Bold colours? Sharp writing? Classic gameplay concepts reinvented for modern audiences? Must be a Drinkbox Studios game. This Canadian development team has been responsible for some of the most highly celebrated indie games over the last 15 years – with the only thing more impressive than the consistency of quality across the studio’s work being how unafraid it is to try completely new things from game to game.
And yet, despite the developer’s love for innovation, it is always clear as day when a Drinkbox Studios game is a Drinkbox Studios game. These games may diverge in genre and tone, but they all share the developer’s trademark for dynamic experiences that look and play differently from almost anything else out on the market.
6 Tales From Space: About A Blob
The simple truth is that Drinkbox Studios has never launched a bad game— or even an average one, at that. If Tales From Space: About A Blob is held back by anything, it’s the fact that Drinkbox Studios simply honed its craft more and more after this quirky puzzle-platformer for the PlayStation 3.
About A Blob mixes together growth manipulation, physics-based puzzles, a whacky science-fiction setting, and good old fashioned platforming to concoct an experience that is oozing with personality. The game also features co-operative multiplayer, which is one major point it holds over its sequel. Perhaps the biggest shame about this original Drinkbox Studios game is that it currently remains the only title from the developer to not be available on any modern systems.
5 Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
Whether you play it on PS Vita, Switch, or any of the other systems it’s available on, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is a fantastic sequel that builds on almost every aspect of the original. Despite lacking the multiplayer feature, Mutant Blobs Attack nonetheless ups the creativity, humour, and design, and showcases a maturing development team really starting to find its feet.
Mutant Blobs Attack may not be that long, but every single level shines with its attention to detail and comprehensive execution of fully realised ideas. The moveset, level obstacles, and puzzle designs have all been expanded upon, resulting in a game that never fails to excite.
4 Nobody Saves The World
Nobody Saves the World takes the form of a colourful top-down action RPG with plenty to love about it. The titular Nobody can be changed into a variety of different forms, each with their own unique abilities that can be merged with that of other forms once you have played enough of the game.
This deep level of customisation is complemented by different modifiers that appear in dungeons, forcing you to constantly adapt your playstyle to match the ever-changing conditions. Nobody Saves the World is more proof that whatever genre Drinkbox Studios wants to dip into, the results rarely disappoint.
3 Guacamelee! 2
Guacamelee! 2 picks up once again with Juan as he goes on a dimension-hopping adventure to rescue the “Mexiverse” from a malevolent force. As a sequel to one of the most beloved Metroidvanias and indie success stories of all time, Guacamelee! 2 had big shoes to fill, and luckily, it was more than up for the challenge.
The chicken moveset has been significantly flesh out, turning what was no more than a basic power-up in the first game into a fully-functioning secondary gameplay style in this sequel. The levels are also wildly creative and constantly throw new surprises your way throughout this highly entertaining and charming adventure.
2 Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
Ten years on, and the original Guacamelee! has not lost a sliver of its zesty freshness. The visuals are still eye-catching, the tunes still endlessly hummable, and the gameplay remains a high point for Metroidvanias that easily stands toe-to-toe with the heavy hitters of its storied genre.
While any version of Gucamelee! is worth playing, the Super Turbo Championship Edition is the one to experience if you want to enjoy everything this game has to offer. Regardless of how you play it, this game rightfully catapulted Drinkbox Studios into the upper echelon of indie developers and marked the beginning of a series that we will hopefully see more of in the future.
1 Severed
It’s bizarre to think that the best game from Drinkbox Studios started out its life as an exclusive for the PS Vita. Thankfully, Severed has since moved onto other platforms so that more and more people can experience this one of a kind game about grief, resilience, and slicing off the limbs of monsters.
Severed may not be that long, but it leaves a strong impression on you thanks to its eclectic mix of design and aesthetic ideas. It’s a dungeon crawler, but also a touch-based slice-em-up. Its art style uses a bold colour palette, but its narrative has an overall sombre tone. With a melancholic story, striking visual design, and engaging Fruit Ninja-esque gameplay, there simply isn’t anything else quite like Severed, and is the ideal showcase of the Drinkbox Studios developers at its creative peak.