Indie Games 2015 [June] Now Voting - Post 423!

Some more Subnautica praise. I really like that most of the upgrades and stuff you craft have a direct tangible effect for you. It's not just "Here's a better pickaxe that can chip away at things slightly more effectively." You can dive deeper, swim faster, collect more items, stay underwater longer, explore more effectively. It always feels like there's a direct reward, that allows you to explore more, thus find more things and build better equipment and thus explore more. It's a satisfying cycle made even more fun because the world is so wonderful to explore
 
Look at that line-up for Sony's E3 booth :D
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Subnautica is great. I'm not quite sure how to make a video for it yet, but the theme alone makes it stand head and shoulders above most survival games for me, and the base building and actual flora/fauna are great. Going to wait until it's a bit more complete before I dive too deep into it.

Look at that line-up for Sony's E3 booth :D

I just saw this a bit ago, this is my favorite part of this gen. And soon those devs will be able to release Morpheus games...awesome stuff.
 
That's a sweet lineup - I can already here the outrage over it though. I haven't heard of a few of those - time for some research!

Some quick Google-fu and yeah, some look pretty cool but nothing that's grabbed me yet. Maybe some decent E3 impressions will sway me.
 
My head hurts after completing the "sequence peak detector" level with a stupidly complex solution.



Waiting for Toma's record now.

Last night, I was awake until 6 am to finish the sale thread and some additional tasks. I got up 4 hours later for work. Now its 1:40 am, I am DEAD fucking tired and for some reason that post of yours made me start up TIS-100 about 1:30 hour ago.

Out of that 90 minutes, I probably had my eyes closed for at least 30 minutes, basically almost falling asleep and I have no clue how I just did that:
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Literally no clue. And I need sleep.
 
Highlands - This is a surprise, I went into the game totally blind only knowing it was a turn based game that was funded via Kickstart. The first thing that drew my attention was the game's art, be it the well done hand drawn environment and the charismatic characters and this helps making each level feel unique. Another good point are the musics and sound in the game, both are great and help setting the right mood to your play session.

Talking about the mechanics now, each character has a specific class and there are four classes in game (combatant, mechanic, leader and academic) and you need to manage your three resources who are used to maintain your troops, craft items recruit new character etc. Other interesting feature the game brings to it's formula are the randomized choice events you can get after a battle, these can give to you resources, characters or items.

So far I've reached only the Chapter 3 and I'm loving it.
 
Sweet, looking forward to trying it as well :)
 
Highlands - This is a surprise, I went into the game totally blind only knowing it was a turn based game that was funded via Kickstart. The first thing that drew my attention was the game's art, be it the well done hand drawn environment and the charismatic characters and this helps making each level feel unique. Another good point are the musics and sound in the game, both are great and help setting the right mood to your play session.

Talking about the mechanics now, each character has a specific class and there are four classes in game (combatant, mechanic, leader and academic) and you need to manage your three resources who are used to maintain your troops, craft items recruit new character etc. Other interesting feature the game brings to it's formula are the randomized choice events you can get after a battle, these can give to you resources, characters or items.

So far I've reached only the Chapter 3 and I'm loving it.

Fired it up this morning and you can instantly see/hear the quality of visual/audio. Although it is a totally different genre its characters style kinda reminds me of the tales games or even eternal sonata from the 360.

As someone who is pretty fresh to this genre i initially didn't know what to expect but i can imagine anyone who enjoys this type of game to be quickly drawn in to both the characters and the scenario.

As for the mechanics - the game is well designed, the controls are easy to use and the screen seems well laid out. Obviously the depth/length of the game won't be discovered in a quick play through but initial impressions are very good.

If you are into this type of game i would recommend at least considering picking this and even more so seeing as its on sale just now.
 
