When the PlayStation 4 was announced on Feb. 20, 2013 in front of a packed New York theater, the gaming world collectively let out a roar of approval. Now more than a year on from the announcement we are just starting to see the console stretch it’s wings, but we have still seen precious few glimpses of video game gold.
With titles such as The Order: 1866 and Destiny yet to surface it has been left to the steadily growing collection of indie games on the PlayStation 4 to hold the fort, and the majority of these games have been offered for free or discounted prices through PlayStation Plus. At this year’s E3 Sony looked to continue this trend by adding to the list of highly-anticipated indie games on the PlayStation 4.
Games such as Resogun, Octodad:Deadliest Catch and Don’t Starve have ensured PlayStation 4 owners have had plenty to play while the system has found its feet. With these indie games providing some of the most creative and enjoyable experiences on the console we now put forward 10 indie games you need to know about coming to the PlayStation 4.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
The first installment of the franchise highlighted some of the positive staples seen in indie games. Hotline Miami presented beautiful visuals, a soundtrack that truly warranted playing with headphones and gameplay that proved to be easy to pick up, a challenge to master and impossible to put down. At this years E3 the developers showcased the new level editor adding more replay value to an already re-playable game. With two-man Dennaton Games promising a deeper story based upon the main character’s exploits in the original and the same addictive gameplay Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a definite one to watch.
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Rime
Announced at last year’s Gamescon Rime came out of nowhere to leave gamers salivating. With its visually unique presentation drawing comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, Princess Mononoke and Journey, Rime is set to showcase the PlayStation 4 graphically. Still shrouded in mystery, with very little known about how the game will play it would be safe to say Spanish developer Tequila Works still have several secrets up their sleeves. Details so far suggest a focus on puzzle solving in an open world setting with a day and night mechanic. Tequila’s previous title, Deadlight, released on Xbox 360 and had a strong emphasis on story; this time, CEO Raul Rubio described Rime as “a story with no words. The environmental narrative is key because the island itself is a character.” For all the aforementioned reasons Rime is perhaps one of the most anticipated indie games for the PlayStation4.
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Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
The Chinese Room are a team off 13 strong developers with some serious indie pedigree. Perhaps most widely known for story telling focused first-person game Dear Esther, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture appears to take a page out of Dear Esther’s playbook by focusing on storytelling but this time allows the player more scope to delineate and explore. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture drops the player, a lone survivor, into the beautifully presented British countryside following a cataclysmic event. With little left in terms of civilization the player is free to explore the world and more importantly the echoes of life that have been left behind giving an insight into the relationships people shared leading up the event that ended the world. Make sure your affairs in order as the rapture is coming to the Playstation 4 in 2015.
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Night in the Woods
Following a successful Kickstarter funded in November 2013, developers Infinite Fall bring Night in the Woods to the PlayStation 4. Night in the Woods is described as a 2D Story-focused adventure exploration game. The game centers around main character Mae, a college dropout returning home to the slowly crumbling, backwater town of Possum Springs to try to recapture her best teenage years, but things aren’t the same and life has moved on. With characters presented as animals all beautifully animated by Scott Benson Night in the Woods looks to tackle poignant and relatable subject matter in a whimsical fashion. There are rumours of a fall release set to tie in with the games beautiful art style in 2015.
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No Man’s Sky
A list of indies to watch on the PlayStation 4 would not be complete without the now renowned No Man’s Sky from developers Hello Games famous for the Joe Danger series. First announced at the 2013 VGX award show, the science fiction game set in a procedurally-generated universe has been gathering hype ever since. Very little is known about how the game will play; one detail revealed that players will likely start on the outskirts of the universe and travel inwards, all the while exploring the procedurally generated worlds with new wildlife, resources and landscapes. With another impressive gameplay demonstration at the E3 2014 Sony Press conference, No Man’s Sky is a game that is best explained by simply watching the demo itself. A 2015 release date has been rumored but don’t be surprised if this hugely ambitious project gets pushed back.
