Reporting live from the crowded floor of the UK Games Expo, Geek Native sat down with the team at Timequest to test two unreleased family party games: Hot Topic and 100 Ways to Die. Aimed at groups of up to six or seven players aged ten and up, both titles are currently taking pre-orders during the convention, with the publisher carefully weighing up the necessity of a future crowdfunding campaign.
Brain Freeze and Betting in Hot Topic
Hot Topic is a trivia and riddle challenge built entirely around the panic of a ticking clock. Players are challenged to solve riddles, but there is a catch: you must bet on your own ability to answer quickly and correctly. The more confident you are, the higher you bet, and the more points you stand to win.
However, the game enforces a strict 30-second timer. Based on our hands-on demo at the show, that time pressure is highly deceptive. Questions and riddles that would be easily solvable in a relaxed environment suddenly become impossible mental hurdles when the 30-second countdown begins, making for a frantic and hilarious tabletop experience.
Storytelling Survival in 100 Ways to Die
The second title, 100 Ways to Die, leans heavily into bluffing and creative storytelling. The game presents the entire table with the same absurd, fatal scenario—such as crossing a minefield or developing a sudden allergy to oxygen. Players are then dealt random, chaotic item cards.
The objective is to spin a crazy, convincing tale explaining how you would use your randomly assigned item to escape the deadly scenario. Once the stories are told, the table votes on who survives.
Crucially, player elimination does not mean sitting out. Players who are knocked out return as “spiritual advisors.” They retain their voting rights and continue to influence the outcome of the game, keeping everyone engaged until the final survivor is declared. While the artwork shown at the booth is an early prototype, the game already plays rapidly and generates a lot of laughs.
Speaking to Geek Native at the UK Games Expo, the team also dropped a small, unannounced tease for fans of the game’s prototype aesthetic:
We are looking at the possibility of producing a plushie of the cute Grim Reaper mascot.”
The Crowdfunding Question
Both Hot Topic and 100 Ways to Die are available for pre-order at Timequest’s website right now. However, the studio’s broader release strategy remains in flux. There is a clear, understandable reluctance from the team to run a Kickstarter campaign when they have the capability to self-fund the manufacturing. Yet the crowdfunding platform’s massive reach and marketing potential for small, family-friendly games might still pull them in that direction.
Geek Native’s advice? Keep an eye on both of these titles. The quick playtimes and highly engaging mechanics make them strong contenders for your next party game night, regardless of how they eventually make it to retail.
Pre-orders and further information can be found on the Timequest Hot Topic page and the 100 Ways to Die page.
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