Pinoy game developers conquer Singapore's Casual Connect Asia

To say we came out in full force would be an understatement. Never has there been such a sizeable contingent of Filipino indie game talent at an international event.

Recently held at Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, Casual Connect Asia is a three-day conference that celebrates the best that indie gaming has to offer. It brings together game developers, press, students and publishers, to build connections and discuss the inner workings of the game development industry. 

 

Indie game dev is a gritty business, where starving artists and suits alike pay homage to glittering digital creations, and where ‘fun’ is a loaded word that can mean the difference between financial success and catastrophic failure. Casual Connect is basically a coliseum where companies duke it out for attention and prizes, but with free-flowing drinks and more clothing.

 

Nearly half a dozen of the Casual Connect talks were conducted by Filipino game companies, and two Filipino-made games were nominated for the coveted Indie Prize.  Alvin Juban, president of GDAP (Game Developer’s Association of the Philippines), believed it was indicative of a “a bright future” for Filipino game developers, indicating that the event not just bolstered game development, but would help shape game education in the Philippines in the near future. 

 

Let’s take a gander at our kabayan’s games and how they felt about this year’s Casual Connect Asia:
 

 

Kuyi Mobile’s “Warriors of Nomnom”

The Studio: Kuyi Mobile is best known for the widely popular StreetFood Tycoon mobile game. 

The Game: Warriors of Nom Nom is a competitive real time multiplayer food tapping game. First one who consumes his food, wins! Minus the calories, of course! 

Release Date: Currently under App Store Review

Soundbite:

“Very surprised at the quality of games produced by Filipinos, (they) could rival international games..the quality of art is really amazing. We’re looking forward to more Filipinos joining us, so Filipino games could target the world.” 

– Martin Jimenez, Kuyi Mobile

 

Quickfire Studios’ “Wild Season”

The Studio: Quickfire’s first game was Hayaku Ninja

The Game: Wild Season is a farming-life sim that takes its foundations from the greats within the farming simulation, visual novel, and RPG genres and delivers them with a twist.

Release Date: Available now on Steam Early Access for 30 USD.

Soundbite:

“We want people to get back to their roots, play nostalgic games. This game is narrative-centric, which a lot of farming simulations don’t have. (On Casual Connect) This is the biggest group ever – we’re here with legends.”

- Gwen Foster, Quickfire Studios

 

 

Accidental Rebel’s “Pop Puff and Away”

The Studio: Accidental Rebel is a one-man studio that collaborates with different people for each of its games. 

The Game: Pop Puff and Away! is a unique puzzle game where stepping on arrows throws you in the direction they are pointing at. Pop Puff and Away was nominated in the “Best Kids & Family” category at CC Asia.

Release Date: June 2015

Sound bite:

“We’re a collaborative studio that wants to give chance to others. A lot of talented people don’t have the capacity or opportunity to do (mobile games)”.

- Karlo Licudine, Accidental Rebel

 

 

Synergy88 Digital’s “Kuna”

The Studio: Synergy88 Digital is one of the biggest studios in the Philippines, with its own renderfarm and animation department.

The Game: Kuna is a first-person horror game based on Filipino folklore, developed for the Oculus Rift. Synergy88 is also featuring mobile games titled ‘911 Run’, ‘Tempo Run’ and a fantasy PC game called Zephyr. 

Release Date: October 2015

Sound bite:

“Casual Connect is a big learning experience, (and the) stories learned are recommended to developers all around. Awesome, awesome experience.” 

- Synergy88’s Mars Balisahan and Coco Rodriguez

 

Keybol Game’s “Kill the Plumber”

The Studio: Another one-man studio that  collaborates with at most 2-3 people, Keybol Games is most known for its indie title, Pretentious Game.

The Game: Kill the Plumber is a reverse platformer, or anti-platformer. It turns the idea of Super Mario on its head, allowing you to play as various enemies. Kill the Plumber was nominated for “Most Innovative Game” at this year’s CC Asia.

Release Date: Coming soon on Steam, Android & iOS

Sound bite:

“I’ve been to Casual Connect 5 times, including the US and Amsterdam events, and I always come back here for the atmosphere, energy and sharing, to play test and hang out with real gamers.” - Bari Silvestre, Keybol Games

 

Unravel Games’ “EggOh!”

The Studio: Unravel Games’ is made up of two brothers that said their vision is to ‘one day create video games with fun mechanics.’, 

The Game: EggOh! is a simple and fun game that lets you touch falling eggs and swipe them left and right so that the egg will fall on the goblin with the same colour.

Release Date: Out now on Google Play & the App Store

Sound bite:

“People here are very friendly, especially the indie developers!”

-Kahlil Angeles, Unravel Games

 

---

 

Article & on-site interviews by Andrea Levinge & John Joe Joseph of indie game company White Widget. Tweet her @drelevinge and tweet at their game’s mascot @montytheyeti

White Widget’s ‘unique twist on match 3’ puzzle adventure iOS game Face Mountain (downloadable here) can be downloaded now for free on the App Store in select countries.

View the Face Mountain trailer here.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of GMA News.