EGX Rezzed - Highlights Part 2

So EGX Rezzed last weekend was full of surprises. Here’s Part 1 of this little series of the selection of games we were impressed by, if you fancy taking a look. If you are interest in couch party games, check out this article for more upcoming titles. Many of the games we had the privilege of taking a look at were somewhat underdeveloped, but for me, they were conceptually interesting enough to advise you to keep them on the radar.

No Trace

This is a game that doesn’t shy away from its main influences. The protagonist is a suited bald man, who has to sneak into buildings – in the showcase, a house –, and fulfil their assassination contracts. In order to do so, he can mow down all guards and gardeners, take them out and disguise as a member of staff, or sneak his way through like a ninja. Yes, as you’re probably thinking, this is Hitman. The most notable difference: our character in No Trace is black and can grow facial hair.

From a faux isometric perspective, you have a much clearer view of what’s going on around you. If you see a guard heading to the kid’s bedroom, where you are patiently awaiting the target to get into the adjacent bathroom, you can peruse the room and find a wardrobe in which to hide. Doing so, you can see guards approaching pre-emptively, and plan your nimble moves around the house accordingly. This is not to say that the game is easier than other Hitman games, but rather, it dismisses the late ‘see-through-walls’ vision for a more organic playstyle.

A staple of the Hitman series is the preparation of unfortunate fatal accidents to occur, or toying around with the different alarm or light systems to your advantage. No Trace graciously inherits this feature and creates an interconnected level where the more twisted the set-up, the more grotesque the death. The ‘inspection vision’ allows you to devise the canniest assassination by viewing the objects you can tamper with and the profile of all the guards and targets. No Trace’s attempt to create organic and unpredictable level is reflected in the aleatory stats granted to each member of the staff, which will make them susceptible to you in different ways, like being able to spot you more easily through a disguise.

All in all, No Trace is a nifty homage to the Hitman series, with a low-poly style and a mechanical twist that creates an enticing reshaping of what we know and love.

Frozen Synapse 2

The much expected sequel to Frozen Synapse is under development, and carries over the minimalist colour-coded style that the original had, as well as the unpredictability of the scenarios. Frozen Synapse 2, although early in development, expands on the basic concepts of movement and tactics, granting you more freedom in how you approach each mission. The difficulty is at spiked up as in the first one, with the AI making the most unexpected movements and killing your squad with no mercy.

Frozen Synapse 2’s big addition is a city-world-hub from where your security company competes against different factions for the corporate hegemony of the security sector. In order to do this, you’re given the option to prioritise certain missions, find allies in other companies, and race other squads to each mission. Sadly, what we could play at Rezzed did not give us much insight into the ins and outs of the city system, but from what we could gather, it gives a grander purpose to each mission, making their outcome have a bigger impact in the latter game.

Lifeless

Lifeless is a first-person post-apocalyptic zombie survival game of the likes of DayZ or Dead Rising, but one that instead of focusing on PvP and the situations that may arise, creates a PvE sandbox that, in its core mechanics, is more similar to an MMO. The developers of Lifeless, RigidSoft, all describe themselves as MMO players, but noticed that even though zombie survival games were ubiquitous, they were failing to cater to MMO players. 

Like many others, Lifeless is largely loot-based. You will collect clothing, melee and range weapons, provisions and other utensils. The team recently overhauled the core combat system seeking an improvement, and they have achieved one of the most physical and satisfactory melee combats found in any game of this genre.

The MMO design of the game means that in the future, there will be plenty of NPCs where you can get quests and bits of different stories. The player and NPC base is divided in two factions, which will take a central role in the story and lore of the missions. Further on, the developers plan to add cooperative missions and a whole set of rewards for completing side objectives. In a nutshell, it’ll be like Destiny, but with zombies and a survival component.

The Black Death

This game is a very peculiar RPG. Usually, videogames allow you to embody an adventurer facing unimaginable threats, or a warrior facing legendary armies. The Black Death is a medieval MMORPG that puts you in the shoes of a hearty peasant, or a witty merchant, or a tough smith. Of course, you can always take up in arms as a member of the local militia, but the core of this game consists in the economy created by the PvP interactions of traders, manufacturers, gatherers and adventurers.

What we were able to see is visually impressive. The bleakness of the world, its crisp details and the fluidity of the animations all add up for a very enticing atmosphere. In its current state, we didn’t have much to do apart from wander around and piss off guards, but the planned structure of the game will create cities full of life, where guards will protect the defenceless merchants and bartering your way around town will give you lots of rewards. Unlike Lifeless, this game is purely PVP-driven, although the developers are considering the inclusion of quests. This means that it’ll rely on the interactions between players, and the calculating and heartless capitalist system the players will enforce. Now, call me cynical, but I can’t imagine myself being anything other than a knight.

Tokyo 42

This post-modern version of Tokyo, with bright neon colours and nonsensical pedestrian behaviour, sees the player take a series of assassination contracts in order to… clear their name? The faux isometric perspective of this cube world is perfect for having a good view of the rooftops and the elevated streets of this futuristic Tokyo. This is a mouse-and-keyboard game where your weapons range from melee, to sniper, to grenades, and both you and the enemy are down with just one hit.

