For RTX Austin 2017, the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas saw over 60,000 visitors from all over the globe pass through its doors. The convention is run by RoosterTeeth, a production company based in Austin, which has been running the convention since 2011.
RoosterTeeth has been slowly bringing games from the Austin area and nationally to RTX, as RTX is a constantly growing affair. Gamer Assault Weekly stumbled upon a number of games that gamers and content creators alike will definitely enjoy in the coming year, with a number of titles supporting the indie community.
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1. Witchkin
There is no blood, only dread. “Witchkin, developed and published by Coven Games, appears to have been born from hell itself.” Based on the “Candy Lady” legend, you’ll be playing as a terrified child whose sister was abducted and brought to the sinister home of the Lady.
You must explore from the basement to the attic, trying to avoid the demonic toys that vary from floor to floor, whether you are on the edge of your seat or hiding behind your chair. Players need to come up with strategies to try and outrun disfigured dolls and teddy bears that come your way, from holding their breath to stifling the sounds coming from music boxes. Set to haunt your dreams in mid-2017, Witchkin is certainly a game you’ll want to play on their website with friends with the demo now available.
2. S.O.Y.F
If you ever wanted to take more literally the phrase ‘s**tting on your friends,’ then we are kind of worried about your extracurricular activities. It does mean, however, that you should play the fun new party game developed by Egonaut Games and published by GAMEPUMP, S.O.Y.F. As you race against your friends to keep one of three lives and be the last man standing, you should play as adorable ghosts, pugs, and even Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller.
There are a number of modes with 2-4 friends, or strangers if you feel confident, in which you can sh*t on your friends, including a classic mode, a mode that makes your hit heavier each time, and a one-hit kill mode. This unique game that was dumped on Steam this July, and is now available for PC, is highly recommended.
3. Pyre
SuperGiant Games is continuing its tradition of beautiful games with powerful soundtracks and its newest title, Pyre. In this action RPG, knowledge is freedom, as you lead a band of exiled individuals as their literate leader.
You fight other exiles in a top-down soccer-like battle system while traveling during the day, and try to destroy the orb of the other team by forcing it to fire. You’ll search for supplies during the night, delve into background lore, and improve the abilities of the other exiled through mentor-ship on your team. Pyre is set to be a uniquely challenging experience composed by Transistor composer Darren Korb and vocals from Ashley Barrett, drawing on various RPG elements in this fantasy world. Pyre is set to hit this year’s PS4 and PC on July 25th.
4. We Riot Tonight
“Liberate, cooperate, retaliate.” If ever there was a time to resist, that time is now. Tonight, We Riot arrives at the perfect moment of political unrest in real life, and provides an alternative to bashing, beating, and burning your enemies to the ground.
Rip back control on your own from the working class, or join the revolution both locally and online with friends. Either way, with fans who know the frustrations and hopelessness of the daily grind, this eight-bit adventure is sure to strike a chord.
The action is only better backed up with beats from Sixixix, developed by Pixel Pushers Union 512 and published by New Blood Interactive. Chaos will increase sometime in 2017, although there is no official release date.
5. Next Up Hero
Because of the simple learning curve of this game, I really believe anyone from Digital Continue and Aspyr can pick up Next Up Hero. Players are thrown into an environment where a bunch of minions and big enemies can be aggregated by any movement short of a breath. You have to survive the herd alone on your first try, eventually submitting to death at the hands of your enemies.
This is where the community building mechanic of Next Up Hero kicks in, and you can raise your fallen comrade’s corpse to fight either on your side or in your place as you run away. In Dark Souls, it’s almost like the ringing of a bell to summon assistance for difficult quests. Next Up Hero is a game aimed at building a community that is willing to push its teammates to succeed, and willing to help you succeed.
While you have to wait in line before entering a new game for someone to die, you will be able to build on previous players’ achievements and win the game as a community. Steam currently has early access to Next Up Hero but will be available sometime in 2017 for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
6. Arbiter
Jordan Scott, the indie developer of RWBY: Grimm Eclipse, has focused on Kickstarting his newest endeavor, Arbiter. You play in it as the newest successive Arbiter, Ashe, and you use your guardians, Dove and Raven, to protect mankind by destroying the demons that have been released into the world.
We talked about his favorite games and how he wanted to use those experiences to mold Arbiter in our latest interview with Jordan.
As Arbiter strays away from button mashers and forces the player to execute timed movements against difficult enemies while using a transformation mechanic that allows them to fight different enemies, this title will not satisfy the faint of heart. This title forces you to cooperate with your team, much like Grimm Eclipse, although in this case, it is the two spirits that help you. Currently, Arbiter is set to be released for PC, and possibly Linux, in December 2018.
7. Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues
With Portalarium, Inc’s Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, Richard “Lord British” Garriott makes his return to fantasy RPGs.
The game urges players to interact with every aspect of the game: from building custom decks and classes to collecting materials to building buildings and whole villages. A fully immersive RPG. While talking to Richard at RTX, one of the most interesting aspects of this game is the ability of the player to either determine text or type conversations with other characters.
Instead of jumping to the end of the text to proceed with the next mission, Richard and his team wanted conversations between players and NPCs to feel almost as natural as a conversation between players, guiding them to read character backgrounds and quest stories. Shroud of the Avatar includes offline single-player and selective online player modes, with five episodic stories written by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman. Shroud of the Avatar is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux under the name ‘The Best Crowdfunded Game of 2016’ from MMO Games.
8. Dusk
I like to think that Dusk is what it would be like at night to drive through a supernatural version of the Deep South. If you were in your trunk with a full arsenal. With cultists, zombie soldiers, and demonic forces in environments that no one would dare go, players find themselves toe-to – toe. Gun down, lacerate, and maim your opponents-sometimes while flying in the air-to make it to this 90s-esque first-person David Szymanski and New Blood Interactive shooter this morning. With three campaigns along with an endless survival mode, the nightmare of this church goer will be available sometime in 2017 for single and multiplayer on PC.
9. Pit People
In 2008, with an overwhelming response, the indie studio The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers rammed into our homes. Dan Paladin’s unique characters drew fans to this unconventional beat-em-up with a somewhat traditional tale, where you save the gorgeous princess from the big bad. In the action RPG Pit People, the Behemoth and space bear make their return to Xbox and PC with an even bigger cast of whacked-out caricatures.
The co-op adventure, reminiscent of Settlers of Catan, will allow players along the way to recruit other characters in the game, as well as customize their skins and weapons. The Steam Early Access and Xbox One Game Preview versions were released in January even though there is no official release date for the game.
10. BattleSloths 2025
Even if RTX wasn’t the RoosterTeeth convention, a multiplayer game where you’re a sloth with a gun would be pretty difficult to miss. It’s like the most adorable animal they could think of was deliberately taken and their natural instinct to eat increased by 200 percent. Invisible Collective and RoosterTeeth Games make dreams come true in Battlesloths, dropping players in a 2025 version where sloths reign and only “EAT.ALL.PIZZA” is intended.
The only downside is that in order to achieve your goal, you have to kill all the players; what a con. You’re going to wear many hats inspired by Funhaus, Roosterteeth, and the food you’re not going to be fighting for. On June 6th, Battlesloths was published and is now available on Steam. A myriad of levels allows you to play locally or online.