EGX 2022

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EGX Returns To London

EGX 2022 has returned for its 2nd show of the year. After the roaring success of Birmingham in March 2022, we return to the incredible ExCel centre in London. Its home to some of the biggest events in the world and EGX has always felt right at home here.

After an early start heading from our home in South Wales we were focused on dedicating as much time as we could to discovering new and interesting indie titles across the Expo, and leaving the major titles (and inevitable queues) to the other attendees.

There were several major titles on show across the Expo. We found titles such as Modern Warfare II across the next gen consoles. This demo showcased the open beta currently available to pre-order customers. I didn’t think this was really worth the 40 minute queue in my opinion. On show was Splatoon 3 which had a giant concession leading the advertising and PR efforts with the game already having had its full release last week.

So in no particular order here’s some of the interesting experiences we would like to share with you.

Polterguys

Polterguys is a game all about possessing everyday objects to escape an as yet unnamed evil black monster. It’s a wonderful cross between Mario Kart and Kirby where as the poltergeist you flex the skills of these everyday objects. Unlike the aforementioned Mario Kart which is about first racer across the finishing line, with Polterguys the aim of the game is to be last “racer” standing. We had a lot of fun with this one, and the team are aiming for early access next summer. The team at the expo did share that this timeline will be determined by whether the team self publish or not. Watch this space and check out their website to add to your wishlist.

Shrines Legacy

Shrines Legacy is a SNES-era styled RPG, set in the magical realm of Ardemia. This game is all about camaraderie and friendship. Think elements, magic and the value of co-operation. Funded in 2021 on Kickstarter, it’s showing a lot of promise.

Blinnk and the Vacuum of Space

Our experience with Blinnk and the Vacuum of Space was a really big deal for us. Set on the remote space station Norpopolis, you are tasked to recover Groobs after a sandwich making experiment goes wrong. It’s frankly bonkers and a lot of fun, and we had a chance to speak to the narrative designer of the game at EGX. The game is built to cater for all players, but with a particular use case catered for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This VR Puzzler contains a wide range of accessibility adjustments. From colour to light, brightness filters, sound and audio adjustments. There is an underlying care and focuses on partnership and working together. It’s a story built and rooted in the importance of welcoming all.

We should see an initial release later this year, with support for Meta, HTC and Valve Index. The team did state they would love to see a future release on PSVR2 but that sure is a difficult one.

Deceive Inc.

This is an upcoming game called Deceive Inc. from the team at Sweet Bandits Studios based out of Quebec, Canada. It’s a multiplayer deceptive spy game. In our experience at EGX, we played a free for all, that had 12 real player Spys drop into a shopping mall (or other locations). The aim of the game is to assume a cloned identity of NPC players, each with differing roles and security clearances. Think cleaners, janitors or even security guards. Your goal is to disengage vaults, capture intel and then escape with your life. The challenge is, there are 11 other Spys with the same mission brief as you.

The player has to be very cautious when trying to spot another spy, as with their NPC disguises you are looking for the smallest things out of the ordinary to identify them. The player will have their cover blown when they start shooting and if this happens they must run and hide to allow their disguise to regenerate. That’s if they can escape the spy’s or security personnel shooting after them. Think Fortnite, meets Hitman, meets Among us. The team are aiming for beta testing early next year and a release for March 2023. This was our undisputed game of EGX and we are so excited to get our hands on the full experience!

We also really loved that the team showcasing this gaming experience all hailed from Canada. The level of showcase and energy they brought to the booth was infectious. In fact we played 3 times across the day and by the end the queue was enormous. Clearly the word had spread.

Tip Of The Iceberg

This truly felt like we only scratched the surface of what was on offer at EGX this year. I mean we didn’t even talk about Street Fighter 6, which was incredible by the way. EGX felt bigger than ever and we can’t wait to see the future of these games, as well as what EGX 2023 brings as this console generation reaches maturity. Needless to say, Rapid Reviews will be back next October to share our thoughts.