Independent Gaming

Feed Update

2008-01-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

If you're using RSS feed and hadn't seen any updates recently, you need to switch to feedburner for the latest news. Thanks!

http://feeds.feedburner.com/IndependentGaming

Announcement: IndieGames.Com: The Weblog

2007-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here's some news - the Independent Gaming weblog is moving to a new domain and becoming IndieGames.com: The Weblog, as part of the CMP Game Group (Independent Games Festival creator)'s outreach into the independent gaming scene.

Please change your bookmarks to point to IndieGames.com: The Weblog at http://www.indiegames.com/blog - indygamer.blogspot.com will no longer be updated. The Feedburner RSS feed for Independent Gaming has been automatically switched to point to the new site. Comments are being migrated as we speak.

Thanks to the CMP Game Group and Simon Carless for the invaluable support and hosting of the new site; we promise to continue to serve all your indie games news and review needs as we have done before. Here's a word from Simon about this change:

Simon: "Hey folks - you may know me already from running GameSetWatch and also helping to manage various other Game Group properties like Gamasutra, Game Developer magazine, and - of course - the Independent Games Festival, which is definitely the most relevant for this announcement!

This whole concept started a couple of months ago when Tim announced that he might have to shut the Independent Gaming blog unless he got some help in hosting and partly paying for his time working on the site. We wanted to help out, and we'd already launched IndieGames.com to help educate people about independent games, so having him move his blog over here made a lot of sense.

So nothing is really changing here - Tim's still got an open editorial remit to blog and interview who he likes, and we may occasionally pop in to mention IGF and other Game Group-related news - which is likely of interest anyhow. We'll also be working with him to look at whether we can help to better develop the indie scene through setting up better distribution mechanisms for independent games - though we've only just started thinking about this."

Mondo Agency

2007-12-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: cactus has decided to update the game due to the feedback he's gotten. The jumping level is now easier and skippable for those who have trouble beating it. There's been a few other changes as well, including vital bug fixes.

This is cactus entry for the winter competition at YoYoGames.com.

"Welcome to Mondo Agency! An eerie cyber FPS with horror and puzzle elements. As an agent it is your mission to kill laser indians and save the president!

Turn off your lights and turn up your speakers for maximum enjoyment!"

Name: Mondo Agency
Developer: cactus
Category: FPS/Adventure/Weird
Type: Freeware
Size: 7.5MB
Download: link 1
Walkthrough: link

Tekkyuuman

2007-12-23T18:24:00.000-08:00

Tekkyuuman is a new release by prolific Japanese developer Ikiki, famous for a number of controversial games featuring ninjas, bloodbath and outrageous violence. Usually with all three elements at the same time.

In this game, you must make your way towards the green spiky object and smash it with the flail. Use the control key to swing your weapon and tap the left shift key to jump. A wall jump can also be executed by pressing the same shift key when scaling up walls.

Red switches can be activated either by touch or hitting them with your flail. An extra life is awarded after every boss fight. [zip file of Ikiki's games]

Web site address belongs to the musician.

Name: Tekkyuuman
Developer: Ikiki
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here [zip format]
Video walkthrough: Available (major spoilers!)

MDickie Interview

2007-12-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

EDIT: Exclusive preview image courtesy of MDickie.

MDickie is the author of dozens of unique games, and probably needs no introduction for most of this audience so I'll get right to the interview.

1. One thing that's notable about you is how fast you complete games, often in three months; did you ever have problems with procrastination, or is working so fast natural to you? Do you use any productivity tools such as to-do lists or schedules, or do you just work on things as you feel like it?

MD: Well, let's not fly that flag too hard because time is gushing away from me like water at the moment! I estimated it would only take 3 months to turn Reach into a wrestling game, but the project is heading into its 6th month and I'm still working 12-hour days. Of course, 6 months is still pretty astonishing for a game of that size and sophistication. My closest counterpart, "Pro Wrestling X", has clocked up a good 3 YEARS in production - and that's a team effort! As you say, 3 months is the standard for me now though - so my fans get restless at anything longer. After all these years, I guess I just know what I'm doing. I instinctively know exactly WHAT needs to be done, WHEN it needs to be done, and HOW I might best achieve that. It's a lot like a puzzle - I just know how to put all the pieces together as quickly as possible. One of my best tricks is dividing the day into art work and programming work. I create media in the morning and then bring it to life in the afternoon, so there's a nice flow to what I'm doing. Other than that, it's a race against the clock that makes me work so fast. I don't really have a choice! It may be a cliché, but time is money. The longer I spend making a game, the more money it has to make. For instance, if I had spent all year making World War Alpha I'd be out of business now because it didn't fly. Game over. I'm only here because Hard Time arrived and picked up the slack. My scattergun approach makes me failure-proof. If one concept doesn't work, another one is right around the corner to take the next shot. And on and on it goes, evolving towards perfection. The weak concepts die out and the strong concepts live to fight another day...

Genetos

2007-12-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Genetos is a vertical shooter by Tatsuya Koyama featuring stages with design styles from different eras of arcade gaming classics. Use the cursor keys to move your ship, and tap the Z key to shoot. Press the X key to launch a bomb if available.

Name: Genetos
Developer: Tatsuya Koyama
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Midwinter Rites

2007-12-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

Midwinter Rites is an incomplete interactive fiction adventure made to mimic the look of a Commodore 64 release. There are few commands to use but important objects and characters are always highlighted.

Name: Midwinter Rites
Developer: Mattias Gustavsson
Category: Adventure/IF
Type: Demo
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

RGCD Issue Four

2007-12-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

RGCD is a downloadable CD-ROM based magazine containing retro reviews, features and developer interviews. Each issue of RGCD contains direct links (to files on disc) of each game, emulator or tool reviewed irrespective of platform.

Previews of each issue are available at www.rgcd.co.uk, but in order to actually read the rest of the articles and reviews you'll need to download the .ISO image and either burn it to disc or mount it on a virtual drive. There is also a cut-down 'lite' version (excluding all games and emulators) provided as a downloadable .ZIP archive.

RGCD is 100% spyware free and all files are virus checked before uploading. Magazine contents are posted in the comments section.

Pen Pen Xmas Olympics

2007-12-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

Pen Pen Xmas Olympics is a skiing game with seventeen events consisting of slaloms, downhill races and ski jumps. In the first two categories, players must attempt to reach the end of each track under the qualifying time to progress or lose a credit if they fail.

Use the cursor keys to control the protagonist's speed or direction of travel, and press the space key to jump over obstacles.

Name: Pen Pen Xmas Olympics
Developer: Army of Trolls
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB

Rooms : The Main Building

2007-12-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

HandMade Game announces latest information of the deluxe version of Rooms, the IGF2007 Student Showcase Finalist game.

Rooms is an original puzzle game, based on logical sliding puzzle and platformer. As we’ve gotten hot response to the previously introduced freeware version of Rooms, we’ve been developing the deluxe version, Rooms: the main building.

The deluxe version contains 100% only-mouse interface, new objects & items, more improved graphics, 5 original soundtracks and a Level Editor to create your own puzzles. With all these, 80 new attractive levels are waiting for you to challenge.

For more info, visit HandMadeGame.

Also, HandMade Game is looking for the online distribution partner of Rooms: the main building.

Check out freeware version of Rooms.

Contact us anytime, if you are interested.

Name: Rooms: The Main Building
Developer: HandMade Game
Category: Puzzle-Platformer
Type: Download Commercial
Release: Coming soon…

Frozzd

2007-12-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

In Frozzd, you take the role of an astronaut tasked with the mission of freeing orange-colored creatures named Mubblies from their frozen state. You begin each level with King Mubbly as your companion, who has the ability to unfreeze his subjects or attack the Frozzds with a tap of the space key. Drink coffee to increase your suit's temperature, and use the points you've acquired to unlock new stages.

Each of the twelve levels introduces a different enemy, and points acquired from previous stages can be used to unlock new ones.

Name: Frozzd
Developer: Jesse Venbrux
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Arcanacra Black Label

2007-12-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

Kei Mesuda's Arcanacra Black Label is an update of his earlier browser-based vertical shooter release. Another Mode can now be accessed right from the start, and replays of any level by the top ranked players can be watched even if you have not attempted that particular stage yet. Bomb stock is also increased from three to five.

Click on the screen to add credits. Press the Z key to shoot and hold the shift key to target enemies with your ship's homing lasers. Switch between rapid and spread shot by holding either one or both shoot buttons. The boss of each stage can be beaten easily once your ship has a persistent lock on it, especially when the lock weapon has been upgraded.

Push the right arrow key when the main menu is displayed to view the high score table.

Name: Arcanacra Black Label
Developer: keim
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

Rise of the Video Game

2007-12-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

Rise of the Video Game is a five-part series which examines the evolution of the video game and its cultural impact on the world of entertainment today.

"From the early days of Pong to today's ever-popular Halo 2, and from Atari 2600 to Nintendo to PlayStation, this Discovery Channel special tells the story of the people, the ideologies and the technology behind video games and how they have exploded into a cultural phenomenon."

Level 1: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5

Level 2: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5

Level 3: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5

Level 4: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5

Level 5: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5

Knowing YouTube, the videos are probably in the process of being removed even as you're reading this.

Jon Blow Interview

2007-12-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

I interviewed Jon Blow, creator of upcoming XBLA (and PC eventually!) game Braid, and found him to be an wonderfully nice and insightful fellow.

EB: How do you go about designing a level? In Braid, the levels are sort of no-nonsense. They're very efficient.

The game is about understanding what it means if time behaves in certain ways -- exploring the consequences of these hypothetical laws of spacetime, and the puzzle pieces you collect are concrete tokens representing the understanding you have gained. So, every puzzle in Braid has a very specific point; it is there to tell you one thing.

Because I wanted the game to be focused (and not long and bloated with filler), I decided early on that the levels would only contain the elements necessary to create the puzzles inside them. There aren't lots of random enemies to jump on or big levels to just sort of wander through. Everything is in the game for a specific reason. After being in the game for a while, the player might start to pick up on some of the nuances (why certain puzzles are grouped together, for example).

What I've said here only applies to Braid, though; if designing a different game, I would probably take a different approach.

Eyeball 3: Rorschach Dungeon

2007-12-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

Eyeball 3: Rorschach Dungeon is a short game in which both of the main characters can be controlled with the same mouse. Left click on an area to approach it, and hold the right mouse button to use your eye beam. Right clicking on one of the character's pupil will cause it to generate a shield, protecting it's caster while damaging other enemies on contact as well.

The health indicator at the top of the screen is shared by both eyeballs, and can be increased by colliding with enemies of the same colour.

Name: Eyeball 3: Rorschach Dungeon
Developer: Sergio Cornaga
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

The North, Pohjola

2007-12-22T00:39:00.000-08:00

The North, Pohjola is a strategy game which resembles David Galindo's The Sandbox of God. Players have to help a tribe survive a harsh winter season by making decisions limited to the four cards drawn in each round. The game ends once all thirty cards from the deck have been exhausted, and scores are then calculated for online submission.

Population count is represented by a percentage at the top left of the screen. Temperature can be manipulated by choosing the right cards to maintain a warm surrounding for your tribe. Certain cards award bonus points, and may only affect proceedings when their specific conditions are met.

Name: The North, Pohjola
Developer: Fire Dragon
Category: Strategy
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Download: link 1, link 2

R-Theta 2: Expanded Edition

2007-12-22T00:31:00.000-08:00

R-Theta 2: Expanded Edition is a game based in polar coordinates. Every point in the game is assigned a radius and theta value, denoting the distance of the point from the centre, as well as the angle it makes with the x-axis.

The player is in control of a triangular shooter, built into a constantly rotating radar-scope which must be protected from collision with other enemies. Use the up and down arrow keys to decrease or increase the ship's radius from the centre. Hold the X key for rapid fire, tap the C key to shoot and use the Z key to launch a destructive missile. Keys can be reconfigured by pressing the F2 function key at the title screen.

