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Indie Games [December] Now Voting - Post 741!

They seem to be pretty against the idea of online co-op in the game quite frankly.
Legend of Dungeon devs were the same, because they said to add online co-op at this point would be far too time consuming and difficult, and take time away from the content expansion they're working on

Personally I never understand those on the Steam discussion who won't buy a game if it's not online. I definitely wont buy a MP only game, but local MP is great and Samurai Gunn has single player as well
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
Legend of Dungeon devs were the same, because they said to add online co-op at this point would be far too time consuming and difficult, and take time away from the content expansion they're working on

Personally I never understand those on the Steam discussion who won't buy a game if it's not online. I definitely wont buy a MP only game, but local MP is great and Samurai Gunn has single player as well

Local MP is not always possible for people, online play is taken for granted and I don't really see an issue with not wanting to buy a game if it's focus is on multiplayer that you can't take advantage of.

In this case, Samurai Gunn won't end up on my games list as I have no interest in the limited endurance single player mode and I don't have people come over so its multi is functionally useless. I'm fine with them not wanting it in, just means my tenner will go to someone else.
 

Twinduct

Member
Awesome pixel graphics and an atmospheric tone/lighting? Another sci-fi roguelike? This looks great, wishlisted

It's pretty decent. Only had 4 runs (First three ending on the first level Last run got to level three/ four. Saved and will play on later).

I really dig the art style and the game feels/ runs really well. Pretty decent for an 'alpha' so far, if not slightly content limited (been seeing too many of the same rooms).

I also dig the concept (mash up of genres) and it's been pretty fair/ fun so far. From what I gather it kinda becomes a puzzle once you find the exit. Figuring out which rooms to power up (with the limited resources) and the best way to make your 'core' runner get to the room without getting killed.

Once you pick up the core there is a constant stream of enemies and rooms start powering down from the core room.

Out of the 7 current heroes (which is randomly given to you when you start) I've found the melee dude to be the best. Fast as hell and lvl to 5 it's pretty beasty.

Anyway enjoying it so far and looking forward to see how it evolves.
 

Gazoinks

Member
Random recommendation question: Is there such a thing as a squad-based roguelike? I love roguelikes and I love squad-based turn-based combat, so a mixture seems like it'd be awesome. Any roguelikes where you control more than one dude?
 
Okay IndieStatik just sold me on Samurai Gunn
But wait; there’s a single-player Survival Mode, and it’s worth the gold doubloons you earn through menial labor by itself. It really, really is.

Imagine a western samurai movie, with cinematic widescreen black bars top and bottom, narrowing the view to focus on the horizon. There’s epic guitar noodling over a dusty desert that’s lit by a red dusk creeping down in the background. That’s your stage.

Now for the duelists. Each armed with the acrobatic skills of an experienced circus act, a Bushido warrior with a blade that cuts through flesh, as if it coats nothing but hot air, and a gun that blasts golden bullets that melt the skin as they sear through.

These are all details imagined in my mind as I play the pixel-heavy Samurai Gunn, chopping down multiple foes at a time, trying to reach a specific kill count with the limited lives I’ve been granted. It’s not a power trip, though. It’s a measure of skill in which a single mis-timed swing of my sword can result in my gore splattered against the wall, left to stain, a permanent reminder of my earlier failing. The brutal nature and seemingly smart moves of the AI make it a challenge worthy of your time.

You only have a few bullets to play around with during each life, and they’re slower moving than you’d expect, allowing the enemy to dodge, should they have a keen sense. Not only that, but in Samurai Gunn, shooting a bullet can be more deadly to yourself than your opponent. They can hit it straight back at you with their sword if they’re on the ball. Then it’s your turn to react. You jump, swing, clash swords, shoot bullets vertically and pop through the passages to the sides of the screen to confuse your opponent with screenwrap travel.

Each time you get a kill, those cinematic widescreen bars invade the screen, highlighting the moment. The last kill is the best as it zooms in on the messy scene, going so slowly it’s almost paused so that you can take in glory or defeat.

There’s more arenas available to play in than I’ve deemed worth bothering to count. They come in different themes; some conceal spikes in the floor, while others let you travel upside down along a green cloud across the ceiling. Once you’ve beat the first level in each arena, you can then go on to the next one, in which you need more kills and will have multiple opponents coming at you at once. It’s a test of patience, timing and reactions.

