"Style's gonna smack you in the face" – how Rogue Games is making its mark on the publishing scene
That looks cool, I said, about halfway through Summer Game Fest when I first clapped eyes on Highwater. Oh, that looks really cool, I said again, around the same juncture during the Xbox and Bethesda showcase a few days later – this time admiring The Last Case of Benedict Fox. Currently in-development from indie outfits Demagog Studio and Plot Twist respectively, these games really couldn't be more different. One is a story-driven adventure set in a flooded post-apocalyptic world with isometric combat. The other is a Lovecraftian Metroidvania that unfolds in a twisted demonic underworld. One is bright and colourful, the other is dark and desolate. One looks like Kentucky Route Zero meets Oxenfree with guns, the other saved my Hollow Knight: Silksong E3 disappointment.
One thing that binds both Highwater and The Last Case of Benedict Fox is style. Both are dripping in it, but one other crucial factor also ties the two: their publisher, Rogue Games. "We're looking for games that possess a signature element, and yeah, style's gonna smack you in the face first, right?" says Rogue Games co-founder and CEO Matt Casamassina. "But we're not prescriptive about what those elements are in the end. They just have to grab us."
Both Highwater and The Last Case of Benedict Fox certainly grabbed me at first viewing – something I was especially impressed with given the fact they shared show time with big-budget big hitters such as Starfield and The Callisto Protocol. Casamassina admits getting noticed among such stiff, high-profile competition isn't easy, but when your games have the scope to stand out in such a busy space, that becomes a wee bit easier. Highwater and The Last Case of Benedict Fox certainly fit this bill, as do some of
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