Welcome to Indie Watch, a regular feature here at P2 where our Editorial team take it in turns to highlight 2 or 3 Indie titles that have them excited. It is our chance to show off some games that you may have missed and a way to help boost the things we love most about the industry. Join us each week for a new edition.
Indie Watch - Nordhold & Devil Jam
Nordhold
I didn’t know what to expect going into Nordhold, the promised mix of city-building, tower defence, and roguelike gameplay elements was something that I was dubious of to say the least. 20 hours later, and not only am I more than happy to admit I was wrong, but I feel safe in saying that come end-of-year award season, it will take something special to beat Nordhold to my personal indie game of the year. It is simply that good.
This is a perfectly balanced game and it incorporates all three core elements beautifully to make a super addictive game that gets under your skin and won’t let go. What’s more, the randomly generated levels mean that while the basics stay the same, tactics have to be adjusted to what the map presents each time you go through. Even after 20-odd hours, I am still coming up with new strategies and new approaches using the many and varied tools available. I have literally played it every day since I installed it, and I can’t see that stopping anytime soon. Don’t miss this one folks, it is an absolute banger
Devil Jam
Another take on the super addictive Vampire Survivors formula, Devil Jam is bringing a couple of changes that should help it stand out from the pack. The first is a rocking metal soundtrack (always a bonus in my eyes) and the second that attacks are synced with the music, which adds some much needed depth to this sort of experience.
Having played the demo for quite some time, I came to appreciate the new weapon and passive system. There is a grid that is split into three rows and four columns. This allows a combination of 12 weapons and passive boosts. The catch is that each column activates on its corresponding 4/4 beat. So, matching passives with weapons becomes important. Getting the right string of attacks, with matching passive bonuses, rolling in time with the music, is a lot of fun, and I think it will hold the game in good stead for when the full game releases. That along with an appropriately metal graphical style and I have to say I am looking forward to the game being unleashed later in the year.