This updated version includes nine new enemies and an adjustable difficulty setting.

Name: R-Theta 2: Expanded Edition
Developer: Theta Games
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here (Vista version)

Draw Physics

2007-12-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

The evolution of physics games which involves drawing objects using basic lines or circles. (post updated with download link for Chalk Physics)

Chalk by Joakim Sandberg
download, 3.85 MB

Crayon Physics by Petri Purho
download, 5.63 MB

1UP Interviews Derek Yu

2007-12-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

Bonus: Video walkthrough for Aquaria, full version

IGF 2008 Student Showcase Finalists Announced

2007-12-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

The IGF organizers have announced the 12 recipients of the 2008 Independent Games Festival Student Showcase awards from a field of over 125 entries. Each student showcase finalist will receive a $500 travel stipend to help aid their trip to GDC 2008. The $2,500 Best Student Game prize winner will be announced during the same event this coming February.

View the list of twelve entries (after the main competition finalists)

Winter's Heart

2007-12-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Winter's Heart is probably my favorite of the over 100 Game Maker winter contest games I've played so far. It's made by Bit Pimp aka Darthlupi, who is responsible for some of the best classic Game Maker games (such as Mage Craft, Raging Skies, The Cleaner, and Legend of Shadow). It fits in no one genre, it has puzzle and action elements, and RPG-like upgrades.

Use Z to hoist and then strike with your staff, holding it longer produces more forceful blows. This however cannot harm enemies, but it can be used to knock snowballs into them, which can create chain reactions and temporarily stun enemies -- and while they are stunned, use the staff again to banish them. You can also use X to roll up snowballs for this purpose if you run out of a level's starting set, although this drains your freeze meter. Press C to use a spell (which takes away from your score), and press A and S to cycle between your spells (which you can buy and upgrade using your score).

I like that it isn't just a set of levels, but there's a background story, bosses, and really great music. One thing I like about the game is that it's very economical with its elements, you only have two meters. The freeze meter doubles as health (you have to restart the level when it fills) and, because it's constantly moving down, also triples as your time limit. Your score and doubles as your magic points, because you use it up when you cast spells, and it triples as your currency, because you use it to buy new spells and upgrade them.

Name: Winter's Heart
Developer: BitPimp/Darthlupi
Category: Arcade/Action/Puzzle/RPG
Type: Freeware
Size: 3.2 MB
Direct download page: Click here

Same Cube

2007-12-21T04:57:00.000-08:00

Same Cube is an addictive puzzler which involves using the Z and X keys to rotate four tiles clockwise or counterclockwise to make a match of four blocks with the same color. Remove the blocks quickly to increase time, and complete all ten levels to unlock the unlimited mode.

Glass tiles are automatically removed if an entire column or row of these exists when the game is in progress.

Name: Same Cube
Developer: Yamahara
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

Clock Tower's Secret

2007-12-21T04:51:00.000-08:00

Clock Tower's Secret is a platformer in which players have to figure out a way to reach the exit portal by activating the correct switches to rotate the entire world towards the direction shown by the blue arrows.

Hold the Z key to zoom out, and tap the C key to jump. Press the X key when your character is next to a switch to activate it. Developed by ssi for a recent Three Minute Game competition.

Name: Clock Tower's Secret
Developer: SSI
Category: Platform
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Grilled Box

2007-12-21T04:38:00.000-08:00

Grilled Box is an action game which resembles Every Extend, developed by TERU-soach for a recent Three Minute Game competition. Blocks appear from the top of the screen at a steady rate, and players have to destroy as many blocks as they can before they reach the bottom. Left click on a block to start a chain reaction, or right click to use the magnet and bring the blocks closer to each other. Use these two actions sparingly, as clicking rapidly will decrease their charges faster and render them inactive for a short while when completely depleted. A time penalty is incurred for every block that escapes intact.

Name: Grilled Box
Developer: TERU-soach
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

MinishoterRS

2007-12-20T05:39:00.000-08:00

MinishoterRS is a horizontal shooter by Peposoft which features multiple ships to choose from, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses in combat. Hold or tap the Z key rapidly to alternate between your ship's primary and secondary weapons. Use the X key to activate a temporary speed boost, handy for dodging bullets or reaching a certain spot on screen quickly. Press the F2 function key to cancel a selection or exit a game in progress at any time.

This release boasts more than ten stages, with different routes to undertake and end level bosses to defeat. Press the Alt and enter key to switch between full screen and windowed mode, or use the Q, W and E keys for the same effect. Additional omake bonuses are unlocked when you have beaten the game and fulfilled certain conditions.

Name: MinishoterRS
Developer: Peposoft
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

Santa Claus Vs the Ice Demons

2007-12-20T02:25:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus Vs the Ice Demons by Ablach Blackrat is another Game Maker winter's contest entry. This one's a danmaku game. I found it pretty easy until level 7, then increasingly difficult. Use Z to shoot and X to move slowly for more accurate movement. Your belt buckle is your hit-target.

It's not too special compared to the better games in the danmaku genre, and is pretty rough in a lot of places, but it's sometimes fun to have a nice warm cup of danmaku now and then in the cold winter months. I recommend that you turn effects off if you have a slow computer, it really helped the frame rate for me.

Name: Santa Claus Vs the Ice Demons
Developer: Ablach Blackrat
Category: Danmaku/Shmup
Type: Freeware
Size: 6.5 MB
Download Page: Click Here

Chain Reaction

2007-12-20T00:56:00.000-08:00

BenW's Chain Reaction is an arcade game with a simple premise, in which players have to continuously move towards the right of the screen while trying to avoid falling off collapsing tiles or contact with red blocks. Use the cursor keys to move your block around, or press the Alt and F4 function key to quit at any time.

Name: Chain Reaction
Developer: BenW
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

Rakukore

2007-12-20T00:05:00.000-08:00

In Rakukore, the aim of the game is to guide a ball towards it's end level destination while attempting to collect as many black dots as possible. The left and right cursor key can be used to change it's screen position. Tap the left shift key to jump. Press the same button repeatedly to execute a double or triple jump. Use the control key to pause the game or cancel a selected option.

MattC - "There are actually five difficulties with four levels each. Once you beat a set it opens up the next. After all five there is a "high speed" version of each. Once a level is available in campaign mode, they're available in free mode as well. Ctrl is pause/back."

Name: Rakukore
Developer: Cheese
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

The Yore Trailer

2007-12-19T23:54:00.000-08:00

The Yore is an exploration game to be released by Crobasoft in February 2008.

Samurai High Jump

2007-12-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

Samurai High Jump is a new Flash release from GamePure with a passing resemblance to Nanaca Crash, but not quite as addictive. Left click to plant the pole, then repeat the same action to control your ascent. The game doesn't end unless you make three mistakes consecutively, while the height of the bar is incremented progressively for each successful jump.

Name: Samurai High Jump
Developer: GamePure
Category: Action
Type: Browser

Unbound: A Wound Vignette

2007-12-19T22:10:00.000-08:00

Unbound: A Wound Vignette is a sequel to Heartland Deluxe, and the second in a series of three short introductory games based on the backstory of an upcoming full-length game entitled: Wound. This release is shorter than it's predecessor, and will take less than five minutes to complete.

Name: Unbound - A Wound Vignette
Developer: LimpingFish
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB
Direct download link: Click here

GSW's Top 5 Freeware Games of 2007

2007-12-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

Simon had posted a selection of five titles considered the best freeware games released in 2007 at GameSetWatch.

peruse the article here

News

2007-12-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

Dino Run: Pixeljam had posted eight new screenshots from their upcoming browser game.

Army of Trolls: A new game from Army of Trolls will be made available for download this Christmas eve. [previous mention]

Blackwell Convergence: Two new screenshots from Dave Gilbert's upcoming adventure game posted at the Wadjet Eye Games' web site.

Resonance: Another sprite art from Vince Twelve's upcoming adventure game posted.

MarkUp Issue 10: MarkUp issue 10 (the official GM magazine) is now available for download.

War Angels: Apparently Hamish's arena shooter has been picked up by Hail of Bullets Software for a future release on the Xbox Live platform.

Your Electronic Arms: dessgeega has released a new game. [TGQ forum thread posting]

A Diary of a Little Aviator: Orange-Juice has released a demo for their upcoming Comiket 73 release. [direct download link]

Winter's Heart: darthlupi has released his entry for the YoYoGames Winter Competition.

Binary Zoo: As indicated by fog, Binary Zoo's next release after Tension could possibly be a puzzler.

Punishment 3: messhof had posted a teaser image for his upcoming platformer, currently titled Deep Space.

Metanet's N+: The metablog updated with a link to the trailer for their upcoming XBox360 release.

pxTone: Pixel is currently working on an update for his popular music editing software. [pxTone tutorial]

Cactus Software: cactus had uploaded a whole bunch of screenshots from his upcoming projects in a recent forum thread posting.

"You might want to wait with taking a look, since some of them will be finished rather soon, though." - cactus

Motnxoqe

2007-12-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

Motnxoqe is a rather clever strategy game of a variety that I don't recall ever seeing before. You have no direct control over the units in your "army", instead placing and removing road blocks on the map with the left mouse button. Any units that encounter an obstacle, either a wall or a roadblock, will turn 90 degrees clockwise and continue on their way.

You must guide your army (represented by the blue numbers) to the enemy base and destroy all enemy units on the screen to clear each stage. The key to victory is passing your units through the PI symbols located around the map, which will increase the value of your units and allow them to take out multiple enemy units before before being destroyed.

You can shift your view around with the arrow keys or the right mouse button, although I found the mouse technique to be somewhat cumbersome.

Name: Motnxoqe
Developer: N.I.
Category: Game
Type: Freeware
Size: 76KB
Download page: Click here
Direct download link: Click here

sfxr - sound effect generator

2007-12-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Possibly one of the most useful application that a game developer could have. DrPetter has written a program which randomly generates a sound effect based on selected options and slider settings. The results can then be saved as .wav files, ready for use in any projects.

Name: sfxr
Developer: DrPetter
Category: Application
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Gem Tower Defense

2007-12-15T22:26:00.001-08:00

Gem Tower Defense by Peter Holko and Dorian Cox is, yes, another of the hundreds of flash tower defense games. But this one has a few new interesting mechanics: you place down five towers each round, but can only choose to keep one, the rest become rocks. You can also combine two of the five if they are the same level and color to make a stronger one. There are also special towers that you can create using special 'recipes' of other towers (the recipe list is shown under the game window).

I enjoyed it because of that mechanic, and because it also doesn't suffer from a common problem in similarly structured "mazing" tower defense games such as Desktop Tower Defense -- juggling, a cheap technique where you open and close routes to keep creeps wandering perpetually, which assures total victory if you know how to do it. It avoids it by not letting the player build during the battle period.

One big problem with the game is a lack of sound or music of any kind, but I assume the game is still being worked on. Recommended if you like the tower defense genre, ignore it if you don't.

News

2007-12-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

G-Force: Oddbob's Game Maker project updated with new build. Press F10 to toggle text messages on or off. [multiplier instructions, direct download link, right click to save]

Ludum Dare 10: Progress logs for entries in the latest Ludum Dare (48 hour game development) competition can be found on this page.

Robotology: The PC platform release for Robotology confirmed. (comment no. 18)

Armed Seven: DHC has announced their upcoming Comiket 73 commercial release.

Awards

Top Casual PC Games of 2007: Avault had published their annual list of the best casual games released last year. [source: Mathieu Lopez]

GameTunnel's GotY Awards: Russell has begun posting GT's Game of the Year Awards for 2007.

Thule Trail

2007-12-15T04:57:00.000-08:00

Thule Trail is a remake of The Oregon Trail set in the present day, with an automobile replacing the wagon as your main mode of transport. Players must make a number of decisions during the course of the two thousand mile journey from Chicago to Santa Barbara as they attempt to guide a group of road travelers to the Atlantis Music Festival safely.

