IndieCade 2014: The Sony booth

As IndieCade continues to grow with every year, Sony understands that it's a great place to showcase their vast lineup of upcoming indie games. Sony had a massive presence at this year's event, showing off no less than 20 of its indie titles across all of its platforms. Here are just some of the games that Shacknews had a chance to try out over the weekend.

Grim Fandango

Arguably the most anticipated game in Sony's slate of upcoming indie games. There was a bout of skepticism when Double Fine originally announced that the long-awaited Grim Fandango remake would come to PlayStation 4. After all, it's beloved as a classic PC adventure game. As it turns out, it's making the transition very well.

For those that have never played through the original LucasArts classic, Grim Fandango follows the tale of Manny Calavera, travel agent for the Department of Death, as he leads his mundane existence on his path through the afterlife. The PlayStation 4 version of the game sees players control Manny directly and strike up dialogue trees with the game's colorful characters. The updated design and interface is reminiscent of Broken Age in many ways and feels just as intuitive now as it did when it originally released.

Several of Grim Fandango's features were not ready for the IndieCade demo, including the ability to switch to classic graphics and switch aspect ratios. However, one of the most interesting new features was on full display, that being the director's commentary. Depending on which area Manny enters, an L1 prompt will appear, which will trigger commentary from the Grim Fandango creators. This is one of the most alluring draws of the re-mastered version, as even the most dedicated Grim Fandango fan can now take a look behind the curtain into the making of the game, scene-by-scene.

Grim Fandango is set to come to PS4 in 2015. I also hear that it's set to come to PC, Mac, and Linux, too!

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

The latest Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number demo on Vita was a short one, but is enough to assure fans of the first game that this will be more of the same insanity. The same masochistic spirit of the original game remains, meaning that you'll often find yourself dying in a single hit.

The primary difference for this game will be a new cast of playable characters called The Fans. Many of them will have their own distinct abilities, similar to the first game. For example, I ran through a chunk of the demo with Tony and his Tiger mask. Tony could kill foes solely with his fists at the expense of his ability to pick up weapons. The map layouts will feel familiar to many fans of Hotline Miami 2, so the idea is to pick whichever character suits your style the best.

Hotline Miami 2 is set to arrive in 2015 and the game's pick-up-and-play action and short levels make it an ideal fit for the Vita.

N++

The Way of the Ninja series, better known as N, has a history of being brutally difficult. Before Super Meat Boy ever hit the frozen food section, N was the go-to game for masochistic platforming. Now we hit 2014, where N++ looks to continue the ninja-style stick figure platforming for a new generation.

My time at IndieCade was mostly spent playing through N++'s four-player survival co-op. Stages are deviously designed, with pink bombs littering the field. Each player would be tasked with flipping switches in order to open the way for at least one person to hit the exit. Often times, switches would be purposely placed near death traps, requiring a strategic sacrifice. And just as in the N tradition, all of it must be done within a time limit.

There's nothing more satisfying than reaching the finish line as a team, but N++ certainly won't make it easy. Precision platforming and wall jumping is vital and I look forward to tackling this challenge again when N++ hits PS4 next year.

OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood

There isn't too much to say about the sequel to last year's breakout 2D skateboarding hit. The game is in its very early stages, as evidenced by the single stage that was on display. However, the changes that developer Roll7 are aiming for are visible almost from the instant the game begins.

For one thing, the pixel art style is now a thing of the past. Characters and environments now appear at a higher resolution, looking slightly more modern, while still keeping its retro aesthetic. That's where the changes seem to end, though, as the main OlliOlli mechanics appear to still be in place. Stunts can still be performed just as before, only now players will have access to ramps to help get big air. The real trick, of course, is landing smoothly, which didn't prove to be so easy. But there's ample time for Roll7 to work out any kinks in the stuntwork and the visuals.

OlliOlli 2 is set to come out on PS4 and Vita in 2015.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?