One of the best things about the PlayStation 4 era has been the emergence of a number of smaller indie studios that have been able to find success on the platform.
Sony has helped these companies by making a lot of their games available on the PS Store while promoting them in their social media channels, as well as by choosing a select few to release as part of the monthly free games for their PS Plus program.
What are the Best Games From Top Hat Studios?
One of the best things about the PlayStation 4 era has been the emergence of a number of smaller indie studios that have been able to find success on the platform. Sony has helped these companies by making a lot of their games available on the PS Store while promoting them in their social media channels, as well as by choosing a select few to release as part of the monthly free games for their PS Plus program.
Top Hat Studios has benefited from this, and the publisher has been able to experiment with niche games knowing that it can get its content out there – games such as Kawaii Deathu Desu, in which you play as a supernatural idol and beat the hell out of as many overzealous fans as you can since they’re rushing the stage.
The studio is also keeping busy on the Nintendo Switch, with Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story releasing tomorrow on Nintendo’s console.
Who Are Top Hat Studios?
Top Hat Studios is an independent studio based in New York, which has become known for its willingness to experiment with non-mainstream genres. The publisher works alongside numerous developers, artists, and musicians, with games that are designed to draw in players from all over the world with releases from a wide variety of niche genres.
SteamDolls – Order of Chaos
SteamDolls – Order of Chaos is one of the best-known games published by Top Hat Studios and also one of its darker offerings. This is a Metroidvania game created by The Shady Gentlemen, inspired by titles such as Castlevania, with a steampunk twist. The adventure is set in a dark and dingy city at night, and players have to explore using stealth.
This one is definitely a game for older audiences with a taste for violence and blood. There is a lot of action, along with some great-looking graphics, and it’s one we look forward to checking out this year.
Thief’s Roulette
Thief’s Roulette is a puzzle adventure game in which players are tasked with completing a series of complex challenges in the form of escape rooms. In the story, the player is stuck in a strange location, surrounded by 14 unfamiliar faces. These people are split into three teams, and by winning, they sentence their opponents to death. The losing teams stand on a roulette wheel, and the person who is inevitably defeated is decided by a random spin. It’s certainly been inspired by the excellent Danganronpa series, which should make for a fun experience on PlayStation 4.
It is not just the name of the game that will allure fans of roulette, though. Indeed, they are likely to be drawn to it by the high level of strategy involved when completing the tasks. A lot of online casino players try to mitigate the instances of luck involved when they play roulette. They do this by exploring roulette strategy guides that detail the different options. There are progressive and non-progressive options, and the Martingale system is probably the best known. If some of these strategies can be applied to Thief’s Roulette, it may help to increase the enjoyment found in the game.
Rainbow Dreams
Rainbow Dreams is one of the more light-hearted games in the Top Hat Studios catalog and is designed for people who like realism mixed with fantasy. It all starts off fairly normal – Luka Sanguis is a college student just living an everyday existence. Little does he realize that he is married to a goddess, which leads to magical and mysterious things creeping into his world! The protagonist ends up leading a double life, having to deal with problems in his day-to-day existence along with the impending threat of daemons that are hell-bent on ending the world. This one was developed by Epic Works, known for its visual novel-style adventure games. One of the other notable games from the indie studio is Episicava, an episodic series.
Ova Magica
Of the Top Hat Studios games that are likely to appeal to the widest range of players, Ova Magica could be up there at the top. However, it is hard to say just how popular this one will be yet as it is still in development.
For players who enjoyed all the classic farming games such as Farmville, this simple and uplifting game is likely to evoke some warm feelings of nostalgia. The game from ClaudiaTheDev is bursting with bright and vibrant colors that are pleasant on the eyes. Players will have to tend to their own farms in Clover Town and also look after some interesting and unique blob creatures.
The title is currently in the production phase and is expected to be released in early 2022, but with what we’ve seen so far from the game’s available preview, it’s one that sim fans should look forward to checking out next year. Not everything is set in stone, and there are bound to be changes introduced to the game between now and its eventual release, but so far, so good!
If you’re a fan of indie titles of the niche variety, then the catalog from Top Hat Studios is one you should look forward to.
We’ll have a review for Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story on Nintendo Switch going live soon, so be ready!