There are several mini games disguised as competitions in which cash prizes can be won if you happen find yourself a little short on cash for supplies. A good score can be acquired by keeping your passengers happy, though having some spare greens in your pockets would contribute just as much. [source: The Artful Gamer]

Name: Thule Trail
Developer: Thule
Category: Adventure
Type: Browser

Destruere Pizzicato

2007-12-15T01:37:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd mention another old game that probably has escaped the view of people not in the GameMaker community, Destruere Pizzicato (Or how I was a pizza cutter in 2D land).
It's a quirky little platformer where you play a pizza cutter. One could say it captues the spirit of Pizza very well.
Very short, and only 0.7 MB.
If you don't mind something lacking a bit of spit and polish it's worth a download.

Download

Bernard the Bard

2007-12-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

Bernard the Bard is what some consider to be the greatest game made in the MZX game creation system.

It's got a very home cooked flavour to it. It's like it's wearing this outfit with all these clashing colours and designs, but somehow it works. It's an adventure game of sorts, and was made by a fellow named Jeremy LaMar.

Download it here: http://www.digitalmzx.net/games/btb.zip

You'll need MZX to play it, downloadable here.

Clysm Interview

2007-12-14T17:15:00.001-08:00

This is an interview of Clysm (author of Seiklus), conducted by Eden B for this blog. All three of us are members of Eo. I edited it and am posting it for her.

EB: what's some games that you've been playing lately (if any)?

Clysm: I played Portal and Half-Life 2 a couple weeks ago. It's pretty unusual for me to play FPS games, though. Other than Metroid Prime, I haven't played any since Doom many years ago. I've also been playing the Aquaria demo.

EB: What do you think of the storytelling in HL2?

Clysm: I thought it was very effective the way the narrative was generally a seamless part of the game.

EB: Although, Valve's sort of dug themselves into a hole, producing only FPSes.

Clysm: I would like to see games of other types with the quality of HL2. Maybe they'll try something different eventually.

EB: I don't play FPSes, they make me feel sick. How was Portal?

Clysm: It was very clever, both the design and the writing. They made it fun just to walk around and play with things, which is a good quality in a video game.

EB: For surely. The concept of "play" seems to be lacking in most games. Although, in Aquaria it's quite fun to just swim around.

Clysm: Yes, I haven't played a lot of that game, but it seems as if it has that, too.

EB: Is there a story to your new game? You've said it's a "rescue game", but is it as minimalist as Seiklus?

Clysm: Yes, it will have quite a bit more story than Seiklus. I haven't decided exactly how much yet, and I still have to make a few final decisions about which way I will take the story.

EB: How're you planning to communicate that? The story, that is.

Clysm: There will be actual text. Probably in the form of journal entries. But it will not be necessary to read any of it to play the game.

EB: Uh oh, text. are you sure gamers are going to be able to handle this "text" business?

Clysm: Well, there are a lot of things about this game that may or may not be well-received by those who happen to try it out. I'm really not sure how it will turn out, overall. It might turn out to be one of those games that's more fun to work on than to play, such as the little life simulators I made.

EB: What sort of features are you talking about there?

Clysm: Well, most of the things I'm talking about are kind of secret. :) I mean, I want the game to have the quality I mentioned, that you don't really know what to expect.

EB: "What is a video game? A miserable little pile of secrets!"

Clysm: But I realize that in saying that I'm probably making it sound like something more interesting than it really is.

EB: Heh. In screenshots that you posted on your rarely updated Eo blog, the graphical style had an odd 3D-ish look to it in parts.

Clysm: Well, the look wasn't really finalized, and it will probably change unless I get too lazy.

EB: Haha. What'd you think of Knytt, a game that was partially inspired by Seiklus?

Clysm: I liked Knytt, but never finished the game. I was pretty impressed with Knytt Stories, however, and I played through all of Nifflas's levels and several by other people.

EB: What was better about Knytt Stories?

Clysm: Maybe I just have a short attention span. I guess I found the atmosphere more varied, and I liked the music.

EB: What music are you listening to these days anyway?

Clysm: A lot of darkwave and chiptunes, mostly.

EB: Darkwave?

Clysm: That's a term I learned a few years ago that seems to include a lot of what I like. Some of my favorite music groups include Deine Lakaien, VNV Nation, and others that are sort of in the same general category as Depeche Mode. It's a pretty big category, though.

EB: Ahh, that sort of thing. Do you support Ron Paul :p?

Clysm: I don't know enough about him to answer that, really. I haven't started deciding who I might vote for, other than things I happen to read.

EB: Well, I know Rinku likes him (which is why I put that question there).

Clysm: I'm not registered as a member of any political party, or even as an independent. I do vote, though.

EB: have you had a chance to look at this years IGF finalists?

Clysm: I tried The Zoo Race and Aquaria, and there are others that interest me. Oh, you said finalists. Yes, I looked over the list.

EB: Zoo Race should've won everything!

Clysm: I would have given it some sort of special award.

EB: It's nice to see more arty games like The Path getting in as well.

Clysm: That's one I haven't looked at.

EB: It certainly looks interesting. Why do you like Mr. Kubus' games? (Note to readers: Mr. Kubus is the somewhat infamous creator of the Johnny games.)

Clysm: I guess because they are different from everyone else's games. I don't really know. I guess he's someone who realizes that you can do whatever you want when you create independent games. They don't have to look or play like any other games, and it doesn't even matter whether anyone likes them.

Experimental Gameplay 2008

2007-12-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Jonathan Blow (Braid) is seeking participants for the Experimental Gameplay Sessions 2008, an event held during the GDC in which attendees are encouraged to showcase their games, prototypes and ideas to an audience with a keen interest in innovation. Submissions should be sent to workshop2008 [a] number-none.com, before January 15th 2008 for consideration.

- The Experimental Gameplay web site

Arthur Lee Interview

2007-12-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

An interview with Arthur 'Mr. Podunkian' Lee, developer of The Underside.

Hi Arthur, let's begin with an introduction of yourself.

Okay, I'm a college student. I use pretty much entirely Multimedia Fusion and GraphicsGale for most my games, but recently I've gotten into some sound design with old toys and homemade electronics. And I made Punishment 1, 2, and Flywrench. But before that I made Wally, Bool, and Booloid.

I'm just kidding, let me get serious here.

Hi, I'm Arthur "Mr. Podunkian" Lee, I'm a college student and I guess I've been making video games for 13 years now, and that's more than half of my entire life, which makes me either an expert in making video games or a big fat nerd.

Are you trying to interview me so you can ask me to show you a picture of a project I'm working on because if you are lemme tell you, you're going to find yourself in a world of disappointment!

You caught me red-handed. Actually, I'm just trying to make sure that The Underside isn't abandoned.

What games have you made so far? I mean, just name the games that you want people to Google for. I know about your past projects, but unfortunately some people think you've only done The Underside. Oh wait, can I use the words 'Cave Story rip-off' excessively in this interview? Or just sparingly?

Yes, preface every question with it!

Haha... can I end each question with the same words as well?

I'm trying to think of what I've made that's still online, but there's really nothing that I've done that's still online.

Metal Gear Santa, The Serious Sam spoof...

Well, I think my first big project was a game called Super Fun Dungeon Run, which featured a little fellow running through and an endless dungeon full of traps. Since then I've made Operation: Human Shield 2 (and I guess by extension, Operation: Sitting Duck 1), Circy 1-3, Novabrain's Grand Adventure, Merry Gear Solid, Serious-Sam-I-Am, and I guess this little game called The Underside.

In which year do you think you will finish development on The Underside? Will there be another demo before that?

See, I used to tell people that The Underside would be finished sometime between Team Fortress 2 and Duke Nukem: Forever, and now that Team Fortress 2 has been released I'm basically in deep trouble. I really have no idea when it'll be done, there's still a whole lot of the game I've gotta do. As for another demo, I've been thinking about it, but I'm sort of against putting out too much media, because it's kind of like vanilla ice cream. If you have vanilla ice cream every once in awhile, it's basically a no-pants party in your mouth. But if you have vanilla ice cream too often, you're going to get sick of it. The same thing applies to other flavors of ice cream too. My game is ice cream.

Okay, how much of it is done?

I just finished the second "boss", but I use the term really loosely, because he doesn't really fight back at all. It's kind of hard to explain, but he's actually an inside-joke/cameo sort of a thing.

What do you think of Pixel's comment about The Underside?

I was really surprised and flattered -- I had no idea he'd played, much less heard about my game. Though I'm worried a bit that he had to give up in the beginning because the game was too hard. And this is the fellow who made the 'Hell' level. I've created a monster.

Is Derek Yu still one of your favorite indie game developers after the recent debacle? Since you've mentioned his name in a list somewhere...

I'll answer your question with a question of my own: Remember that one time. That one time you put a link to my forums on that one post with a picture of Buddy murdering some puppies. Remember how you removed that link? Remember how you thought no one noticed? Well guess what, buddy. Someone did.

That's not really a question though.

But yeah, Derek Yu is still one of my favorite indie developers. I felt that the post I made was long overdue, but he apologized, and I still think his artwork is amazing, so it doesn't really affect my opinion of him.

Have you tried out the Aquaria demo yet?

I bought it the HOUR it came out. I threw money in his general direction. Thirty digital cyberbucks.

Your opinions about Aquaria then. Or what you've played of it so far.

I figured it would be my way of burying the hatchet. To pay him. I paid him as a way of saying "sorry." It's the best, most sincere sort of a "sorry."

Well, if you want me to be COMPLETELY HONEST,...

Yes, complete honesty please. I mean, he has your money anyway. He probably could care less about what you say.

Hrrmmmm, I was a little bit underwhelmed. You have to realize I grew up basically idolizing Derek Yu's pixel art style, starting with the original Trigger Happy, which I found on some AOL boards (heh, heh, AOL) a long long time ago, and I can't help but feel that the skeletal animation system they've got in the game makes the game look a little stiff and lifeless compared to his other stuff.

And the whole "gesture-based-everything-can-be-controlled-with-a-mouse" seems more like an unnecessary gimmick than anything that really contributes to the overall experience. But besides that I'm enjoying the atmosphere and story.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a long interview.

END TRANSMISSION. Haha, dats all i gosta say.

Really... I was hoping for more.

Hahaha. Basically those are my only gripes. The skeletal animation system is really really underwhelming. And the controls are affffffffffff

I think I should leave it at that, I don't want people thinking I'm an asshole.

Haha, okay. Well I'm sure you can't change the minds of those who already think you are.

I've played just past the first boss, so my opinion on the game might be a little biased.

Do you plan on joining IGF with The Underside anytime in the near future? Derek Yu and Joakim Sandberg (who is also in your list of favorite indie developers) have already gone down that route... and did you ever consider joining this year?

It's something I want to do in the future, but probably not with The Underside. The IGF is always full of really unique and interesting games, and well, let's just say I don't think it's the right place for a game as traditional as The Underside.

What do you think of Noitu Love 2? It's basically a 2D platformer, and since it made it into the IGF finals, I'm confident that The Underside has a good chance of doing the same.

I think Noitu Love has a unique control scheme, and an interesting art style, which sort of puts it past "just another 2D platformer." The Underside is not so much a reinvention of anything as it is just the synthesis of a lot of good ideas. It's like a casserole of video games. It's also ice cream. I've got food on my mind.

How much did you receive in donations so far? Messhof only got $25...

Only $25? Son, you could practically buy a copy of Aquaria with that kind of money.

Well, Messhof's mom only gave him $20 to buy Aquaria, but Derek increased the price to $30. BUMMER.

Actually, I think I've gotten $25 in donations too. Maybe $25 is some sort of a lucky number.

Who donated, by the way? you should ask them for more money...

Give me more money.

...since you have their email address and stuff. Are you going to make a small game this Christmas?

I was planning on it but then I realized I have too many unfinished projects going on.

Such as? surely you mean, 'the project'...

