Indie Games [April] Now Voting - Post 635!

It'd be interesting to hear impressions of Carp Life, as that's the only non-free game in the "bundle". Really like the concept though!

Yeah, I dunno. They don't accept PayPal, so I think I'll give it a miss.

Tried Gurney, which was ok. You're in a hospital bed, trying to stay alive by memorizing and typing bite-size prayers.

SpyParity and Proteas did nothing for me though.
 
Rhythm Destruction, Humans Must Answer and Syder Arcade. All 3 are great and are different enough to stand out.

Rhythm Destruction
I bought Rhythm Destruction last night. I didn't know shmups and rhythm games could go well together. Game comes with 10 songs...and what's great is that I've heard these songs before, lol, so understanding the rhythm is not a problem. That doesn't mean the game is easy, though.

In terms of the rhythm, everything SEEMS on beat. You'll know you got a perfect on a note when you see the word "PHENOMENAL" in green in the top right corner. If you want to increase your score even more, you'll have to get close to the enemy when you're about to hit the note. You can also pick up orbs to increase your score. If you want, you can hang back and concentrate on dodging things and get 100% (if you hit all the notes) but you won't have a great score. So if you're like me and enjoy competing on the leaderboards, you'll have to get as near to the enemies as you can when you kill them.

In terms of the shmup side, things haven't been too bad. Don't expect bullet hell madness lol but who knows how the later levels will be. I'm currently on stage 3. Enemies only shoot (for the most part) when a rhythm note comes up. You have some obstacles to dodge but again, nothing to bad right now.

Humans Must Answer
Humans Must Answer is a pretty game. Haven't bought it..yet. Instead of going down a linear path of stages, you can choose different paths. Even though they may end up at the same place, at least they give you a little bit of freedom.

There are hidden and bonus eggs in each stage which are used in the shop. They also give you some replay value if you enjoy collecting everything.

You have 2 main weapons. Both are machine guns. 1 of them drains ammo but recharges automatically. The other gun takes down shielded enemies but DOESN'T recharge (unless you pick up more ammo). The first gun CAN take down shielded enemies but not as quick as the other gun.

There are a number of weapons as well as a slow-mo item, shield and a turrent you can put down but explodes after a few seconds (but you seem to have an unlimited supply of them..unless I missed something).

There are 4 difficulties. I tried very hard (the hardest difficulty) and the big difference is that you'll die in 1 or 2 hits. Your health is at 2 compared to 30 or more in the easier difficulties. I can definitely see this game becoming a challenge in the later levels.

Syder Arcade
This game is available on IOS and the Mac App Store but there is a demo for Win/Mac if you're interested.

From reading the description, there are only 6 levels. The least out of the 3 games I've mentioned. Only 1 survival level.

When I first played (using my 360 controller) the controls were inverted, but I just went into options and reconfigured it and all is fine now.

I jumped straight into Survival mode. Easily one of the best mode for these types of games. 1 life to last as long as you can. Enemies coming at you from the left AND right so you'll be switching your ship around often. There's a map on the top right corner so you'll know where they are coming from. You have your machine gun and a laser/shield that you need to charge up first to use. There are powerups to get when you kill enemies that make your weapons stronger..increase your speed..etc.

There are online leaderboards. Even in the demo, you can compete in the Survival leaderboards (but I'm not sure if this is separate from the paid version).

I haven't put too much time into the campaign but that's because I think Survival is great and it's hard for me, personally, to play anything else, lol.

Each game is on Steam Greenlight (and I voted for each one). IMO, the best out of the bunch is Humans Must Answer. Definitely try the demo for that one. RhythmDestruction is unique. Being that I'm a fan of both genres, I had to give it a chance. Syder Arcade (at least the Survival Mode) gives me that geometry wars/super stardust "one more try" feel. It's because I'm a big leaderboard freak with games like these.
 
Oha, did you guys see this game? Just jumped on my anticipation list, called Ghost of a Tale:


Basically a 3D action adventure game starring a mouse fighting against undead rats. Watch the trailer, this looks seriously cool. Too bad the first game wont be all that big, since the dev is operating on a rather tight budget so far, but this is super charming.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sOi04BRQI1k#!

