Indie Games 2015 [December] Let's talk about anything Indie!
- Thread starter Toma
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More_Badass
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Flewn - $3.99 (IOS)
Intergalactic Race Warriors - 2016 (PC, Mac, Linux)
http://flewnstory.com/
Flewn immerses you in the surreal journey of an old whale walking on stilts through a desert in search of a lost ocean. Along the way, Old Whale meets new friends who pull together to help him and the rescued sea creatures he carries on his back. Their efforts are put to the test when they must overcome an ominous mountain pass to reach a new home.
Intergalactic Race Warriors - 2016 (PC, Mac, Linux)
http://blog.turtleblaze.com/
Intergalactic Race Warriors is a side scrolling combat racing game set in outer space. It's a violent grand prix which takes place on a wide range of planets. Youll be racing in all the corners of the universe.
Think of it as Sonic meets Mario Kart meets Mad Max meets NFS:U
Pretty sure it is
Played the demo, and the guys working on it have been winning Ludum Dares for the past few years, so they know what they're doing.*Disclaimer: Turtleblaze is our game studio
More_Badass
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More_Badass
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Now this looks gorgeous
Oh, and the lead developer/artist is 16 years old
Way To The Woods - ????
More screenshots here:
http://imgur.com/a/gERP1
Oh, and the lead developer/artist is 16 years old
Way To The Woods - ????
More screenshots here:
http://imgur.com/a/gERP1
Hard West:
Letter to a friend:
Short story with a very moody art style. The game itself doesnt do much unexpected, but its a great showcase how a very distinct art style can carry a mood. Its very short, but it also doesnt offer anything original to ponder or explores any unique ideas, so I got to give it a pass.
Pavor Nocturnus
Incredibly simple and short adventure game. Nothing interesting.
Pictures of a reasonably documented year
Another short adventure-style game with an interesting premise. You have 12 months of folders to go through to see what happened here. I wish there was some more investigative work, but I really like the general idea, although the story could be a bit more subtle overall.
Highly recommended
Hard West
Conflicks
Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
Recommended
The Good Gardener
Infinity Inc.
Blacksea Odyssey
Pictures of a reasonably documented year
Not Recommended
Letter to a friend
Hellmut
Avoid
Pavor Nocturnus
Might actually turn up in my Indie GOTY list after I played some more, as the blending of story, FTL style decisions, campaign decisions and permanence (choices mattering), character equipment/progression and Xcom combat in a wild west story with supernatural elements actually.. works. I was just sucked into that game for 3 hours. There are some issues with the flow, as its a bit too slow in my opinion and I am not 100% sure how deep the combat is yet, but this game is seriously good.
Letter to a friend:
Short story with a very moody art style. The game itself doesnt do much unexpected, but its a great showcase how a very distinct art style can carry a mood. Its very short, but it also doesnt offer anything original to ponder or explores any unique ideas, so I got to give it a pass.
Pavor Nocturnus
Incredibly simple and short adventure game. Nothing interesting.
Pictures of a reasonably documented year
Another short adventure-style game with an interesting premise. You have 12 months of folders to go through to see what happened here. I wish there was some more investigative work, but I really like the general idea, although the story could be a bit more subtle overall.
Highly recommended
Hard West
Conflicks
Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
Recommended
The Good Gardener
Infinity Inc.
Blacksea Odyssey
Pictures of a reasonably documented year
Not Recommended
Letter to a friend
Hellmut
Avoid
Pavor Nocturnus
More_Badass
Member
Have you played SOMA, Toma?
And yeah, Hard West is great. You can build some really distinct powersets with all the different card abilities and buffs
And yeah, Hard West is great. You can build some really distinct powersets with all the different card abilities and buffs
Nope, as far as games I still need to try:
Soma
Renowned Explorers
Her Story
Ori
Undertale
+ a few december games
Might be missing some others though, and I just remembered that Hands of Fate is so gonna be in my GOTY list.
ph1l0z0ph3r
Member
Beat Her Story today and the game is amazing. Still on my head a couple hours later just running through theories. Easily a game that has pushed me to invest more time into indies. Have a couple friends and the wife trying it so we can discuss it. Moving on to Undertale next.