Systole - PC, Consoles
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http://www.systolegame.com/

As a little robot, you awake in a decaying mechanical world. With no instructions, you embark on a quest to discover the mysterious place you were born to, the events that led to your birth, and, eventually, yourself.
SYSTOLE is a breathtaking adventure that blends acrobatic challenges and exploration in a 2.5 platformer.

Occult - 2016
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http://www.occultgame.com/

Unexplainable things happen and you’re trying to make sense of it all.
A visit to a childhood cabin in the woods might reveal some answers.
Explore the mysteries surrounding you during daylight. The light is more powerful than you know.
When night falls upon this place the only weapon you’ll have is the will to survive.

Family Man - ????
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http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=48464.0

Think Breaking Bad, meets Papers Please, meets Hitman.

Exile’s End - late 2015
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http://www.magneticrealms.com/press/sheet.php?p=exiles_end

The game is a remake of Fielding's first independent release "Inescapable", building on the original idea and expanding and improving on it by adding an atmospheric musical soundtrack, many more enemies, animated cutscenes, more depth to the revised story, a greatly expanded world and multiple endings.

The Specimen - PC, Wii U
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http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-specimen

Abducted from your home planet by a highly intelligent race obsessed with genetic engineering; you find yourself in a strange and frightening environment. Assume the role of this this mysterious creature as you try to escape the clutches of the alien researchers...or take revenge.

Previously Mentioned

Doko Roko
 
So Fallout 4 looks amazing - I really don't get the criticism of the graphics at all, what a world we live in eh?

Bummed that Dishonored only got a CG trailer as well - maybe it'll be at one of the main conferences. This e3 is going to bonkers.
 
So Fallout 4 looks amazing - I really don't get the criticism of the graphics at all, what a world we live in eh?

Bummed that Dishonored only got a CG trailer as well - maybe it'll be at one of the main conferences. This e3 is going to bonkers.
I almost never preorder anymore (well AAA games, I preordered MegaSphere :p) but I'm very close to preordering Fallout 4. That gameplay demo was just incredible.
 
I almost never preorder anymore (well AAA games, I preordered MegaSphere :p) but I'm very close to preordering Fallout 4. That gameplay demo was just incredible.

It really was - I've been playing through New Vegas and there's something about those games tonally that resonates with me. Bethesda games in general, in fact, have something about them too, something in the way the world is built that makes them a blast to explore.

I might pre-order. Having said that - this is only day 0 of E3. The fun starts tonight!

Also I bought Hardlands - it's pretty cool!
 
It really was - I've been playing through New Vegas and there's something about those games tonally that resonates with me. Bethesda games in general, in fact, have something about them too, something in the way the world is built that makes them a blast to explore.
It was just one megaton (pun intended) after another. Awesome new character editor, amazing new world, amazing atmosphere, third person doesn't look like shit...wait now, you can build your own wasteland settlement...wait, you can customize your weapons to an insane degrees...wait, shooting looks fun now and freaking jet packs and Iron Man-style Brotherhood power armor

Anyway, back to indie stuff, new Rain World video, showing off the E3 build
 
It was just one megaton (pun intended) after another. Awesome new character editor, amazing new world, amazing atmosphere, third person doesn't look like shit...wait now, you can build your own wasteland settlement...wait, you can customize your weapons to an insane degrees...wait, shooting looks fun now and freaking jet packs and Iron Man-style Brotherhood power armor

And VATs looks great!

Anyway, back to indie stuff, new Rain World video, showing off the E3 build

This looks better by the day.

Edit

Two questions (since I have no understanding of the game at all) is the rain dynamic or does it appear at set times in particular levels? Also why does he die at the end? Does he drown? Is the rain deadly?
 
And VATs looks great!



This looks better by the day.