Indiegogo campaign (still running for 35 days):
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ghost-of-a-tale


Lovely! I am tempted to make a PC game next. Something that uses a bit of GPU power.
 
Btw, has anyone tried They Breathe? It's currently on Greenlight, but I've been thinking about picking it up somewhere else.

I was part of the development team (sound design). I would describe it as a game that tells a story without a single line of dialogue. It's also kind of an exploration experience, gameplay-wise. I may be a bit biased here, but I really find the game clever at spots in that sense. It has a nice atmosphere too (at least that's what I've been told).
Some people found it a bit frustrating (lack of save points etc), but it's been patched and improved since then. Hope you give it a try. :)
 
I was part of the development team (sound design). I would describe it as a game that tells a story without a single line of dialogue. It's also kind of an exploration experience, gameplay-wise. I may be a bit biased here, but I really find the game clever at spots in that sense. It has a nice atmosphere too (at least that's what I've been told).
Some people found it a bit frustrating (lack of save points etc), but it's been patched and improved since then. Hope you give it a try. :)

Thanks for your answer. It looks like my kind of thing, so I'll definitely pick it up at some point.


Katabasis - Downloaded for free from Desura.

Taken from the official website:

Katabasis is a game about enigma, exploration, and myth. It is about a father, a son, and ancient gods. The player possesses a father who has taken his estranged young son on a trip into the Russian wilderness. He must simply wander through wilderness environments and architectural spaces, while attempting to understand things that might not be understandable.

This game was my senior thesis project to graduate with my degree in Game Art.

Finally, exploratory horror game without cheap scares and unnecessary mechanics, which only drive you away from the core of the experience. Even though, there's no typical gameplay, through this journey in search for your lost son, I've never felt bored, not for a second. The sense of unknown is enough reason to keep going forward, with feelings of loneliness and despair as your only companions. Eerie stuff, well recommended.

TylerSnell_Katabasis09_SFW.jpg

__________________


The Vanishing of Ethan Carter - Interesting upcoming game from the ex-People Can Fly devs.

Website

Screenshot

Inspired by the weird fiction stories and other tales of macabre of the early 20th century, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a game to be played at night, alone, and in headphones. With The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, The Astronauts – a team comprised of People Can Fly (Bulletstorm, Painkiller) veterans – aim to evolve immersive storytelling in games. It’s set for release on PC via digital distributors in 2013.

As a detective with the supernatural ability to visualize scenes of lethal crimes, you investigate the kidnapping of a young boy, hoping to save him before it’s too late. The investigation leads you to a beautiful mountain area, where you come across a severely mutilated body of one of the kidnappers. Using both your paranormal skill and modern detective tools you discover the mystery behind the trail of corpses in the valley, the roots of an ancient force ruling the area, and the fate of the kidnapped boy.

“What we care about the most is that the players feel like they’re really there. Immersion is our number one priority”, said the game’s designer, Adrian Chmielarz. “It’s a game about exploration and discovery. We’re not abandoning the gameplay – on the contrary: we’re trying to strip it down to the bone and make sure it’s always meaningful and truly makes the experience better.”

Looks like a ''Notgame'' from the guys who made Bulletstorm - who would have thought...
 
Looks like a ''Notgame'' from the guys who made Bulletstorm - who would have thought...
"We’re not abandoning the gameplay – on the contrary: we’re trying to strip it down to the bone and make sure it’s always meaningful and truly makes the experience better."

from that it sounds like they're not making a nongame, just maybe a very narrative-oriented one. something like limbo comes to mind.
 
"We’re not abandoning the gameplay – on the contrary: we’re trying to strip it down to the bone and make sure it’s always meaningful and truly makes the experience better."

from that it sounds like they're not making a nongame, just maybe a very narrative-oriented one. something like limbo comes to mind.

The term Notgame doesn't imply that there is no mechanics in any form involved - it's just a design philosophy; heck, it's not even possible to do so. For me, it looks like they're going in that direction.
 