Nabs
Member
Just beat A Story About My Uncle. I liked it enough, but some of it was a little frustrating. I guess I could have used a few more checkpoints, and maybe some directions during the caverns. It was still very beautiful, and I did enjoy grappling about. I'd be down for another title if they decide to continue the series.
Excited to see what you think of those - I love Her Story and Ori but haven't played Soma or RE yet.
I played through Her Story with my girlfriend - it's a wonderful game and something that's really cool to talk about with people. The spoiler thread was really exciting as people were trying to back up their theories.
I'm glad more people are finally trying this. Definitely give it a shot on the alternative mode - which I think is a speed run challenge? It really rewards lateral thinking and you can do some really cool stuff you might not have thought of during the main game.
Anyone ITT played Oniken from JoyMasher? I picked it up for $.99 during the last sale and managed to beat it today. It's a fairly simplistic NES style action platformer but I had a great time with it.
Fantastic controls, and difficult enough to be frustrating but not so much that I gave up. After enough repetition you get into a zen-like state where you've memorized much of the level and everything feels automatic, it's one of the most satisfying feelings in a game for me.
Fantastic controls, and difficult enough to be frustrating but not so much that I gave up. After enough repetition you get into a zen-like state where you've memorized much of the level and everything feels automatic, it's one of the most satisfying feelings in a game for me.
Messofanego
Banned
Goal this weekend is to finish Dropsy and Her Story. Is that Intergalactic Race Warriors game playable? The explosions look magnificent.
Oniken was one of the reasons I started the Indie threads. I thought it was way too good not to get any recognition.
One Foul Note
Member
I played through that, great game. Their are a fair few indie games that claim to emulate the feel of the NES or Mega Drive era of gaming and I've found Oniken to be one of the few games that fact is actually true about. If you like it you might want to check out Odallus, it is made by the same people. It is a far more ambitious game and I think the level design suffers from that a bit so I found Oniken to be better overall. But Odallus is still well worth checking out if you like that era of gaming.
More_Badass
Member
Not that I know of
Here's the devlog though, if you wanted to keep track of it
https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=51114.0
There's a demo we've been playing at the office - everything sidescrolling you see in the trailer is some form of gameplay, although a lot of it is experimental/incomplete. Once we get to Early Access there'll be the opportunity to make a playable demo or alpha available.
More_Badass
Member
Hard West
1) Hard West
2) Subterfuge
3) Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
4) Last Horizon
Subterfuge
Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
Last Horizon
---
1) Hard West
2) Subterfuge
3) Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
4) Last Horizon
Ryo Hazuki
Member
Looks like Cosmochoria will be coming to PS4 and Xbox One next year. Cool. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/12/11/cosmochoria-coming-to-ps4-next-year/
More_Badass
Member
Voi - Free (PC)
http://vec1.itch.io/voi
Voi is a game about escaping from a temple by solving puzzles.
The game is a first person, 3D platformer that was designed around the idea of non-Euclidean spaces, meaning sections of the map can overlap.
9inchsamurai
Neo Member
I've been looking for a very specific type of indie game: I want a first-person RPG dungeon crawler that isn't procedurally generated. I'm thinking something very similar to From Software's Kings Field games. The closest games I know of are Eldritch (which is randomly generated) and the Grimrock games (which are more traditional party-based RPGs). The biggest hiccup is that I don't like randomly generated levels (hence why my RPG isn't), and that is all I'm seeing with indie games that come close to what I want.
More_Badass
Member
Have you seen Paper Sorcerer? That's the only other dungeon crawler besides Grimlock that comes to mind
9inchsamurai
Neo Member
Ah yeah, I played the demo for that one and it wasn't bad, but I have a pet peeve about battle speed and its battle animations took way too long. Not sure if the full game had changes to that compared to the demo though.
More_Badass
Member
Man O’ War: Corsair - 2016 (PC)
Fishing: Barents Sea - PC
Massive Galaxy - ????
