Pinoy-made indie games continue to amaze local, international audiences

Hats off to local indie developers! Philippine gaming industry is gradually gaining a foothold in the global arena, with Pinoy-made video games fast becoming a staple in local as well as international gaming events. 

READ: 'Tower Fortess' is a fantastic Pinoy-made 2D platformer shooter  

Below, in no particular order, are four more Pinoy-made video games that have captivated audiences, award-giving bodies, and game organizations worldwide.

1. UPWARDS: A Tale from Above

“UPWARDS: A Tale from Above” is an extremely challenging 2D platformer that its developer, Michael Larry Ancona from Sultan Kudarat Mindanao, is dedicating to “gamers who love and advocate 2D platformer games.”

The game revolves around navigating a series of intricately designed levels by jumping between platforms. Your character lacks a health bar; to advance through the game, players must therefore learn to adapt to the environment, as well as have excellent “coordination, timing, and concentration.”




Mechanics-wise, “UPWARDS” was influenced by similarly tough games like “Super Meat Boy.” For its visuals, Ancona took inspiration from “Fez.”

“Developing games requires a lot of determination and a passion for implementing ideas,” stated Ancona, who worked on the game for over a year using an HP Compaq Netbook. Using an “old-school” device doesn’t deter him from making games; on the contrary, it encourages him to do his best.

Though most of its core gameplay is complete, “UPWARDS” is only 20% done. Despite this, it has already garnered some noteworthy attention. Ancona was invited to exhibit the game at the GetIT! Conference in Odessa, Ukraine, and was offered a Standard Exhibitors Pass for Indie Prize in Kyiv. The game was also nominated for Best Game Art at Game On 2017.

Ancona is currently a programmer for a South Cotabato team developing a dark fantasy 3D game set in the 1940s. Said game will be announced this February 2018.

“UPWARDS” is available on itch.io. 

2. Mathoria: The Last Solution

Senshi.Labs dedicates itself to developing free and fun educational games. As such, one of their latest titles, “Mathoria: The Last Solution,” teaches children arithmetic while letting them embark on a grand RPG journey. In the game, players explore mysterious new lands, and in the process make new friends, acquire gear, solve puzzles, and use mathematics to fight enemies and help people.



According to “Mathoria: The Last Solution” producer Arvin Cabang, the game was initially his group’s thesis project. They made it available to the public so that it could fulfill its main purpose: “To remove the fear that most of us feel when facing mathematics by integrating it into something (everybody) can enjoy: an adventure game.”

Three months into the game’s development, everyone on the team graduated from college and got jobs. Production progress slowed to a crawl. To make matters worse, the game got “messed up,” forcing them to “recreate it… from top to bottom.”

But these problems didn’t deter the team. “Despite our lack of time, we strived to complete it for the sake of our primary mission which is to bring education through games. We never lost sight of what we want to do.”

After over a year of development, the team completed “Mathoria: The Last Solution” this January 2017.

In addition to getting featured at Game On 2017, “Mathoria: The Last Solution” was also part of this year’s ESGS.

“Getting featured in events like ESGS is really satisfying and fun, especially when it reaches out to our target market which is children,” stated Cabang. “There’s no better feeling than seeing them having fun solving math problems and getting the adventurous vibe.”

The game’s predecessor, “The Adventures in Mathoria,” won Best Edutainment Game at Game On 2014.

“It was one of the greatest moments of my life,” expressed Cabang. “We’re now looking forward to win this year, but being part of it is already a victory to us.”

“Mathoria: The Last Solution” can be downloaded on Senshi.Labs’ website. 

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3. Wiwi Rush

“Wiwi Rush” is a casual title for everyone, but pet lovers – specifically those with an affinity for cats – will find particular pleasure in it.

“Wiwi Rush” tasks you with helping cats to the restroom. Thing is, those restrooms are gender-specific. You’ll therefore have to sort the critters based on what you think their gender is from their clothing.

“The player has to swipe left if the cat is female, and swipe right if the cat is male,” explained Lord Gosingtian of ThinkBIT. “Players need to be very mindful as there are some cats that might wear feminine clothes but are actually male and vice versa!”




ThinkBIT wanted to create a game about an everyday routine, such as going to the bathroom – hence “Wiwi Rush.” But as they were also inspired by their recently adopted office cat, Nyx, the team felt it necessary to have the game revolve around adorable felines.

Originally, “Wiwi Rush” had only one game mode: Match Mode. The playtesters found it frustrating and confusing, however, so the team decided to add the easier Rush Mode to the game. Since the new mode’s inclusion, “Wiwi Rush” has received more positive feedback.

Like the other games on this list, “Wiwi Rush” was featured at both ESGS and Game On 2017. They had around a week to think of the game design, create art assets, and implement development to meet Game On’s Oct 1 game submission deadline.

“Wiwi Rish” was also nominated for Best Game Art, Best in Gameplay, and Best Mobile Game at this year’s ICT Creative Awards Night.

“We want to show that we are capable of creating creative and fun games and we’re looking for publishers who would want to have their game developed by us,” said Gosingtian. “We love seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they play our games. It gives us a great sense of accomplishment with our work.”

“Wiwi Rush” is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 

4. Shots Fired

“Shots Fired” is game where you, a sniper, have to figure out who your mark is based on clues provided by your client.

At ESGS 2017, developer Chryse exhibited the latest build of “Shots Fired,” which is a huge improvement over the version they showcased at Indie Arena, ESGS 2016.



The game now features an in-game Mobile Phone. As the gateway to the world of “Shots Fired,” this allows you to book missions and travel to different locations. You select missions by swiping right on a Tinder parody app called Huntr, while you navigate between maps using the Uber-like Tsuper.

By finishing side missions, you can unlock main boss missions, which can then be selected using the Notebook/Bingo Book.

The latest “Shots Fired” build also comes with the Exfiltration mini-game, where you drive a vehicle in a Waze-inspired UI; a “meme-centric social media network” called FuzzBeed which allows the player to earn money as a photojournalist; an Amazon-inspired Shop where you can purchase internet data, weapons, etc.; and the Story which introduces you to the main character and his backstory.

One of the toughest challenges Chryse faced during the game’s development was designing the game loop.

“We thought that having a ticking time would be a good idea,” explained Chryse co-founder and lead artist Ronnie Legaspi. “(We) made time as a resource that the player should manage, like energy/action points. Most major actions that the player can do will spend ‘time’ such as taking Tsuper trips, doing Huntr and FuzzBeed missions, succeeding and failing Exfiltration, etc.”

Chryse has been busy presenting “Shots Fired” to a global audience.

“We’ve been selected to participate in Busan Indie Connect this 2017 and The MIX in San Francisco, we’ve gotten a nomination for Best Indie Game by Marooners’ Rock at PAX West 2017, we’ve had multiple articles in Destructoid and lastly won an award for BestOverseas Game at WePlay China 2017,” said Legaspi.

Another Indie is now “Shots Fired’s” publisher.

“Shots Fired” will be launched around March 2018 on Steam and Switch. — LA, GMA News