The term Notgame doesn't imply that there is no mechanics in any form involved - it's just a design philosophy; heck, it's not even possible to do so. For me, it looks like they're going in that direction.
well something like dear esther is a no holds barred nongame.

something like limbo isn't.
 
Just wanted to quickly plug NIGORO's (the guys behind La-Mulana) new game: Future Development Company.

mirai.jpg


It's a mix of corporate management sim and tower defense. It's in Flash like many of NIGORO's other games (Rose & Camelia, Mekuri Master). You essentially are given an objective depending on the map you undertake, and build buildings and pipelines to research and build what you need.

You also put together gun batteries to defend your structure from nefarious aliens.

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The game is free to play on NIGORO's site: http://nigoro.jp/en/games/mirai/

It is awesome and you all should play it (and I'm not just saying that because I do business with NIGORO)
 
Just a heads up, there's a new indie bundle with the best developer in the world. For less than $5 you can get flotilla, air forte, atom zombie smasher, Gravity Bone and Thirty loves of flying.
 
well if no real mechanics other than walking around and being spoonfed a story like in dear esther then my interest has been pummeled to the ground.

Sorry to destroy your hype. I don't know what it is exactly - he just said that it's not a survival horror, more like adventure with emphasis on atmosphere and exploration, but definitely not adventure game in a classical way.
 
Found his post about Bioshock Infinite opening, that may give a hint what they are trying to achieve.

...And it’s exactly at this point – when the game reminds me for the seventh time that it’s just a game – that I have to quit and write this.

I am not angry at the game itself. Bioshock Infinite is not the first, and not the last game to be gamey. Hell, every single game I’ve done so far was gamey, and I am sure my next game will have some gamisms as well.

I hope not too many.
 
In my continuing efforts to play every indie game which has screen wrapping in some form, I found this rather charming little game Vertigo. I've found it a little odd, but rather enjoyable so far, check it out if you like some puzzle platformer action.
 
Sorry to destroy your hype. I don't know what it is exactly - he just said that it's not a survival horror, more like adventure with emphasis on atmosphere and exploration, but definitely not adventure game in a classical way.
it's alright, I'll give it a chance when it's out, probably, maybe.
 
The Oil Blue is a game I like, but I don't really know why. It is a kind of compilation of mini-games, some of which are tedious, but they fit well with the the theme, the graphics and the music. It is a rather casual game.

The Oil Blue is on sale on Desura: 2.25$ or 1.75€. If you happen to buy it and like it, consider upvoting it on Greenlight.


Edit: I forgot, but the game was also previously sold on IndieGameStand for minimum 1$.
 
The Oil Blue is a game I like, but I don't really know why. It is a kind of compilation of mini-games, some of which are tedious, but they fit well with the the theme, the graphics and the music. It is a rather casual game.
Made by our very own chubigans even.
 
Might give Oil Blue a try, it sounds fairly compelling. Also, daily reminder for moving on VESPER.5, sorry for slacking off on some of those days.
 
Might give Oil Blue a try, it sounds fairly compelling. Also, daily reminder for moving on VESPER.5, sorry for slacking off on some of those days.

I think I forgot to move once. Moved for today!
 
The first contest will end in 3 days, I took out the second one, and will put up a new one in 3 days.
 
Papers, Please is up on Greenlight now. Go vote!

You can chill out behind the bar.

And how do you feel about MOABD?

Ok so I left this post in a tab open on my laptop for a long time and then totally forgot to get back to it. BUT NO LONGER:


Memory of a Broken Dimension is everything I was hoping for from the trailers and more. It's bleak and chaotic and exactly what I'd imagine a computer would look like if all it knew was Autechre and drone music while staring at pages of Stephen O'Malley's art. I felt entirely oppressed by the world but there was a warm sense of familiarity to everything I can't really explain. There's nothing quite like this out there but at the same time it relates to so much.


The world and its rules are confusing at first but once you understand what the game wants from you it becomes a somewhat competent puzzler where you are more coming to terms with how travelling between cells functions and the reason why you're solidifying rocks in the different areas. Even with a method to its madness, there's still plenty of mystery as to why things are the way they are and it only serves to make you want to progress forward to learn more. By the time the end of the demo hit, I knew I was going to go through it at least a few more times that day.


