The team behind Radial Overdrive was celebrated on Friday 27 June at the Grote Expo in the Dutch Innovation Factory. It was a memorable expo with plenty of games and interesting projects.
Alderman Jan Iedema opened the event. The jury consisted of former Ronimo founder Jasper Koning, Game Taste publisher Bram Steenhuis, and THUAS alumnus and indie game developer Benjamin Hardy.
The expo is traditionally a celebration of creativity, and this edition was no exception. The students had worked hard to present themselves at their best. That showed not only in the games, all of which were playable, but also in the attractive displays of posters, stickers and 3D prints. They had even thought of sweets and drinks: every effort to win over the jury.
In Radial Overdrive, you steer a futuristic car along a track in a city of the future, somewhat reminiscent of Mario Kart’s space level. The aim is to stay on the track, which gets harder the longer you play. A simple concept, but exceptionally well executed. The jury praised the team’s graphical achievement, delivering a smooth experience in the Godot game engine. They also appreciated how complete the game felt: playable on PC, Steam Deck and a simulator.
That does not mean the other games went unnoticed. Several groups had produced excellent games. We played a metroidvania, a game set in a casino, a robot puzzle game, an Egyptian-themed puzzle game and a game in which you literally control a chicken in boss battles.
GameLab
GameLab naturally had a strong presence at the expo too. The InnovA58 project attracted plenty of attention, as did GymSim. These projects have been in development for some time, and it now really shows. They are fine examples of the simulations GameLab can deliver.
There were indie games to play as well. USB-BOT went all out with three Steam Decks on which visitors could play this 2D puzzle platformer. Its Steam release is just around the corner. Enso and Soul Stalker: Phantom Reign also drew a crowd.
Last but not least, we had given the arcade cabinet donated by Dutch Game Garden an overhaul. It features games that won the expo in previous years, such as Spider Spell, Lucky Tabi, Glacial Descent and Mallow Mystery. Naturally, Radial Overdrive will be added after this expo.
