4 Pinoy Video Games Worth Checking Out!

As the world of gaming continues to grow, more and more gaming studios are coming up with amazing video games with a local flavour. Video games are becoming more than something you’d purchase from a store, but have become a stage for countries to showcase their own unique identity. Leading the South East Asia region, here are some talented Filipino Gaming Studios and games worth checking out!

Brawl Quest: Alice Brigade

 

Image from Mobile Mode Gaming

 
Brawl Quest: Alice Brigade is a critically-acclaimed beat-em-up mobile game by Thinkbit Solution based in the Philippines. A nostalgic throwback to older beat-em-up games such as Streets of Fury and Final Fight, Brawl Quest follows the same 2D frame by frame graphics. The tone is a unique blend of cuteness with similar street stylings of The World Ends With you.

Players can collect unique characters with their playstyles and special moves across 50 handcrafted stages. The game was in development for over three years before its subsequent release and has won numerous awards. This includes 1st Place at Big Indie Pitch GSTAR 2018, 2nd Place at GTR Pre-Acceleration Program BKK 2019, and Finalist at the SEA Game Awards Level Up KL 2019!

The game is available now on iOS and Android.

Vita Fighters

 

 

Image from TouchArcade

If you were a fan of Virtual Fighters, you’d love Vita Fighters. The game features a block style reminiscent of Virtual Fighters. Fighters in the game draw inspiration from various anime characters and emphasize natural fighting game mechanics, intuitive controls and a clean art style. Developed by Filipino game devs AngryDevs and published by Ranida Labs, the game started as a fan project which evolved into a unique fighting game with single or double button control.

Focusing on fast-paced action and streamlined controls (no swipe controls or cooldown dependent moves), the game features 15 playable characters with different fighting style, nine stages and epic boss battles. More characters and features are expected to be released in the future.

Vita Fighters is now available on both iOs and Android.

Gnome More War

 

Image from Hobbi Games

An amazing Tower Defence game that has made its way to the Nintendo Switch console from the mobile platform is Gnome More War by Hobbi Games, published by Keybol Games. This game lets 2 players engage in a war against invading gnomes and shoot them down before reaching the players base.

The game is an action-shooter slash castle defence game inspired by an NES game called Pooyan. The objective is not to let the gnomes get to your base and steal items you have in your barn. To achieve this, players will have access to a host of power-ups and upgrades to fend off wave after wave of gnomes. Players will also be able to enlist goblin friends who can provide support fire in siege weaponry, ranged attacks and traps.

Gnome More War has been available on the Nintendo Switch since its release in October 26, 2020. Alternatively, you can play the mobile version by downloading it on Android.

 

The Nam: Vietnam Combat Operations

 

Image from IGN Sea

A stand out from the list of games here is created by a single developer Tiger Yan from the Philippines. This fully fleshed-out RTS war game based on the Vietnam War took almost 20 years to complete.

The game features graphics drawn using MS Paint and programmed using an old game engine all by Tiger Yan himself. Three separate trips to Vietnam later, the game was released in September 2020, receiving high praise from users on game forums as well as YouTube channels.

The game enables you to command US Marines, Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army troops, plus the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). The Vietnam War ended in 1975 when the North Vietnamese and Vietcong unified Vietnam under communist rule. The Philippines sent over 2,000 soldiers to Vietnam as part of the Philippine Civic Action Group Vietnam (PHILCAGV), which can be seen in the game.

While it can be downloaded online for free, Tiger Yan urges gamers to donate APOPO, a nonprofit organization working to clear deadly landmines in Cambodia.

Video Game Nostalgia!

When I was in high school I often hang out in arcade shops where most great computer games were only played in huge machines. The best were the fighting games where I started a little bit rough but with lots of practice and coins invested, I got a little better. Then after that, I learned to fight other friends. Then some other great competitors from other places tried to fight with me too. I got even better as days, weeks, months and years passed. I eventually joined local competitions and got more people crossed off the contestant's list because I was the better player. Pretty soon, I had the confidence and energy to join bigger ones and won too. In that mall, I was legendary; and got more people from other places try me out too. They failed miserably. That game of swords and Samurais later on just got outdated, but I don't think I'll lose in that game with anyone I know. I miss those times but still got a thing for those kinds of games. I enjoy watching reruns of it on videos these days. 

Today the games are even tougher, more complicated that what it used to. Although it was extra tough to press 6 - 8 buttons on a single player game to execute one move, the ones I watched in video game reviews seem to be very difficult even in 4 positioned buttons. Consoles these days can even do bigger things. Graphics are astounding, game play is phenomenal! Even now, some can accommodate 8 players at a time. Some things that were impossible before are all happening now to the enjoyment of the whole game world!

I saw some web episodes of The Gauntlet over at Blip and they made the whole video gaming experience much like reality TV! It was awesome how they got these guys together. Getting them off one by one or on a group was tough though. But overall, it was pretty cool! You should watch some too! That's where I'm going to these next few weeks and I'll watch all of the episodes for sure!