Meet the two runners-up in last week's Very Big Indie Pitch
Antidote and SkidStorm take our second and third places
During a Very Big Indie Pitch event, independent developers get a chance to pitch their latest in-progress game to a panel of journalists, industry experts and publishers. In Helsinki last week, a magnificent 37 teams showed off titles. So many games to play in such a short amount of time!
Somehow the judges managed it, and then the general delegates voted, and then we got our three winners. Die Fish won the day, with Wave 7 Games proving a submerged sensation. But the standard overall was satisfyingly high and two runners up also took a round of applause on stage. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is Antidote and SkidStorm, who each took home a Kindle Fire tablet prize from sponsor Amazon Appstore. The other sponsors were Gameforge and EA Chillingo.
Antidote by Psyon Games
Subtitled "Battle Of The Stem Cell", this is a casual, free-to-play, tower defence game. But the twist is that you're taking control of the body's defences in a microscopic battle against toxins, bacteria and viruses. Upgrades include T cells and B cells.
The team's intention is to make science learning fun, without detracting from the basics of a fun strategy game. "We are inspired by other games like Kerbal Space Program, Infinifactory, and Cities: Skylines," say the team, "Entertainment games packed with learning that is useful in the real world, deep, rewarding learning that helps us to grow and create."
Antidote was awarded second place by the judges who enjoyed its colourful characters and intuitive interface.
SkidStorm by Immobile Games
A very credible version of a classic videogame format, SkidStorm takes its inspiration from the likes of Sprint and Micro Machines. It's a top-down mobile racing game with simple arcade controls and - brilliantly - real-time multiplayer capabilities.
"We are big fans of the top-down racing genre," the team tell us. "We have a lot of fond childhood memories of playing games like Micro Machines and Death Rally. Our goal with SkidStorm is to reproduce that nostalgic feeling, in a way that at the same time manages to feel relevant to modern audiences."
It features skill-based online matchmaking for one to four players, leaderboards, customizable vehicles, a single player mode with bots and more. The version we saw had 11 cars but there will be 20 eventually. It will be free to play and an open alpha test will open on Android in couple of weeks' time. You can join it here.
SkidStorm roared into third place, with the judges commenting on its slick implementation and instant playability.