This is just the Survival Mode, which can be played by yourself and with up to three friends. Use keyboard or controllers; it’s up to you. And if you do have people around, jump into the Versus Mode to strike down each other.

Samurai Gunn is a smoking gun, a blood-stained sword, the quick feet of a trained warrior out to kill. It’s a local multiplayer survival game that feels lush in its violence. I love it. I’m a slave to hitting replay. The single-player may sound limited, but it’s far from, especially if you’re a fan of fast swordplay and reading the moves of your opponents in order to outwit them.

Ee8Y8Ft.gif
gZh0Qps.gif
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
Legend of Dungeon devs were the same, because they said to add online co-op at this point would be far too time consuming and difficult, and take time away from the content expansion they're working on

Personally I never understand those on the Steam discussion who won't buy a game if it's not online. I definitely wont buy a MP only game, but local MP is great and Samurai Gunn has single player as well
The MP looks great, but there are better SP games for the price. That's just the way those things go. On the other hand, a lot of MP focused indie games still struggle even with online features (like Gunmonkeys). Maybe the Steam Box will give local multi focused PC games a bigger audience.
 
Random recommendation question: Is there such a thing as a squad-based roguelike? I love roguelikes and I love squad-based turn-based combat, so a mixture seems like it'd be awesome. Any roguelikes where you control more than one dude?
From what I read about Dungeon of the Endless, it's exactly that.

Edit: I've been asking around. You place your characters and turrets and they fire automatically when enemies enter their range
Yes, you can only move them from room to room or pay food for healing them.
It sounds more tactical than your usual roguelike.

You also may like Steam Marines. That's a turn based squad based tactical steampunk sci-fi roguelike
 

rybrad

Member
Random recommendation question: Is there such a thing as a squad-based roguelike? I love roguelikes and I love squad-based turn-based combat, so a mixture seems like it'd be awesome. Any roguelikes where you control more than one dude?
Steam Marines fits the bill but it is not very fun right now. You could check out Bionic Dues, you have a party of 4 mechs that you switch between on the spot depending which one you want to use for the situation. It is not exactly a typical squad based setup since you only have one mech out at a time but you get similar variety from having four mechs to choose from. Arcen games always have some jank in them but if you can get past that they make some really cool experiences.

Edit: Bionic Dues demo link in case you want to try it out.
 
10 minutes of Dungeon of the Endless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5w5tcJFKvs

Seems very methodical and strategic. From what I read on Joystiq and RPS, you go room to room, door by door, and must plan out your defenses carefully before opening that next door. You also have to protect the generator because if the lights go out, then it's all over
 

flowsnake

Member
Hexcells Plus is out. (!!!!) Sequel/Expansion/whatever to Picross-like Hexcells.

John Walker loved it again.

I haven't played it yet but the mechanics of the first one were great, it was just a bit short and easy. So having some harder/longer content should be fulfilling.

 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Anyone who could throw up a somewhat decent end of the year/Goty voting banner for me?
 
So I tested out the recently-added Steam Reviews with my impressions of Samurai Gunn:

Throw Tarantino, Hotline Miami, and 47 Ronin in a blender, and you'd get Samurai Gunn

First off, I've only played solo Survival but that's impressive and substantial enough to enjoy.

So you might be thinking that those three elements in the title seem like a weird mix, but that's the kind of vibe I'm getting during my time with Samurai Gunn. Take the samurai films of old, ramp it up to eleven with the Tarantino-style violence and blood, and then imbue that with the lightning-fast white-knuckle pace of Hotline Miami, and that's Samurai Gunn in a nutshell

Choose a samurai, choose an arena, and then fight. One hit kills. Armed with only your blade, your handful of bullets, and your agility, you must survive against increasingly challenging waves of enemies in increasingly complex arenas. Like Hotline Miami, death comes fast and at a moment's notice; a single lapse in timing, in reaction and reflex, and your blood will stain the ground rather than your opponent's.

There are no power-ups to equip, no special swords to unlock, or abilities to use. You and your foes are equally matched; superior skill and reflexes are your only advantages. Each battle is one of hair's-breadth dodges over swinging blades, of smart positioning, perfect timing to strike down an enemy in mid air or deflect his bullet back at him. And that's just against one opponent; it only becomes more intense once you're down to one life and three enemies are out for your blood.

It's not just this frantic dance of death that makes Samurai Gunn so compelling, but the sheer variety of arenas as well. From levels consisting of moving platforms and traps to levels with spike pits and saw blades, to levels made of nothing but easily breakable bamboos so that the layout changes and shrinks as you play, they are numerous and each must be learned and mastered if you wish to succeed.