MOABD resonates with a damaged segment of me as well as plays to the memories I have of my first keystrokes in DOS - being completely lost and ignorant of what anything did but learning the ins and outs as I went along. I'll never forget when my parents understood that computers were going to become my thing, when I launched Windows for Workgroups off the DOS computer we had. They had no idea it was on there, and neither did the guy who sold it to us. Between that, my love of drone/shoegaze and glitchy electronic music as well as the generally nihilistic aesthetics the game calls to, it still remains to be one of my most anticipated games of the upcoming year. I think it has the potential to be as great of a mind bending puzzler as Antichamber, but I don't think it will get the same press attention due to its brash presentation that will turn off many who aren't into the same stuff as people like me.

It's also one of the more frightening games I've played, beating out most modern horror with a simplicity in approach. It doesn't need jump scares to unsettle.

 
Memory of a Broken Dimension is everything I was hoping for from the trailers and more. It's bleak and chaotic and exactly what I'd imagine a computer would look like if all it knew was Autechre and drone music while staring at pages of Stephen O'Malley's art. I felt entirely oppressed by the world but there was a warm sense of familiarity to everything I can't really explain. There's nothing quite like this out there but at the same time it relates to so much.

An amazing looking game for sure, don't think I have ever seen anyone make a game using such an unconventional 'artstyle' (used for lack of a better word). Gonna stick it on my 'things to watch' list for sure.

Also, sure I kept seeing faces in the static. Dunno if it was put in or if it is just my mind playing tricks on me. Brrrr.
 
Memory of a Broken Dimension is everything I was hoping for from the trailers and more. It's bleak and chaotic and exactly what I'd imagine a computer would look like if all it knew was Autechre and drone music while staring at pages of Stephen O'Malley's art. I felt entirely oppressed by the world but there was a warm sense of familiarity to everything I can't really explain. There's nothing quite like this out there but at the same time it relates to so much.

The world and its rules are confusing at first but once you understand what the game wants from you it becomes a somewhat competent puzzler where you are more coming to terms with how travelling between cells functions and the reason why you're solidifying rocks in the different areas. Even with a method to its madness, there's still plenty of mystery as to why things are the way they are and it only serves to make you want to progress forward to learn more. By the time the end of the demo hit, I knew I was going to go through it at least a few more times that day.

MOABD resonates with a damaged segment of me as well as plays to the memories I have of my first keystrokes in DOS - being completely lost and ignorant of what anything did but learning the ins and outs as I went along. I'll never forget when my parents understood that computers were going to become my thing, when I launched Windows for Workgroups off the DOS computer we had. They had no idea it was on there, and neither did the guy who sold it to us. Between that, my love of drone/shoegaze and glitchy electronic music as well as the generally nihilistic aesthetics the game calls to, it still remains to be one of my most anticipated games of the upcoming year. I think it has the potential to be as great of a mind bending puzzler as Antichamber, but I don't think it will get the same press attention due to its brash presentation that will turn off many who aren't into the same stuff as people like me.

It's also one of the more frightening games I've played, beating out most modern horror with a simplicity in approach. It doesn't need jump scares to unsettle.

Thanks for your impressions, I had similar experience to yours. The senastion of beeing lost in the beginning and gradually learning, only by yourself, how the world is constructed and how it operates resonates deeply with my natural curiosity. I know the demo is just an introduction, but I hope that the full game will focus more on unveiling the mechanisms behind this creation, than simply opening new paths.

As for the presentation, in contrary to you, I think it may become the main selling point of the game - it's so unique in its harshness, that it will draw attention of anyone even remotely interested in video games.
 
We Are in the Woods - Have you seen the dark French fairy tale The City of Lost Children, if so, than this intriguing experiment on perspective may ring some bells. I thought about this idea many times before, so it's really great to see someone has done something creative with it. Try it, it's not very long.

http://woods.dpupp.com/

 
Papers, Please is up on Greenlight now. Go vote!