My Friend Pedro - PC, Mac, Linux
Empires In Runs - early 2016 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Feral - June 2016
Betwixt - PC
SNWPRK - ????
Desktop - ????
Flare - Free (PC, Mac, Linux)
Unnamed Game - ????
Previously Mentioned
Adr1ft
Black The Fall
Paper Blade
Barrage
http://manowarcorsair.com/
Engage in epic naval combat and explore the Warhammer world’s Great Western Ocean.
Man o’ War: Corsair is a video game of high adventure, naval combat and exploration based on the Games Workshop classic Man O’ War table top game.
Fishing: Barents Sea - PC
http://fbsgame.net/
A realistic simulator strategy game, which puts you in a role as a fish boat captain on small fish boat and a small cabin that you inherited by your grandfather who passed away, located in the open cold and harsh Barents sea.
Massive Galaxy - ????
My Friend Pedro - PC, Mac, Linux
http://www.deadtoast.com/
A gun in each hand, time slows down. Spinning through the air after backflipping over your enemies oncoming bullets. Mid-air you squeeze the triggers. The danger has been neutralized... For now. Pedro, your friend who looks to be a flying banana, appear out of nowhere and lets you know what the next step is. You obey and soon find yourself in the middle of another dispute only solvable with blood, bullets and some very impressive acrobacy.
Empires In Runs - early 2016 (PC, Mac, Linux)
http://www.indiedb.com/games/empires-in-ruins
A Turn based strategy/Tower defense/Empire management hybrid, with a black humor infused plot, set in a grim, disillusioned world.
Feral - June 2016
A first person hunting and survival game in which you embody a beast.
Betwixt - PC
http://betwixtthegame.weebly.com/
A young wanderer crosses a frozen landscape, in a search to discover who she is.
Lost and alone, she stumbles across an elderly recluse protecting
mankind from something almost forgotten.
SNWPRK - ????
http://www.i-illusions.com/home/2015/05/09/snwprk/
A procedural snowpark game with realistic movement and unrealistic graphics
Desktop - ????
Flare - Free (PC, Mac, Linux)
http://flarerpg.org/
Flare is an open source, 2D action RPG. It has an easy to use modding API that uses an INI-like syntax. Its gameplay can be likened to the games in the Diablo series
Unnamed Game - ????
Previously Mentioned
Adr1ft
Black The Fall
Paper Blade
Barrage
More_Badass
Member
Katana Zero - 2016
http://www.katanazero.com/
Katana ZER0 is a fast paced neo-noir action platformer, focusing on tight, instant-death acrobatic combat, and a dark 80's neon aesthetic. Aided with your trusty katana, the time manipulation drug Chronos and the rest of your assassin's arsenal, fight your way through a fractured city, and take back what's rightfully yours.
This looks so damn cool.
2015 catching up
Undertale
Undertale is quite something. We already knew it was original from the early demo, but the amount of lore and story branching is very well executed. There is a ton more in this game than the demo or first impression hinted at. However, even though the combat is very interesting, especially with the "choices" and damage calculation, the game does feel a bit cumbersome at times, especially in movement and the puzzles. Even though I like it and that I wouldnt want to miss it, I am actually a bit surprised it got this much of a cult following by now.
Her Story
A game which is basically just a searchable directory of videos from an interview about a murder case. Its not terribly hard, but the game structure makes you feel more like a detective than any other typical adventure game as it really feels like you are figuring out each step along the way yourself. It is also incredibly refreshing to have a game that breaks up typical game progression/concepts. I really hope this revives the FMV/real video genre, as I think that genre still has a lot of interesting ideas to explore.
