Sole Light. Polish Games Invade gamescom

The first thing that may appear in your head after checking Sole Light is Monument Valley – the developers do not try to hide it, cause the resemblance is high – but the longer you stare at this titles, the more the production of Indeep Studios starts to stand out with its own identity. This is definitely a mobile game, which in addition to providing a relaxing gameplay tries to smuggle some deeper message to players, associated with the search, creation and loss of individual identity. Certainly, one cannot deny Sole Light's ambition to use a medium for more than just recreation, although some of the developers' philosophies will probably not appeal to tastes of many players. Well, such players can always enjoy the unique aesthetic of visuals and solve environmental puzzles without thinking about existence or catharsis of today's modern society.

Bug Academy

I have no idea what these insects are doing (on the attached picture), but I feel quite safe not knowing about it.

Who said that the privilege of education should be reserved for people only? Developers from Igrok Games approach this issue much more liberally, because at Bug Academy they created a school for all kinds of insects. And training is not limited to running away from the fly-paw. In this production, you take control over all kind of insects of bugs like swarms of bees, skylights and mosquitoes. You have to teach them a whole range of useful skills – from firefighting, playing musical instruments, to providing help with moving to new places. Each type of insect has its own special abilities that with a proper amount of ambition may someday let them reach the stars. And it's quite literally here, because space flight exercises are also included in the Bug Academy training program.

OMNI

The vision of the world in OMNI is definitely not an optimistic one.

While most MMO games focus on some form of competition with other players, OMNI developers have a completely different approach. They managed to create a game in which all players will fight against the hordes of monsters that have appeared on Earth after a meteor crash. Organizing attacks with other players, participating in community events and focusing on the general interest rather than on individual profits – all this sounds good in theory, but the question is how it will work in practice and whether it may turn into a chaotic US wrestling sport. Especially that one of the principles here will be to collect better equipment and the most valuable loot – which is already an area for total competition. However, we hope that the noble ideas of OMNI can be put into practice, offering a completely new MMO type. Beta on PC will start in the second quarter of 2020. The full version of the game will be available somewhere in the third quarter of 2020 (versions for consoles are planned for 2021).

Wingspan

Card game with birds? We thought we had seen absolutely everything in video games.

Ornithologist doesn't sound like a typical job of video game protagonist – but Wingspan isn't a typical title either. This game is intended primarily for bird lovers: researchers, observers, and nature lovers. There are hundreds of animals here, and the recordings of their trebles make the whole experience much more authentic. However, this does not mean that Wingspan is all about pure relaxation, looking into the sky through binoculars and listening to bird songs. This production is based on the popular board game, in which you constantly compete with other adult ornithologists. You expand your collection of birds by identifying new winged creatures (presented here in the form of special cards), taking care of their food supply and supporting the upbringing of their offspring. As you can see, even virtual bird observation as idyllic activity, must have a healthy dose of rivalry...

Devil’s Hunt

When you have demonic powers at your disposal, even such enemy is only like a sparring partner.

Gamescom will provide an opportunity for The Layopi Games studio to slightly improve the image of Devil's Hunt in the eyes of the general public. Don't get me wrong, this production didn't look tragically on the already released gameplay videos, but as for the title in which you play a powerful hybrid of man and demon, it definitely lacked some spice. If the developers manage to convince players in Cologne that this expressive claw has been hidden somewhere for a while, but will be bared out in the final product – we may even forget about the jittery animation models and so-so locations. The idea itself definitely has a potential, and the plot based on the novel guarantees that the script is not going to be a slobber slapdash. Sometimes it's just enough to give the whole thing its own distinctive touch, and Devil's Hunt really deserves this space to show off its capabilities.

1. More about Devil's Hunt