Xbox Indie Game Demo Event: ‘Section 13’ and ‘Arctic Awakening’

The Xbox Indie Game Demo Event gave devs a chance to showcase games that were in development, but with something to show. The event runs through Dec 31, and there are some pretty interesting games available. 

There are a number of games I’m excited to dig into. Cosmorons being one of them. It’s an arcade shooter — which I will admit intrigued me simply based on the name alone. I had that queued up to download without a single hint of gameplay. There are some things in life that don’t need an explanation.

While I’m still digging into the available games, there were two in particular I got into that I absolutely have my eye on upon full release. Those two are Section 13 (Which is in Early Access on Steam) and Arctic Awakening. 

XBOX DEMO — ‘SECTION 13’ 

That’s right, Roguelike Papi is here with another one. I love self-awareness in games when it’s done right, and Section 13 leans into the genre trappings with a unique sense of humor. Your AI companion in the demo will often talk to you, the player, and leave the character wondering what the hell is going on. 

Gameplay-wise, it’s standard genre fare, but the story and setting give it a little extra juice. Your character has been sent to a facility that’s gone dark, and you get to find out why. It’s here that the game introduces its way to start your death and rebirth loop.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the gameplay progresses with the story. In my opinion, a roguelike is as good as its story. The gameplay matters, of course, but there has to be a reason to continue this loop and see the end of the run.  

XBOX DEMO — ‘ARCTIC AWAKENING’ 

When I saw the gameplay trailer for Arctic Awakening, the first thing I thought of was Campo Santo’s excellent first-person adventure, Firewatch. That was a game I loved for its atmosphere and ability to tell its story in conjunction with the gameplay, as opposed to having the gameplay push the story forward.

This was actually the first game I saw when I pulled up the Xbox demo event. Firing it up, I was immediately pulled in by the opening. You’re Kai, a pilot flying a plane in the middle of a storm. You’re accompanied by your friend Donovan and a drone named Alfie, who seems to be with you due to a court mandate. There are some allusions to a disaster that destroyed Kai’s home and some personal issues keeping him from his children. The plane crashes in the middle of the frozen wilderness, and the game starts from there.

There’s a lot of setup early that makes me want to figure out what Kai’s story is. The gameplay so far is solid. Exploring the crash site feels appropriately disorienting, especially seeing the various items in the plane strewn all over the snow. Going from that area, the dialogue between Kai and Alfie is hilarious at times. It’s very obvious that Kai is forced to deal with this drone. And that Alfie is dead-set upon his job to act as something like a therapist. 

THE MORE INDIES THE BETTER

I’m glad Xbox has stepped out like this for indie games. I think this is something that should be done more often. Giving indie devs an opportunity to get their games out in front of people early not only gives insight into the development process, but also gives the devs a chance to get feedback earlier than they normally would have. PC gamers have this with Steam’s Early Access, but doing so on Xbox is a pretty significant move. This event is great for gaming, and I’m excited to dig into some more before the event is over at the end of December.