It's the little details that round out this impressive package. Fall into a pond and your gun won't fire but instead misfire and discharge spurts of water. Your blood and bodies stay behind, monuments and reminders of your past failures. Play dead among the corpses to confuse your enemy. Slash at your foe at the same time he does, and you'll clash swords and fly apart, leaving a dust trail in your wake.

So again, I've only played single player, but I can only imagine that multiplayer is even better thanks to human players instead of AI. You can play co-op against bots or fight against each other in Versus mode. As for Samurai Gunn's future, the developer has said he's "interested in experimenting with different types of enemies, modes, and other things" so there's only more frenetic bloodshed to come.
 

RawNuts

Member
I'm guessing yes and there'll be a sale if they put in online co-op. Have the devs said they can never do it, or just not yet?
I played an online build with someone who was helping them out with it a while ago; seemed to work pretty flawlessly so I was surprised to see the final version released without any online play.
 
I played an online build with someone who was helping them out with it a while ago; seemed to work pretty flawlessly so I was surprised to see the final version released without any online play.

For the love of sword slashing goodness, I hope they implement it in a patch later.
 
Have a discussion topic for you guys. So on Steam, there's a discussion going on arguing Samurai Gunn is way overpriced. ("It's ridiculously overpriced for a game like this. What is wrong with you developers?"). The consensus is that it should be $9.99 or less. For $11.99 and the amount of fun I'm having, I kind of disagree

Here was my response in the discussion there
To the TC and others in the thread, consider this:

Frozen Synapse is $24.99
Antichamber is $19.99
Gone Home is $19.99

Some indies that are and close to $14.99:

Super Meat Boy
Don't Starve
The Swapper
Mark of the Ninja
Rogue Legacy
Spelunky
Space Engineers
Stanley Parable
Vessel
Project Zomboid
Sang Froid
Bastion
Lone Survivor
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Teleglitch ($12.99)

Samurai Gunn (currently $11.99)

Now when compared to those games and the other 100+ that I didn't list, would you still say it's overpriced for "a game like this?" (Do you mean indies in general or specifically a 2D brawler or a platformer?)

Of the 256 indie games that are under $15, about one-fifth (20%) of them are more than $9.99.
If you include all 789 indie games on Steam, then about 28% of them are more than $9.99

What do you think? I'm really curious to see if anyone replies in that thread and what they say.
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
Have a discussion topic for you guys. So on Steam, there's a discussion on that Samurai Gunn is way overpriced. ("It's ridiculously overpriced for a game like this. What is wrong with you developers?"). The consensus is that it should be $9.99 or less. For $11.99 and the amount of fun I'm having, I kind of disagree

Here was my response in the discussion there


What do you think? I'm really curious to see if anyone replies in that thread and what they say.

I don't really know if it's worth the energy expense - people who get picky about pricing like that tend to be judging based on extremely weird criteria. I feel like rather than arguing price points specifically, I'd approach it from the enjoyment angle. Tell people why you like it, like you did earlier, and I think it'll speak more volumes than batting back and fourth about price point.

Totally up to you though. You've got a good list there, save for Gone Home. That game was and still is pointed to as an example of being "overpriced", whereas I see far less of those complaints about the others.
 
Have a discussion topic for you guys. So on Steam, there's a discussion going on arguing Samurai Gunn is way overpriced. ("It's ridiculously overpriced for a game like this. What is wrong with you developers?"). The consensus is that it should be $9.99 or less. For $11.99 and the amount of fun I'm having, I kind of disagree

Here was my response in the discussion there


What do you think? I'm really curious to see if anyone replies in that thread and what they say.

You wasted your time dude. People on the Steam forums will find anything to bitch about.
 
You wasted your time dude. People on the Steam forums will find anything to bitch about.
I figured as much. But doesn't hurt to try to inject some positive thinking, logic, and factual information into the discussion. Trying to help the devs too, because like half the threads there are nothing but whining about lack of online MP
 

alllen

Neo Member
I'm not taking any sides or anything and I've never even heard of the game before now, but it's storefront page should probably be more descriptive. The 'about the game' description text or the game's main website doesn't mention that it's local only. The only place you can see that it's local only is if you scroll down halfway down the steam page where it lists the developers name, language/controller support, etc. I admit I'm kind of an impulse buyer, sometimes I just look at the screenshots/videos and read the about me and check the price and buy. My laziness and poor observation skills notwithstanding, it should not be the only place that displays that fact.