Edit

Two questions (since I have no understanding of the game at all) is the rain dynamic or does it appear at set times in particular levels? Also why does he die at the end? Does he drown? Is the rain deadly?
Kind of dynamic and the rain essentially acts as an in-game timer. Better get back to a shelter before the rain reaches full force or you'll be battered to death or drowned. As you're playing, the clouds are shifting and the world grows steadily darker as the storm clouds roll in and the ground begins rumbling from thunder. That's the core gameplay loop. Leave your shelter, explore, gather food, etc. get back to safety before the next rainfall

I posted this summary of the game a few month ago in the main thread
Rain World is a platformer with a focus on stealth, exploration, atmosphere, and AI. Rain batters the surface periodically, crushing and killing everything, so between downpours, you need to leave your den and gather food while evading and dealing with predators. The game will consist of an open world with 12 regions, from the dark underground to the canopy where vultures roam, and different areas and creatures will offer different challenges. The upper regions more on platforming, the sewers with water and swimming and avoiding leeches and using snails, etc. The big thing here is the interaction between species; the game is almost puzzle like in that aspect. If you know how species will react to each other and in certain situations, you can use that to your advantage

So the core gameplay has you exploring the world, gathering food, and finding shelters before the rain comes. While you do have limited moveset, the devs are working on expanding that with more items. For example, snails let out of stunning shockwave when disturbed so you can use them like grenades to gain a few seconds to escape from predators or pacify a swarm of leeches. Another idea was being able to knock the skull covering off a vulture's head and carry it around to ward off lizards.

You're prey in this world. You're supposed to feel outnumbered, outmatched, and pretty much always on the back foot against lizards and vultures and other things. Fleeing and hiding is usually your best option. Your agility is your greatest advantage. When you see a vulture shadow sweep across the screen or a white lizard reveals itself, it's always tense.

But as you master the game and your skillset, you become more proficient. Rather than running away, you could lure a lizard, backflip over it when it charges, and use a stone to knock off a ledge. Or spear a lizard to a wall to distract another hungry predators. The devs have likened the game to a metroidvania; instead of new gear keeping you from areas, it's your own skill. Once you're a better player, you can reach new areas you couldn't before, take on odds and enemies that would have killed you
The idea behind the world is that some intelligent civilization once lived here but is gone now. Nature has reclaimed the cities and infrastructure and you're a small part of an ecosystem thriving in this industrial jungle. Everything interacts, with or without your presence. You'll enter a room and see lizards fighting for dominance or vultures hunting or cicadas following migrating bats back to their nests
 
Considering how long it's been in development, I rarely see anyhing on GAF about Nuclear Throne. I just picked it up a few days ago and oh god I love it so much. Tons of weapons which feel distinct from one another, great characters with unique playstyles, difficulty that ramps up quickly + instant restarts all smothered in Vlambeer screenshake. It's easily their best game.

If I had to complain, it would be about the 30 FPS thing but that goes for all of Vlambeer's stuff.
 
Have an LP of Poly Bridge here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKWSO5zEU3Y

It's quite like other physics based bridge builders. To its credit the hexeled voxel look is very pleasing and the UX is incredibly streamlined. Definitely one of the most polished physics bridge builders I've ever played. It's also not janky physics that makes those games funny. Instead they only seem to apply minor tread magnetism, but overall there can still be funny moments that happen, but it isn't because of the physics engine. Instead it's because of the well done presentation.
 
So Fallout 4 looks amazing - I really don't get the criticism of the graphics at all, what a world we live in eh?

Bummed that Dishonored only got a CG trailer as well - maybe it'll be at one of the main conferences. This e3 is going to bonkers.

While I don't care about Bethesda games at all the graphics seemed fine. We live in a world where publisher/devs release bullshots or trailers that later on need to be down scaled to be able to run on appropriate hardware, people will complain if a game is downgraded and people will complain if the game actually shows how it's and don't meet the overly exaggerated expectations they have.
 
So um... yeah last night happened. I am unashamed to say I lost my shit a little - Final Fantasy 7 is the first game I ever bought with my own money. £49.99 from Woolworths.