Ok so I left this post in a tab open on my laptop for a long time and then totally forgot to get back to it. BUT NO LONGER:



Memory of a Broken Dimension is everything I was hoping for from the trailers and more. It's bleak and chaotic and exactly what I'd imagine a computer would look like if all it knew was Autechre and drone music while staring at pages of Stephen O'Malley's art. I felt entirely oppressed by the world but there was a warm sense of familiarity to everything I can't really explain. There's nothing quite like this out there but at the same time it relates to so much.



The world and its rules are confusing at first but once you understand what the game wants from you it becomes a somewhat competent puzzler where you are more coming to terms with how travelling between cells functions and the reason why you're solidifying rocks in the different areas. Even with a method to its madness, there's still plenty of mystery as to why things are the way they are and it only serves to make you want to progress forward to learn more. By the time the end of the demo hit, I knew I was going to go through it at least a few more times that day.



MOABD resonates with a damaged segment of me as well as plays to the memories I have of my first keystrokes in DOS - being completely lost and ignorant of what anything did but learning the ins and outs as I went along. I'll never forget when my parents understood that computers were going to become my thing, when I launched Windows for Workgroups off the DOS computer we had. They had no idea it was on there, and neither did the guy who sold it to us. Between that, my love of drone/shoegaze and glitchy electronic music as well as the generally nihilistic aesthetics the game calls to, it still remains to be one of my most anticipated games of the upcoming year. I think it has the potential to be as great of a mind bending puzzler as Antichamber, but I don't think it will get the same press attention due to its brash presentation that will turn off many who aren't into the same stuff as people like me.

It's also one of the more frightening games I've played, beating out most modern horror with a simplicity in approach. It doesn't need jump scares to unsettle.
looks great

how long is papers, please?
 
Ok so I left this post in a tab open on my laptop for a long time and then totally forgot to get back to it. BUT NO LONGER:



Memory of a Broken Dimension is everything I was hoping for from the trailers and more. It's bleak and chaotic and exactly what I'd imagine a computer would look like if all it knew was Autechre and drone music while staring at pages of Stephen O'Malley's art. I felt entirely oppressed by the world but there was a warm sense of familiarity to everything I can't really explain. There's nothing quite like this out there but at the same time it relates to so much.



The world and its rules are confusing at first but once you understand what the game wants from you it becomes a somewhat competent puzzler where you are more coming to terms with how travelling between cells functions and the reason why you're solidifying rocks in the different areas. Even with a method to its madness, there's still plenty of mystery as to why things are the way they are and it only serves to make you want to progress forward to learn more. By the time the end of the demo hit, I knew I was going to go through it at least a few more times that day.



MOABD resonates with a damaged segment of me as well as plays to the memories I have of my first keystrokes in DOS - being completely lost and ignorant of what anything did but learning the ins and outs as I went along. I'll never forget when my parents understood that computers were going to become my thing, when I launched Windows for Workgroups off the DOS computer we had. They had no idea it was on there, and neither did the guy who sold it to us. Between that, my love of drone/shoegaze and glitchy electronic music as well as the generally nihilistic aesthetics the game calls to, it still remains to be one of my most anticipated games of the upcoming year. I think it has the potential to be as great of a mind bending puzzler as Antichamber, but I don't think it will get the same press attention due to its brash presentation that will turn off many who aren't into the same stuff as people like me.

It's also one of the more frightening games I've played, beating out most modern horror with a simplicity in approach. It doesn't need jump scares to unsettle.

Is there a link directly to MOABD? I've tried to play it a few times, but always find myself linked in circles.
 
Any good mouse or touch indie games that would work well on a surface pro? I have the type cover but i'd love to be able to use mouse or touch screen controls.

I like the looks of Cart Life and Sword of the Stars: The Pit and am looking for more RPG or rogue-like games or some strategy/world-building type games.
 
Chasm Kickstarter is live.

uNFJYY9.png


$15 for the game. A bit too high for me to pledge instantly.

GDC demo is available to download now, so I'll be trying it soon.

