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The Joystiq Indie Pitch: The Grave Digger
It's not that there are too many indie games; it's that there aren't enough hours in a day to play all of them. The Joystiq Indie Pitch curates the best indies to play now and watch out for in the future. What's your game called and what's it about? The Grave Digger is a third-person stealth game all about plundering haunted graveyards for loot and escaping without a pissed-off ghost dragging you to hell. There are a handful of different ghost types that materialize the moment your shovel breaks consecrated soil, so there's a chance at the beginning of each level to read the tombstones in search of the most valuable loot and plan potential escape routes before the graveyard becomes "populated." The ghosts have individual AI routines which change the level quite dramatically once they appear, so a big part of it is learning the best ways to outsmart them in any given scenario, be that timing your movements, creeping silently behind low walls or even baiting certain ghosts to different areas. There are no ways to kill or otherwise immobilize the enemy in this game. We've designed it in such a way that hopefully players will find their own strategies along the way using the limited tools we've given them. What's the coolest aspect of The Grave Digger? Unexpectedly, one of the things I find the most fun is running around before the ghosts appear, reading tombstones (hold "Q" near a grave). I think there's something quite serene and civilized about that bit, although perhaps that's just because I know how hectic it'll get when I'm fleeing a screeching ghost-bride. Another thing I love is the humor in the game. That's something we never really sat down and designed so a lot of it was drafted at the last minute and as a result most of the gags crash and burn like any good-bad pun should (case in point: Home Groan Games, our company name), but I find that sort of unrefined comedy funny in itself.
Grave Digger may have all the grave-robbing, ghosts you ever wanted
This trailer for The Grave Digger has everything – Inception horn, a Dark Knight voiceover, spooky graveyard sound effects, Holmesian investigation music and a funny teaser after the credits. The PC game itself – a third-person grave-robbing romp through ghost-infested cemeteries – might just have everything, too. It's free to find out now with the demo, or buy the full game for $6 (£4, €4.75). The Grave Digger comes from Home Groan Games, a two-man team in the UK. It features 18 Dickensian graveyards and five ghost types, each with individual AI to outsmart in the labyrinths. See what all the fuss is about right here – but don't be too scared when the trailer auto-plays.
