Xbox showcases four upcoming ID@Xbox indie titles

Xbox recently showcased four upcoming indie titles set to release as part of its ID@Xbox programme.

Updates on the four games, some of which have been previously announced, were shown to press behind closed doors last week. They cover a range of genres, but all are planned to release on Xbox Series X/S in the coming weeks and months.

The games shown were Botany Manor, Jump Ship, Nightscape and Still Wakes the Deep.

Details on all four games are provided below.

Botany Manor

Set for release on April 9, Botany Manor is a puzzle and exploration game set in and around a 19th century manor.

Players have to investigate the items found around the estate to solve a variety of puzzles, all of which are based on plants.

“The enduring estate of Botany Manor is home to retired botanist Arabella Greene,” the game’s description reads.

“After a long career, she has amassed a collection of rare, long-forgotten plants that require some research to help them live again.

“Play as Arabella and explore the stunning historic manor and its grounds to look for clues in her notes, books, posters, and items scattered around the residence to determine the correct set of circumstances to help the flora flourish.

“Unlock new seeds and plant them. Interactable items around the property that can be turned and flipped will provide information to help you solve each gardening puzzle, grow the plants and discover their mysterious qualities.”

Still Wakes the Deep

Set for release on June 18, Still Wakes the Deep is the latest game from The Chinese Room (best known for Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture).

The game is set in 1975 and takes place on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland which has started to collapse.

Players have to search for their crew and try to help them survive, while trying to navigate the flooding corridors and facing “a terrifying, unrelenting foe”.

Publisher Secret Mode calles the game “an immersive disaster story aboard a stunningly-realised North Sea oil rig, starring an authentic cast of Scottish actors.”

“No weapons,” its description reads. “No powers. Just your wits and determination. Struggle for survival on an unstable oil rig, where one wrong step could be your last.

“Something has turned your home into a nightmare, where the familiar becomes threatening, and where a noise in the dark fills you with dread. Resist the urge to turn back. Confront the unknown.”

Jump Ship

Jump Ship is a co-op PvE game in which up to four players become the crew of a spaceship.

The game is being developed by Keepsake Games, a five-man Swedish studio including founding members of Hazelight (It Takes Two), founding members of Mojang (Minecraft) and a former Mirror’s Edge designer.

Jump Ship offers players a variety of handcrafted missions “with random elements”, ensuring no two runs are the same.

Players start aboard the ship, and can seamlessly switch between operating it, space walking and exploring planets on foot.

“Transition seamlessly from crewing the ship to on-foot exploration and space walks, engage in intense battles both on the ground and in space, and always keep your ship upgraded and intact,” the studio’s description reads. “Teamwork is key for survival and victory.”

It adds: “We love co-op games, and we love space. Jump Ship is our attempt to make both work together.”

Nightscape

Developed by Qatar-based Mezan Studios, Nightscape is a 2.5D “atmospheric adventure” set in an ancient Arabian world.

In the game, the night sky loses its light, so it’s up to the protagonist Layla to use a magical astrolabe to bring the stars back to their constellations and light a path home.

Because interaction with the night sky is Nightscape’s key theme, the game is being developed with the support of cultural astronomers.

“Nightscape’s idea was sparked by a desire to pursue a fervent passion to craft immersive games, while at the same time showcase elements of shared human context in an increasingly fracturing world,” Mezan Studios says.

“A simple question was asked: what would happen to a world so dependent on the stars if they suddenly disappeared? Arabian star lore is rich, yet not part of mainstream culture, so why not shed light on it?

“Drawing from centuries of shared knowledge and traditions, it was seen as an opportunity to convey inspiring stories and reframe stereotypical tropes and narratives.”