Indie Craft 2023, held at Seongnam City, was an absolute banger as it had a total of 80 games submitted, both locally and globally, for exhibition. With higher stakes, the competition was the toughest it’s ever been but in the end, the top 5 games were selected to be a part of Indie Craft and received benefits worth millions of won.
These top 5 games are briefly discussed below along with a quick TLDR list if you dont have time to read about each game:
- 1. The Devil Within: Satgat
- 2. WitchSpring R
- 3. Archetype Blue
- 4. X Invader
- 5. Harvest101: Farm Deck Building
1. The Devil Within: Satgat
The Devil Within: Satgat is a 2.5 D metroidvania-style journey where the player takes on the role of Kim Rip, a Royal Guard on a quest to “unveil the enigmas of the Ebon Sting and purge the world of its corruption”.
The world is on the verge of destruction and it is our job to take out the source of the tower causing all this. The game offers a meticulously interwoven and dense world accompanied by stunning visuals. SATGAT has a vibe like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and seems to take inspiration from a lot of popular platformer titles.
The story by itself isn’t something completely new but SATGAT does introduce some unique elements like an improvised parry system that helps it stand out a little from other souls-like Metroidvania titles.
The Devilwithin: SATGAT offers a free demo as well and was the most anticipated game at Indie Craft. The game was originally intended to be released in 2023 but later on, after releasing the demo, the devs decided to move it to some time in 2024 so the game could be polished a bit more.
2. WitchSpring R
Coming in at 2nd place at Indie Craft, we have WitchSpring R, a cute story-driven RPG where the players assume the role of Pieberry, A white-haired witch. After living in the woods for her whole life, Pieberry can’t find a way to the outside world... until she ends up getting a taste of a pie from the human world which in turn leads to her adventures to hunt down more pie.
Pieberry is accompanied by a funny-looking bird named Black Joe on her adventures with whom she doesn’t quite get along with most of the time. Her interaction with Joe continues to put a smile on the player’s face throughout the story.
WitchSpring R takes around 30 hours to beat and delivers a relaxing and wholesome experience with a pleasant feeling to it. Some people can indeed find the game a bit short, especially compared to other modern-day RPGs. With that said, the barrier for entry is extremely low making it great for anyone looking for a fun experience.
3. Archetype Blue
Next up on the list we have Archetype Blue, a rouge-lite deck builder set in a medieval fantasy where players embark on an expedition in various parts of this fantasy world. The game offers cards that are divided into five categories: attacks, skills, blessings, curses, and dreams which can be shuffled to make a specific deck.
Players can play with a variety of heroes and their cards can be strengthened on expeditions. Archetype Blue offers beautiful pixel art and can either be played solo or with some companions. As of now, the game is still in work with a release expected in 2024.
4. X Invader
X Invader is a roguelike survival game set in an era of corruption and tyranny of large corporations in 2080.
You play as X, a master hacker from the rebellion group 'Rinascita', and your job is to uncover hidden secrets of corrupt companies by infiltrating their systems.
X Invader is a lightweight game that offers good-looking pixel art, a ton of replayability and great value for money. It’s a short and sweet indie title with a lot going for it.
5. Harvest101: Farm Deck Building
Unlike the rest of the games on this list, our last title is actually a free mobile game. Harvest101 is another single-player deck-building strategy game set on a medieval farm. It offers a really low barrier of entry alongside a fun experience with mechanics that are easy to understand.
At the start, you are given 10 cards to build your farm and from there you frame your deck, gather resources, improve your stronghold and clear different scenarios. The only problem with Harvest101 is its awkward English translation which can sometimes make understanding mechanics a little tricky but overall it is a great package.