This one's never going to be finished. I'm also working on a fake Spectrum game called "Let's Get Willy" with a good fellow named Duncan 'LikeRock' Roberts and a game involving a clock. A time travelling clock. It travels through time. I can't tell you what the clock is called but I can tell you that it starts with a Z and it rhymes with Zybourne, and that the clock is called the Zybourne clock.

Any hints?

Yeah, it's called 'the Zybourne Clock'.

Tease...

What I was gonna say about The Underside was that it's been tough working on it because my musician hasn't been doing any work for me lately, so I've been having to write my own music which as you're well aware by now can be kind of disasterous (route 66, the cacophony that is the main theme, etc.). It's because I just punch my keyboard and hope that pleasant sounds come out.

Worked for Messhof.

I think the hardest part about writing The Underside is that I'm really trying to go for a kid-friendly, RATED E FOR EVERYONE script, which means I can't be too dirty with it. But at the same time it really helps the script as a whole because it lets me tackle sort of awful subject matter with a happy, ironic tone. Like a man who's face is too wide and has been stuck in his house for years.

Okay we all know your favorite indie games of all time (Cave Story is definitely not in that list), but have you played anything recently that you felt was spectacular?

Flywrench probably. It's really simple, short, but not too short, and really funny in a dry sort of a way too. There's this other game called 'Pasi the Pumpkin Worm', but I don't think anyone has the depth of mind required to fully appreciate it.

Is there anything you want to say or repeat to the people who said The Underside is a Cave Story rip-off?

Basically that I love them, that I care for them. That I hope they never change. I wish for their very best, and that they succeed in every aspect of their lives.

No, I mean, really....

fffffffff

The Winter Solstice

2007-12-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Winter Solstice is an arena shooter by Mr. Chubigans, developer of The Sandbox of God and Acidbomb series. The game features six playable levels plus several unlockable modes which can only be acquired by collecting medals through achievements. Use the W, A, S and D keys to move your lantern around, and hold the left mouse button to shoot.

Name: The Winter Solstice
Developer: Mr. Chubigans
Category: Action, Arcade
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

Nanosmiles

2007-12-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

Nanosmiles is a new arena shooter from Yaruhara, in which players have to collect inactive options scattered around each area and use them to inflict damage on the enemies. Hold the Z key to activate your targetting system. Your weapons will automatically fire at targeted enemies if the same button is held down. Use the X key to make your ship travel quicker.

This trial version for the upcoming Comiket 73 release has only four playable levels.

Name: Nanosmiles
Developer: Yaruhara
Category: Shooter
Type: Demo
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Dave Gilbert Interview

2007-12-09T01:44:00.000-08:00

An interview with Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye Games, creator of the Blackwell series and The Shivah.

Hi Dave, let's begin with an introduction of yourself, and what you do.

Sure thing. My name is Dave, and I'm an indie game developer from New York City. I started writing freeware games back in 2001 and in June of 2006 I decided to give the commercial thing a whirl. A year and a half later, I'm still making them.

What are you currently working on at the moment?

At the moment I'm working on the 3rd game in the Blackwell series, entitled "The Blackwell Convergence". It's a return to the present day, meaning you'll see Rosangela again instead of Lauren.

Any side projects? Or are you currently fully committed on Convergence until it's completed? Is there a rough release date already for the third chapter in the Blackwell series?

There are a few other things I am working on, although they are more "cool ideas in the back of my head" than anything else. I am aiming for around February of next year for Convergence, although it's a verrry rough estimate. The game was already designed and plotted out when Unbound was done, so there will be a significantly smaller wait this time around.

February does sound optimistic, knowing your attention to detail...

The majority of the work always happens in the last month. It is a bit optimistic, but the deadline gives us something to shoot for. We might be late, but without some kind of guideline it would never get done.

Although I did say February was "rough". I haven't actually announced a deadline yet! That was the first lesson I learned from Legacy, heh.

You had mentioned that there would be five games in the Blackwell series. Is that still true? Do you have an ending written for it already, as a closure? And will there be another game featuring Lauren as the main playable character? If not, is she going to make an appearance in any of the upcoming chapters?

The "five games" thing is a bit of a guideline for myself. There are five main backstory/plotpoints that I want to hit, and so I've wrapped each one in its own game to make them all digestable. Sometimes we might take sidetrips, like we did with Unbound (which was originally supposed to be part of Convergence and doesn't count as part of the "main five"), so in the end there might be more than five.

I do have an ending in mind, yes, and I know what will happen along the way. There might be sidetrips if I get a neat idea or somesuch, but for the most part I'll be sticking to the path I've laid out.

As for Lauren, she'll always be an ever-present figure, whether she's the main character of the game or not. She was a major part of both Joey and Rosa's lives (or death, in the case of Joey) and continues to effect them. She might return in a game, or in some other fashion, but she might not.

And yes, I'm being vague on purpose.

Since Blackwell Legacy is selling well on several casual game portals, can we expect to see Unbound taking the same distribution path?

Haha. Legacy is only on two portals for now (and about to go on a third), and the game has done very well. So well, that they are willing to take Unbound as well. You'll see it on iWin and Playfirst. No deal has been signed with Big Fish yet. Playfirst even wanted to try selling Shivah, which came as a pleasant surprise!

You price your games according to content, which is understandable. What we'd like to know is, how much should we expect to pay for Convergence? Or is this undecided yet?

As of right now, I'm pricing it at the same level as Legacy. I.e. $14.99. Things might change by the time it comes out, but that's what I'm aiming for.

Are you going to make a game in a different genre during the production of the entire Blackwell series? Or perhaps I should just ask... when is Shivah 2 coming out?

More than likely! I get the feeling that I'll get a bit burnt out on Blackwell eventually, and I'll need to take a break and do something else just to refresh. I know that if I ever do that, I'll always return to Blackwell eventually. I've been plotting this story out for four years and don't plan on giving it up.

As for Rabbi Stone, I want to bring him back, definitely. I spoke last year about doing a sequel before doing the second Blackwell game, and I never ended up doing it. To be honest, I was only going to do it because of the public demand for it and not because I had anything really stellar in mind. So, I'm glad I never made it.

Over the last year I've been thinking about Rabbi Stone in the back of my head, and I've come up with a very nice story arc that I think people will like. But I know that if I DO bring him back, I'll want to do it right. So for the last several months I've been talking to venture capitalists and investors and People With Money to see if anyone wants to give me a few dozen grand for the cause.

The original Shivah really springboarded this whole Wadjet Eye thing, so I figure if there's any IP that can attract potential investors, it would be Rabbi Stone. Of course if that never pans out I'll probably bring him back anyway.

Will you be retaining the same development team from Legacy and Convergence for the fourth and fifth game? Since your plan includes five games in the Blackwell universe.

The dev team changes, depending on the team members. Ian Schaephler did both the sprites and portraits for Legacy, but he's got a very busy fulltime job now and doesn't have the time. So he's just doing the portraits this time. I've got another sprite artist to mimic his sprite style and we go on from there. So the team might change.

Tell us a little about your experience working with Erin. Will you be working with her again on another Blackwell game? And how has the response been for Unbound?

Working with Erin was awesome. She was enthusiastic from the beginning, and didn't mind that I made the game a bit longer than originally planned. We'd both be in coffee shops on wifi connections, chatting over MSN like we were in the same office. It was a great way to work.

She was ideal for Unbound because the budget was very small and she was willing to work within that micro budget. She's got that "busy college kid" thing to deal with these days, so I don't think we'll be collaborating anytime soon. Although I'd love to, since she was a lot of fun to work with.

The reaction to Unbound has been really positive! I was worried how people would react to the change in visual style, as well as a total change of player character. Would they be upset that it was Lauren and not Rosa? Or worse, what if they played Unbound and decided they liked Lauren better! Turns out my fears were unjustified since people generally like both characters.

Nobody minded the simpler graphics, although people did miss the character portraits, which won't disappear again.

I didn't mind the character portraits not being there.

That was the only major complaint about the game, it seemed.

Doesn't seem to be much difference, to be honest..

I thought so too! I do think, despite the simpler graphics, that Unbound is one of the best titles - gameplay wise - that I've ever made. Legacy was too bogged down by narrative and didn't have much gameplay. I learned so much from that game, and Unbound became MUCH more balanced as a result.

Will Convergence improve upon Legacy and Unbound in any way?

I learn lessons from each game, and I try to incorporate them into the next one. The "switching characters" thing will definitely remain, and the dialogs will be quite a bit shorter (although there will be more of them).

Also, the one thing I learned from Legacy is Rosa herself. I wanted to establish Rosa as being kind of a social misfit, and I succeeded but you didn't really learn anything about her aside from "I am scared and nervous." Rosa's a very intellectual and analytical person, and I'm going to focus more on those qualities in the next installment.

She'll still be a social misfit, but the focus won't be on that so much.

Who do you like better? Rosa or Lauren? Who do your fans liked better? And did you base these two characters on actual people?

That's a tough question. Some people say that Rosa feels more real and that Lauren feels more like a stereotype, and some say the exact opposite! Personally, I found Lauren more fun to write since her and Joey have a pre-established relationship and I could just launch right into their banter. The Rosa/Joey relationship is more complicated, since they are in the process of getting to know each other.

But to be honest, I like them both for different reasons! They aren't based on anyone specific, although they are both very "New York" types of characters.

How much of Convergence is already done? Which year do you think the last game will be out, or are you planning to milk it till it's dry?

I'd say about 40% of the coding is programmed, and almost every character is designed (albeit not animated) and almost every background is outlined. (albeit not colored in!)

I can't really answer the second part of the question. I'm guessing we'll be following Rosa and Joey around for a few more years at least.

Where do you see yourself in five or ten years' time? Still working on 2D adventure games? Or trying to finish the Blackwell series?

A very good question! I do want to try out other genres eventually. I love RPG games, and even plotted one out a few years ago. If I ever get the budget, time, and (heaven forbid) the staff to make it, rest assured I'll try!

The fact that people really like my work - and enable me to pay my mortgage every month - makes me feel very happy. It's a weird life sometimes, but I feel very lucky that I am able to do this.

It could be a long ride for some of your fans. Are you really going to finish the Blackwell series, even when you're rich and retired? Or are you secretly working on the final game, so that when you finally call it quits, you can just release it?

It won't take that long to finish. Right now, things are slow because I am spending a LOT of time doing the business development and such.

And doing interviews...

haha. yes! It's your fault!

Eventually, I hope to be able to afford hiring people to do that stuff for me, so I can create these games a bit faster. Although, from what I understand, one game a year isn't a bad turnover rate.

Alright, last question. Can you leak something from Convergence?

Yes. Here is Rosa's new look. (pictured right)

News

2007-12-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

Passage: Jason Rohrer explains his latest creation in detail. [download Passage]

DHC: DHC is working on a new horizontal shooter.

Competitions

2007 HSP Contest: Results for the 2007 HSP (Hot Soup Processor) Contest are out, with Another Bound bagging first place. [descriptions and screenshots for all entries]

Ludum Dare: Ludum Dare 10 (48 hour game competition) will begin this 14th of December.

Adventure, Roguelikes

Dwarf Fortress: Dwarf Fortress updated. [change list]

Incursion: A Mac port for the freeware roguelike game Incursion is now available.

Heartland series: Unbound - A Wound Vignette will be released next week. [Heartland Deluxe]

ScummVM: ScummVM updated with support for AGOS games.

Remakes, Ports

Wizball: Wizball now available for the Mac.

Army of Trolls: Tomaz Kac (Push Push Penguin, Head Over Heels) will release a new game soon.

Game Maker

The Windy Witch: Pug Fugly (Return to Sector 9) is currently working on four different projects, with one of them being an entry for the YoYo Games Winter competition.

RPGCreations: Orchard-L might develop a new horror game after Fedora Spade 4 is released.