As for indie stuff - the show was packed and I guess it's a shame we didn't see much, but over the next couple of days we should see a lot more. A couple of those Devolver games didn't do anything for me at all though.
 
:) You just reminded me of my purchase of FF7.

Was managing a group of field engineers and asked one of them to nip into out local toy store that also sold the games to pick it up for me.

My boss got wind of it and confiscated it from me till finishing time(was a m8 but a bit of a cock too at times)

Interesting to see how much bigger a part indies (and PC gaming in both MS/Sony Shows) are playing now.

We maybe didn't see a huge amount in terms of content but the big console players know that having them on their system is as big a pull to some as the latest AAA title is.
 
TIS-100 Design competition: https://www.reddit.com/r/tis100/comments/3a271m/contest_design_a_puzzle_for_the_upcoming_bonus/

Today's update includes the specification editor, which lets you create your own puzzles for TIS-100. I want to put together a bonus campaign of 25 user-created puzzles, so I need you to learn how the specification editor works and create some kickass puzzles!
Email your submissions to zach@zachtronics.com sometime before July 1st, 2015. If you have any ideas or questions, discuss them here in the comments! I'll be answering technical questions if you get stuck.
 
Started writing for Pocket Gamer; pretty cool, got to check out This War of Mine and Door Kickers on iPad. Games translated really well to touch
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Sector Six - Free alpha (PC)
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http://gamesbyzuurix.weebly.com/games.html

Sector Six is elegant and innovative shooter/RPG hybrid. Build your own spaceship from procedurally generated parts and battle machines to save your universe from destruction!
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We don't often feature mobile games, so you know when I post one, it's probably something cool. Been playing the alpha and I'd say it could end up being the Proteus of mobile. Well, at least in its current form; the dev wants to add enemies and environment hazards later.
But now it's just zen flying through varied biomes. Through caves, around frozen glaciers, above forests and jungles. Very fun to simply explore and fly and take in the environment

Fugl - 2015 (IOS)
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http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=246999

A flying game in 60 fps featuring procedural voxel terrain that really tries to nail the wonderous feeling of flight.
 
We don't often feature mobile games, so you know when I post one, it's probably something cool. Been playing the alpha and I'd say it could end up being the Proteus of mobile. Well, at least in its current form; the dev wants to add enemies and environment hazards later.
But now it's just zen flying through varied biomes. Through caves, around frozen glaciers, above forests and jungles. Very fun to simply explore and fly and take in the environment

Fugl - 2015 (IOS)

I was so close to pulling the trigger on an iPad the other night but then my friend convinced me upgrading my PC would be a better purchase. Then you post things like that, then Fallout comes to iOS.

Why is life so hard?
 
I was so close to pulling the trigger on an iPad the other night but then my friend convinced me upgrading my PC would be a better purchase. Then you post things like that, then Fallout comes to iOS.

Why is life so hard?
Eh, Fallout's kind of meh. You're not missing out much

But Simogo (Device 6, Year Walk) is working on three new games. And there's a cool Outrun-inspired game in dev with music from Barry Leitch
 
Quick heads up: Distant worlds is currently a flash sale. The game had a steam deal last month, but 50% is still the highest sale it ever got (I believe):

I wanted to write up a text and thread for why this game deserves much more love, but I still didnt get around to do it. I WILL eventually, but if you love 4X games, you definitely should ponder picking this up, as its very, very unique in its approach that lets you basically completely automate all aspects, is NOT turn based (dont worry, thats not a bad thing. since you can pause it anytime to give orders it still plays similarly) and just generally MASSIVE.

It has some very interesting features, like independent trading factions/ships that affect your economy, character traits and progression (for scientist, leaders, generals, spies..) , SPACE MONSTERS, Pirates, the ability to PLAY AS PIRATES, like 30 different resources, and a very engaging ship building feature.