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ABZÛ
First debuted at E3 2014 Sony press conference ABZÛ is a game that we have more questions for then answers. What we do know is that developers Giant Squid studio have an impressive team working on the game with Grammy nominated composer Austin Wintory and multi-award winning Art Direct Matt Nava having both worked on Journey together. The game looks to take place under the ocean with players controlling a somewhat humanoid character. The brief trailer released shows the protagonist interacting with shoals of fish, swimming with a pod of blue whales and scaring away a lurking shark. ABZÛ is dripping with atmosphere as Wintory’s haunting composition flows throughout the trailer and the grand oceanic setting mirrors the score beautifully. Set for a 2015 release date expect more details to follow.
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Axiom Verge
Developer Tom Happ might have worked on numerous triple-A releases for both console and PC but it is in his own brainchild and first solo title Axiom Verge that he is most likely to be remembered for. A failed scientist dies in an accident, only to awaken in a mysterious, alien world. Where is he? How did he get here? And why do the fundamental laws of reality appear broken? These are all questions that we will be seeking an answer to. While Happ grows tired of the obvious comparisons to Metroid they are hard to avoid, with the gameplay revolving around exploration of an alien vessel and the pursuit of weapons that allow the player to explore further into the game world. Initial reports suggest the game plays as well as it looks, with tight controls, an interesting mix of enemies and platforming puzzles. Look out for Axiom Verge landing on the PlayStation 4 sometime in 2015.
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The Witness
As the man who is arguably the face of the indie game revolution, expectations are incredibly high for Jonathan Blow’s latest title The Witness. As one of the earliest games announced for the PlayStation 4 chances are you have already heard about The Witness and its gameplay, which looks to merge puzzle solving based on a mechanic of tracing a path through a maze-like route and exploration of a gorgeous looking island separated into ten equally diverse and beautiful sections. The sections of the island surround a central mountain which becomes unlocked after completing 7 of the 10 sections of the island. Still shrouded in a level of mystery The Witness promises to be a compelling take on the puzzle genre. Originally set for a 2014 release a definite date has yet to be confirmed.
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Titan Souls
Titan Souls is a game that wears its challenging difficulty proudly on its sleeve, and has already drawn comparisons to Dark Souls due to its unforgiving nature and Shadow of the Colossus in its interesting design. Initial hands on time with Titan Souls suggests the game lives up to the hype as the player is dropped into a foreign land with few enemies to harm you, a multi-faceted soundtrack and a vast landscape filled with mysterious caves and tranquil waterfalls. The challenge comes when the players encounter their first enemy and as with all enemies in Titan Souls the enemy is a boss encounter with a twist. All bosses have a weak spot that only requires one hit to kill. Somewhat refreshingly there are no branching skill trees or upgradable attributes as the player’s skill becomes the only factor in Titan Souls. Due to ship in 2015 Titan Souls promises to be a demanding yet intriguing adventure on the PlayStation 4.
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Road Not Taken
Road Not Taken reads like a ‘who’s who’ of video game subgenres; a top-down Rougelike puzzle game with a relationship-building mechanic. The core gameplay revolves around the player character completing a series of puzzles, reuniting parents with their lost children while avoiding obstacles such as dangerous animals all the while managing an energy system. The second core mechanic involves the player forming relationships with villagers through a series of dialogue trees and side quests building complex relationships which the developers promise to be increasingly deep. The long-term goal of Road Not Taken is to progress through as many years as possible with your death resulting in the introduction of a new playable character in the form of your original characters offspring. Keep your eyes peeled as Road Not Taken is set for a release date of 6th August 2014.
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With such an impressive catalog of games coming to PS4 over the next year, settling on 10 titles to watch was not an easy feat. It must be stated that this list is by no means comprehensive with a number of exiting experiences left off the list with N++, The Talos Principle and not a hero to name but a few. The future of indie games on the PlayStation 4 is bright indeed.
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