PAX East Picks ‘23: Part 3
What happens when you cross angsty teens with a cute pastel world, a dash of a world-ending comet, and a trigger happy bear? Part 3 of PAX East Picks!
Demonschool
Necrosoft Games | Ysbryd Games
Demonschool is a new-style tactics RPG that draws inspiration from games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Persona 5. This 30-minute demo allowed me to engage in a boss fight that was early on in the game. You follow a group of friends that act as your party members who navigate college life, but some mysterious shenanigans lie right underneath the world. During this boss battle, I was able to maneuver my characters along a grid based environment, where each turn required a different strategy. Since it was a boss battle, the big bad summoned waves of enemies that needed to be defeat before reaching the edge of the map. If they succeeded, then they would pierce through into the real world and I’d lose the fight. Though there were some unforced errors on my part, I was really engaged in the tactics and strategies between the four characters I controlled. Even though the archetypes felt familiar (healer, brute force, distance attacker, etc), the style and character designs felt fresh and invigorating. I did eventually succumb to the boss, but I still left with a smile on my face and the excitement to see what’s next with this game. Demonschool is planned to release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Steam Deck in 2023
Wanderful is an adorably adorable casual strategy game, where the goal is to expand your space as much as possible. When I spoke to the representative about the game, she mentioned that this is more of an “experiment” for the team to see how players react and interact with what they built. In order to expand the world, players need to collect various cards that allow you to build more items and increase the amount of space that you can travel. The soft clayish design of the structures, paired with the melodic music and pastel pallet, offered an incredibly relaxing experience. Though there wasn’t a ‘Game Over’ screen, I eventually ran out of moves and was forced to start again. Despite this, my experience continued to be wonderfully chill and I just wanted to snuggle with my cat and play this for hours on end. Sadly, I wasn’t able to do this since I was in a giant convention center with my cat hundreds of miles away. Alas, I guess I will have to casually wait until the team at Tiny Roar shares more details on the game. Wanderful is set to release on PC in 2023
In Rightfully, Beary Arms, you play as an adorable little bear in this bullet hell roguelite that’s fantastically fun and engaging. Immediately getting thrown into the chaos, I found myself right into the mindset of playing it safe, making meaningful moves, and attacking the foes at just the right time. Even as I’m writing this, I’m getting the itch to jump right in. During the 20-minute demo, I was able to experiment with a few different projectile weapons, encounter a variety of enemies, and push towards the finish line of each level. What I really thought was intriguing was after you die, you decide which way your enemies get stronger - another unique layer to this fun game. Rightfully, Beary Arms is planned to go into Early Access on Steam in Q3 2023.
LunarLux is a turn-based pixel RPG where you play as Bella, a warrior determined to stop a civilization ending comet. In the short demo I played, I was able to see the opening moments of the game. The lore building was fairly quick, and provided some context for Bella’s motivation and backstory. In addition to the short exploration of the immediate area I was in, I was able to engage in a few turn-based battles that were inspired by the Megaman Battle Network series. Though it was brief, I had a fun time determining my strategy for the encounters, albeit brief. Even though it was only a taste, I look forward to learning more about the lore, the gameplay, and how everything comes together. LunarLux is set to release on PC in Q3 2023 and Nintendo Switch sometime in the future.
Wishlist LunarLux on Steam here
For more of PAX East impressions, listen to our PAX East ‘23 Breakdown episodes of the Six One Indiecast. And of course, check back here for highlights from the rest of the weekend!
Written by Harry Loizides