The Gamer Network and ReedPOP, the organizers behind London’s indie game event EGX Rezzed, have already settled on a new date for the show after having postponed the event earlier this month as a result of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. It’s now scheduled as a summer event, with a July 2-4 date locked in.

Thankfully, if you had already purchased a ticket for the original event dates then it’s still valid. We’re told in a press release that there’s no action required on the part of attendees with valid tickets; just turn up on the equivalent day that you had purchased.

Being at EGX in London was a prime example of the hustle and bustle of a convention. You can often get lost in endless queues and intimidated by the crowds. So, it can be a refreshing change of pace to commit to the indie section—an often quieter segment of the show floor.

It’s in these areas where true upcoming gems can come to fruition. Here are five indie games we saw at EGX that you should have on your radar.

Indivisible

At first glance, it would be easy to mistake Indivisible as ‘just another’ indie side-scroller with a pretty art style. But this little action-RPG is hugely ambitious, rolling different genres into one delightful package that stood apart as the most exciting game I played at EGX Rezzed 2019.

First teased way back in 2015, developer Lab Zero has taken its time to craft its second ever video game, following on from the highly regarded beat em’ up Skull Girls. Indivisible draws on the best qualities of that esteemed IP — stunning artwork and top-notch gameplay — and packs it into a 2D role-playing experience that is totally captivating.

SEGA’s iconic blue hedgehog is going back to his roots, donning the 16-bit clothes that arguably suit him the best. Sonic Mania is the indie, fan-made re-imagining of the 2D Sonic trilogy from Christian “Taxman” Whitehead and Simon “Stealth” Thomley adding gameplay features, a prettier aesthetic, and tweaking level design. At London’s EGX Rezzed event, I went to visit SEGA for a preview of its first two Acts, with commentary from the game’s product manager, Jim Dyer. After just 10 minutes with the game, I’ve never been more convinced that Mania is the Sonic game fans have always wanted.

Speeding through Green Hill Zone, it occurs to me how easy it is to forget just how clever the level design of the Genesis-era Sonic games was. There are many more layers to their composition than just a single fast-flowing highway; nuances perhaps disguised by the sheer pace of proceedings. But Sonic Mania ups the ante even further from Hirokazu Yasuhara’s original 1990 vision. As Sonic crisscrosses around the level, sometimes pinging backwards before being hurled in the correct direction, Sonic’s speed no longer translates to moving quickly in a single direction. The re-imagined Green Hill Zone is a now a honeycomb of different pathways, much more complex and varied than the original version.

At EGX today, a demo for Horizon: Zero Dawn was live streamed via Twitch, giving small hints as to the game’s mysterious story and gameplay mechanics.

Guerilla Games Lead Combat Designer Troy Mashburn began three to four hours into the game, speaking on the mysteries players would face in Horizon, the most notable being the cause of the machines’ sudden violence. Guerrilla has kept their lips sealed when it comes to the game’s story details, but the demo did reveal that Corruptors, the machines infecting others with this rage, are somehow linked to Aloy’s past.

Many gamers felt that Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider back in 2013 was the exact reboot that the Tomb Raider series needed. Following its 2013 predecessor’s success, Rise of the Tomb Raider looks set to build on this foundation and continue the story of Lara’s beginnings.

Lara’s jump to the new generation of consoles has brought with it a beautiful new lick of paint. While Tomb Raider was by no means an ugly game, Rise of the Tomb Raider fully utilizes the power of the Xbox One, and Lara looks so much better for it. The visuals were crisp and beautiful and has definitely helped Crystal Dynamics fully realize Lara.

While the games were an obvious highlight for many, the booths, props, and displays covering the show floor of EGX this year offered plenty of opportunities to stand and take in the atmosphere. Standing in a queue waiting for Halo 5: Guardians or PlayStation VR? Any which way you looked, you’d find something of particular interest to gawk at. Vault Boy was offering a free photo for every fan, a bunch of Rare characters posed for the masses, and even a Tie Fighter dropped in to check out what was on offer for the galaxy’s gamers in the coming year.

While it was incredible to experience EGX and all of its sights first hand, some were not so fortunate. For either a lack of funds, or simply being unable to get your hands on a ticket, you may have missed out. Well, fear not! We’ve got a bunch of photos to show you the best sights from the show floor. See you next year, EGX!

Back when we first saw The Division at the end of Ubisoft’s E3 2014 conference, everyone was in awe at the first impression. The gameplay combined the tactical formula of the Tom Clancy franchise, MMO-like open world mechanics, and RPG character customization. That’s the kind of game that has just about something for everyone.

As time has gone on, it has only become clearer that The Division is going to rely pretty damn heavily on co-operative play, and the demo at EGX 2015 only further reinforced this. In the demo, myself and two others were put into a team and each given a character with specific abilities and weaponry. Ubisoft was quick to point out that this was not to be the case upon the game’s release, and every weapon, gadget, and ability would be open to everyone regardless of their character. In other words, no character classes.

As long as you haven’t been living under a rock for the past year or two, it’s quite obvious that Halo 5: Guardians is going to be one of Microsoft’s biggest games of 2015. It’s arguably Xbox’s flagship franchise, and has one of the largest player bases and communities around. At EGX 2015, Microsoft and 343 Industries have been kind enough to offer hands-on multiplayer matches to the masses, and it didn’t disappoint.

The game mode on offer was Warzone. To win a match of Warzone, your team must reach one thousand points or destroy the enemy team’s core. Basically, think your normal Capture the Flag mode with a bit of a twist. Points can be earned by killing opponents, killing AI enemies, and controlling each of the three control points on the map.

Need for Speed is going to be racing onto PC and consoles in just a few months and just as we mentioned back in our E3 2015 hands-on preview, one thing remained perfectly clear: EA is all about bringing the franchise back to its classic roots.

While the time spent with Need for Speed at this year’s E3 focused on the game’s modes and features, the EGX demo focused on two things: customization and fun. Starting with customization, Need for Speed provides players with an impressive amount of options to tune, alter, and switch up every aspect of your car. This ranged from changing the body kit, rim colors, exhausts, spoilers, and hood scoops.

There are some like myself that virtual reality is the next big step in the gaming industry. However like many others, I still had my doubts. That was until I got my hands on PlayStation VR.

My previous experience with virtual reality headsets had been one of sheer excitement, but one that left a nauseous, bitter after taste. Granted that was almost exactly year ago, but I was concerned about the latency issues of the tech and just how long I could stomach it. Not only that, but when I’d used the Oculus, I could feel the headset seriously weighing my head down and it was quite uncomfortable around my eyes.