I am curious, which ones had the most appeal to you?
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Indie Games [March] Now Voting - Post 774!
- Thread starter Toma
- Start date
I am curious, which ones had the most appeal to you?
Messofanego
Banned
Awesome thread, gonna check out The King of the Wood and Goroga.
Inner Vision, a game dealing with suicide? We had Depression Quest last month that was about depression, I really liked that cause it got me out of my procrastination patterns recently.
Oh man, looks like Kentucky Route Zero which is probably my favorite game of this year so far.
Inner Vision, a game dealing with suicide? We had Depression Quest last month that was about depression, I really liked that cause it got me out of my procrastination patterns recently.
Not quite an Indie game, but it might fit the thread as well since they are nice to look at:
Liking this guys work. Here is a mock up he did for a hypothetical 2D horror game:
Oh man, looks like Kentucky Route Zero which is probably my favorite game of this year so far.
Nothing I'll add to the OP, because the game is not actually all that good or special, but I just wanted to mention that games make it easy for me to hate them if they kill me with a tweet like this:
Simplistic game that generates enemies to shoot at by either chosen or random Tweet:
http://www.hashtagyoloswag.arankoning.com/
Simplistic game that generates enemies to shoot at by either chosen or random Tweet:
http://www.hashtagyoloswag.arankoning.com/
Depression Quest is way deeper about the concept, execution and meaning behind it. Inner Vision just feels like a short "It gets better" message with the twist that its not someone else saying it, but the player to others and really is just a short flash version of that idea. Definitely the least interesting of the games linked in the OP but its actually those smaller Indie games that definitely do not get enough attention. That barely anyone knows Gorogoa is a huge shame.
Added DQ to the OP.
Added Kentucky Route Zero:
Kentucky Route Zero - $24,99 (PC, Steam)
Kentucky Route Zero - $24,99 (PC, Steam)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/231200
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=507198
Kentucky Route Zero is a story-driven and artful Point and Click adventure, filled with intrigue and atmosphere and each encounter is memorable. Kentucky Route Zero is beautifully bizarre and perfectly poignant, and most of all, deserves your attention.
A game/tech demo thats already been out for a while (so I wont put it in the OP), but still deserves another shoutout:
Outerra $15 I believe in its current Alpha state (plus a pretty great demo where you can do almost everything as in the full game except adding assets to the game)
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=513621
Too bad that thread already died after 2 pages, but its really something to zoom from the surface of the earth all the way back to see the whole planet:
A. Maze. Ing. Awesome to tinker around with and lose yourself in the imagery. More a Sandbox currently than a real game.
Outerra $15 I believe in its current Alpha state (plus a pretty great demo where you can do almost everything as in the full game except adding assets to the game)
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=513621
Too bad that thread already died after 2 pages, but its really something to zoom from the surface of the earth all the way back to see the whole planet:
A. Maze. Ing. Awesome to tinker around with and lose yourself in the imagery. More a Sandbox currently than a real game.
Zeboyd related (Cthulhu saves the World) news post collection:
1. Rain Slick 4 nearing release
2. Outlook for their next project CSH
3. Vita version for CSH being considered
Personally, I am looking very much forward to their possible Vita release as that platform is still a bit low on RPGs. Considering I loved their first 2 outings, I am looking forward to more!
1. Rain Slick 4 nearing release
2. Outlook for their next project CSH
3. Vita version for CSH being considered
Personally, I am looking very much forward to their possible Vita release as that platform is still a bit low on RPGs. Considering I loved their first 2 outings, I am looking forward to more!
One Foul Note
Member
Very much looking forward to Rain Slick 4, the first 2 were okay but Zeboyd really made an interesting RPG with 3 and Cthulhu saves the world is fairly special too so glad they are continuing the series. It's also promising seeing that they are shaking up the systems slightly. Nothing wrong with a class system of course, but I like the fact they have changed it up for the squeal for pure variety sake.
Yeah, I think they deserve big props for actually thinking about how to mix that up to offer more variety for players. I am also really curious about how they are going to go about a setting they havent explored yet. Sci-Fi plus Zeboyd sounds like an insane mix just waiting to spawn crazy stuff in space.
