Playism: Celebrating 10 Years of Indie Publishing

What is Playism?

Playism is an indie digital distribution platform and service provider currently celebrating it’s 10th anniversary. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Osaka, Playism was founded with the sole goal of ‘Bringing the cream of the crop of indie games to players worldwide’ in mind.

Over the past decade they’ve been responsible for bringing some inventive and unique indie titles to market, a selection of which are listed below: 

DEEEER Simulator

DEEEER Simulator is a ‘slow-life town destruction game’, where you can choose to live out your life as a peaceful ruminant amongst your fellow animals or saddle up and scorch the earth as you tear the nearby town apart brick by brick in a symphony of low-poly destruction. 

A worthy addition to the genre that Goat Simulator invented, with Pacific Rim-esque beatdowns and ridable fire breathing dragons to boot.

DEEEER Simulator is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC:

VA-11 HALL-A

VA-11 HALL-A is probably the highest-profile title of the bunch. The description pretty much sums up the pulse of the game “VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a booze em’ up about waifus, technology, and post-dystopia life.”, and nothing could be closer to the truth. 

This game has everything from old-school visuals inspired by older Japanese games to branching storylines that allow players to experiment with drinks. Oh, did we mention Cyberpunk?

VA-11 HALL-A is currently available on Nintendo Switch / PlayStation 4 / PC:

The Good Life

Ever wanted to try your hand in a murder mystery set in a rural village? Perhaps you should take a look at The Good Life developed by White Owls Inc. This single-player adventure puts you in charge of a budding journalist named Naomi, who’s looking for her next big scoop.

Sounds a little dry? How about the fact that you can transform into a dog and cat. You can use this to get to those townsfolk in areas that are just out of reach, with an entire cast of fun and memorable characters, along with a unique navigational system. The Good Life offers a unique perspective for your sleuthing needs.

The Good Life is currently available on PC / Nintendo Switch / PlayStation 4 / and Xbox One.

Astebreed

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if you combined Galaga, Panzer Dragoon, and Gundam into one package? Well, Astebreed, developed by Edelweiss, has a surprise in store for you. 

This title provides an unforgettable experience of fast-paced mecha shooting action along with ever-changing stages that regularly switch from multiple different camera perspectives. 

What’s even better is that it offers these things in full 3D, from eye-popping graphics to high fidelity particle effects. As the tag implies, Astebreed delivers an unparalleled experience of beautiful destruction.

Astebreed is available on PC / PlayStation 4 / and Nintendo Switch.

Idol Manager

According to the developer, Glitch Pitch, Idol Manager is a business sim about conquering the entertainment industry using any means you deem necessary.

In this title, you take on the role of a manager for a small talent agency that grows as the game progresses. As you recruit and train the newest generation of burgeoning pop stars, you’ll make the tough choices regarding who to hire and who to fire, who gets promoted when things go well, who gets reprimanded when things get sour, etc. 

Another cool part about the gameplay is the personal lives of these young celebrities. As a part of your business, managing the life of a pop star isn’t always a happy one. Still, their emotional meltdowns and PR nightmares can spell financial disaster for your company. The “endgame” comes in the form of the personal achievements of your idols and their commercial successes.

Their upcoming releases look promising, with FYQD’s fully realised vision for Bright Memory; Bright Memory: Infinite out now, 2D action exploration title Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth in the pipeline, and many more.

You can check out their full release slate and back catalogue through their website.