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#PGCBangalore - Best of the rest of the Very Big Indie Pitch at PGC Bangalore

Indian summer-y

#PGCBangalore - Best of the rest of the Very Big Indie Pitch at PGC Bangalore
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You've no doubt read all about the winner and runner-up of the Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects in Bangalore. They're fantastic games and rightly deserve to have taken away the top prizes.

But the quality of entries was so unbelievably high that I felt I needed to bring you a quick rundown of the best of the rest. Here then are the highlights of the awesome mobile indie games we saw at the event…

Skatelander – Underdogs Studios

We'd already played this one. It's a skateboarding game with a very familiar art style that plays well and has compulsive unlockable characters and boards.

A Thief's Journey – VR Playing Games

An isometric stealth / puzzle hybrid that looks lovely and will have you scratching your head for ages figuring out how to beat its infuriating levels.

Salvation Ultimatum – Ether Games

One part Subway Surfers, one part Contract Killer, seven parts butt kicking action movie. Salvation Ultimatum impressed us with its strong presentation and rock-solid gameplay.

Duel – Refocus Tech

A minimalist action puzzle game that was like Cut the Rope combined with curling. It's hugely ambitious too, with online and single-screen multiplayer, plus a load of other features.

Discover O – BYOF Studios

Fast-paced arcade-y endless action is the order of the day here. A ball in the centre of the screen must be swiped in the direction of the colour it matches with. Addictive, infuriating, brilliant.

Rise of Defenders – Cympl

A slightly more active tower defence style game, this title might be coming into a crowded genre, but the character design and fun power ups will distinguish it enough for hardcore TD fans.

Word Bridge – All in a Day's Play

Each level is a word, like "jump", and a jumble of letters that can spell words associated with the name of the stage ("joy" and "frog", for example). Simple, but slick and ever-so satisfying too.

Catcher in the Sky – Supersike Games

Really liked this one: it's a striking game about a rocket careering through space which you must protect from meteors and alien baddies by swiping and tapping them away.

Mask Gun – June

An online competitive first person shooter with quick matches and even quicker matchmaking. Think Counter Strike and Eliminate and you won't go far wrong.

Snoopy Whoopy - Gameanax

Cut the Rope has been a big influence here, and so has The Incredible Machine, so don't be fooled by the so-so visuals, the gameplay is rewarding and deep, and the character is completely adorable.

Babaji – Winjit

While Babaji is visually Indian, its passive shmup gameplay is closer to shooters from Japan, and the quick fire action is perfect for mobile devices around the world. I thought this was very strong.

Unwynd – Dropout Games

A puzzle game with complex mechanics to grasp initially, but once you do you realise how staggeringly deep the rest of the game is. Nice art style too.

Picto – Seven Summits

An interactive story experience in the vein of Dear Esther. But instead of coastlines to wander around, this is a tale of domestic violence told from multiple viewpoints. Another favourite of mine.

2Bikes – Sp Media Tech

Yes, those visuals definitely need a lot of work, but the gameplay is good. A brain-splitting game of concentration and persistence that has the potential to go big. You heard it here first!

Drifting Cars Chasing Zombies – Mangoe

"Pako with zombies" is what one judge summed it up as, and I think that's entirely fair. The drifting mechanic is good, the power ups and stunts change things up, and the level layouts are smart.

Peter Willington
Peter Willington
Die hard Suda 51 fan and professed Cherry Coke addict, freelancer Peter Willington was initially set for a career in showbiz, training for half a decade to walk the boards. Realising that there's no money in acting, he decided instead to make his fortune in writing about video games. Peter never learns from his mistakes.