Written by: Cory McKnight

We had a great time here at IndieCade! Everyone worked hard and all of the games there showed it. Congratulations to all of our IndieCade Nominees! Also another round of congratulations to One Hand Clapping for winning IndieCade Choice Award 2018!

One Hand Clapping …. Bad Dream Games (AGP ’18, Alumni)

Despite the name, this game doesn’t involve much clapping at all. However, it does make use of sound creatively in ways I’ve never seen before!

This is a game where you are thrust into a wondrous landscape and must tap into your untapped ‘singing’ power. You do this by harmonizing your voice with the indicated pitches presented to you in the game. When I played it, I was blown away by how it used the mechanic of your voice pitch to solve puzzles. All this is done while improving your singing ability without you even realizing it!

Playing this game was very entertaining for me, but not only that, it was also amusing to watch others play as well! When I got back afterwards, the top influencers on YouTube playing the game were especially hilarious to watch!

Check out more on what the game is like right here! http://www.onehandclappinggame.com/

Guildlings …. Jaime Antonisse & Asher Volmer (Alumni)

Play as a teenager who discovers a magical force that gives her the power of a Guildling! With this power you must embark on a journey to save your sister and return her to her former self!

It’s a lighthearted adventure that grows in scale as you progress. With its witty dialogue, it’ll get you thinking and laughing perhaps even both at the same time! This game was a delightful experience for me to play! It tested my creativity when it came to puzzle solving and in making use of the ‘emotion system’ while in combat.

The emotion system worked in way that would only allow me to use my staff to cast spells on the enemy based on my character’s emotional state. A number of factors would determine my character’s state of mood. For instance, what type of attack the enemy used on me and also, how I would choose to react in dialogue sequences. In this world your powers are driven by your emotions!

Look out for this game on mobile phones and iPad right here! http://guildlings.com/

Klaxo Radio Hour…. Jesse Vigil, Martzi Campos, Sean Bouchard (Alumni, Faculty)

You’re a detective who must unravel a spooky mystery locked away in a haunted artifact. Find out the culprit by gathering clues from the antique radio and uncover the secrets hidden within its channels!

I found it interesting that this game started off as a game jam game. The game creators were able to find an old-fashioned radio and make use of it by means I didn’t expect. In doing this, they were able to reimagine its uses for gameplay and interactive narrative design. Your deductive skills will be put to the test in this audio adventure. Delve deep into the mystery of the innocent captives with your friends, or suspects!?

Find out more about the game here – https://martzic.wixsite.com/radio

The Distance …. Xian Lu (Alumni)

Go the distance with your friend solving puzzles together as you traverse through a mystical environment, all while escaping the enemies lurking by the wayside.

In my experience, it was co-op gameplay like none other. I played the game sitting near a partner, and we solved puzzles with our magical abilities. The game encourages collaboration because both of us needed to work together in order to solve the puzzles. One thing that made the game so unique and innovative was how you would interface with the game world. In turn, you would interface with the other player in order to overcome obstacles heeding your path.

Both players’ point of views of the game were from parallel dimensions that gave us different perspectives on the world and on each other. We were both humanoid creatures, but appearing to the other as a fairy. Using our special abilities, we used our power to teleport objects into the other player’s world. As we worked together, the dialogue between us allowed for the game to take on a more emergent story as we progressed to the finale!

Keep up with development of the game here! http://www.luxianlx.com/thesis/

Closing Remarks

These games were so much fun for me to see and play! Make sure to keep up with the games mentioned here and check them out. Also, stay tuned for our continued IndieCade recap where we’ll have additional follow-up coverage in our wrap-up after the event!