Miscellaneous

Braid: In a rare forum posting over at TGC, Jonathan Blow had mentioned that he has every intention on working on a new game after Braid. Both PS3 and PC versions were not ruled out.

Audiosurf: IGF finalist Audiosurf will be released in February 2008.

Space Dynagon: A trial version for Murasame's new game, Space Dynagon is now available. [mirror]

Messhof Interview

2007-12-08T11:42:00.001-08:00

An interview with Messhof (Mark Essen), creator of the Punishment series and Flywrench.

Hi Messhof. Let's begin with an introduction of yourself, your tools of trade, and the creations you've released unto an unsuspecting world..

Alright. I'm a college student. I use pretty much entirely Game Maker and MSPaint for most of my games, but recently I've gotten into some sound design with old toys and homemade electronics. And I made Punishment 1, 2, and Flywrench. But before that I made Wally, Bool, and Booloid.

Old toys?

Like old toy guitars from goodwill. I just rewire them so they output to quarter inch cables then run them through pedals or software filters I design. You can get some pretty crazy stuff just by running through their demo songs in different ways. This is something I've been doing with friends though, I don't want to take all the credit for that.

Okay, I've got to ask. How did you get the idea to make games as sadistic as the Punishment series?

Well with Punishment 1 it actually started as a classroom assignment with this experimental class. I'd taken a few classes with the professor, and then he came up with this 300 level weird game design class. So me and some friends jumped at it. There were some other good projects that came out of other groups.

Everyone is talking about Flywrench at the moment, especially about the credits. Was it an original idea to implement it that way? And what's the backstory behind the, er... story?

I guess I've just been watching too much science fiction. I project for this science fiction class every week, so I'm just sitting up in that booth for three hours with my computer usually, and it just seeps in. They always have pretty funny credits. Maybe that's where I got that.

Flywrench was a love it or hate it experience for most. Were you actually expecting this sort of reaction? And were you pleased with the overall response?

I was definitely expecting that with the music, and overall yeah, that's been the case with all of my games. And I am pleased!

What can we expect from you next? What's coming up?

Next you'll probably see Flywrench 2.0 actually. I've been working on that pretty hard.. for three days or whatever.

How is that different from it's prequel? Any major changes? Storyline? Do you have a rough release date for it?

I don't want to promise too much, but I think multiplayer will be a big part. There's also a cool gravity system I'm working with where you orbit planets as you go through obstacles. There's a lot more obstacles, but the game will still move fast. Faster, hopefully. I'd say it will be done around Christmas, maybe a week or two after. And the story will expand on the first.

Tell us a bit about the multiplayer feature. Actually, why not just explain it in detail.

Well I don't know if you know about this Game Maker project Reflect Games...

Yes, I do.

Well I'd like to get in on that.

I'm not too fond of online gaming, so hopefully you would work extensively on the single player campaign as well.

I plan on doing that. Multiplayer will be mostly a test of skills, but I can see a community coming out of it. Another big feature is the level editor, which is a big part of the online aspect too.

How much have you received from donations? Why do you think most people who play freeware games never donate?

I've made $25 off donations, 20 of which was from my mom. I don't think they work really, but it's not really obtrusive to ask, so why not.

You make weird games, and cactus is a big fan of your stuff. So who's better, you or cactus?

Haha... I'm a pretty big fan of cactus. It would be cool to work together sometime. But yeah, for the most part we don't really make the same kind of games.

Name some of your favorite games from cactus.

I know nothing about shmups. Well I do appreciate Clean Asia and his new lo res one that's hard to spell. But I'm terrible at Clean Asia, and I haven't played the other one yet. But I played Arms today, and that was awesome. Brave Karma Warriors also looked interesting.

Will you be changing development tools anytime in the near future?

If they port GM to C++ next year like they say they will, I can see myself sticking with it. Even if I switch to something else, I'd probably at least prototype in GM. But I don't know any other languages.

How long have you been using GM?

Probably 6 years or so.

How many games have you released in that period? Are you planning to make a career out of developing games? (freeware or otherwise)

I think I'll keep making them. If it turns out to be a career, then I'll just go with it I think. Uh... I've released a bunch of games. I used to have them on my website, but I've since taken a lot down that embarrass me.

Which of your released games do you consider your best work so far?

Well the ones on messhof.com, so Wally, Bool, Booloid, Punishment 1, 2, Flywrench.

Favorite son? You have to throw the rest into the river for the crocs to feed.

I guess Flywrench then, he's so young and cute.

He is noisy though. (apparently)

meh. I'm suprised people don't complain more about the Punishment 2 soundtrack.

How long did you take to develop Flywrench? And how did the idea for the game came about?

Had the initial concept back in high school, in GM 5.3. But then I recoded and redrew everything in the past two or three weeks.

Do you think you can still improve after releasing something like Flywrench? Besides a sequel, of course.

Haha, yeah I hope so. I definitely have other ideas, like this plane game.

When will that be released?

That one has been in production for almost as long as Flywrench. After Flywrench 2.0. It might be a little while after that actually. I have a remake of Crystal Quest I have nearly done, so that will probably come between them.

No kidding...

Yeah it's pretty much exactly the same game, painstakingly recalled from memory. And an emulator my brother had for a while. I feel like I should contact the guys that made it first though. I don't think they ever really made much off it.

What are your thoughts about this heated discussion?

Haha yeah I had a fun time reading that. But I don't know why a lot of those guys play indie games.

They're saying you had ripped a game called Dotstream.

Haven't played it. What is similar?

Just the style really. Try watching the YouTube gameplay videos of Dotstream.

Ok. Well they are colored lines. It's not an original concept. I'm watching the video now, but I don't see a color aspect.

No one called Flywrench a Cave Story rip-off yet, so you're safe.

Haha, yeah. Man, Dotstream looks like the dullest game ever conceived.

Independent Games Summit Talk

2007-12-07T20:42:00.001-08:00

A one hour video of the IGS panel has been posted at GameSetWatch. Participants include Derek Yu (Aquaria/Bit-Blot/TIGSource), Greg Costikyan (Manifesto Games), Mark Morris (Introversion), and Eric Zimmerman (Gamelab). I found the conversation pretty interesting, especially the analogy at the beginning that Greg started and Derek moved into hilarity.

Aquaria

2007-12-07T18:28:00.000-08:00

Aquaria has been released.

The game plays a lot like Super Metroid or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, except underwater. The structure of the game is mainly non-linear, which I enjoyed. The game took me about 22 hours to complete, and I didn't find everything in it.

It has extremely high production values for an independent game. The demo is a bit slow and linear, but in the full game it really opens up and becomes more exciting, with a lot more dexterous shooting and avoiding required. The story is competent, but sparse, and has a few clichés. Overall it's not for everyone (in particular it doesn't hold your hand and guide you through everything the way modern games do), but I'd really recommend it to fans of Super Metroid and similar titles.

Name: Aquaria
Developer: Bit Blot
Category: Underwater Metroidvania?
Type: Shareware
Size: 63 MB demo, 203 MB full version
Direct download page: Click Here
Direct download link: Mirror 1, Mirror 2
Buy the game: Click here

Lux

2007-12-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Lux is a chain reaction game. When you click on a pattern of light, it expands, and any other pattern of light in that range also expands, continuing in a chain reaction. You receive more points for longer chains. There are also lights which expand on their own and give you negative points unless you click them quickly, and there are special lights which give you extra points. There's also an online high score table. The game doesn't have very much depth, but it's pretty relaxing.

Name: Lux
Developer: ryguydavis / Creative Ink
Category: Chain Reaction Game
Type: Freeware
Size: 4.3 MB
Direct download page: Click Here

Aveyond 2

2007-12-07T14:07:00.001-08:00

Aveyond 2 has been released. Because it's an RPG I didn't have time to complete the whole thing before posting this, but I enjoyed the first one and its freeware prequel and from what I've played so far it seems solid, so if you like this genre of game it's probably worth trying out.

One thing I do think has improved over the earlier games by the same author is mouse control, you can now move around and talk to people using either the mouse or the keyboard.

This seems to be a big week for shareware indie game releases -- Democracy 2, Aveyond 2, and Aquaria.

Name: Aveyond 2
Developer: Amanda Fitch / Amaranth Games
Category: Japanese-style RPG
Type: Shareware
Size: 35 MB
Direct download: Click Here

Democracy 2

2007-12-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

Democracy 2 has been released. It's really only recommended to people interested in politics (like me), but for those who are it's pretty fun seeing how the author of the game arranged politics into this neural net of interacting cells each feeding into other cells. It's a very deep game.

The author of the game is from the UK so some of the terms might not be familiar to people in the US (for instance, Pensions instead of Social Security). As in most of the author's other games I tend to think a few of the ways the system interacted is a bit unrealistic -- for instance, in this game, having no tax on cars almost always leads to an asthma epidemic, which makes all parents vote for someone else. But those don't detract too much from the play experience.

One feature which I would have preferred the game have (and which was in similar games such as Balance of the Planet by Chris Crawford) would be a worldview editor -- where the assumptions of the strengths and directions between each of the nodes in the network would be made adjustable, so that the player could build in his own assumptions into the game (for instance, anarcho-capitalists have different assumptions about how the different political issues relate to each other than socialists or environmentalists and so on).

Name: Democracy 2
Developer: Cliffski / Positech Games
Category: Political Strategy
Type: Shareware
Size: 30.5 MB
Direct download: Click Here

FLYWRENCH

2007-12-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

FLYWRENCH has been released. It is this game, for those who remember the video but not the name.

The arrows are the only controls, and depending on which you press, your color changes: up flaps you up and turns you red, left and right move left and right and turn you white, and down rolls (protecting you from the walls) and turns you green.

The main goal is to get between two points in a series of stages, with increasingly complex obstacles in your way: the trick is that you can move through an obstacle if you are the same color as it. The level design is probably the best part of the game, I had a lot of fun with it. I also liked the movement system, where you have to flap to keep you aloft; it's a rare movement system that I can only remember being used previously in the Atari 2600 game Fathom.

Name: FLYWRENCH
Developer: Messhof
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 12MB
Direct download: Click Here
Mirror download: Click Here

Three days until Aquaria release

2007-12-04T15:55:00.001-08:00

Derek has written an interesting post over at the Bit-Blot blog, talking about Aquaria's evolution as a game and some of the design decisions that drove its direction. It's part four of a seven day ramp up to the game's release on Friday.

Parts one, two, and three have been great, well worth checking out if you haven't already seen them: Part one featured some of Derek's concept art (shown above), part two featured an excellent arrangement of some of the game's music by Alec, and part three featured a lengthy and entertaining interview with Jenna Sharpe, the voice actress for Naija.

Aquaria is due to be released in three days time.

Monty's Christmas Special

2007-12-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Tim mentioned this in his last news update, but I thought it was cool enough to warrant a highlight. Monty's Christmas Special is a new game by Trevor “Smila” Story and Scottige created in collaboration with UK magazine Retro Gamer. Basically it's Monty on the Run, only twice as fast and set in the Retro Gamer offices.

Since I'm on a bit of a game video bender at the moment, I recorded a bit of a demonstration of the game to show off what it's like (above). Unfortunately that caused it to run a wee bit slower than it should have. Still, hopefully it'll give you some idea of what you're in for - a nifty retro game that's extremely well put together and lots of fun! Heartily recommended!

Name: Monty's Christmas Special
Developer: Auld Games (Smila and Scottige)
Category: Retro Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB or so honestly who could be bothered with the exact kilobyte figure
Download Page: Click Here

New N+ Screenshots

2007-12-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

New screenshots from Metanet Software's upcoming XBLA release N+ are up on IGN.

- screenshots from N+
- visit the metablog

Boxhead: The Zombie Wars Preview

2007-12-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

Sean Cooper's upcoming Boxhead sequel, Boxhead: The Zombie Wars. Made using the same engine, but features tile graphics by Daniel Cook.

The game will be released sometime around Christmas 2007.

