8Bit/Digi

UCSC Silicon Valley Indie Playtest Night brought together developers from around the Bay Area for the chance to showcase their work. The event was hosted at the University of California, Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus (located in Santa Clara) on February 21st.

The playtest night saw a diverse collection of unique projects from ones inspired by classic works to those that offered a different experience. This was an opportunity for the developers to showcase their work and get some feed back from players.

Sampled Games

I got to try some amazing games during the UCSC Silicon Valley Indie Playtest Night. With so many interesting selections and a limited amount of time, these are the games I got the chance to play:

Way of Rhea

Way of Rhea is a 2D puzzle game game that require players to solve a series of puzzles using the tricks of the environment. The answer is easy but finding it is not (even though the answer is obvious at times). It’s a game that punishes you for acting first and thinking second while also allowing you to correct your mistakes.

Speaking with Mason Remaley, the game was inspired by a series of panels at GDC. There are plans to add block pushing puzzles along with other unique features. The game will be present at PAX East with an expected launch sometime next year.

Castle Fight

Castle Fight is what happens when Tetris is turned into a tower defense party game. Players pick a character and load out then they must build their defense around their character. Once everything is setup, players battle to take out the opposing player.

Speaking with Yu Qiao and Chris Huynh, the game can be played with mouse and keyboard along with a controller or fightstick. There are also plans to include a short single-player for tutorial purposes. The game is set to launch sometime in late March.

Cry of Athena

Cry of Athena takes the idea of Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator and brings it to the world of VR (so you already know how epic this will be). Speaking with Khang Nguyen, the game is build to allow player to bring their dream battle to life. The team has received support from Oculus and the game is currently in the alpha stage.

During my playthrough, I exited out of god mode to get up close and personal (with an AK-47). Since the demo was set on an Anciet Greek island, I battled mighty Spartans with guns (going John Wick at times). For some real fun, I summoned the legendary Goliath and fought him with an RPG. There were several bugs and glitches in the game, but they added to experience rather then hinder it.

Did you attend UCSC Silicon Valley Indie Playtest Night? If so or if you find any of the topics interesting, share your thoughts in the comment section below.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the video game community and industry of the San Francisco Bay Area.