You can rotate the camera around the colourful and billboard-covered buildings, to see your character make his way in around platforms, as well as shooting and sneaking around baddies to gather loot or take out specific targets. The visuals in this game are carried by the strange architecture of the city and the minimalist futuristic setting, and are the first things that will draw you into the game. I only managed to play a few single-player missions, but the developers plan to add a multiplayer mode where players will hide in plain sight among the citizens of Tokyo.

This is the Police

Imagine a game where your task is to manage, assess and direct the police force of a city, and make all the crucial decisions that policemen have to make in the light of economic, social and political unrest. From a top-down overview of the city, you can give orders to you different patrols and squads, sending detectives out to solve cases and SWAT teams to more delicate and threatening situations.

Nevertheless, the heart of This is the Police lies on the mix of all the different voices clouding your judgement. The police station is a business to run, in a way. You have deadlines and quotas to meet, employees to take care of and discipline and, at the same time, loads of people to protect. On top of that, This is the Police puts the police force in the centre of the social debate, where your decisions will make you more or less popular, political candidates will try to persuade you, and social movements try to fight against you.

From what we played, This is the Police does not rely on a political commentary about the corruption and irresolution of the police force, but rather, it presents a climate in which the force is pulled by so many strings, and restrained in so many ways, that often times it is hard to achieve a balance and succeed, no matter how hard-working and honest you are. More importantly, as the commissioner of the force, you’re under the stress of a broken family and an unfulfilling career, and the baggage of your life and experience that more often than not, weighs you down and makes you less popular.

Deadbeat Heroes

With a much more cartoonish and upbeat style than the last game, Deadbeat Heroes is a brawler in which you’re given a very pleasing set of moves and attacks to obliterate city gangs. After all, the role of a hero is to fight away the bad guys, and it becomes even more pressing if these fat, scary criminals have superpowers themselves. Whether you play alone or with a friend in co-op, this game has the word ‘fun’ tattooed on its face. Deadbeat Heroes is set in London during the ‘70s, and is being developed by Upstream Arcade, a two-man team that emerged from the ashes of Lionhead Studios

The low-poly style of this game, plus the fast-paced action is carried by a skinny trendy nobody carrying a vast amount of surprises. The most important of them all, a gauntlet that allows you to steal powers from the enemies. In the demo we played, we made our way through several office rooms tearing desks, documents and enemies apart while we dodged bullets and punched criminals. Unlike you, they have real superpowers, so it’s up to you to use your wall-running and button-mashing skills to borrow their ability and take them down. If you need a break from games that take themselves too seriously, and just dive into a fun and lively brawler that will never frustrate you, look out for this one. I know I certainly will.

The Wall Shall Stand

This nifty little game carries political movements at its core, and simplifies them in such a way that it manages to be both insightful and self-aware. You live in a country under some socialist dictatorial autocracy, in which police and other forces quarantine neighbourhoods and censor media. Your job is simple: sneak past the government’s forces and rally up the citizens against the system by hanging up propaganda posters and gathering a mob to follow you, and do all this while being inconspicuous to the enemy.

This game elegantly divides the city by neighbourhoods and colour-codes them: red for those under the influence of the fascist regime, and light blue for those in which you have rallied up enough citizens to stand up against the oppression and knock down the statues of the not-so-beloved dictator. This faux isometric game carries inspirations from the writings of George Orwell, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity. It may have something very complex to say.

Syndrome

If there’s one thing that’s overwhelmingly impressive about this game it’s the quality of the visual for being just a three-man team. The quality of the shadows and lighting, plus the level of detail in this retro-futuristic space station is outstanding, and many of its inspirations, like System Shock and SOMA, have nothing on this little gem. Similarly, Syndrome is a first-person horror game where the protagonists wakes up amidst the hanged bodies of executed marines. Soon you will find that the few remaining survivors in the station are playing you against the other, and no matter how nice they seem, they both accuse each other of being murderers.

Much of the survival mechanics that we have seen in previous horror games are carried over to this one: ammo will be limited and monsters will lurk in the dark, but you always have the choice to run away, hide, or defend yourself against them. The rusty, bloody and claustrophobic station is very reminiscing of the atmosphere in games like SOMA or Alien: Isolation, and there, you will find wandering androids and hopefully, the courage to push through. This faster-paced take on horror, by studio Camel 101, is sure to make your hair stand on end while at the same time delighting you with gorgeous visual effects.

Everspace

And lastly, here comes a roguelike that presents itself like the pinnacle of space shooter games. From the likes of Elite: Dangerous or Rebel Galaxy — two games with GameGrin’s seal of approval —, Everspace is a single-player game where collecting resources, shooting down other ships and customising your own at its core. The premise behind Everspace does not differ much from what we have seen in many other games, but the way the mechanics are executed allows for a much more welcoming, dynamic, and dog-fighting style of game, where you will feel like a rebel X-wing chasing an imperial TIE-fighter.

Beyond its more arcade-y gameplay, Everspace shines due to the majestic and jaw-dropping vistas that will most likely keep you coming back again and again into the game, in case the story does not on its own. Everspace’s fantasised ideal of space may not attract more committed Elite players, but for many, it’ll be the ideal balance between ship management, gathering resources, dog-fighting and storyline. The developers have configured what they call a ‘loop’ through which you will be able to progress in the story in every new game, as well as collect blueprints and thus, have it easier during the next run. If you like space but can’t be arsed with all the hardcore gibberish of other titles, Everspace should be on your Christmas list.