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The second annual event to celebrate Czech and Slovak Games Week is here. This time, the unique Czech & Slovak Games Week event kicked off on the occasion of the national holiday of November 17, offering discounts on locally produced games.
Now, let’s get back in history to understand why Czech and Slovak games matter so much. Prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain, people on the eastern side who wanted to make or even play games had very little opportunity to do so. The first generation of developers coming from the lands which used to form the federation of Czechoslovakia until 1992 didn’t get a chance to play most of the titles considered as classics or industry standards. The console market was practically non-existent until the beginning of the millennium. This resulted in Czech and Slovak games being very different – believe it or not, mostly in a good way.
We’re looking to build on the huge success of last year’s Czech & Slovak Games Week, and great news: to support these unique regional games, some of our favorites will be on sale during the event. We’ve highlighted a few just for a taste of what’s in store.
So, how do the games coming from studios based in the Czech Republic and Slovakia differ from your usual gaming experience? First, it is the unprecedented focus on realism and high, but fair difficulty, which triggered the success of games like Space Engineers. Here’s a look at the latest DLC pack in this one-of-a-kind sandbox space sim:
Second, it is the artistic virtuosity of games coming from Amanita Design, like Machinarium or their recently released title Creaks.
Amanita’s games are unique in many ways: Hand-drawn animation makes you feel like you’re in a (sometimes scary) fairy tale, their games also don’t usually have any written dialogue which makes Amanita’s games very accessible.
Another great example is the work of the studio Circus Atos and the titles like Under Leaves or Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia. Their games come with soothing music, they allow children to learn things in a playful way and are relaxing for adults at the same time.
Whenever those two qualities manage to meet perfectly, major international success is born. That is the story of games like Vaporum or Rememoried.
All the aforementioned titles and talented creators have secured spot on the global gaming map for Czech Republic and Slovakia. The rise of indie scene has followed quickly, without the historic burden which fundamentally affected the previous generation of developers. Tons of games are released every year, ranging from small platformers like Feudal Alloy or YesterMorrow to more ambitious indie titles like Dex or Blackhole.
Three or four titles coming from the Czech Republic within the list of best-sellers on any given platform were not an unusual sight during the past decade. That is an astonishing achievement by creators coming from a country with a population about as big as North Carolina. If you haven’t played some of the Czech and Slovak classics yet, this is a chance you don’t want to miss. If you can’t make it this year, mark your calendar for next year and check out the game page to see what’s going on. For everyone else, see you on the floor!