The game felt much too daunting for me at first, but eventually I managed to "get" it and noticed its not even remotely as difficult as I imagined it to be at first. I simply approached it the wrong way. I will write about this some more and hopefully manage to explain how to tackle learning this game, but in the meantime: If you like 4X, buy this.
 
Hand of Fate impressions:

I cant believe how good this game is. Abridged version (unless someone wants more details on something):


At its core it a roguelike action adventure. You have a deck of cards, from which you'll draw random events. Those events play out as text, sometimes random choices (which might even be affected by items you have equipped), for example: "You met this guy, will you help him?" and then depending on your choices, you get a reward, nothing or you might need to participate in a fight. For fights, the game switches to a 3D perspective and you are then tasked to defeat enemies with the cards you have equipped (sort of works like the Batman combat). The combat isnt stellar, but it works, as different enemy units (ranged, abilities) mean you need to adjust quite often, and especially the bosses might get you to rethink your base counter/attack strategy.

That in return gives you more rewards, which might be cards to put into your deck. That way, you can add more and more varied weapons and event cards to your deck for each playthrough.

The whole setup is just so refreshingly unique and well thought out. You do not only gain more weapons as you progress, but also unlock more events and more challenges that you potentially encounter, bit by bit. Meaning there is plenty of content that you wont even see in the beginning and it will take a while to get through every bit of content. The fact that you need to actively choose which items to put in your deck also makes you experiment more with weird abilities that you happen to draw.

I will play more of this, but I am very, very, very happy I bought it.
 
I checked back a few months and didn't see this mentioned in any of the first pages back through March, but I also don't recall where I read about this from. Whipped up a little ditty for Tomabot just in case:


Tonight You Die - Free (PC/Mac/Linux)
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http://duendegames.com/tonightyoudie/

Dense, suffocating, paralyzing. Tonight You Die is an experimental short experience that serves as an interactive music video of sorts for the band GRYPT. With only slip of paper containing the game's title as your guide, you wander around a dark brutalist landscape with a sense of paranoia creeping in as the sensory overload sets in. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Should be played multiple times, as it appears there are several maps or a randomization element at hand.
 
Toma, do you think the Wildcards DLC is worth it? I saw you picked it up, but I'm not sure how it affects the game

Depends how you define "worth". Each of those Wildcards potentially increases the replayability of the game by quite a bit, as they are completely different modifiers to the game. One wildcard might for example change that you cannot heal, another one does another random effect that stays active for the whole playthrough. They are interesting, but not essential. I think the discounted price is fine and I dont regret picking it up, I wouldnt recommend the DLC full price though.

Edit: I am still playing btw, seriously addictive.
 
Depends how you define "worth". Each of those Wildcards potentially increases the replayability of the game by quite a bit, as they are completely different modifiers to the game. One wildcard might for example change that you cannot heal, another one does another random effect that stays active for the whole playthrough. They are interesting, but not essential. I think the discounted price is fine and I dont regret picking it up, I wouldnt recommend the DLC full price though.

Edit: I am still playing btw, seriously addictive.

This is the only thing on this set of deals that has interested me so far - your good impressions might have swayed me!
 
Thats not how sales work.

My bank balance has learned that lesson the hard way.

Hoping that now I nearly have two sales under my belt it will get a little easier!!!!

Mind you all these great indie games being released somehow I think things are going to get worse......
 
My bank balance has learned that lesson the hard way.

Hoping that now I nearly have two sales under my belt it will get a little easier!!!!

Mind you all these great indie games being released somehow I think things are going to get worse......

I used to buy any game that went below $5. But now that my backlog is longer than my lifespan, I only buy things I know I will play, which isn't much.

Plus I convince myself it will be in a bundle sooner or later.
 
I was like that with 360 games anything i was interested in that reached the sub £10(depending on the game) or £5 then it was hoard hoard hoard. TBH i'm just as bad on steam.

Need to get over that must buy a bundle feeling!!!!
 
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