September 6, 2018

Unreal Engine developers shine at PAX West 2018

Games

PAX West 2018

Events

By Daniel Kayser
PAX West 2018 took place this past weekend in Seattle and Unreal Engine developers from around the world were on-hand to demo their games, check out other projects and otherwise mingle amongst the masses.

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Here’s a rundown of all things Unreal Engine at PAX West 2018:

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ID@XBOX Pre-PAX Event

Microsoft kicked off the weekend with a gamer-focused event on Thursday evening, providing PAX attendees and local fans with the opportunity to visit the Microsoft campus and get hands on with upcoming ID@Xbox titles coming to the Xbox store.

Attendees were excited to chat with the developers and play games such as the highly-anticipated Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden and the just announced indie title, Bot Rods. 

Below is a list of the Unreal Engine-powered titles at the event.
 

Bot Rods | Holy Cow Productions

Bot Rods is an arcade style racer with adorable characters and bots, racing around twisty tracks. You have many species and characters to play as and many worlds to explore.
 

Ashen | Aurora44, Annapurna Interactive

Ashen is an action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. There is no sun and the natural light that exists comes from eruptions that cover the land in ash. This is a world where nothing lasts, no matter how tightly you cling to it.
 

Deathgarden | Behaviour

Deathgarden is an asymmetrical game, in which one powerful Hunter must hunt down five agile Runners. The Runners seek to complete objectives to open the Exits and escape the Garden. Runners must work together if they are to achieve their goal while the Hunter will try to execute them to claim victory.
 

Epitasis | Epitasis Games

Having stumbled upon an ancient portal, you take a leap of faith and suddenly find yourself amidst the remnants of an ancient alien civilization. Cryptic puzzles, forgotten technologies and treasured relics are riddled amongst the beautiful wilderness that has engulfed the remains of this fallen race. If you are to learn their secrets, you must unearth the fate of the civilization that called these lost worlds home.

Epitasis is a sci-fi exploration puzzle game, being developed by Lucas Govatos using Unreal Engine 4 and is intended for a PC, Mac, PS4, and XB1 release.
 

Eternity: The Last Unicorn | Void Studios, 1C Publishing

Eternity: The Last Unicorn is a fully featured RPG with classic game mechanics and an extensive lore based on Norse mythology.

The Elves were once given four Unicorns by the Holy Goddess and these became part of the elves. But as the unicorns were taken away and cursed by witchcraft, the elves’ sole existence became endangered. Lead Aurehen, a young pure Elf on her quest to free the last Unicorn that has survived. Travel through mesmerizing locations, meet fantasy characters and fight to protect Elven immortality. Pursue Eternity!
 

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden | The Bearded Ladies, Funcom

In Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, a tactical adventure game combining the turn-based combat of XCOM with story, exploration, stealth, and strategy, players take control of a team of Mutants navigating a post-human Earth. Created by a team including former HITMAN leads and the designer of PAYDAY.
 

SINNER: Sacrifice For Redemption | Dark Star, Another Indie

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is a boss battler action-RPG. Face eight abhorrent bosses, the first seven are based on one of the deadly sins. Before each epic clash, you must sacrifice a stat and level down to enter combat. Each fight will be tougher than the last as you wage war against sin itself.
 

The Blackout Club | Question

You are a teenager from a small, modern town. Each morning, you awaken covered in mud or scratches, with no memory of the night before. You've heard of sleepwalking - but this is different. Sometimes you lose entire days.

There are others like you. Your new group of friends bonded over this shared secret, forming a club to investigate the cause of these BLACKOUTS. Together, you discovered a network of bizarre underground tunnels, hidden just beneath the surface of your quiet community. An uncanny, disorienting music beckoned from below.

You hesitated. But last night, your best friend vanished - and now, a mysterious group of adults wants to eliminate you. You must strike back, capture their activities on camera and expose them to the world.
 

The Occupation | White Paper Games | Humble Bundle

The Occupation is a first-person, fixed-time, investigative thriller set in North West England on October 24, 1987. You play as a journalist in a detailed, system-driven world where people react to your actions and time is your biggest enemy.
 

Vigor | Bohemia Interactive

Vigor is an upcoming free-to-play shoot 'n' loot game where you must survive
cut-throat encounters to build your very own Shelter amid post-war Norway, 1991.


1991. The nuclear war is over. Central Europe is devastated,
Norway has become the last stand. You start as a nameless outlander,
but who will you become? No time for uncertainty.
Turn a shelter into your home. Fight, run or hide.
Take risks, claim rewards. Survive this cut-throat experience.

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UE Devs Inside the Indie MEGABOOTH:

From the out-of-this-world exploration of Astroneer to the intense lawn-manicuring matches of Mowin’ & Throwin’, the diverse lineup of UE-powered games inside the Indie MEGABOOTH at PAX West 2018 gave attendees plenty to play and talk about.
 

Astroneer | System Era Softworks

Explore and reshape distant worlds in Astroneer - A game of aerospace industry and interplanetary exploration.

Astroneer is set during the 25th century’s Intergalactic Age of Discovery, where Astroneers explore the frontiers of outer space, risking their lives in harsh environments to unearth rare discoveries and unlock the mysteries of the universe.

Players can work together to build custom bases and vehicles and use terrain to create anything they can imagine. A player’s creativity and ingenuity is the key to seeking out and thriving on exciting planetary adventures!
 

Decoherance | Efecto Studios

Decoherence is a competitive action/strategy game where you build robots, devise a battle plan by configuring their A.I and fight alongside them. Get ready to put your strategic thinking, sharp reflexes, and adaptability to the test.
 

Industries of Titan | Brace Yourself Games

Industries of Titan is an industrial city building sim/strategy game set on Saturn's moon Titan.

Create a sprawling industrial city, design powerful factories, and compete with other Great Houses to stake your claim to the Industries of Titan!
 

Mowin’ & Throwin’ | House Pixel Games

Team up in this four-­player couch-competitive game as you control gnomes to frantically mow grass. The team that trims the most wins.

During this lawn-manicuring match, items drop from the sky. Pick up and throw a gasoline can at your lawnmower to refuel. Or hurl fertilizer and rocks on your opponents’ yard to make their grass grow and sabotage their progress.
 

SINNER: Sacrifice For Redemption | Dark Star, Another Indie

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is a boss battler action-RPG. Face eight abhorrent bosses, the first seven are based on one of the deadly sins. Before each epic clash, you must sacrifice a stat and level down to enter combat. Each fight will be tougher than the last as you wage war against sin itself.

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PAX West VIP Mixer:

Finally, Unreal Engine hosted a PAX West VIP Mixer where developers who registered in advance had the chance to catch up with UE Evangelist Christian Allen and meet other UE devs face-to-face.

With developers both local to Seattle and traveling to PAX from China, India, Colombia, and all across the world, it was a great chance to talk shop and share inspiration. Developers from teams such as System Era, PolyArc, and Efecto Studios joined the gathering to share food, drink, and of course gaming.

Until next year!

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Developers from System Works, the team behind the award-winning Astroneer, join Epic’s Christian Allen at the PAX VIP Unreal Developer Mixer.