Renowned Explorers
Hmmmm, I am not very impressed. Its an FTL style roguelite with SRPG battles. Lets start with the good: The writing is very colourful and the game definitely makes you want to play it. Its colourful, interesting to read, has several different upgradable elements, multiple characters etc. It is enjoyable as far as starting it and playing it goes... once. I actually think the game fails a bit on the progression front. Where other roguelikes/lites give you more skills, more things to use, RE mostly sticks to increasing the crunched numbers. Getting skills to increase the money you receive, unlocking skills that raise percentages on challenges, etc. It just all starts to blend into each other, and after a while, you dont need to read any of it anymore, and the game starts, on a basic level, to play itself. Sure, you can still plot out paths throughout a map, but there were multiple occasions where I dont really get why anybody would chose something else. Same with the central mechanic for "choices". There are 3 choices, one with 70%, one with 30% and one with 20% chance to succeed. Same result for all of them, which one do you pick? The battles seem overly long as well at 10-15 minutes each in the later missions. Also, I am not very fond of the limited progression structure which always only gives your 5 expeditions, with the same overall goal and thats it. In short: A fun diversion, but not worth the asking price.
Undertale
Undertale is quite something. We already knew it was original from the early demo, but the amount of lore and story branching is very well executed. There is a ton more in this game than the demo or first impression hinted at. However, even though the combat is very interesting, especially with the "choices" and damage calculation, the game does feel a bit cumbersome at times, especially in movement and the puzzles. Even though I like it and that I wouldnt want to miss it, I am actually a bit surprised it got this much of a cult following by now.
Her Story
A game which is basically just a searchable directory of videos from an interview about a murder case. Its not terribly hard, but the game structure makes you feel more like a detective than any other typical adventure game as it really feels like you are figuring out each step along the way yourself. It is also incredibly refreshing to have a game that breaks up typical game progression/concepts. I really hope this revives the FMV/real video genre, as I think that genre still has a lot of interesting ideas to explore.
Renowned Explorers
Hmmmm, I am not very impressed. Its an FTL style roguelite with SRPG battles. Lets start with the good: The writing is very colourful and the game definitely makes you want to play it. Its colourful, interesting to read, has several different upgradable elements, multiple characters etc. It is enjoyable as far as starting it and playing it goes... once. I actually think the game fails a bit on the progression front. Where other roguelikes/lites give you more skills, more things to use, RE mostly sticks to increasing the crunched numbers. Getting skills to increase the money you receive, unlocking skills that raise percentages on challenges, etc. It just all starts to blend into each other, and after a while, you dont need to read any of it anymore, and the game starts, on a basic level, to play itself. Sure, you can still plot out paths throughout a map, but there were multiple occasions where I dont really get why anybody would chose something else. Same with the central mechanic for "choices". There are 3 choices, one with 70%, one with 30% and one with 20% chance to succeed. Same result for all of them, which one do you pick? The battles seem overly long as well at 10-15 minutes each in the later missions. Also, I am not very fond of the limited progression structure which always only gives your 5 expeditions, with the same overall goal and thats it. In short: A fun diversion, but not worth the asking price.
More_Badass
Member
Great to see you enjoyed Her Story. It's the only true detective game IMO. So many other games clutter the detecting, with lists of clues you've found, what is and isn't important, if people are lying, how clues relate to each other.
Her Story strips out all that. It puts the onus on the player. No handholding.
Her Story strips out all that. It puts the onus on the player. No handholding.
Yep, really was a genius idea and combination of the human emotion videos and the database search. The closest I could think of as a comparison is a boardgame called "Sherlock Holmes. Consulting Detective". If you find that for 40$ or so, do pick it up. Really great stuff and especially fun to figure out with friends.
Kinda disappointed by Renowned Explorers though.
More_Badass
Member
Have you played Curious Expedition?
I did. They both arent perfect, but I prefer Curious Expedition. RE is actually a lot better in exposition, presenting events, general presentation and location variety, but CE wins the overall comparison for the gameplay and choices that feel like they actually matter. RE is way too much on rails for its own good, never incurring a real sense of threat or discovery as the game just rides along, dragging you behind.
Well that is disappointing to hear. I was hoping RE would be better than CE. Oh well - what have we got coming this month guys? UnderRail and Balrum are on my wishlist.
Oh, and Squad.
More_Badass
Member
Devil Daggers - PC
http://devildaggers.com/
Inspired by classic arcade games and 1990s First Person Shooters. Devil Daggers is a fast-paced shooter that pits you against hordes of demons as you struggle to survive as long as you can. Compete for precious seconds with friends or global leaderboards
More_Badass
Member
Gameplay teaser for the Consortium sequel
Kickstarter in January
Kickstarter in January
Take all of my money. Consortium is the best game practically no one on GAF played. Really impressive stuff for a first time developer.
