Being at EGX in London was a prime example of the hustle and bustle of a convention. You can often get lost in endless queues and intimidated by the crowds. So, it can be a refreshing change of pace to commit to the indie section—an often quieter segment of the show floor.
It’s in these areas where true upcoming gems can come to fruition. Here are five indie games we saw at EGX that you should have on your radar.
Rune Factory 4 Special
Starting off at EGX was a wonderful behind closed doors session with Marvelous Games’ Rune Factory 4 Special. Originally released for the 3DS, this remaster is being ported to the Nintendo Switch.
Immediately, the art style feels well suited to the Switch hardware, boasting a vibrant color palette, gorgeous world design, and anime inspirations. Exploring the world was pure joy, due to its warm, friendly art direction.
The premise of Rune Factory 4 Special is predominantly a farming sim, in the same vein as games such as Stardew Valley.
Farm, cook, fish and complete quests to further your progression within the world. Unlike most games of that genre, Rune Factory 4 Special boasts an array of fully animated cutscenes and a complete RPG based storyline with goals to motivate you to push forward.
The demo allowed us to engage with dungeon exploring as well as a variety of farming aspects (and yes—the wildlife is ridiculously cute!) Even when portraying different genres, Rune Factory 4 Special manages to give them all the depth they deserve.
Rune Factory 4 Special looks to merge multiple genres into a successful concoction. Though no release date has been announced, we were told that they’re fishing for a winter release.