Apparently it has a survival mode, but you wouldn't know that from it's Steam storefront page or the game's website. The video isn't very informative as well, it just shows gameplay. Supplemental text highlighting the various features (especially the single player survival mode) as well as a more descriptive storefront pages perhaps could have prevented some complaints or confusion.

It looks like a cool game but I always regret playing local mp games since I usually play them once or twice and that's it. I don't much see the point in releasing local only mp games in this day and age, but I'm sure they have a reason.
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
Have a discussion topic for you guys. So on Steam, there's a discussion going on arguing Samurai Gunn is way overpriced. ("It's ridiculously overpriced for a game like this. What is wrong with you developers?"). The consensus is that it should be $9.99 or less. For $11.99 and the amount of fun I'm having, I kind of disagree

Here was my response in the discussion there


What do you think? I'm really curious to see if anyone replies in that thread and what they say.
It's a moot point because I think the people complaining are just going to get the game on sale for like $5 anyway, if they purchase it at all.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
What all do you need it to say?

NeogafIndie Games Community GOTY Voting or something along those lines. If its too long, a simple GOTY Voting banner would suffice as well with the background of the banner hinting at indies or something.
 
Neogaf Indie Games Community GOTY Voting or something along those lines. If its too long, a simple GOTY Voting banner would suffice as well with the background of the banner hinting at indies or something.

Imo the name you used as example is ok, just remove the NeoGAF part to nake it shorter.
 
Imo the name you used as example is ok, just remove the NeoGAF part to nake it shorter.
Or shorten it to "IndieGAF Community GOTY Voting"

---
The more I play Samurai Gunn, the more I like it. Since everyone is equally matched, this is a game first and foremost about skill mastery and just becoming a better player, and very few games follow that kind of minimalist progression. It's so satisfying to go from dying constantly against a single foe to taking on two and not losing a life.

That's more rewarding IMO than any kind of upgrade or unlockable system; you really feel like you've become a better player thanks to your perseverance and not because you equipped Dragon Sword+1 and an extra health upgrade
 

Krystof Koreni

Neo Member
The more I play Samurai Gunn, the more I like it. Since everyone is equally matched, this is a game first and foremost about skill mastery and just becoming a better player, and very few games follow that kind of minimalist progression. It's so satisfying to go from dying constantly against a single foe to taking on two and not losing a life.

That's a great synopsis of its long-term appeal, and good for you for sticking up for it on the Steam forum. More generally speaking, there was a similar sort of debate conducted around the pricing of Towerfall, a game which seems to have proved its worth among the Ouya community.
 
That's a great synopsis of its long-term appeal, and good for you for sticking up for it on the Steam forum. More generally speaking, there was a similar sort of debate conducted around the pricing of Towerfall, a game which seems to have proved its worth among the Ouya community.
Thanks. Defending Samurai Gunn in the Steam Discussion, I have realized it's kind of futile to debate with the trolls there, but damn is it entertaining to pick apart their "arguments" with logic and facts. And then they try to ignore that rational thinking and shift the argument by attacking issues not even related to their original topic

It really is quite fascinating
 
I figured as much. But doesn't hurt to try to inject some positive thinking, logic, and factual information into the discussion. Trying to help the devs too, because like half the threads there are nothing but whining about lack of online MP

People on Steam will always complain about prices. Steam is basically a discount store to most people, and by that logic, some of them will only wait for the big Steam sales to get a game.

I'll defer to Idle Thumbs about price and length of a game. It's kind of a pointless, subjective argument trying to be made objective.

A little facts don't hurt though, so good effort!
 
Yeah especially length. Vanquish was...what five, six hours, Journey and Limbo were shorter, but that didn't diminish those experiences at all, instead enhancing them due to a focused approach

But back to trolls: the guy says it's overpriced for a "game like this." Hasn't defined what a "game like this" is. When I brought up that post with the indie games and prices, he said you can't compare it to other indies. So if it's not indies, what constitutes "games like this"? He hasn't answered that yet. Logic at work

Kind of sad that so many trolls and whiners flood the forums there and other games, rather than offering critical feedback and impressions
 
Yeah especially length. Vanquish was...what five, six hours, Journey and Limbo were shorter, but that didn't diminish those experiences at all, instead enhancing them due to a focused approach

But back to trolls: the guy says it's overpriced for a "game like this." Hasn't defined what a "game like this" is. When I brought up that post with the indie games and prices, he said you can't compare it to other indies. So if it's not indies, what constitutes "games like this"? He hasn't answered that yet. Logic at work

Kind of sad that so many trolls and whiners flood the forums there and other games, rather than offering critical feedback and impressions

Steam forums are pretty much GameFAQs. Doesn't matter if you're a console player, or PC player, stupidity is not platform-exclusive!
 
