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 - Abyssus & Pure Pool Pro
Abyssus
Another day, and it seems I am playing another roguelike, but this one is standing out from the pack in a couple of ways that make it worth mentioning. Abysuss is a 1-4 player FPS roguelike that combines bits from Bioshock, Left 4 Dead and even some Lovecraftian nonsense to make a little place for itself in a hugely crowded marketplace.
What I really like about this one, though, is the unique powers and upgrades. There are some wild things like grenades that spawn rock-throwing tentacles or shotguns that blast blood-draining shells. Add this craziness to a really solid movement system, and it is easy to get into that “one-more-run” flow that all good roguelikes have. It may not be a world-beater, but Abyssus is an absolute blast that all FPS and roguelike fans should have on their watchlist. What’s more, it is available on PC, Xbox and PlayStation, so whatever your system, you are sorted.
Pure Pool Pro
It has been well established that I am old. So old, in fact, that I remember playing an absolutely fantastic game on my old 486 called Virtual Pool. It was, at least in my young eyes, an absolute cracking game that really nailed the sport in a way that was accessible enough for anyone to play and deep enough to keep me coming back for more. Well, with Pure Pool Pro, I am getting that same feeling, and it is one I haven’t experienced in such a long time.
Pool is obviously not for everyone, but I would argue that Pure Pool Pro could be. Simple controls that still offer a huge amount of depth if you want it, a nice clean interface and, honestly, some pretty impressive graphics. This one is a banger with friends and a few beers, just like the real sport, and there is a nice, if a little simple, career mode to dive into. I wasn’t expecting to get as much out of a pool game as I did way back in the mid-90s, but it turns out I was wrong. Pure Pool Pro is great, and you should absolutely check it out if you’re looking for a new couch game for your multiplayer crew. It has just recently landed on consoles, so don’t miss it.