- Play Boxhead
- Sean Cooper's site

Better Games = Better World Contest

2007-12-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

A new contest has been announced, sponsored by Values at Play. The deadline is the first of next year; for details check the link. First prize is apparently up to eight iPhones -- one per member of your team.

Apparently you don't have to create a game especially for the contest, because there are a few games I recognize that are entrants, but your game does have to be about building a better world. (Thanks to Patrick Dugan for the news tip).

IGF 2008 Finalists

2007-12-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

The finalists for the 2008 IGF competition have been announced.

Seumas McNally Grand Prize:
* Audiosurf
* Crayon Physics Deluxe
* Hammerfall
* Noitu Love 2: Devolution
* World of Goo

Best Web Browser Game:
* Globulos.com
* Iron Dukes
* Tri-Achnid

Design Innovation Award:
* Battleships Forever
* Fez
* Fret Nice
* Snapshot Adventures: Secret Of Bird Island
* World Of Goo

Excellence in Visual Art:
* Clean Asia!
* Fez
* Hammerfall
* Synaesthete
* The Path

Excellence in Audio:
* Cinnamon Beats
* Fret Nice
* Audiosurf
* Clean Asia!
* OokiBloks

Technical Excellence:
* World of Goo
* Goo!
* Audiosurf
* Axiom: Overdrive
* Gumboy Tournament

Visit the IGF site for a complete list with screenshots and descriptions.

Garden Gnome Carnage

2007-12-03T06:06:00.001-08:00

Garden Gnome Carnage is one of the better games created for the Game Maker winter contest so far. It's a pretty unique arcade game where you move a building left and right to swing a gnome who is attached to the top of it around in order to protect that building from invading elves. The gnome can also pick up bricks from the building and throw them at the invaders.

Mastering the movement takes a little getting used to because you can only pull the string he's attached to left and right, but isn't as difficult as it sounds. There's also a lot of depth to it, such as a combo system where you can knock elves into other elves and cause chain reactions.

One of the nicest touches is that each time you complete the game you get a new tip, and some of these tips reveal new abilities and techniques, giving it a lot of replay value. (I also love what happens when you reach 80,000 points.)

Name: Garden Gnome Carnage
Developer: Ultimortal
Category: Arcade/Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 5.4MB
Direct download page: Click Here

New Rückblende Mirror

2007-12-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

Guess what. It took two sleepless nights, but a new mirror for Rückblende is finally up.

- download Rückblende (593 MB)
- previous mention

Caravel Games Interview

2007-12-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

A lengthy interview with Erik Hermansen of Caravel Games, the industry veteran who gave us the DROD series - recently featured on Kotaku's Five Indie Picks. He is also currently working on Frogs and Mice, an exclusive game for InstantAction set to be released early next year.

Let's begin with a little introduction of yourself, and some background info on Caravel Games as well. (for those who are not familiar with DROD - though however unlikely that is)

Alright, so I'm a guy that has made computer games for fun since I was 13. And then at one point I thought I'd try selling them. It more or less worked.

DROD was the game I made that was what I wished someone else would make so I could play it. And after I got it out to the world, I found out that there were a smallish number of people that really, really loved it. I think because they have brains like mine.

How long has the DROD series been around? I've first heard about it from The Underdogs, and that site is long gone but Caravel Games is still here!

Well, it gets really boring to explain the various ways you might determine how long it's been around. But I will say that I started designing early versions of it around 1992. And the first commercial version of it was... (leaving briefly to look it up) 1997. That was the version I published with Webfoot Technologies. Now we publish it all ourself.

Who originally worked on the first DROD? If I remember correctly you started out with just one partner..

Well, there was just me and a guy named Lucas Swineford to begin with. Lucas made a bunch of levels for DROD, and I did most everything else. A guy named Lars K Aasbrenn wrote the music. Then as years went by, there've been maybe a dozen core contributors and several tens of people doing things like beta testing and voice acting.

I honestly have a hard time explaining how DROD got made. It's really like a number of games in a series like Sims. "DROD" is more like a franchise name.

Haha ok, no problems at all. I can sort of understand, I mean there is at least fifteen years of history anyway. :)

Let me lock you in a room for four hours and bore you to death. THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. Tie you to a wooden wheelchair and show you powerpoint slides.

Where do you think your fans heard about DROD from? I would say The Underdogs mainly, but that's because I'm uninformed.. plus it was at a time when internet marketing was practically unheard of, and games are only promoted by word of mouth.

Underdogs was a big one (thanks Sarinee!). And there's some obscure little budget CD that Webfoot got DROD onto a long while back that apparently was a big deal. But mainly they trickle in from different sources. And word of mouth is still really the biggest way people learn about it.

We send out press releases sure, but people are getting their friends hooked on it and posting on forums. It used to be you threw a game up on a bunch of download sites and that was all the marketing you needed.

Has that changed? Are you spending on marketing DROD: The City Beneath?

Yeah, we are gearing up to do a lot more marketing in a more intelligent way. For instance, your name is going to go into a database and a little note is going to be put there that says we had this interview. And later on you're gonna get spammed! No, not spammed, respectfully contacted about other opportunities. :) NO SPAM.

Seriously, I've got this long-time fan Matt Cramp, working on the marketing side on a regular basis and we are taking it very seriously. We don't want to offload our marketing work to other companies or publishers.

I'm not going to ask about the number of emails in your mailing address, but how about an active forum members count? Just to find out an indication of the rabid fan base Caravel Games' have.

Last time I checked it was something like 500 active members (logged in at some point in the last 3 months). About 1 in 3 people that buy our games also sign up for the accompanying online service too. It's not huge numbers, but it's a solid base of players that you can do things with.

What do you think happened to the owner of The Underdogs? She sort of disappeared, or maybe lost interest in the whole thing..

I don't know what Sarinee is up to these days. I know that she's very talented and capable, and I think of her site as a great gift. People get busy, their interests change. The remarkable thing is that she has done so much on the site over such a long period.

Five years in operation perhaps? I mean The Underdogs, before it went inactive.

Well, the cool thing about Underdogs is that the policy was not the typical abandonware ethic of putting any old crap up you could get away with. Underdogs really did care about what the authors and copyrightholders wanted. It wasn't a big screw job to people making games. It was respectful of creative work.

How many people do you think have completed every single DROD release?

Not me, I can tell you that. I finished King Dugan's Dungeon, but not the last two. It's frigging hard! But I'd guess that the number is less than a hundred. Or maybe low hundreds.

Well, I find myself resorting to using the online solutions very often.

Yeah, the DROD design attracts these supergenius MENSA types that are used to solving really tough problems. And there's one camp that pulls the puzzles off into that supergenius territory. The other camp asks for easier puzzles, but is maybe underrepresented.

Too hard for a lot of people. That's why I'm starting over with the new game. Frogs and Mice.

Frogs and Mice (F&M) will be on GarageGames' InstantAction right? When will that be playable? Last I heard it was "early next year".

Well, it's up to us (Caravel) and it's up to them. But I would guess around April of 2008. Yeah, I am pushing for a tight schedule on this one to make GarageGames happy, but the honest answer always has to be "we don't know". Of course, when does a game studio ever know, other than the month before release?

And yeah, it will go on InstantAction exclusively. Which is different for us. We have stayed away from exclusive deals. But in this case we are keeping "DROD" games selling from our website, and then retheming DROD to be different so it can appear exclusively on InstantAction. So F&M is like little mice and frogs fighting each other. And DROD is about Beethro Budkin, a weird trollish guy chopping up roaches. But it is the same DROD style of gameplay.

Will F&M be playable using any internet browser? Details about InstantAction are sketchy at best, and since you're working with GarageGames, perhaps you can tell us a little about their new game delivery platform, and how it's any different from other flash game portals.

Sorry man, they might send nasty lawyers after me. I basically am limited to saying things off their press releases. They are way frigging serious about nondisclosure. I had Jeff Tunnel repeating it to me for a solid ten minutes on my last visit.

Haha, alright. Best to avoid that legal mine field. :) So Frogs and Mice is essentially DROD then? With new sprites and backgrounds, but the same addictive puzzle elements - or is there something new that we might see done differently in this InstantAction exclusive. I mean, do we play the mice or the frog? And do they carry huge swords? It's kinda hard to imagine a Caravel Games' release without Beethro..

Well, I won't comment on the InstantAction part and how it affects the game, but I would say that Frogs and Mice will be different from DROD in the following ways:

* Different and better graphics. I've got an artist sitting behind me drawing up cute little animals and nice animated sprites. She's been working on this solid for months. We're going to make the screen more interesting to look at.

* The game will be oriented for the casual newcomer. Not stupid casual like "I won't play this game unless I can match colors together". This is for people that are willing to try a new kind of game as long as they can figure it out in the first 15 minutes.

* There will be new game elements not seen in DROD before. We have an interesting "stealth" mode of play that hasn't been seen in DROD games before.

That's the main stuff. I don't want to blind you with bullet points.

Frogs and Mice - completely free to play? Will there be a story? How about voiceovers?

I'm assuming there will be a shareware demo + registered portion. I'm not clear on the InstantAction payment model at this point. Yes, there will be limited story, but we want to keep the emphasis on puzzles for this game. There will be less story than what we had in DROD: The City Beneath.

Voiceovers? Possibly. The problem is that since dialogue is sparser, it can be a little jarring to have characters talking suddenly amidst relative silence. We're going to play with it a bit to see what works.

How large is Frogs and Mice in terms of content? Compared to DROD: The City Beneath (or any of it's predecessors).

I think Frogs and Mice will play through faster than DROD: The City Beneath simply because it will be much easier. But the room count will be similar with a huge world to explore. And we'll include the level editor so people can publish their own level collections.

Playing time?

To get through the core levels were aiming at 20-30 hours. After that there will be a LOT of replayabity from level editing, challenges, finding secrets, and high score competition. I expect the same "career" effect we have for DROD. People play the same damned game for years.

Will you be posting more screenshots or trailers for Frogs and Mice? We've only seen small bits of it; some sprites and a couple of backgrounds (see gallery and animations) - so all our impressions are based on superimposing those images onto gameplay elements which we're familiar with from DROD.

Sure, but we're not in a hurry to post screenshots since the cosmetic elements of the game are probably getting put in last. We've prioritized development to get level design and new game elements done first. So it will be months before the F&M screenshots start popping up. You have the FIRST interview related to Frogs and Mice. Feel proud?

Feeling very privileged haha. Okay one last question: do you have a screenshot or any material from Frogs and Mice to share with your loyal DROD fans?

Yeah, yeah, I'll dig something up for you. But this will delay development, you understand? If the game gets behind schedule, it's your fault.

Alright... better not then heh. I was thinking about asking how Frogs and Mice got it's name, and your inspiration behind it.

Dude, I already dropped so much new material on you. But let's see... Well, I will tell you that one of the characters you play is female, but as far as I can tell, there is no discernable way to know this from playing the game. So you can play Bread Nibbler (male) or Slice Snatcher (female). But they are both tiny little mice on the screen, so you just have to know that one is male and the other is female. See, a real bona-fide secret for you!

Er... is that for print?

Yeah, you can have that little gem. I'm a generous guy.

Thanks!

(Erik was also kind enough to send over two images after the chat. One is a direct screenshot from Frogs and Mice, while the other will be used for the title screen; both WIP of course.)

Flipside

2007-12-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

Flipside tells the tale of an escaped insane asylum patient who has a split personality. He sees everything in cardboard, and cheerful or depressing depending on which personality he's using.

This is a Half-Life 2 mod, and contains only one short level. The game was previously featured in PC Zone, reviewed by Mod DB, and was submitted as a student entry in this year's IGF competition. Has decent music as well, sort of a Caribbean feel. (mmm, fondues...) And yes, there are plenty of working mirrors this time.

Top Freeware Games of 2007

2007-12-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Midnight Synergy (Wonderland series) has compiled a selection of 10 freeware games released in 2007, complete with proper descriptions and download links. Definitely worth a gander or two.