Any media or information you already released? Even though its no promise to put anything in the OP, feel free to post it
Speaking of recent Indie games, I wasnt too surprised to see FTL getting the attention it did, but Skullgirls? Not saying its a bad game, but considering the reputation Indie games have to live with, how did that get so popular that people easily want to spend 300k in a Kickstarter to get a new character? Did it have exceptionally big marketing for an Indie game? How did that happen?
And its not like the big fighting franchises are dead either. Kinda crazy that this genre made such a comeback after years of nothing.
Which also reminds me that I also thought that its kinda crazy which sums of money are being needed for Indie development, here is a nice article by one of the Zeboyd guys:
http://zeboyd.com/2013/02/28/the-cost-of-game-development/
And its not like the big fighting franchises are dead either. Kinda crazy that this genre made such a comeback after years of nothing.
Which also reminds me that I also thought that its kinda crazy which sums of money are being needed for Indie development, here is a nice article by one of the Zeboyd guys:
http://zeboyd.com/2013/02/28/the-cost-of-game-development/
Messofanego
Banned
Oh cool, my gif being used
Outerra looks fucking cool, but do you need a hefty graphics card for it?
Oh cool, my gif being used
Outerra looks fucking cool, but do you need a hefty graphics card for it?
I am running it decently on lower-mid settings on my notebook (GT 555M) so its not THAT bad. There is a free demo, so I highly recommend trying that.
Great work on the gif btw
outunderthestars
Banned
love this thread. Subscribed.
love this thread. Subscribed.
All of you guys subscribing is really nice, but if you want this thread to survive please try these games and suggest or comment on games once in a while
Any games in the OP you are interested in trying?I am not shy about making double-tripple-quadruple posts usually, but its a bit cumbersome to only talk to myself in other threads like this.
phantomsnake
Neo Member
If it's ok to mention our own games, I've got a couple.
A game I released last year:
Micron - $0.99 (iOS / Android), $2.99 (Desura)
And the game I'm currently working on:
Manic Mole - In Development (Ouya)
A game I released last year:
Micron - $0.99 (iOS / Android), $2.99 (Desura)
http://microngame.com/
Micron is a reflection-based puzzle game in which the act of solving the puzzles creates interesting rhythms. It's based on a Flash prototype created for a Kongregate contest in which it won 2nd place.
And the game I'm currently working on:
Manic Mole - In Development (Ouya)
http://manicmole.com/
Manic Mole is a fast-paced 2D action game that challenges you to survive as long as you can in a randomly-generated level. The game will be skill based (think Spelunky or La Mulana) and the level will get harder the longer you survive.
Subscribed and my suggestions:
Starseed Pilgrim (Win/Mac - $6): a puzzler platformer game with emphasis on those eureka moments of discovery without any sort of hints. Solving by playing.
Starsector (Win/Mac/Linux 10€ Pre-order access to Alpha builds) - : An RPG/4Xish/Open World procedurally generated space combat epic.
Starseed Pilgrim (Win/Mac - $6): a puzzler platformer game with emphasis on those eureka moments of discovery without any sort of hints. Solving by playing.
Starsector (Win/Mac/Linux 10€ Pre-order access to Alpha builds) - : An RPG/4Xish/Open World procedurally generated space combat epic.
Its definitely okay to mention your own game in here, but I wont add those games to the OP immediately. Either someone else needs to like it, or I need to try and like them enough to put them there
Manicmole looks neat btw, is that going to be Ouya exclusive? And random dev question, why would devs go Ouya only instead of putting out a Windows version as well. Resources/Time? I mean I can see why devs arent all jumping on PSMobile , but its a bit weird to me not to see any PC versions when thats the majority of the players. No offense though! Just curious.
Slamtastic
Member
Delver's Drop looks great, I backed it on KS for $15.
Are there any other Zelda style randomly generated type games that are in development?
And hopefully ones that are out and I can play?
(Don't say Issac, that's too shooty and I don't like the artstyle/design)
Are there any other Zelda style randomly generated type games that are in development?
And hopefully ones that are out and I can play?
