Check out the Brazilian games that stood out at BIG Festival 2022

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This year’s BIG Festival gave a good sample of the diversity and high quality of the national games industry.

Among games from beginner developers and established studios, the event held from Thursday (7) to Sunday (10) showed a vibrant national scene of game production, which fights on an equal footing with indie developers from other countries.

In the selection presented by the festival, the variety of themes and styles of games being produced here is impressive. There are action titles, puzzles, roguelikes, strategy, platform, with 3D graphics, in pixel art… In short, there is something for all tastes.

Below, I list some of the national titles that stood out at the festival:

No Place for Bravery

The game from the Brazilian studio Glitch Factory is a 2D action RPG inspired by “Sekiro”, from FromSoftware, which promises to challenge even experienced fans of the genre. “No Place for Bravery” tells the story of Thorn, a retired warrior who decides to take up his sword again after receiving tips on the whereabouts of his daughter, who has disappeared for many years. Winner of the festival in the best Brazilian game category, the title is scheduled to be released for PC and Switch on September 22.

Super Mombo Quest

Released in November last year by Orube Game Studio, based in Niterói (RJ), “Super Mombo Quest” is a 2D platform “metroidvania”. In it, the player controls Mombo, a purple pet who has to stop the villain King of Nightmares from destroying the universe. With controls that resemble “Super Meat Boy”, the game has a frenetic pace and has a combo system that encourages eliminating enemies quickly and acrobatically. Throughout the adventure, the player unlocks upgrades and faces bosses that challenge their joystick skills. The title won the BIG Festival award for best game by popular vote and is available for Android, iOS, PC, Switch, Xbox and PlayStation.

Dodgeball Academy

Inspired by games that mix sports and RPG, such as “Mario Tennis” by Game Boy Color, the São Paulo studio Pocket Trap launched in August of last year “Dodgeball Academia”, a title that is still popular today. In the game, the player plays Otto, a boy invited to a kind of weird school, where almost everything is decided with dodgeball matches. With very diverse characters and references to Brazilian school life, the title won the award for best gameplay at the BIG Festival and is available for PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox (included in Game Pass).

Wish Us Luck

Black Moluska’s debut title, “Wish Us Luck” is an interactive fiction that tells the story of an app driver, a waitress and a football player. The player/reader is put in the shoes of these three characters on the same day and will have to make choices that will change the fates of the three strangers. Created by screenwriter Lipe Trezza, the story has more than 50 different endings and engaging dialogue. Still in search of a publisher, the game won the award for best mobile game at the BIG Festival and should be released by the end of the year.

wolfstride

Like an onion, “Wolfstride” has many layers — although the game’s creator, Otavio Imon, prefers to liken it to noodles. At first glance, the fantastic art direction of the game, developed by the São Paulo studio Ota Imon, impresses, which mixes first-rate illustrations and pixel art in an all black and white look. The second layer consists of a turn-based battle system with giant robots and mini-games that diversify the gameplay. At the heart of it all is an adult-toned story – full of violence and profanity, but also a lot of humor – starring Dominic Shade, a former member of the Yakuza who enters a mecha tournament in search of wealth. The game was released late last year and is available for PC and Switch.

Kukoos Lost Pets

Created by the Amazon studio Petit Fabrik, this 3D platform game impresses with the beautiful finish of its graphics. In it, you control Kukoos, tiny furry creatures whose pets have been brainwashed and out of control. To rescue the little animals, the player needs to cross environments full of enemies and obstacles, solving puzzles and acquiring improvements, gameplay that refers to games like “Super Mario 3D World” and “Astros Playroom”. The title was released for PC late last year in early access.

Sky Caravan

With several references to Brazilian pop culture, this narrative RPG stands out for its curious characters. In “Sky Caravan”, the player takes command of a delivery ship with a crew composed of a rogue pilot inspired by the taxi driver Agostinho Carrara, from the series “A Grande Família”; a three-armed snooker mechanic; and a grumpy cook anteater, a la Érick Jacquin. While trying to make deliveries to pay off his debts with the loan shark Marimbondo, the player has to manage resources and keep the crew together through choices that impact the course of the story -gameplay inspired by “Reings”. The game from Rio de Janeiro studio Bravarda is available for PC.

Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles

Debut title by São Paulo studio Little Leo Games, “Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles” was originally thought of as a board game, but has evolved to become a “roguelike” dice deck building game. The gameplay, complex and quite original, mixes luck and strategy in turn-based combat. The title was one of the highlights of the Panorama Brasil session, a non-competitive show at the BIG Festival, and is scheduled for release next year, but it is possible to play a demo version on Steam.

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update

news, launches, business and what else matters

• Despite persistent complaints from players over the massive use of microtransactions, “Diablo Immortal” seems to be filling Activision Blizzard’s coffers. According to the website mobilegamer.biz, the free game for PC and mobile devices was downloaded by more than 10 million users in its first month and generated about US$ 49 million (R$ 261 million) in microtransactions.

• Still, one needs to put the numbers of “Diablo Immortal” in perspective. As a comparison, the crazy racing multiplayer game “Fall Guys” managed to attract 50 million players in the first two weeks after it went free, according to its developers.

• Sony and Ubisoft have announced release dates for two of the most anticipated games of recent years. “God of War Ragnarök” arrives on November 9 for PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles. “Skull and Bones”, a title about pirates that went through a series of delays and problems in its development, is scheduled to be released a day earlier, in November 8th.

• Microsoft has announced a new wave of games on Game Pass, its subscription service. Three games from the “Yakuza” series and the curious indie game “Road 96” are already available on the platform, while “PowerWash Simulator” – as the name implies, a heavy cleaning simulator – arrives on the service on Thursday (14).

• Speaking of Game Pass, Microsoft said it will no longer make Xbox 360 games available for free on Xbox Live Gold (included with the service subscription). According to the company’s statement, other older games will not be released for the company’s latest consoles due to “technical and licensing difficulties”.

• The ESA (Association of Entertainment Software) announced that E3 will be held again in 2023. After three years without in-person events, the world’s leading games fair should return to its traditional stage, the Los Angeles Convention Center, on Monday. week of June next year.

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games that will be released in the next few days and promotions that are worth it

July 12

• “Time on Frog Island”: BRL 92.45 (Xbox One/X/S), price not available (PC, Switch, PS 4/5)

July 13

July 14

• “Escape Academy”: BRL 74.95 (Xbox One/X/S), price not available (PC, PS 4/5)

• “Eyes in the Dark”: BRL 28.99 (PC)

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