Meanwhile, an unofficial Grand Theft Auto IV web site had also posted a list of top 20 free games of 2007, though this article is done with poor judgment as more than half of the titles included were either released in 2006 or before that. There is also at least one game that comes with the Starforce protection - proceed with extreme caution, or avoid entirely.

onEscapee

2007-12-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

onEscapee was a long lost relative of Flashback and Out of this World, until it resurfaced as freeware in 2006. Naming shenanigans aside, the game features art that, at times, spikes to beautiful, and an original world. The action sequences aren't anything groundbreaking, but the sheer amount of death animations, the exploration and puzzle elements provide enough gravitation to hold you captive. So, roll, run, shoot and think your way through this adventure with an unconventional finale.

Name: onEscapee
Developer: Invictus
Category: Action adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 130MB
Download, Walkthough, Video walkthrough

News

2007-12-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

First concept art from Aquaria posted.

The GarageGames' web site gets a face-lift.

Kloonigames has released a new monthly project entitled Humpsters.

HIZ is working on a new vertical shooter.

Buster (Iwanaga, Vacant Ark) is working on several new projects and prototypes.

Information about Submachine 5 revealed. The revamped Submachine 1 will be posted on Pastel Games soon.

Nucleosys (Scratches) is currently working on two different projects, with one of them being a freeware 2D adventure game developed for the Argentine government as an educational title.

Gamma 256

2007-12-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Photos from the Gamma 256 event recently held in Montreal, in which a selection of games with a display of under 256 pixels were being showcased.

- Célu
- Dive (download)
- Doomed Planet (download)
- Mr Heart Loves You Very Much (Terry's review)
- More photos from Gamma 256, taken by Simon Law
- Musical performances

Update: More photos from the Gamma 256 party. [source: Petri Purho]

Derek Yu Interview

2007-11-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

Let's begin with an introduction of yourself. (is this really necessary?!)

My name's Derek Yu. *waves* I'm the editor-in-chief at TIGSource, one of the developers behind Aquaria, and I'm obsessed with a certain part of my body that I can't talk about in front of the children.

Aquaria is set for a release next Friday (7th of December, 2007). I'm assuming that it's finished and ready for the world - how does it feel to have finally completed this massive project?

It feels pretty darn good, although I have to admit, I'm so tired I'm not sure I'm fully appreciating it. Alec and I are really happy with the game, though.

You knew this was coming. Why $30? Why?!!!

Yeah, I saw people discussing it! $20 seems to be the midpoint for indie games, and we just felt that with all the content that we put into the game, $30 was pretty reasonable. It includes a full level editor, as well.

Is the full version really 200 MB? How much hard disk space is Aquaria going to take up after installation? Can we play the game using some ancient graphics card we dusted out from the basement/attic?

Yeah, the full version will be around 200 megs. Most of that is graphics! I don't know if an ancient graphics card is going to cut it... Maybe if it's ancient and cursed with the power of demons.

How many people do you think have played the game so far (before it's actual release)? When Aquaria released, what do you feel the response to the game would be? Receptive? Harsh? Split between love and hate? Accusations of 'Cave-Story' rip-off?

Hahaha. I think a good number of people have played it, if you include GDC... 50, maybe? Not sure. Everyone who's played it has really enjoyed it, so I'm hoping most people will... or at least see the value in it, even if it's not necessarily "for them."

Since there's roughly fifty people who have seen the game, can you share what some of their responses are?

I really enjoyed watching people play at GDC. The best was when we stood away from our booth. I think people felt more comfortable then to just let themselves go, and we'd have people just swimming around for long periods of time, getting lost in it. That was a pretty early build, too.

Russ Carroll has a more recent build of the game (I hope he thinks it's okay if I mention him), and I heard he said it was "freakin' great!"

How long is the demo? Can we expect at least close to 25% of the actual game? Or will the demo contain content that would be different from the full version?

The demo has the first part of the game, and no, it's probably more like 10%... but it's still quite a bit of game to get through. Demo saves will be compatible with the full version - nothing's changed. I've played through that part a lot - I think it'll give people a good impression of the game.

How long is the full game then?

It depends a lot on how much time you spend exploring, but... I'd say an average of 20 hours to play through the full game. That's a pretty rough estimate, though.

Any chances of seeing Aquaria on BFG or Reflexive?

No, you probably will not see Aquaria on a casual portal. ;)

Why the name Aquaria? I don't remember you stating the reason for picking it in any of the past interviews before.. though I might had recalled this wrongly.

Aquaria started as a prototype of Alec's, and it was already called Aquaria at the time! I don't know where it came from, exactly, although I imagine it just sounded right to him. Let me go ask him, actually. Hold on...

I was supposed to interview him actually. He said something like next week.

Okay lol..

So you're saying that the name Aquaria wasn't picked by you then. What would you have named it otherwise?

Ah, I'm not sure... I really like the name, so I probably wouldn't have changed it.

Are you ever going to make freeware games again? I mean, Aquaria is going to sell like hot cakes, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if you decide to sell all of your future games. And how about Raigan's idea of DoomRL on the DS with your tileset?

I'd love to do some freeware again. And yeah, Kornel (the DoomRL creator) and I have been working on and off for awhile on various projects, including DoomRL. Some day you're going to see a graphical version of that beast, I promise.

What is the next project from Bit Blot? Hopefully you'll let your real fans hear the juicy details first, and not some big game site with journalists who are unfamiliar with Cave Story..

Oh shit... well, I already mentioned this to Kotaku, but...

Haha that's a slap to indie games..

Haha yeah, I'm just kidding. We're going to remake Hard Time, the MDickie game.

Not really... I can't give a straight answer for this one. We have a few interesting ideas cooking, but we're not sure which one is going to be next!

Aquaria Release Date, 7th Dec

2007-11-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

Alec has announced that Bit Blot's debut release Aquaria will be available for purchase starting next Friday, 7th of December 2007. Fans can expect daily updates to Bit Blot's web site, up to the day Aquaria is released. A demo will be made available for download on the same Friday; the (roughly) 200 MB full version for PC retails at USD $30.

- Aquaria release date announcement
- Derek Yu's web site

Ice Breaker

2007-11-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

Ice Breaker is a pretty interesting and polished puzzle game created for the Game Maker winter games contest; it's one of the best entries for that contest that I've played so far. It has to do with maintaining a colored line of power by rotating nodes, eventually coloring the entire puzzle red. There are a number of levels and special items and other variations to keep it interesting. In feeling and atmosphere (but not in gameplay) it's similar to the Ac!dbomb series, so it's recommended for fans of those games.

One of the nicest parts of the game is that any level can be played in one of three modes (without a time limit or a move limit, with a time limit but no move limit, and with a time limit and a move limit) and the point value the completed level gives you depends on which difficulty mode you completed it in; more points open up more levels.

Name: Ice Breaker
Developer: Silen
Category: Logic Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 11MB
Direct download page: Click here

Camtasia Studio 3 Free

2007-11-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Tried to record some Bokorin today using the free Camtasia Studio 3. I think the results speak for itself; good frame rate, high quality video etc.

Terry also uses Camtasia to record his brilliant Trilby: The Art of Theft speed runs. [source: Andy Hewitt, Retro Remakes]

- get Camtasia Studio 3 for free
- Bokorin .avi file test

3 Hours of Poppenkast

2007-11-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

A collection of games made by members of Poppenkast in roughly three hours.

Arms: A new platformer by cactus with odd controls and unique gameplay mechanics. The game has a couple of puzzles and action sequences but it's more of an experimentation piece than a proper release. Use the W, A, S and D keys to move. Other actions are controlled with the mouse. Press the space key to restart.

Nevada Thompson and the Temple of Scorpions: The gameplay is pretty much described by it's title. An action game with limited controls, where players can only attack sideways. Use the Z or X key to whip, and tap the A or S key to shoot. Ammunition is limited, but can be replenished. There are two large rooms to explore in total.

Airhound: An action game involving dogfights and collectible power-ups stashed away in crates with parachutes attached to them. Hold the up arrow key to accelerate, and use the left or right cursor keys to change the plane's direction. Tap the A key to shoot, and press the S key to launch missiles.

Steely Dan - A decent action game in which players have to roll a ball towards the exit found in each stage by smashing through blocks and collecting keys. Marred heavily by bugs but playable if the ignore option is selected repeatedly during level transitions.

Panic at the Club: An average action game where players engage zombies in a disco. Use the cursor keys to move the protagonist around. Tap the left mouse button to shoot, and hold the right mouse button to initiate bullet time. Increase bullet time by taking out enemies.

a game with no name: beam's 3 Hours of Poppenkast entry is an action game which uses only the cursor keys for control. A difficult maze game, though the author had included a walkthrough to reduce frustration.

The Coldest Mind: A stylish platformer with some questionable design decisions. To win the game, you must collect the golden crucifix at the end of each level. Use the arrow keys to move, and tap the Z key to throw a knife. A punishing game, thanks to the scarcity of knives to be found.

Direct download link for all games: Click here

Once in Space

2007-11-30T00:54:00.000-08:00

Once in Space is a platformer by Arvi Teikari with emphasis on collecting stars to complete each level. The challenge is to figure out how to approach them, as most stars can only be acquired when your character is oriented in a certain direction as indicated by the small red arrows.

Use the cursor keys to move, and tap the left shift key to jump. Hold the control key to change gravity, though this is only possible on platforms with rounded edges marked red. Press Y and control to change key configuration settings. The game features music by Nifflas.

Name: Once in Space
Developer: Hempuli
Category: Platform
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

MIGS

2007-11-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

The team at Gamasutra had posted transcriptions for a couple of sessions from the Montreal International Games Summit (MIGS), taking place on the 27th and 28th of November. Jonathan Blow (Braid) offer his opinions about current game design practices, while Kellee Santiago (thatgamecompany, FlOw) reveals new details about their upcoming PS3 release, Flower.

The full details for Kellee's speech will be posted at Gamasutra at a later time.

- download Jonathan Blow's lecture
- Jonathan Blow's session
- Kellee Santiago's session

Update: Jonathan Blow's speech in audio format now available for download. The zip package also includes the original PowerPoint file used during the presentation. A video version will be made available soon.

Clones Sell More Copies

2007-11-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

There's a new Gamasutra article written by Russell Carroll (Reflexive, GameTunnel) about increased profitability for developers and small studios from not innovating - making lots of money by creating clones of existing games which are popular.

According to him, a Hidden Object game, Click Management clone (Nanny Mania), and a Match-3 game sold nineteen copies more than a title belonging to any other genre, based on Reflexive Entertainment's sales statistics from the last three years. Essentially this means that developers who put out a clone tend to sell at a ratio of twenty copies as opposed to just one if it was based on anything resembling an original idea.

- Cloning Created the Casual Game Business

Indie Game Music

2007-11-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

dong (Soup ver 0.9) has posted a new chiptune album for download, although only one tune is notable (06 - Theme of Star Soldier remix). The included tracks are nowhere as enjoyable to listen as Gone Square and Go Square, also available from the same page.

Julian Winter had also made the entire Haluz 2 soundtrack available as a free download. This collection of thirteen songs took Julian an entire year to compose, and showcases the musician's knack for ambient and soothing music. The album was originally sold at a price of USD $6.

Alec Holowka has released a track from his side project Célu in MP3 format, though the actual game itself will only be made available to the general public sometime in 2008. A lot of tracks in Aquaria have a similar vibe, so you can get a feel of Bit Blot's debut release just by listening to this song alone.

Against All Odds

2007-11-29T13:32:00.000-08:00

Against All Odds is a Flash game created as an attempt to educate players about refugees in general, and also indirectly provide information on the work that UNHCR does.

There are twelve scenes in total, with each act consisting of a small game, but no reward is offered when all three chapters are completed. More than half of these consists of multiple choice questions or trial and error situations, where players have to guess answers to a series of questions correctly to proceed.

