We love indie games over here at Unpause and that’s why we’re big supporters of PlayStation Talents. Launched in 2015 by Sony Interactive, the PlayStation Talents program is set up to support the local Spanish game dev industry. We can only hope that this initiative will be pushed over to Southeast Asia!
Last Friday PlayStation Talents hosted their own online event called ‘The Moment’. During the Livestream, we got a fresh look at the trailers and gameplay of some of the games currently in development under the PlayStation Talents initiative. If you’re interested you can watch all of ‘The Moment’ at this link.
In the meantime, this is a roundup of all the exciting games that are coming up this year and the next! For games that are already out, we’ll round it up in a different article.
AURORA’S JOURNEY AND THE PITIFUL LACKEY by NOT SO GREAT TEAM
Release Date: Fall 2022
The year is 1927, Aurora Aylesworth is a young astronomer that lives with Lackey, a member of a robotic race of alien creatures known as the Robotos, who arrived on Earth 19 years ago. But everything changes when, one day, Aurora receives a mysterious note with information about her missing father, who disappeared four years ago while researching Eureka, the Roboto spaceship. Aurora will set on a journey following the clues her dad left in an old journey with the help of Lackey.
Players will travel with Aurora through different regions and gather clues to find the whereabouts of William, her father. The brainless will try to stop Aurora, but she’ll be able to stop them thanks to the Copernicus, a revolver custom-made from parts of an old telescope by Rachmaninoff, an old and endearing scientist who will also help her along her journey. And since travelling is not free, Aurora will have to work to earn some money in one of the two mini-games that represent her part-time jobs.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
EVIL BELOW by FIRE RAVEN STUDIOS
EVIL BELOW is a first-person horror adventure game that combines horror elements with unique puzzle-solving and stealth. Take the role of a mother searching for her child in a mysterious world filled with dark creatures blinded by faith and greed. Prepare to run, hide, kill and survive.
The game centres around a mother searching for her son in a semi-open world landscape filled with never-ending forests, abandoned villages and claustrophobic caverns. In this world, several creatures made these lands their territory, and you are their prey.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
THE LIBRARY OF BABEL (TANUKI GAME STUDIO)
Release Date: 2022
Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ short story of the same name, The Library of Babel welcomes you to a world 20,000 years after the extinction of humanity. The world is now run by advanced robots, who know very little about their mythical creators. All is well and orderly in a society run by robots, until the discovery of a library that contains everything that has, is, and will ever be written— the perfect harbinger of chaos.
Play as Ludovik in this 2D stealth platformer adventure, as he explores the jungles of a futuristic Babylon to discover the secret behind the Library of Babel’s sudden lockdown and the mysteries behind their mythical creators.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
TAD: THE LOST EXPLORER AND THE EMERALD TABLET by GAMMERA NEST
Release Date: 2022
Tad: The Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet is a 3D action adventure where players will visit iconic and exotic locations (Paris, Veracruz, Chicago and El Cairo) in an epic journey to retrieve the emerald tablet while saving his friends.
This time, Tad has found himself in a huge mess. During one of his expeditions, our beloved explorer unleashed an ancient curse and now some of his friends have fallen under a wicked spell. To save them, and save the world, Tad will have to travel with his long-life friends, solve puzzles, overcome platforming sections and climb buildings to solve the ancient mystery that pursues him.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
THE SILENT SWAN by Studio Circenses
Release Date: Q4 2022
The Silent Swan is a first-person open-world narrative experience across a monolithic, derelict world. It’s a mix of a walking simulator and an open world. The game brings the meaning of openness to urban areas for the first time to this scale.
The story follows Mirov Kavrazyma as he enters The Land Beyond the Walls. In pursuit of Selene, his wife and only witness of the Fall, who has vanished without a trail. His only clue? A series of four-winged paper swans. These swans contain writings left behind by her, with the intention of being found and tracked by Mirov.
The Silent Swan is the story of two cities: Urzhum and Sernur; of two conflicts: past and future; and of two people; Selene and Mirov.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
THE MANY PIECES OF MR. COO by GAMMERA NEST
Release Date: 2023
The Many Pieces of Mr Coo is a surrealist point & click graphic adventure. Mr Coo is stuck in a weird, mysterious world, and he needs your help to get through it. But first of all, he’ll need to find all his pieces and be whole again! There might be some philosophical strife behind all this nonsense, but with all the chaotic monsters, crazy robots and one-legged ladies it’s kinda hard to say.
