12 Asian indie games to look out for in 2015

Game development has come a long way. No longer just an arena for the big players, it is now accessible to small businesses and even individuals as app platforms and development engines and assets get more accessible.

The quality of games produced in Asia, be it for PC, mobile, or console, has also been rising. I’m cheered by the thought of never again seeing a badly rendered 3D sheep try to pick words out on a screen while jumping across platforms (this game is from Singapore, if you are wondering).

2015 is sprawling out before us and it’s going to see a ton of great games. Here are some you should take note of in the new year.

Tiny Guardians (Malaysia)

Developed by Kurechii studio, best known for its midcore strategy/management game King’s League: Odyssey, Tiny Guardians is a strategy adventure that plays like a modular tower defense game. You’ll be able to take control of cute little fighters and move them across the map to wherever they are needed. It’s reminiscent of Droidhang’s Pocket Heroes.

Age of Bayintnaung (Myanmar)

Age of Bayintnaung, from Yangon’s Total Gameplay Studio, is really something. While we haven’t been able to see gameplay screenshots, its concept art looks really solid. Age of Bayintnaung follows Burmese history and allows players to step into the shoes of the ancient Burmese king, Bayintnaung, in a Clash of Clans-esque strategy adventure.

Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! (Singapore)

What do you get when you combine sentient potatoes with blacksmithing? Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! is a weapon shop simulation game from Daylight Studios that will let players manage a team of blacksmiths – who are also potatoes – inspired by pop culture. Players can use these smiths to forge magical weapons which they can then sell to villages across the land. The ultimate goal here is to become the best blacksmith shop ever – and to do so using potatoes. (Disclosure: I am in a committed relationship with a co-founder of Daylight Studios.)

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows (Singapore)

Witching Hour Studios is well known for the vast world it has created for its Ravenmark series of games, and fans of the RPG genre will be excited to know that it’s now going a step further to develop Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. Meant for PC and consoles, Masquerada is an “isometric RPG in the veins of Neverwinter Nights and Baldur’s Gate,” with players being able to pause action to give commands.

It will also take a leaf from the MOBA genre, with an emphasis on timing and positioning. In all, Masquerada is expected to have about 12 to 15 hours of gameplay, with more details to be revealed at PAX East 2015. Sadly it has a 2016 release, but don’t let that dampen your enthusiasm for it.

Drift Rebels Japan (Thailand)

Remember Initial D? Now how about experiencing that just like Takumi did? Drift Rebels Japan from Hydraulic Games will be a racing game focusing on illegal drift racing in the Japanese mountains, with novel visual elements taking players from race to race. Right now, it’s being planned for just iOS and Android with both paid and free versions, and is still in very early development stage.

But if it’s successful at launch, Drift Rebels Japan may get ported to the PC platform and include more Eurobeat music. Hydraulic Games is being transparent with the development process and fans of the genre will be able to submit ideas for characters, stories, and even music.

Dusty Raging Fist (Singapore)

Those of you who enjoyed beat ‘em up Dusty Revenge from PD Design Studio will be pleased to know a prequel is coming. Dusty Raging Fist for the PC is set in a time before Dusty goes on his rampage and features three-player co-op.

While its official website has little in the way of details, I’m hoping that Dusty Raging Fist will play up the strength of the world it’s set in.

Straw Hat Samurai Duels (Singapore)

Straw Hat Samurai was a Singapore-made game that gave me tons of fun while growing up. In it, players would slice at incoming enemies with the cursor so they could progress through the game. Straw Hat Samurai Duels is a larger multiplayer version of the game, including player-versus-player combat, quests, and loot drops. It has been in open beta for a while now, and developer Explosive Barrel will launch its final build for the web first, before doing so for Android and iOS. In the meantime, try the beta version out here.

Pale Blue (Indonesia)

Pale Blue, a sidescrolling beat ‘em up from Tinker Games, is an ambitious project – not just because it tackles subject matter like putting players in the shoes of a willing villain as opposed to a hero, but also because it’s the first core PC game that the development studio will be working on.

Tinker Games’ last release was a casual running game for iOS, but Pale Blue looks really good and even smashed its crowdfunding target by a cool US$10,000.

Project Echo (Singapore, working title)

Remember Lurking, the award-winning game from a group of Digipen Singapore students? While the Lurking IP belongs to the school, the genius that came up with it does not, and the group – now Gattai Games – is hard at work on a spiritual successor called Project Echo. The first-person horror game will employ Lurking’s infamous sound-based concept, and explore concepts the team did not get to do while in school. It’s still in early development, but that gif already looks pretty heart-stopping.

Battle Spheres (Singapore)

Battle Spheres from Ixora Studios looks like it’s most definitely a clone of Mixi’s Monster Strike, but don’t let that stop you from trying it out when it launches. The slingshot card-battle game, which involves players destroying each others’ characters by knocking into them, still isn’t available outside of Japan. Hopefully Battle Spheres will at least be as entertaining as its direct inspiration is.

Zero Legend (Indonesia, working title)

Now Alkemis Games is a very recent entrant in the industry, but it undoubtedly has some of the best art I’ve seen come out of an Indonesian indie game studio. It recently received an undisclosed round of seed funding from East Ventures to work on the project code-named Zero Legend, a free-to-play mobile fantasy RPG. (Disclosure: East Ventures also invests in Tech in Asia. See our ethics page).

Zero Legend will revolve around collecting and growing over 100 characters and taking them dungeon diving. There will a focus on in-game communities and events as well, allowing players to take part in quests and tournaments with friends. It’s set for release as early as spring 2015.

That War Game (Singapore, working title)

Springloaded Games was pretty secretive in the last half of 2014, and it’s for a good reason. The indie studio is planning a slew of game releases this year, one of its most notable being a quirky pixel-art game set in the past of the same universe as Springloaded’s humorous Tiny Dice Dungeon. This as-yet unnamed project will be a combination of management and multiplayer battles, and will give hints as to how the Tiny Dice Dungeon world regressed to what it is today.

Bonus: Pokemon Asia Cup

Asia finally has an official Pokemon tournament, where winners will be able to earn points to compete in the international Pokemon World Championships. Starting with country qualifiers in early January (actually, as early as this weekend for Singapore), the Pokemon Asia Cup will have two more regional stages before sending players into a grand final against Japan and Korea. This is the first official Pokemon tournament in Asia, and is the brainchild of the long-time competitive Pokemon player and community leader Ng Soon Aik.

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12 Asian indie games to look out for in 2015