The third act can be a little tricky to solve, because escape is only possible once you've found the man indicated by a green dot, hiding in one of the alleys near the heavily guarded exit.

Name: Against All Odds
Developer: UNHCR and Statoil
Category: Action, Adventure
Type: Browser

Gyoza

2007-11-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

Jph had released a new arcade shooter entitled Gyoza, available for download from the Iteration Games' web site. The game currently requires an Xbox360 controller to work, but a version with support for keyboard controls will be released sometime soon.

Digital Eel Games for Free

2007-11-29T06:38:00.000-08:00

Have the guys at Digital Eel gone bonkers? First they offer Plasmaworm for free, now they're giving away both Big Box of Blox and Dr. Blob's Organism away - for nothing!

Dr. Blob's Organism was an IGF 2004 winner of both innovation in audio and visual art categories. Mac versions for these two games are also available.

I was sort of expecting the games to open Digital Eel's web site when exiting, but nothing of that sort happened.

- Digital Eel announcement
- Plasmaworm
- Big Box of Blox
- Dr. Blob's Organism

Spheres of Chaos Free

2007-11-29T06:32:00.000-08:00

Practically all over the internet by now, Iain McLeod's trippy Asteroids clone has been inducted into the world of freeware - partly because few people would buy a game loaded to the brim with effects (see Space Giraffe), but also to promote the updated remake which is set for a release sometime in 2008. Seems like both games have a lot in common..

Quote oddbob:
...a work of complete and utter genius.
...one of those rare games...
...there's nothing else like it out there.
...it's certainly unique...

Get Spheres of Chaos here.

[sources: Retro Remakes, the2bears, Rock Paper Shotgun]

Crayon Physics Interview

2007-11-29T05:32:00.000-08:00

Binary Joy had posted a new interview with Petri Purho, creator of Crayon Physics and the series of monthly prototype games which are all available for download from his web site.

A new game will also be released in two days' time, assuming that everything is on schedule.

- Crayon Physics Deluxe interview
- download Crayon Physics

Shikigami no Shiro III Box Art

2007-11-29T01:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it's no GTA IV...

Due out for the XBox360 and Wii in mid-December. Box art images courtesy of Alex from insomnia.ac.

- Wii box art
- Xbox360 box art
- Wii version gameplay video from TGS
- Shmups forums discussion thread
- insomnia.ac review
- Shikigami no Shiro 3 PC demo
- direct download link (73.9 MB)

Söldner-X Limited Edition

2007-11-29T01:35:00.000-08:00

SideQuest Studios has announced details about the Söldner-X Limited Edition set (PC only), due out on December 14th, 2007. The PS3 version has been delayed to the second quarter of 2008.

Best to watch the new video first (with actual gameplay) before ordering, because it sure looks a lot like an Euroshmup at the moment... [Shmups forums discussion thread]

Space Invaders Extreme Trailer

2007-11-29T01:32:00.000-08:00

What did Taito do to Space Invaders? They turned it into a music game! [source: Retro Remakes]

- DS Fanboy article

Interview: Phil Fish

2007-11-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

Phil Fish is lead designer for the forthcoming 3D-pixel game Fez, which is a contender in this year's IGF. Phil has been making games since he was two years old. After attending both art school and game school, he got his industry start at Ubisoft Montreal, and he currently works in the industry as a level designer.

He also makes up one fourth of the Montreal-based game-art collective Kokoromi, and these days he's busy organizing their second annual GAMMA event (which doubles as the closing party for the Montreal International Games Summit).

You can read full interview over at Arthouse Games.

Slidon

2007-11-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

Slidon is a new puzzler from the prolific Yoshio Ishii, in which players are given a number of tiles for each level to match and remove entirely, but only by sliding a tile horizontally or vertically per move.

Hold the left mouse button when the cursor is over any tile to select it, then choose a direction to slide a tile to it's new position. Players are given a limited number of moves in each level.

The delete option can be used to remove any tile on the board.

Name: Slidon
Developer: Yoshio Ishii
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Omega Five Preview

2007-11-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

One of the levels from Natsume/Hudson's Omega Five previewed by a fellow Dtoid.

[source: Danmaku Gata]

More Cave Story | yrotS evaC eroM

2007-11-27T02:11:00.000-08:00

That thing in the middle of the title is meant to be a mirror. Ok, so I didn't think anyone would get it ok? Leave me alone!

Anyways..

These shots are taken from a work in progress game called CSW (Cave Story Wannabe). There's an early video further down Greennex's 64 digits blog but well.. I won't be posting that.

South

2007-11-27T02:03:00.000-08:00

Warning: Contain scenes of violence, blood and gore.

South is an action game partly inspired by Castlevania, in which only three action keys are required for all moves and attacks. Tap the S key rapidly to slash, and use the A key to jump. Press the D key to use any additional weapons acquired during your adventure.

The game features two complete levels and a preview of the third. [source: GM Edge]

Name: South
Developer: Wingboy
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB

SchattenJagd

2007-11-27T01:58:00.000-08:00

SchattenJagd is a short noir style adventure game with a point and click interface, made by Johann Scholz using the Visionaire engine. The author has included two separate endings for players to discover.

Name: SchattenJagd
Developer: Johann Scholz
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB

Soup du Jour

2007-11-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

Soup du Jour by Digital Eel

Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles

2007-11-26T14:17:00.000-08:00

Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles is puzzle game with anime-style cutscenes, several playable mini games, and two-player versus battles. Originally developed for the GP2X handheld platform, a demo for this Christmas release is available for download and features roughly twenty-five percent of the story mode itself.

More of The Underside

2007-11-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

There's a very heated discussion going on at the official site for The Underside, as Arthur Lee points out his disappointment with the community - apparently frustrated with the accusations of his creation being a Cave Story rip-off for the umpteenth time (not necessarily from comments by Derek Yu).

And yes, 'Mr. Podunkian' originally did not want the video to be uploaded to avoid controversy - I'm to blame for editing the trailer which was posted a couple of days ago.

Dino Run Beta Test

2007-11-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

Pixeljam Games' Dino Run is now available for beta testing! To apply as a beta tester, simply send a mail to pixeljamgames[at]gmail.com.

(or donate like twenty bucks for a guaranteed beta testing position.)

Konjak Interview

2007-11-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

An interview with the creator of the Noitu Love series and Chalk.

Let's begin with an introduction of yourself.

My name's Joakim Sandberg and I make games, and I love it. My notable games are Noitu Love and Chalk, and my current project is Noitu Love 2! Yet it's not that much like Noitu 1, I'd say, more of a continuation on that universe.

Has any publishers approached you about publishing your games on handhelds? There was a lot of demand for Chalk to appear on the DS when it was first released.

Yes, there was. Several of them. But I am very weary about it; I want to know I'm not selling off something I loved to create. I am still in talks about a property, but they only see production possibly starting in a sort of far future, which is a little annoying. Nothing is signed yet though. Another big publisher contacted me too but they sort of... stopped getting back to me.

Hopefully this current one comes through. I just wish it was sooner that I'd know for sure.

So are you sort of saying 'publishers, please contact me about publishing Chalk on the DS!'?

I'd rather see Chalk on the Wii. More potential. And I have many ideas.

Homebrew are popular these days - are you willing to consider if a programmer decides to come onboard and port Chalk for the DS or Wii?

If the programmer is willing to dedicate to it that much. I'd rather know the person first, and I know that if I was a programmer and a game maker working on my own time I wouldn't want to spend it completely on someone else's idea. You'd do that in the industry, but free time is more precious.

How does Noitu Love 2 plays exactly? From early indications, it seems that it's not a conventional platformer. Will it have huge boss battles like the one from the last stage of Noitu Love 1?

Well, I won't give away the bosses, but the one in the video is quite huge, is it not? Although it doesn't reach above skyscrapers. I still have bosses to think of as well, but with the new screen you know all of two bosses! The hammer one is a miniboss though.

The game actually does play a bit different, though it might be hard to spot! It's a beat-em-up but as such you would need to be close to enemies. I wanted to retain fighting but have it really fast as well, and make it a lot easier. So you use a crosshair to click to enemies (and other things you'll encounter) to speed directly to them and start punching. That's the basics of it, then there are simple gesture moves and a shield you can place wherever you want.

Hopefully people won't find it an unnecessary feature. Personally I am hoping it gives a fast pace to a forgiving game, which has been my goal.

What's the current development status of Noitu Love 2? Is it anywhere near completion? Do you have plans to sell this sequel or will you be releasing it as freeware?

I have finished over half of the game, at least, but that's in terms of raw content, like the amount of levels. When they're done I would want to finetune and add extras. I can only hope to have it done in three months, but I am not overly confident. The game will be free though. I'd rather reach out to as many as possible with this.

So you'll be releasing the game as freeware when it's done? No preview demos or such?

I don't like making demos. Or even talking about in-production games because I get this weird pressure on me.

Since you're in IGF, anything you'd like to say to sweet-talk the judges?

You're all very pretty.

Let's say you're done with Noitu Love 2. Will you be taking a short break from development? If not, then what can we expect next from you?

Noitu Love 3 - Beyond the BEYOND!! Well, no.

I have an idea already that I want to make. It would be more in the action adventure genre, I believe. I'm hoping it will be quite an original experience. And no, I don't think I could take a break from making games.

Assuming you have lots of money to make whatever game you want. What will you make then?

I am very secretive about my ideas (at least to most people), and I really do have a dream game, but I don't want to talk about it. It would definitely be 3D.

Who do you think will make it into the IGF finals?

Fez. I don't see all the originality from it. It has original visuals but it hasn't shown much in ways of replacing just hiding stuff behind bushes in a non-rotating games. It's mostly visuals THAT I'VE SEEN so far, but I'm hoping it could bring something new to us all. I assume Clean Asia! will be there somewhere, though I haven't played it.

What are your thoughts about the 'Cave Story rip-off' controversy?

About The Underside, it's sort of a shame he wanted it to look like it does, but I'm sure it will be great fun when it's done. It's hard to make non-linear or pseudo-non-linear games yourself as it is and if he finishes, good for him. I just hope he doesn't quit because of people's attacks on his art choices.

Hope you had a screenshot prepared for us; 'cause it's sort of customary for this series of interviews! Describe it if necessary.

'Noitu Love 2 stars Xoda Rap, a girl not unlike Noitu.'

News

2007-11-25T06:49:00.000-08:00

What's New in Indie: GameTunnel's regular monthly column on the latest indie games is up.

Rat Cave: JTR's exploration action game updated to version 4.2.

Storm Assault: Storm Project's MMF horizontal shooter updated to version 0.17. Only minor bugfixes but no new content.

Crashblock: The commercial version for Crashblock is now available.

Hero's Puzzle Path: A new puzzler by KATWorks Games.

TAGAP 2: The sequel to TAGAP announced.

Doppelganger: Paul's freeware Defender remake updated to version 1.1.

Halloween House

2007-11-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween House is a game made by Magnus Nilsson for a Halloween game competition. Use the shift key to access your inventory, and press the control key to interact with objects. The game can be saved by accessing the computer in Michael's room.

Name: Halloween House
Developer: Magnus Nilsson
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Drift

2007-11-25T06:13:00.000-08:00

In Drift, the player's energy orb is limited to grid-like movements, and the cursor keys must be tapped rapidly to achieve constant velocity. Press the enter key to shoot when your orb is close to the enemy for better accuracy. A tad difficult, especially at later levels.

Name: Drift
Developer: Panurge Odradek
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB

Pixel Warlords

2007-11-25T05:20:00.000-08:00

Pixel Warlords is an experimental platform shooter by Jan Willem Nijman, made using the Game Maker engine. Press the X key to shoot, and use the Z key to jump. Tap the C key to throw grenades. Press the x and up arrow key to execute a stealth kill.

This demo includes one area, and the first warlord to be assasinated. [source: the2bears]

Name: Pixel Warlords
Developer: Jan Willem Nijman
Category: Platform
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here