The game development conference Game Access 22 offered rich content in the form of lectures that complemented the booths of leading Czech studios and an accompanying program in the form of a retro game room or plaid presentation in the exhibition area. I wrote about this part of the event in a separate report.
However, smaller independent developers have also been an integral part of this year’s Game Access, submitting playable demos of their upcoming or newly released games. In total, almost 60 games were tested, most of which were created by Czech and Slovak developers. Below you will find an overview of selected games that I have had the opportunity to try personally.
MATCHO – Studio FiolaSoft
We have already informed you about the upcoming news from the FiolaSoft studio. The authors of the Blackhole platformer called MATCHO decided to switch to a full-fledged 3D view in combination with a first-person view. The game is based on the principle join three. The protagonist Max has special abilities thanks to which he can shoot energy from his hands. It is with this energy that you will destroy and shoot down individual enemies. In addition to speed, MATCHO also focuses attention. The shoal-three mechanic requires the elimination of at least three enemies of the same color in a row.
As part of Game Access, I had the opportunity to try two different levels. In particular, the second map, set in a winter landscape, confirmed to me that the protagonist’s environment and parkour skills would also need to be used to complete the levels successfully. Overall, I find MATCHO to be a catchy and somewhat unique game that combines fast-paced gameplay with parkour mechanics and logical progressions.
In addition, we learned from old demos that MATCHO will also offer a story campaign and multiplayer. The game is likely to release early next year on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
1428: Shadows over Silesia – KUBI Games
Another highly anticipated Czech game featured on Game Access this year is the isometric adventure game 1428: Shadows over Silesia from KUBI Games. The author of the game, Piotr Kubitschek, showed me the title on several levels. The first was dedicated to combat and the combat system associated with it. If you like challenges and harder fights, you will definitely come to your senses in Shadows over Silesia. Especially a lot of work I was given fights with a large number of enemies. Fortunately, with the ability to save the game at any time, there was no feeling of disappointment.
But a martial artist definitely needs practice. If the first location took me to a medieval city surrounded by walls, then the next level, for a change, took place exclusively in the dark catacombs. It is in the underground that the game looks best from a visual point of view. The author really succeeded in particularly detailed shadows and work with light. In an underground location, I had to face a stealth passage in which I tried to bypass several enemies and get the key to a locked door.
Subsequently, I ended up in another underground location, where a mystery awaited me. It is the combination of combat, stealth and logic puzzles that will form the imaginary shamrock of 1428: Shadows over Silesia gameplay. For more information about the game, I can refer you to my old demo impressions where I had the chance to try out the introductory walkthrough of the game. According to Piotr Kubizek, the PC version should be released in September.
Die by the Blade – Triple Hill Interactive
One of the pleasant surprises of the exhibition was the game Die by the Blade from the Slovak team Triple Hill Interactive, on the development of which the Japanese studio Toko Midori is collaborating. It’s a 1v1 action movie that mostly inspired the title Bushido Blade from the era of the original PlayStation with its themes and commitment.
In terms of game modes, two-player local and online multiplayer will play a key role. While playing, I was convinced that individual battles go really fast and do not forgive almost a single mistake. Prim plays, first of all, in the right timing of attacks and tricks. Enemy attacks are blocked by the player’s own character. In addition to the multiplayer mode, the developers also promise a short campaign, a number of different arenas and visual settings for individual characters.
Die by the Blade is expected to release this fall on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
Artificial – Ondrey Angelovich
I also spent a long time at the booth of the Slovak game Artificial by Ondrej Angelovič. Artificial is a first-person puzzle game based on environmental exploration and physics-related puzzles. The title will take you to the underground colony of asteroid 2031 XT, where at first glance something has gone wrong.
The environment is literally littered with various objects and rubbish. You have to get inside the asteroid and find out what really happened by successfully solving puzzles and using individual items. The story campaign should take approximately 3-5 hours.
According to Ondrej Angelovich, the author of the game was inspired, for example, by the Portal series and other logic games that somehow work with physics. Artificial is due for release on PC later this year.
The titles described above are just a small selection of the games featured at the Game Access conference. You can see other interesting independent titles as examples below.
Bzzz! Strong Together – DVD Unicorns
Yuro Janoshik – Piotr Yurkovski
AreaZ – Design Solutions
Replay – Ghost Studio
Magna Regna – hammer games
Kathy in the Land of Meowmeow – ARTillery
The Avengers – Studio Leveland (co-op fps)
The full list of games featured at this year’s Game Access can be found on the conference’s official website.
Source :Indian TV
