For many years and the era of the Xbox 360, Microsoft has been dedicated to unwavering support for independent creators. And the arrival of Xbox Series X | S on the market has only amplified this momentum, as we were able to see during an online conference aimed at presenting three games benefiting from the program ID @ Xbox.
Microsoft more than ever listening to independent studios
Before dwelling on the titles unveiled during this conference, remember that the ID@Xbox label was inaugurated by the American manufacturer at Gamescom 2013. The goal of the program is simple: to allow independent developers to publish their own product in a dematerialized way within the Xbox and Windows 10 ecosystem.
When it started, this program brought together 50 creators...
Today, 4 studios have had the opportunity to flourish through ID@Xbox and more than 000 games have been created for a nice total of 2 billion dollars in revenue. Also, note that more than 000% of these developers are based in Europe; the three games that stood out during this week's presentation come from elsewhere in the Old Continent.
Read also:Microsoft increases developer revenue share
Edge of Eternity: a JRPG created in Spain
Expected on PC (via Steam) for its early access release on June 8, Edge of Eternity will also be released on Xbox consoles during the fourth quarter of 2021 (and will be available in the Xbox Game Pass). Developed by the Midgar Studio in Nîmes, this title is a tribute to the JRPGs of the 90s.
The adventure takes place in the world of Heryon where a fatal disease has spread by contaminating the fauna and flora. Whether in terms of its aesthetics or its gameplay mechanics, the game is inspired by several famous licenses such as Final Fantasy, Xenoblade, Lost Odyssey or even Breath of Fire.
The gameplay sequence that we were able to watch focused particularly on the turn-based combat system. But this one is more strategic than it seems. The player must place his fighters (up to six) on the battlefield himself. Positioning is important since it can lead to very specific actions such as hitting an opponent in the back, dodging an attack or setting traps.
Edge of Eternity also includes many elements familiar to RPG fans. Mounts allow you to move, crafting is used to make equipment and exploration is encouraged to find treasures scattered all over the place. About 15 biomes (mountains, cities, jungles, forests, deserts...) will be there and the life should be around 40-50 hours without necessarily completing all the side quests.
From what we've seen, Edge of Eternity looks promising. The artistic direction is successful, the combat system well thought out and the few music heard very pleasant. It remains to be seen if the story will keep its interest over the course of the adventure.
Small flat to affix to the facial animations of the characters, which seem rather summary. But we will wait to see more to judge!
Read also:Obviously Xbox Game Pass is very good for indie business
The Ascent: independent but very ambitious cyberpunk
Let's switch gears with The Ascent, an action-RPG developed by 12 people at Neon Giant. The game will be released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S this year (and included in Game Pass at launch).
Again, a gameplay sequence was broadcast to highlight the nervous and ubiquitous fights of this title opting for an isometric view. The story takes place in the heart of a cyberpunk world that has just collapsed. Gangs and ill-intentioned companies will often push us to violence during missions. But the game is much more than a simple shooter, inviting us to stretch everything that moves.
Indeed, The Ascent shows a real depth with rather pretty cutscenes, worked dialogues, the possibility to personalize our avatar from head to toe or even the fact of being able to play in cooperation. In this case, the enemies will become more powerful.
Also, the game will not fail to deal with social issues such as capitalism and transhumanism. To put it simply, and despite its status as an independent production, The Ascent seems to bring together many of the elements that are the strength of big budget games.
Another surprising fact, the modeling of the environments is absolutely not archaic despite the positioning of the camera (isometric view). The city will even afford the luxury of being relatively open, with its many inhabitants bringing a lot of life to the futuristic streets. The aesthetic is necessarily reminiscent of that of the recent Cyberpunk 2077 but it nevertheless retains its own identity.
Again, this first approach to The Ascent will have been conclusive. Obviously, it is only controller in the hands that we can give our final verdict.
Hopefully the progression won't be too repetitive since the game largely focuses on its unbridled action. For now, the title of Neon Giant has seemed extremely ambitious to us and we can't wait to see more.
12 Minutes: an interactive Hollywood thriller
Make way for what is undoubtedly the most famous of the three ID@Xbox games at the event. As a reminder, 12 Minutes was announced on the Microsoft stage during E3 2019.
It's a thriller set in a simple apartment. Without saying too much, the player gets stuck in a time loop that lasts, well, twelve minutes. As he prepares to spend a good evening with his wife, our protagonist is interrupted by a man bursting into the small studio. It will be up to the player to experiment to get out of this tense situation.
JVFR
During the presentation, the creative director, Luis Antonio, underlined an unusual piece of information for a video game: indeed 12 Minutes is not really a game but rather an interactive and psychological thriller. The player doesn't have much to do except move around the apartment, pick up items, and talk with the protagonist's companion.
Each decision will have repercussions on the course of events and picking up an object will sometimes open up new avenues. Reaching the end of the twelve minutes or dying will launch yet another loop and our hero will be perfectly aware of being stuck in it.
Since 12 Minutes relies heavily on its script, we are not going to reveal anything more to you. Just know that the other major asset of the software is in its cast, which comes straight from Hollywood. Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley and James McAvoy embody the three characters of the adventure. A good way to add drama to the already suffocating atmosphere of software.
Luis Antonio wants to produce an accessible game with a concept quite different from what exists, especially with regard to the end of the story... Because it is the player who will stop himself, at the instead of being stopped by a banal credits on the screen.
JVFR
It must be admitted, 12 Minutes intrigues and seems to contain many surprises. The choices made seem to weigh heavily on the progression and the atmosphere is quite stunning despite the minimalist graphics and the impossibility of seeing the faces of the characters... The fault of a camera offering only a view of above. However, this does not seem to spoil the immersion already perceptible through a simple gameplay video.
No official release date has been announced yet, but 12 Minutes should be released very soon on Xbox and PC machines.
