The Tribeca Film Festival debuted the Tribeca Games Spotlight on Friday, an hourlong event that “celebrates the convergence of games, entertainment, and culture, highlighting the storytelling, art, and innovation of games.” During the showcase, Tribeca gave film and video game fans alike a deeper look at eight highly-anticipated independent games selected by an advisory board of “visionary leaders in both film and games.”
According to Tribeca’s website, the showcase is a part of their efforts to “champion every frontier in the art of storytelling, and video games are at the forefront of pushing narrative to even greater heights.” Here’s a look at all the games shared during the expo.
Twelve Minutes
Featuring a powerhouse ensemble of James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe, Twelve Minutes is a game about “a man’s romantic evening with his wife being interrupted by a violent home invasion.” Ultimately tragedy unfolds but as it does our main character is thrust into a time loop where he can use the knowledge of what’s to come in order to prevent the attack. Luis Antonio’s dramatic thriller has been teased for some time, and it coming late this year.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
The beautifully animated Kena: Bridge of Spirits looks like a Pixar film brought to life. It follows Kena, a novice spirit guide, as she uncovers an abandoned village filled with wandering spirits caught between worlds. With the help of her companion Rot, Kena must guide them and face her own loss as she uncovers the “secrets of a forgotten community.”
Harold Halibut
Slow Bros. upcoming game Harold Halibut follows lab assistant Harold as he assists lead scientist Jeanne Mareaux in finding a way to lift the sunken ship they currently inhabit back into space. However, the “weird, wonderful, and diverse people of the Fedora” — the name of the city-sized ship stuck in the depths of the ocean — keeps Harold too busy to make much progress. The developer calls this game “a handmade narrative game about friendship.”
Lost in Random
Zoink Studios’ Lost in Random is a gothic fairytale-inspired action adventure where dice rolls determine the fate of the citizens of the Kingdom of Random. According to publisher EA’s website, Lost in Random follows Even and her sidekick Dicey as they “play the odds” and break the curse of Random.
Sable
Shedwork’s Sable follows a young woman named Sable on her “gliding,” a rite of passage in the game’s mysterious, desert world. With her trusty hoverbike along for the ride, you can scale colossal ruins, discover fallen spaceships, and encounter other nomads with unearthing the land’s mysteries.
NORCO
Billed as a “sci-fi Southern Gothic adventure,” Geography of Robots’ NORCO allows players to take on the role of a man searching for his brother in the sinking suburbs and industrial swamps of Louisiana’s petrochemical hinterlands. The point-and-click adventure takes you through a “world of uncertainty” as you fight, sneak, or fast-talk your way past cults and hometown bullies.
Signalis
Rose-engine’s Signalis follows lone Replika Elster as she solves puzzles and fends off creatures on a desolate world. As she does so, she explores ruins and an abandoned reeducation facility in search for some answers about herself as well as a way to escape. According to the game’s website, the survival horror game is a melancholic experience filled with dark secrets.
The Big Con
“Flex your inner teenager” in Mighty Yell’s The Big Con, a 90s-inspired adventure game where players take on the role of Ali, a teen con artist on a journey to save her family’s video game store from loan sharks. In The Big Con, players can sneak around, wear disguises, pickpocket, solve puzzles, and rip people off as they make their way across America. Oh, and naturally you can “be awkward” and “fight with your mom” as well.