068
INDIE GAMES
El Hijo
T
his western-styled stealth
game where you play as a
young boy has a distinctive look,
and thanks to its unusual
perspective, it’s a unique take on
the familiar genre.
“We’re telling the coming-of-age
story of this boy, starting on his
own in front of a monastery gate
where his mother leaves himbehind,” explains creative producer
Maria Grau Stenzel. “His ultimate
goal is to find his mother in the
bandits’ town, but first he has to
sneak his way out of the
monastery and through the desert.”
The titular son is a young boy in
a scary grown-up world. “It felt
natural to focus on the stealth
mechanic itself, since a small boycan only use tricks and pranks, and
must remain hidden from view in
order to sneak around enemies
who would otherwise easily
overpower him,” Stenzel explains.
You need to outwit your enemies
to make it through, and to come
up with a plan to avoid being
spotted. It might get taxing, but
sometimes the world is.FORMATPS4/PLAYERS 1 /DEV HONIGGAMESA fistful of distraction dollars
If games have taught us anything it’s that we’re
nosy. Give us someone’s private audiologs, or a
collection of emails, and we love to have a snout
(whether they met a grisly end or not). In
Observation you do just that. You take on the role of
SAM, a space station AI which can assist Dr Emma
Fisher in finding out what happened to the crew of
her research mission using the ship’s cameras and
tools. Mess up, and you might arouse her suspicion.
But you don’t deserve that... or do you?Quirky game dev Keita Takahashi bought a one-way
ticket to our hearts when he made both Katamari
Damacy and Noby Noby Boy, so when we heard the
Mayor of this bizarre town was looking for new
residents, we immediately applied. A sandbox
adventure, the Mayor guides you around and
introduces you to the bizarre and friendly
inhabitants, who include a sort of toilet with a face.
You and friends can explore this world together,
build connections, find secrets, and goof around.The adult world can be scary when you’re growing
up, and it’s no different for Nessa and Demelza, two
girls living on a fictional British island in the 1980s.
In this coming-of-age adventure their compact
community is in peril, and the girls must face the
threat head-on and save the adults, learning new
abilities as they go. Riding their trusty bikes, and
fighting with the likes of Frisbees and water
balloons, stomping in puddles – it’s a fantastic-
looking exploration of childhood (with co-op).Look a little closer If you’re looking for Kata-morey Saddle up
Observation Wattam Knights & Bikes
FORMAT PS4 / YERSPLA 1
DEV NO CODEFORMAT PS4 / YERSPLA 1+
DEV FUNOMENAFORMAT PS4 / YERSPLA 1-2
DEV FOAM SWORDStealth Toy s
Western
Son
Tricks
Hiding
Monastery
Thriller
With a wide view of the spaghetti
western setting you can plan
your moves well in advance.