6 Curious Games Worth Checking Out | WASD 2023
WASD is a calming indie-led oasis, a gaming weekender nestled in the heart of East London that's a less corporate and infinitely more chill take on the often sweaty games convention. It's a place where developers proudly demo their passion project themselves while players hang out and chat. While you can get hands on with big hitters like Tekken 8 and Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown, WASD is really about discovering the weird and the wonderful. If you're not heading to WASD this week, here are six indie bangers you’ll absolutely want to have on your radar.
In one of the more ambitious indie offerings on the show floor, Nivalis transports players into a blocky neon- drenched dystopia. Visually, it’s very much Cyberpunk 2077 x Minecraft, but as I’m handed the deed to a noodle bar in Nivalis’s bustling metropolis, I’m also told there’s a serial killer prowling the streets. From fully voiced quest givers to the ability to place furniture as you see fit, there’s grin-inducing, genre hopping delight to be found in this sci-fi restaurant sim. As your stature grows, you can eventually purchase your own club, buy an awesome house and even determine the fate of the city’s entire nightlife.
It’s clever mix of life sim and story-led adventure has more than a whiff of Dave the Diver to it, and apparently you can even fall in love with your customers if you’re into that. Will Nivalis’ noodley systems have the umami spice necessary to pull off its lofty ambitions? That remains to be seen, but even if it only delivers half of its promises, Nivalis is still an appetising proposition.
Video games are a masterclass in making players feel productive. From epic open world adventures to more tedious tasks, no matter how much I grumble I always
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