Edit: It's pretty cool. Was more like Castlevania than Metroid to me with the throwing knife subweapon you get.
 
Chasm Kickstarter is live.

uNFJYY9.png


$15 for the game. A bit too high for me to pledge instantly.

GDC demo is available to download now, so I'll be trying it soon.

Edit: It's pretty cool. Was more like Castlevania than Metroid to me with the throwing knife subweapon you get.

Played the demo as well, found it just as fun as I was hoping, however my controller for PC is currently broken and the keyboard control scheme is a bit odd for what I'm used to. Definitely an interesting game, might consider a pledge sometime before the kickstarter finishes.
 
papers, please is pretty great, I really liked how cramped it felt like you're sitting in a small desk ruffling through a pile of documents and papers trying to find a reason not to allow those people in.

it was very hard to let some people out, that guy that kept coming with the old papers just broke my heart and I just let him in eventually out of pity.

really well done, republia times was already really good, but this is even better.
 
Chasm Kickstarter is live.

uNFJYY9.png


$15 for the game. A bit too high for me to pledge instantly.

GDC demo is available to download now, so I'll be trying it soon.

Edit: It's pretty cool. Was more like Castlevania than Metroid to me with the throwing knife subweapon you get.

Just bopped my way through the demo, and found it enjoyable too. Their is a brutal-ness which I appreachate. You really can't survive many hits and your swing animation on your first weapon does leave you mega exposed if you miss time it. Dunno if you get a backdash as a later move, but I did find myself wanting something like that early on.
 
Played the demo as well, found it just as fun as I was hoping, however my controller for PC is currently broken and the keyboard control scheme is a bit odd for what I'm used to. Definitely an interesting game, might consider a pledge sometime before the kickstarter finishes.

Yeah, the keyboard controls were enough for me to switch to gamepad, despite the demo being pretty short.
 
Well according to the comments of the devs on the greenlight page they are aware of the keyboard problems however they had focused on gamepad controls for GDC.

Also backed!
 
Hands up who'd be fine with me including Cities in Motion 2 in next months thread. Technically its Paradox published, but actually its just a small studio creating it under the Paradox Flag. No clue how to decide that, so I'll just use the easy way out and ask you guys :p
 
Hands up who'd be fine with me including Cities in Motion 2 in next months thread. Technically its Paradox published, but actually its just a small studio creating it under the Paradox Flag. No clue how to decide that, so I'll just use the easy way out and ask you guys :p

I'd have no objection. The entire publisher/no publisher definition (although technically true), is a rather outdated way of defining what is and isn't indie. I generally rule that if you keep the team size to at maximum about 10 or less and the publisher (if got one) influence to minimum minimum zero then you are an indie outlet.

Also, just moved on VESPER.5, remember your moves anyone else who is on the pilgrimage.
 
I've been playing Treasure Adventure Game. The game was released in 2011 and I'm enjoying it so far. It kinda remind me of Cave Story, there are a lot to explore and discovery and day/night cycle that influence the NPC's and enemies.

Fantastic game, cant wait for the remake.

I'd have no objection. The entire publisher/no publisher definition (although technically true), is a rather outdated way of defining what is and isn't indie. I generally rule that if you keep the team size to at maximum about 10 or less and the publisher (if got one) influence to minimum minimum zero then you are an indie outlet.

Also, just moved on VESPER.5, remember your moves anyone else who is on the pilgrimage.

Thanks for the input :)

No one is bored enough to take the screenshot saturday posts off of me, right? I really would love to keep them, but they cost around 2-3 hours each week.
 
Just to check in and report my indie activity for the last weeks. Reprisal is a very good time waster and on top of that a very competent god game with some nice godly powers to cause some mayhem on non-believers and bring fortune and expansion on our people. It will go on my top list for April for sure.

USOUibd.jpg


Buy from here

Death Inc. after the failed Kickstarter it turned back to a more traditional Alpha funding system and after playing the alpha build I can say that this game has great potential to become great. Still some pathfinding issues, and I feel there should be an easier/quicker way to select different "units", but there's already a glimpse of great fun in there. Go check it out!

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Buy from here
 
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