firsthand peek at.
Grumpy Witch by Pixel Constructor
With an estimated release date of late in 2019, Grumpy Witch is a 2.5D platformer following an appropriately miffed witch trying to recover her lost hat. The demo had MAGFest had players proceeding through a colorful forest with simple wooden scaffolds and structures. Armed with a broom and green magical hands to recover items and slap foes it’s up to players to guide the grumpy witch through each stage.
You can find out more about Grumpy Witch on Pixel Constructor’s website here.
Unbeatable by D-Cell Games
A rhythm game that follows two girls fighting off strange enemies. While not much has been revealed about the game’s story, music is what carries rhythm games and players can hear some of the songs for themselves on the artist’s Soundcloud.
You can find out more about Unbeatable on D-Cell Game’s website here.
Transmogrify by Odyssey Entertainment
MAGFest 2019 had no shortage of puzzle platformers, counting Transmogrify among them. Players take on the role of a man simply doing his job when strange creatures escape the facility he works out. Armed only with a gun that turns enemies into useful objects can he defend himself and escape. Whether it’s sliding blocks, springs or floating platforms each enemy offers not only a new challenge but a new tool at the player’s disposal.
You can find out more about Transmogrify on the game’s website here.
Threshold by Quadraton Games
Threshold is a simple puzzle platformer with one key mechanic, whether the player faces left or right different platforms and objects will stir into existence. Whether this means when moving rightward moving spikes come at the player, or facing left a stone blocks their path, players will have to solve and wiggle their way through each challenge. Luckily players can travel across the edges of the screen, walking off to the right and reemerging on the left, in fact, this trick is necessary for some stages.
You can find out more about Threshold on Quadraton Game’s website here.
Splitty Robot by Scott Hilbert Software LLC
An action-packed puzzle platformer, Splitty Robot follows the adventure of a simple square-shaped robot able to extend himself in four different directions. With only this ability players will navigate lava foundries, laser-filled corridors and more. Despite being called a puzzle platformer, Splitty Robot is filled with quick-action portions with its moving platforms and tricky controls.
You can find out more about Splitty Robot on the game’s website here.
Space Punk Slam Dunk by Gamelake
Space Punk Slam Dunk follows the journey of a girl who has only basketballs to defend herself and solve puzzles with. Players can pick up balls from stockpiles laying around or pick them up once they throw them. Platforming skills are put to the test when the stockpiles are behind enemy lines, as without a basketball there’s no other way to defeat enemies. While only a short demo was available at MAGFest, the cartoon style and fun ball physics set Space Punk Slam Dunk apart.
You can find out more about Space Punk Slam Dunk on Gamelake’s website here.
ParaLily by Team ParaLily
A deceptively difficult platformer, ParaLily follows a young girl chasing after her stuffed dinosaur who simply up and ran away one night. The protagonist Lily has the power to shift through the dimensions of this strange world. Each layer of the stage is visible from the others and it’s required to time shifts just right to pass each stage. Exploration is rewarded with hidden collectibles throughout the stages.
You can find out more about ParaLily on the game’s website here.
NitorInc.: Touhou Microgames! by Nitorinc
NitorInc.: Touhou Microgames! is a collaborative fan game for the Touhou series. Similar to the WarioWare series, players are challenged to a gauntlet of quick-action minigames. The speed and difficulty progress the longer the players can last, their score rising. The game is open to collaboration and fans can join the collaboration to work on their own games to be added.
You can find out more about Nitorinc.: Touhou Microgames! on the game’s website here.
Chrono Ghost by Nitetime Studios
Unlike most of the games at MAGFest’s Indie Video Game Showcase, Chrono Ghost is an already completed game. Players take on the role of the Chrono Ghost, a mysterious figure whose past and reason for being is unknown even to himself. All he does know is he has to use his new mastery over time to prove himself to the Spirit of Time. Players will be run through a challenging gauntlet with limited time and only a hundred lives. Fortunately, before most challenges progress will be saved and players won’t have to perform the entire level over again. But while progress is saved, time still continues.
You can find out more about Chrono Ghost on Nitetime Studio’s website here.
Astral Gunners by Sati Bros
Astral Gunners is a horizontal bullet-hell game. Players are given a choice of different characters each with unique play-styles and tasked with defeating The Dark Gunner. Players are rewarded for collecting points that are dropped off enemies by having their special gauge filled and increasing their score multiplier. With an available co-op mode, players will find unique uses for each character’s different abilities.
You can find out more about Astral Gunners on the game’s website here.
With games like Celeste and Iconoclasts it’s fair to say 2018 was a year of Metroidvania style games, meanwhile, 2019 seems to be shaping up to be a year of puzzle-platformers. For fans of indie games, there’s a lot to look forward to. What indie games are you looking for to in 2019?