With an astounding and colourful 2D cartoon art, fully hand-drawn and a surrealist and whimsical story, full of absurd humour, wacky characters, crazy situations and innovative puzzles. The Many Pieces Mr Coo is a fresh take on the graphic adventure genre. And don’t miss the captivating soundtrack by composer Julie Reier.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
RIVALIA: DUNGEON RAIDERS by FSIX GAMES
Release Date: TBA
Rivalia is a blend of an action RPG and roguelite with a cartoonish art style. The game takes place in the castle of Rivalia, where reality has been distorted due to a powerful spell. Our heroes’ mission will involve regaining control of the castle and ending the curse to restore peace back to the kingdom.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
THE CROWN OF WU by RED MOUNTAIN
Release Date: TBA
Something flipped in Wu’s mind when he got in control of the ore network. The Emperor’s ancient herald went rogue and let his power thirst control him. Mixing the power of his crown with the ore network, Wu spread pain and chaos… until his mad days were over. Sentenced to life in a frozen prison, one day Wu woke up from a long dream only to find out that somebody had taken control over his crown… and was creating chaos all over again.
Now, Wu has a chance to redeem himself and save everything he once loved so passionately. And he will do it in this third-person adventure filled with action, combat, parkour and puzzles. Set in a world where powerful robots are attacking the local population, Wu will have to recover his old powers in order to face the ultimate villains that threaten his world’s existence.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam.
DARK LIFE: EXCALIBUR by ZERO STUDIOS
Release Date: TBA
Dark Life: Excalibur tells the story of Aron, a human bound to the legendary sword Excalibur.
Aron will set on a quest to defeat York, Lord of the Giants, who murdered Aron’s family. To do so, upgrade Excalibur to make it the most brutal sword ever yielded. Every time you kill an enemy, you’ll gain points that can be spent on perks and parts. Mix and match all of them to customise your sword. Find a unique fighting style and use it to defeat all the bosses that are scattered through the map.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
CORBID: A COLORFUL ADVENTURE (CUCURRY)
Release Date: TBA
Corbid is a 3D puzzle platformer and shooter where players help Corbid become the new champion. By using its colourful skills – Eat, mix, and shoot colours to solve the puzzles of the 2 large gardens. Defeat the terrifying final bosses in fun tests where you will have to beat them in intelligence and dexterity. Enjoy the colourful worlds full of creatures with different abilities that you will have to play with to advance and solve the mysteries found in the gardens. The game will soon be available on PlayStation.
Platform: PlayStation
SLAUGHTER NO HIT by REBEL CREW STUDIO
Release Date: TBA
After an entire life working at a slaughterhouse and enjoying fishing and hunting. Yael discovers that people are judged in the afterlife based on the number of animals they have killed during their lives. Convinced that he’s going straight to hell, Yael will try to get rid of his past with the help of Pat, the grumpy old apron he inherited from his father.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam
DO NOT OPEN by NOX NOCTIS
Release Date: TBA
You appear inside a mysterious ever-changing mansion where most of the doors are closed and no one seems to live… except for the childlike presence that’s threatening your life. What’s the meaning of this madness? The only way to discover it and escape alive is by solving the puzzles located all over the building. Do it in the quickest way possible and find the truth before it catches you, or live in this nightmare forever.
Platform: PlayStation
DELIRIUM by BLACK GATE STUDIOS
Release Date: TBA
Join Lola & Danny in this first-person, cell-shading point & click adventure. Lola is a rebel teenager seeking to escape from Delirium. Thanks to her brother Danny, she will look for ways to succeed in an adventure that pays tribute to some of the genre’s classics. Solve puzzles, meet peculiar characters and look for clues and hints in the environment to succeed in your quest!
Platform: PlayStation
NEON BLOOD by CHAOTICBRAIN STUDIOS
Release Date: TBA
Neon Blood, the game, is a JRPG/Visual Novel game with a cyberpunk aesthetic. Set in the year 2053, after WWIII two giant megalopolis cities survive. Bright City and Blind City. The first is the home to the rich and powerful whereas the latter is the place for the poor. You’ll play detective Axel McCoin, who’s tired of the inequalities between both cities and he’s going to start a revolution to break the order of society.
From the developers: “We are currently in development using Unity as our engine. Merging 3D environments with 2D sprites, our game is heavily inspired by Octopath Traveller but with a cyberpunk aesthetic.
Platforms: PlayStation and Steam