John Bedford (Modojo): Last year, Modojo's parent company Gamer Network launched Rezzed, an event to showcase the best of PC and indie gaming. Our personal highlight of the show in 2012 was Tengami, a beautiful pop-up puzzle game that we're delighted to see make a return this year, but it was PC indie development that dominated in the show's inaugural year.
In 2013, there are considerably more mobile and tablet developers dotted around the conference, some with entire booths to themselves, while those with more experimental games are to be found tucked away here and there amongst the bustle of the conference. Michael Brough's Helix is one such curio amongst the more prominent titles, but it's no less fascinating for it.
"Retro is definitely in. My favourite pub has a space invaders console, several of our newer card games feature 8-bit artwork and the current day of computer games is forever looking back on the glorious eighties. Helix is just such a game. The 8-bit artwork, whilst original, definitely harks back to the days of ten-pence-a-go gaming in stuffy arcades by the seashore." Say CalmDownTom
Earlier in 2014 indie developer The Virtual Dutch Men released the world’s first one to one virtual reality (VR) roller coaster in Helix – The Next Level. The experience stands out from other VR roller coasters by perfectly replicating the Helix ride located at the Liseberg theme park in Gothenburg, Sweden. Today the developer has released a new update for the experience, which adds no functionality.
"It was extremely minimalist, but developer Michael Brough's 868-Hack was also pure genius. Not only did it make our Best 50 iOS Indie Games of 2013 list, but it was also declared the best game of 2013 by Boson X creator Ian MacLarty, and I can also reveal it was on the subs bench for République creator Ryan Payton’s list, too. The developer has just announced his next game, Helix."
868-Hack is well worth picking up for those who haven't played it. Just make sure you stick with it for a little bit as it really begins to open up as you play it.
