Finalists Announced For 2022 Indie Showcase Competition
Event organisers Tandem Events have today announced the ten finalists for the Develop:Brighton 2022 Indie Showcase competition, sponsored by Talenthouse Media Foundry, celebrating the best unsigned games from indie developers across the UK and Europe.
Each of the ten shortlisted games will be available to play at the Develop:Brighton 2022 Expo, which takes place on Wednesday 13 July and Thursday 14 July at the Hilton Brighton Metropole during the conference which starts on Tuesday 12 July.
“This year’s Indie Showcase finalists were really tough to nail down; the standard of entries was just so incredibly high,” said Alistair Aitcheson chair of the Indie Showcase judging panel.
“Our finalists perfectly display the depth and breadth of the indie dev scene’s creativity and are a testament to the bright future of the games industry as a whole. Develop:Brighton attendees are in for a real treat next month!”
Develop:Brighton attendees will be able to vote onsite for the People’s Choice award winner, with an additional Overall Winner selected by a panel of expert judges. The winners will be announced during the final session on the final day of Develop:Brighton.
The finalists were selected by a panel of judges and include time looping psychological horror about a grieving mother, a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, a game about a tragic Persian romance and a point and click murder mystery starring a giraffe detective.
- AK-xolotl by 2Awesome Studio (PC, Consoles)
A top-down roguelite shooter featuring the cutest amphibian: the Axolotl. Advance through a mix of procedurally generated and carefully handcrafted levels, brought to life with beautiful pixel art graphics filled with pond-like details, rich colours and a variety of sceneries.
- Beyond the Long Night by Noisy Head Games (PC)
Explore a whimsical underground world whilst being chased by a mysterious corrupting force in this charming twin-stick action roguelike. Befriend loveable characters, fend off enemies with chaotic abilities, and uncover the secrets of this subterranean kingdom caught in a time loop.
- Hexahedra by Sidequest Ninja (PC)
An open-ended programming puzzle game, in the same genre as Opus Magnum, SpaceChem, and 7 Billion Humans. Players fill a factory with a variety of devices and program them to work together to produce the required cubes. The grid command system allows for complex loops, and logic branching is possible using devices such as lasers and proximity sensors.
- Kandria by Shirakumo Games (PC)
Kandria is an action RPG set in a broken down, post-apocalyptic desert. Explore a ruined open world of caverns, settlements, and puzzle-platform challenges. Hack and slash your way through missions: patrol borders, repair machines, scavenge supplies - choose your quests and dialogue. Or go fishing, forage mushrooms, and race the clock! The old world is gone - the future is up to you.
- Lord Winklebottom Investigates by Cave Monsters (PC, Consoles)
A 1920s murder mystery, point and click adventure featuring a dashing giraffe detective. It’s the 1920s and the world’s foremost giraffe detective is about to embark on his most challenging case yet. Uncover clues, interview suspects and solve puzzles to crack the case, capture the killer and uncover the horrifying dark secret at the heart of the Isle of Barghest!
- NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy by Dream Harvest (PC)
A narrative adventure game combined with light city management mechanics played through a Tinder-like interface. NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy is partially inspired by the hit game Reigns and has you embody an AI that has been charged with the safekeeping of the post-cyberpunk city of Catena.
- Paper Trail by Newfangled Games (PC)
A top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a paper world. Fold and tear your way through a diverse, populated paper world. As you progress, new gameplay opportunities emerge, enhanced by the folding mechanics. Drag objects, shine lights, and push boulders across the paths you create through folding.
- Shadows of Them by National Film and Television School Games Students (PC)
A first-person psychological horror story where the player must navigate a series of challenges, guiding a mother through her grief after the loss of her family. The game takes place in a metro station where the character is stuck in a seemingly endless loop as she struggles to cope with her grief. The game takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
- The Tale of Bistun by Black Cube Games (PC, XBOX)
A story-driven action-adventure game inspired by the famous Persian tragic romance Khosrow and Shirin. A stone carver with no memory of who he is must traverse blighted lands to discover his identity and the source of a pleading, strangely familiar whisper.
- Wagon Train to the Stars by Stellar Cartography Interactive (iOS, Android)
A deckbuilder-roguelite in a strange galaxy - explore weird worlds and civilizations, meet and recruit adorable aliens to your crew, go on wild adventures and fight in a mashup of tactical planet hopping and deckbuilder card games.
Last year’s Indie Showcase winners were No Plan B by GFX47, which took home the People’s Choice Award, and You Suck at Parking by Happy Volcano, which was crowned the Overall Winner.
Past Indie Showcase winners and finalists have included That Dragon, Cancer by Numinous Games,
Sunless Sea by Failbetter Games, Hue by Fiddlesticks Games, Lumino City by State of Play Games and WHAT THE GOLF? by Triband, which won in 2018 and just two years later would win Best Mobile Game at the Develop:Star Awards.
“We’re delighted to support up and coming developers,” commented Mike Gamble, Head of Strategy at Talenthouse Media Foundry, “and the Indie Showcase offers the perfect platform for some of today’s brightest & most creative developers to showcase their unsigned games.”
Develop:Brighton 2022 takes place at the Hilton Brighton Metropole from Tuesday 12 to Thursday 14 July 2022. A range of passes for the conference and expo are now on sale.
With over 40 exhibitors for 2022, the Develop:Brighton expo runs from Wednesday 13 July and will feature stands for Epic Games, Hangar 13, nDreams, Rebellion, Team17 and many more.
The Develop:Star Awards also take place that Wednesday evening, celebrating the best and brightest of the game making community.
There’s plenty more on the Develop:Brighton calendar too, from the Develop:Brighton IceBreaker concluding the opening day of the conference, to the GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament that same evening, the Meet@Develop Networking Lounge from Wednesday and the post-conference party supporting SpecialEffect and OneSpecialDay.
For the latest on speaker announcements, the Develop:Star Awards, and everything Develop:Brighton visit: www.developconference.com and follow @DevelopConf on Twitter.
About Develop:Brighton conference & expo
Develop:Brighton brings together the entire UK game dev industry to learn from each other, share ideas and experiences, network, and do business in a friendly and inclusive environment. The event also offers high quality conference sessions - from the industries brightest minds and talents - with practical takeaways that allow delegates to “skill-up” and be inspired to make better games.
With a programme shaped to reflect attendees’ feedback and hot topics for game makers in 2022 (monetisation, the Metaverse, ethical working practices, environment and sustainability, etc.) the Expo brings together some of the most innovative companies from every sector of games development. Guests can also keep up-to date with the latest dev tools/tech and get hands on with all the games on display.
Develop:Brighton offers three days of inspiration, fulfilment, and fun by England’s south coast.
About The Develop:Star Awards
Taking place alongside the conference, the new Develop:Star Awards recognise the very best of the game development community. The achievements of developers and success of great games and creativity will be celebrated across 19 categories, including one ultimate ‘Develop Star’ honouring an extraordinary game developer for outstanding achievement and contribution to the industry.
Twitter: @developconf
LinkedIn: Develop:Brighton
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