That reminds me that I need to play it. I have it on GoG but I need to actually sit down and play it.
More_Badass
Member
More_Badass
Member
Oh, hey, it's Ludum Dare 34 time
Some entries are already out. Here's one from Ditto (dev of hets)
trosor - Free (PC)
Some entries are already out. Here's one from Ditto (dev of hets)
trosor - Free (PC)
http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=14669
it's basically a one button game with some shooting thrown in for good meassure. no enemies tho, ohhhhh welllll!
Don't get me wrong, the first game isn't really polished or anything. But considering that almost no one is developing immersive sims or Obsidian-style dialogue trees, and then seeing a small startup combine both in a single game all from a small crowdfunded budget... The fact that it turned out well is astonishing.
I love the idea of the game too. Most games give little thought to educating a new player about an unfamiliar setting. They often provide information via NPC infodumps where you ask inane questions that would be obvious to anyone in that world. If you're lucky, the writers will handwave it by making your character an amnesiac or some kind of foreigner. Not Consortium. RPS put it nicely:
Unlike any RPG I can name, Consortium throws you in with no map, no introductory cutscenes or tutorial. When you start, you don’t choose a character, you sign a disclaimer. It’s disorientating and strange, and immediately different, dedicated fully to its central conceit; you the player are accessing a satellite, provided by the developer, iDGi, that allows you to control a man known as Bishop 6, on board an aircraft, in the year 2042.
It nails role playing as a person in a specific situation, to an extent no other game has. Paradoxically, it achieves this by telling you nothing.
It nails role playing as a person in a specific situation, to an extent no other game has. Paradoxically, it achieves this by telling you nothing.
Start asking questions that give away how little you know about the world and characters notice and respond to it. And make sure you don't give away the fact that you come from an entirely different time period.
More_Badass
Member
Been hooked on Exanima recently, forgot how fantastic the combat in that was. Good thing it came out in April, so it'll probably end up in my GOTY list somewhere
More_Badass
Member
Outer Wilds looks like it's coming along nicely
More_Badass
Member
Flippfly (Race The Sun) is doing a prototype showdown
http://flippfly.com/vote/
https://youtu.be/UKoe45csnhI
The Prototype Showdown is a tournament of our game prototypes. During each round of the tournament we will offer two prototypes that anyone can download and play for free. After playing, anyone can vote for the prototype they like best. The winning prototype will advance the next round, and the winner of the entire tournament will be made into a full game!
Here's Round 1:
TaxiCopter v Dupis Wrong Turn
Download the prototypes at the link, and vote for your favorite
http://flippfly.com/vote/
https://youtu.be/UKoe45csnhI
The Prototype Showdown is a tournament of our game prototypes. During each round of the tournament we will offer two prototypes that anyone can download and play for free. After playing, anyone can vote for the prototype they like best. The winning prototype will advance the next round, and the winner of the entire tournament will be made into a full game!
Here's Round 1:
TaxiCopter v Dupis Wrong Turn
Download the prototypes at the link, and vote for your favorite
Flippfly (Race The Sun) is doing a prototype showdown
http://flippfly.com/vote/
https://youtu.be/UKoe45csnhI
The Prototype Showdown is a tournament of our game prototypes. During each round of the tournament we will offer two prototypes that anyone can download and play for free. After playing, anyone can vote for the prototype they like best. The winning prototype will advance the next round, and the winner of the entire tournament will be made into a full game!
Here's Round 1:
TaxiCopter v Dupi’s Wrong Turn
Download the prototypes at the link, and vote for your favorite
Dont even need to play them, TaxiCopter all the way
So I need to check that out too then.
More_Badass
Member
...
Thats what you get if you play hundreds of Indies per year and start to forget names. But yeah, I remember now that you wrote some more positive impressions on it in the past months. How did you get over that initial hurdle? I just cant start to enjoy the combat system apparently.