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Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space

We were there when ID@Xbox showcased four new titles from four European developers.

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This year marks 10 years since Xbox began its ID@Xbox initiative. Whether that was the reason they had invited press to a digital event, I'm still uncertain, but what we did get to see was an in-depth look at four new titles from four different European developers. All games were presented with a trailer, a demo with commentary by the developer and finally the opportunity to ask relevant questions live. Here's what we saw.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox

The first game on the menu would also turn out to be the one that made the absolute best impression. The Last Case of Benedict Fox is Polish developer Plot Twist's first game, but the developer's 30-strong team includes veterans from The Witcher, Dying Light and Hitman, so it's not an untested bunch.

I first became familiar with the game during last summer's Xbox presentation, but haven't really followed it since. Maybe that's why I was so pleasantly surprised. The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a Lovecraftian-inspired Metroidvania with equal parts combat, platforming and puzzle solving. You play as self-proclaimed detective Benedict Fox, who investigates a case related to his late father. Benedict has a few abilities that set him apart from most detectives I've come across in games, movies, and books. First, he is linked to a Darkness-like demon that, among other things, enables him to double jump and turn his skin into stone. In addition, he can access people's memories via a place called Limbo, which seems to make up the bulk of the game. The remainder takes place in his Dad's castle, where Benedict can get tattoos to upgrade the demon's abilities and talk to various characters, among other things - a hub of sorts, in other words.

Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space
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Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into spaceXbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into spaceXbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space

It was hard to get a good idea of how extensive the game's world is, but we saw plenty of puzzles such as rituals where a special order was needed as well as some immediately complicated symbol interpretation that should make more sense in practice. The puzzles in Metroidvanias are typically navigation-based, but judging from the demo, many of the puzzles take inspiration from Resident Evil, with a bunch of exotic items that need to be used in the right places.

Combat looks surprisingly complex with various abilities like the aforementioned stone skin, a parry system and melee attacks that charge your firearm. We saw Benedict battle demons and a mysterious organisation that is after him because of a demon that follows him. I am a little concerned that the combat will lack in places, but it's hard to tell after not having the controller in my hands.

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Creative director Bartek Lesiakowski was asked after the demo what he was most proud of, and not surprisingly it was the visual style, but also the atmosphere, the story and the way Plot Twist deals with dark themes in a unique way. He also mentioned that sources of inspiration besides HP Lovecraft include noir films, 1920s jazz and Greek tragedies. The diversity of inspirations can certainly be felt, and from what we saw, I can only nod in agreement to the things Bartek is most proud of. The Last Case of Benedict Fox looks like a sprightly, twitchy and immensely attractive jazz monster from another dimension, and I can't wait to get my hands on it when it arrives sometime this spring.

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Planet of Lana

Perhaps it was the explosive presentation of Benedict Fox that played a part, but Planet of Lana didn't make quite as good an impression as I'd hoped. It was the one of the four titles I was most looking forward to, but the atmospheric and stunningly beautiful cinematic platformer is probably not the game best suited to a hands off showing. And since the game doesn't have a myriad of mechanics to speak of, and developer Wishfully and creative director Adam Stjärnljus keep their cards pretty close to their chests as far as story goes, there wasn't much to talk about.

Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space
Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into spaceXbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space

That doesn't mean Planet of Lana looks any less amazing, though, considering everything that's been shown from the game so far. It looks like a Playdead game, if Studio Ghibli were in charge of its art direction and Fumito Ueda was on board as a consultant. You play as Lana, who embarks on an epic journey to save her sister and the rest of her people from the invading force threatening the planet Novo. Along the way she meets Mooi, a cat-like creature with a talent for jumping high and communicating with Novo's fauna, but it also has an acute fear of water - something Lana fortunately doesn't share. In other words, the two abilities complement each other, and in the demo, which took place in a stunning-looking swamp, we saw Lana issuing orders to Mooi to solve navigation-based puzzles. None of them were particularly complicated, but hopefully that changes a bit further into the game. However, it was positive to see Mooi promptly and correctly engage with every command, because there's nothing as annoying as a companion character with ailing AI.

While the puzzles were a bit too obvious, as I said, the game's visuals are not to be faulted, and the background music was also incredibly beautiful, which is perhaps unsurprising given that it's The Last Guardian's composer providing it. While the format may not be ideal for a game like Planet of Lana, it's still one of my most anticipated games, and thankfully it's not long until it arrives. Keep an eye out for it this spring.

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Lightyear Frontier

An alien planet is also the scene of Frame Break's Lightyear Frontier. A pleasant-looking mech farming sim that also aims to deliver a story with an alluring mystery.

Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space
Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into spaceXbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space

Unlike the other games we saw, there still seems to be some way to go for the 14 people at Frame Break, but the vision is already clear. It's all about manually gathering resources rather than automation, and the ability to play solo as well as with three friends. Plus the team is experimenting with allowing the player to leave their mech and explore on foot.

It all looks incredibly colourful and inviting, as does the Outer Wilds-sounding music, but CEO Joakim Hedström didn't say when we'd be able to play it.

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Everspace 2

From an alien planet in the original to a whole bunch of them. Everspace 2 has scrapped its predecessor's roguelite structure in favour of a classic campaign with persistent progression. Its predecessor's structure was largely the result of a limited budget, but that game's success has allowed Rockfish Games to make "the game we always wanted to make," as founder Michael Schade puts it.

Everspace 2 looks like a fast-paced arcade spin on the dogfight genre. Schade describes it as a looter shooter in a semi-open world. You travel seamlessly from place to place via portals and visit different solar systems. There are more than 100 handmade locations, and Rockfish promises a 30-hour campaign and four hours of dialogue. The variety seems to be great; we saw battles in space and near the surface on a lava planet, and below the ocean's surface on a water planet. Better still, these were actually visually inviting, so it's good that exploration plays a big part too.

Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space
Xbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into spaceXbox's upcoming indies takes us to other dimensions and far into space

The game is ready for release on PC in April after a long period in Early Access. Schade was full of praise, by the way, for the feedback Early Access has provided, even going so far as to say he wouldn't make a game again without releasing an Early Access version first.

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