Develop:Brighton Announces Finalists in Eighth Indie Showcase

10-12 July 2018; www.developconference.com

20 June 2018: Develop:Brighton, Europe’s leading game developers conference, today announced the shortlisted games to be on display as part of the eighth Indie Showcase.

Running on 11 and 12 July within the Develop:Brighton Expo, the Indie Showcase highlights independently-developed games selected by a judging panel of industry experts. The process takes into consideration graphics, gameplay, technology achievement and originality.

Attendees will be able to play all the games at the Expo and on Thursday 12 July the overall Indie Showcase winner, as chosen by the judging panel, and the People’s Choice winner, as voted for by delegates through the Develop:Brighton website, will be announced.

Past shortlisted games over the last four years include critically acclaimed PC title Gunpoint; arthouse video game That Dragon, Cancer and PC title Action Henk which was picked up by Curve Studios after the event.

“The standard of submissions for this year’s Indie Showcase has been exceptionally high,” commented Alistair Aitcheson, chairman of the selection panel. “2018 is my first year as chair of the selection panel and with nearly 100 games submitted this year, helping select the finalists has been inspiring and an honour.”

Managing director of Tandem Events, Andy Lane, added, “It’s been eight years since we launched the Indie Showcase, and the creativity displayed by all the indie developers that submit increases year on year. Everyone involved is excited to see the industry reaction and I urge everyone to check out the shortlist on the expo floor.”

The shortlisted games for the Indie Showcase 2018 (in no particular order):

Growbot (PC)
Wabisabi Play
Growbot is a 2D point-and-click adventure about a robot saving her home from a dark crystalline force. Set upon a biopunk space station bursting with fantastic plants and aliens. You play as Nara, a growbot in training to become a captain. When your station home is attacked by rapidly growing crystals, it's down to you to save it. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tthFECEiQXY

This Dead Winter (PC)
Kindred Games
A dark fantasy adventure game set in ancient woodland, gripped by an enduring winter. You’re one of the few remaining animals left, a bright red fox. Your cub mysteriously taken, embark on a journey through the ruins of a lost civilisation and into the heart of an otherworldly forest to get her back.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx3CSAdXXxloT2hOMk9fbWpESnc

Supermarket Shriek (PC, Xbox One, PS4 & Switch)
Billy Goat Entertainment
Supermarket Shriek is a unique (shopping) kart racer where an unlikely duo find themselves in a trolley, navigating through various obstacle courses and challenges situated inside a range of shops, boutiques and supermarkets. Because, why not?
https://youtu.be/fEYmEWBNA7U

What the Golf? (PC)
Triband
The golf game for people who hate golf. Golf is boring, but hitting stuff is fun. Golf a cat, a horse, or a house! A silly physics-based golf parody where every golf course is a new surprising type of golf, some brilliant or hilarious, others so absurd they will make you go: WHAT THE GOLF?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ehC96ytKNI

Tanglewood (SEGA Mega Drive, SEGA Genesis & PC)
Big Evil Corporation
Tanglewood is a brand new and original game for the SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis, to be released on cartridge following its successful Kickstarter campaign. A true 16-bit, nostalgic platforming experience running on genuine SEGA hardware, that will make fans of SEGA's golden era feel warm and fuzzy. Set in a fictional world, the game follows a young creature, Nymn, who is separated from the family pack after the sun sets. Unable to get back to the safety of the underground home, Nymn must find a way to survive the night terrors and get to morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59KW8xT74eo,

3030 Deathwar Redux: A Space Odyssey (PC)
Bird in Sky
3030 is a hybrid Elite-style/monkey Island style game that blends our favourites: sci-fi references galore and adventure game style dialogue. You explore star systems, mine and fight pirates in top-down mode. When leaving your ship the game switches into a scrolling classic Adventuring mode, where you explore derelicts, talk to shady characters or head over to the space bar for a drink. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYJVZgdwZ4A

Fugl (PC, iOS & Oculus)
Kotori Studios
Experience the thrill of flying as you explore the natural beauty of a vast voxel world. Relax and feel as free as a bird as you create your own adventure, with no time constraints or set goals. Discover and observe hundreds of unique animals whose features your shape-shifting bird can absorb.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk7fDYj7YkM

NeuroSlicers (PC)
Dream Harvest
A highly tactical cyberpunk RTS that turns the genre on its head by focusing on fast, macro and total information gameplay, short 5-10 min matches and a multiplayer driven narrative. Control clever AI powered units, use powerful hacking abilities that allow you to manipulate the levels and spawn advanced weaponry and buildings that allow you to take over the network one data node at time. 
https://youtu.be/lr2wVw4DvJo

HyperBrawl Tournament (PC)
Milky Tea Studios
Welcome to HyperBrawl Tournament, the most intense sport brawler game you’ve ever played! Assemble your team of formidable warriors, arm them with game-changing weapons and compete to become the Galaxy’s greatest hero! HyperBrawl Tournament fuses ‘no-rules’, hyper speed handball with brutal player-versus-player combat in intense 1 player, 2 v 2 and 1 v 1 local or online conflicts in arenas filled with dynamic obstacles. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASa-_jtcLJY

Skybolt Zack (PC)
Devs Must Die
Skybolt Zack is pure arcade game, a fast-paced platformer with a combat mechanic inspired by rhythm games. Rocket Punch through one enemy to another and destroy everything that stands in your way! Blast the music out with your increasing combos! The gameplay is easy to understand: press the button with the same colour than your target to rush at them with a Rocket Punch.
https://youtu.be/Gz8spdCQMC8

Registration is open at www.developconference.com with passes starting from as little as £160. Entry to the Expo is free.