Monument Valley - N/A (IOS Universal)
mv_oct13_02.png
mv_oct13_03.png

http://www.monumentvalleygame.com/

A game about beautiful impossibility
Trailer

I'm beta testing this, and I'm not lying when I saw I haven't been this impressed with a game that plays with perspective since rotating the world for the first time in Fez. Not only does the game have that kind of minimal yet stylized design that gives it a unique look, but the tactile mechanics and perspective manipulation is used brilliantly. As much as I'd love to see this on PC, I feel it needs a touchscreen to fully appreciate the gameplay
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...

arcanadei

Member
Steam forums are pretty much GameFAQs. Doesn't matter if you're a console player, or PC player, stupidity is not platform-exclusive!

Amen to that. For whatever it's worth MB, I had a similar discussion going on Steam about Assault Android Cactus, another great game with no online MP and priced above $9.99. Not sure what it is about that price point but I see it echoed a lot.
 

Sinsem

Member
I might have the best deal of the year for you guys.
14 students games for free right here ENJMIN Bundle
There are all part of our 1st year projects as students, and almost all of them are playable (yeah, there is one involving cooking & eating cookies) on various devices, even on sifteo cubes!
 

rybrad

Member
Crazy good deal in the new Humble Bundle Weekly.

Zeno Clash 1 and 2 are in the $1 tier. Both are great games.
How is the second Zeno Clash? I have all the other games and heard it was a bit of a letdown compared to the first. I know you said they are both great but I am curious about your impressions for the second compared to the first.

Also if anyone doesn't have Killing Floor, it is great fun with friends.
 
I might have the best deal of the year for you guys.
14 students games for free right here ENJMIN Bundle
There are all part of our 1st year projects as students, and almost all of them are playable (yeah, there is one involving cooking & eating cookies) on various devices, even on sifteo cubes!

Neato, i'll check it out!

Not the Robots is out on Steam and it's on sale for only 6 dollars. I told myself that I wouldn't buy another game this month but it's so cheap, WHAT DO?!
 
How is the second Zeno Clash? I have all the other games and heard it was a bit of a letdown compared to the first. I know you said they are both great but I am curious about your impressions for the second compared to the first.

Also if anyone doesn't have Killing Floor, it is great fun with friends.

I think it's better than the first game in every way honestly. The second game has a bigger world with sidequests. The combat also has some nice little improvements, and you can bring AI partners a long to help you. The story is also quite good and has some nice little twists.

Messofanego will probably be a long shortly to back me up.
 

rybrad

Member
I think it's better than the first game in every way honestly. The second game has a bigger world with sidequests. The combat also has some nice little improvements, and you can bring AI partners a long to help you. The story is also quite good and has some nice little twists.

Messofanego will probably be a long shortly to back me up.
Good enough for me, thanks for the impressions.

Anyone want a copy of Killing Floor or Zeno Clash (the original)?
 
How is the second Zeno Clash? I have all the other games and heard it was a bit of a letdown compared to the first. I know you said they are both great but I am curious about your impressions for the second compared to the first.

Also if anyone doesn't have Killing Floor, it is great fun with friends.

Oh no time for embarassing amounts of Zeno Clash fanboyism. Zeno Clash 2 is fucking awesome, and more open than the first with an even weirder story and more expanded combat mechanics. The environment variety and character designs are out of this world. If you're a fan of the surreal, it is a must play.

Incoming image dump to hopefully convince you:
isbrhNmSqg4kq.gif

iECoJmvlxWRjl.gif

ibkB1vLw2EVRLZ.gif


Still the king of first person melee.
 
Don't forget, Teslagrad tomorrow! Between that, Samurai Gunn, Race The Sun, and The Novelist, this has been a nice week for indies

And If you guys played the Teslagrad demo and thought it showed too much, don't. The areas from the demo is only like the first 30 minutes of the game. There's a lot more to come
 
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