6 must-see indie games we saw at PAX East 2022

digitaltrends.com:

PAX East is officially back — and some hidden gems have arrived with it. The kind of games on display at a PAX show may not be big-budget blockbusters, but they pack a surprising punch that might just convert a couple of gamers to the indie side. The expo hall was filled with independent games both old and new, though there were some clear highlights on the busy show floor. Here are six eye-catching games we saw at PAX East 2022.

Demon Throttle was only playable in a small arcade cabinet located at Devolver Digital’s booth, and it very much fits that medium. It’s a retro shooter in the same vein as Ikaruga, but with a little more comedy. You control a cowboy and a vampiress, each of whom has a score to settle with a demon. The two have different weapons and bombs, giving them each their own distinct feel on the constantly scrolling battlefield.

The game’s standout feature is something you usually don’t see in these kinds of games: Verticality. You can jump up onto higher terrain levels or drop to lower ones to dodge bullets or collect pickups. Terrain can also be blown away to reveal hidden pickups, so I progressed through the game, leveling the world as I went along. Still, none of those pickups helped when I faced the game’s bosses, which crushed me. Demon Throttle is shaping up to be the perfect challenge for fans of those old-school bullet hell games while also providing something fresh.

Devolver Digital’s Cult of the Lamb stands out as a morbid, roguelike city builder starring cartoon critters. You should expect to lose at least some of them, though. A possessed lamb creates a cult in the name of an unknown god in exchange for another life. Once sacrificed in a ritual, it is resurrected with the help of the god’s