Summer Games Fest 2023: Day of the Devs: Beastiball, Hauntii, and Viewfinder Previews

At Summer Games Fest, Day of the Devs showed off a plethora of different games for people to experience. Today we played a quick rush of three different titles in Beastiball, Hauntii, and Viewfinder. Each game was unique in their own ways and you can see our thoughts on all three below.

Beastiball

Beastiball is basically Pokémon meets an RPG volleyball game. In the game, you get to choose one of three starter beasts and then proceed to battle other characters and their beasts, or wild ones, in a volleyball battle. Battles can be up to 2v2 with up to another two beasts waiting in reserve. In battle, you get three actions to do before you can attack and you can volley it back and forth between your two beasts before hitting it to the other side though both sides have a chance to defend their side when the ball is hit. The goal is to either hit the ball into a spot where the opponent doesn’t have a beast or to knock the beasts out by hitting them with the ball until they lose all their health.

Hauntii

Hauntii is an atmospheric twin stick shooter where you play as a recently deceased spirit who is trying to discover who they were. The game has a very distinct visual style and mechanics. You can shoot enemies using one of the sticks. You can also shoot a variety of different things in the world and possess them from different weapons that do more damage to even light poles and hills with eyes. There’s also a mechanic where you must stay on the lighted pathway. If you stray too far into the darkness, menacing spirits start to appear and the screen gets distorted until you have to restart at the last checkpoint. The demo ended once we found an angelic like companion, so there’s sure to be plenty more to discover about this game.

Viewfinder

Viewfinder is a puzzle game where you take pictures to reach certain areas to access a teleporter that will take you to the next level. The game takes place in a virtual world that was created by a group of friends that you are now exploring. Now, pictures can be “put” the locations you are in to let you access the area in the picture to help you solve the current puzzle. Pictures can be a variety of different art styles from a black and white photo to a child’s drawing to a water color painting or a retro video game dungeon. All these different art styles can exist at the same time in the same world to navigate around and help you solve the puzzle.

Zachary Dalton: I have a major passion for video games, the stories they tell, and writing about them. Avid believer that video games present the best storytelling opportunities out of any media, and that needs to be conveyed. Former competitive Pokemon player. Attended university to study game development. Wouldn't be who I am today without games.
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