(Don't say Issac, that's too shooty and I don't like the artstyle/design)
And another game and discussion topic I just found out about before I am off to bed for today:
Gnomescroll - Free (PC, OSX, Linux)
Whats peoples opinion on Minecraft clones? I dont mind them all that much really in theory, its like a new sub genre that developed where people develop different base ideas around it. There is a video to the game I linked above, but it seems to be a really small game from what I can tell.The game seems to be decent at what it does, but I dont really have that big of an urge to try it.
I sure would love someone to crack down on minecraft like games and sim elements though, or God games ala 90's Molyneux in that environment. I think there is still a lot people can do with it, but I guess most players are already fed up with constant clones and iterations.
Gnomescroll - Free (PC, OSX, Linux)
http://gnomescroll.com/
Its a minecraft like Arena shooter with crafting and building elements. Not sure when it released, so I wont put it in the OP. Some youtubers seem to like it.
Whats peoples opinion on Minecraft clones? I dont mind them all that much really in theory, its like a new sub genre that developed where people develop different base ideas around it. There is a video to the game I linked above, but it seems to be a really small game from what I can tell.The game seems to be decent at what it does, but I dont really have that big of an urge to try it.
I sure would love someone to crack down on minecraft like games and sim elements though, or God games ala 90's Molyneux in that environment. I think there is still a lot people can do with it, but I guess most players are already fed up with constant clones and iterations.
There are probably a few, but someone else might need to help out for now. Digging those up might take me a while. In the meantime, whats your view on other turn based roguelikes? They are less shooty than Isaac, but basically the same type of game just turn based. There are tons of great ones for that genre.
Oh and funnily enough a random side note: I was actually trying my hand on such a Zelda dungeon procedurally generated game:
I put like 150-200 hours into that (and came up with my own procedural generation idea, instead of copying the most common one), only to realize that GameMaker has some pretty severe limitations that would basically mean my game couldnt be as I wanted it to be, which got me to drop the project. The current version even had a boss fight already. I think I included every major element for the main tech stuff and was "only" left with adding more content, as in more and diverse enemies and such. I even already had a Dark Chronicle style world building feature in place where you could place tiles in the overworld that you found in the dungeon to create your own village for people to live in.
Still pissed at me for wasting ~200 hours on a project I will never be able to finish. Lesson learned: Make a dev outline before starting and settling on the game tool next time.
phantomsnake
Neo Member
I'm focusing specifically on the Ouya for now so you could call it an exclusive. A Windows version is likely as well, but that requires a bit more development and testing so I'll be looking at that later. Besides, I think the Ouya has a lot of potential. I got one of the early dev kits and I'd like to have a game on it as soon as I can.
Yeah I agree. It definitely makes sense to be in the first wave of released games. Those are the ones that will probably pick up the most publicity. Looks really neat, good luck!
Slamtastic
Member
I'm more interested in "Zelda with infinite random dungeons/worlds" than traditional Roguelikes.
One Foul Note
Member
I find them generally very dull, but I don't have any major moral complaints over clones short of them stealing assets or something insidious like that. The thing I generally notice about Minecraft clones is they are fairly unambitious, you get these Minecraft mods/mod collections like Tekkit, Feed the Beast, Voltz, Mo Creatures etc that really strongly expand on what Minecraft already is, but you look at the clones and they are just like a team ripped what Minecraft was like 3 years ago and reskinned it. It is hard to see anything coming close to actually competing with Minecraft in the foreseeable future if they can't even make a game more interesting then the mods for their source in inspiration. Although I must admit I am very looking forward to StarForge, if they can get that together it could be pretty awesome.
Yeah, I'll see whether I am able to dig something up. If I do, I'll post it here.
Just found an amaaaazing project with available alpha build that is going to Kickstarter soon. Will try it tomorrow and probably give it it's own OT. I am only on iPad atm, so linking etc is cumbersome. But maaaan, amazing if that game lives up to its potential I saw in that trailer. Cliffhanger! Check back tomorrow to see what I was talking about. ;p
phantomsnake
Neo Member
Radio the Universe should definitely be on here. There was a brief thread about it in January but I think it deserves more attention.
Radio the Universe - In Development (PC)
Radio the Universe - In Development (PC)
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548272412/radio-the-universe-0
An open-world 2D action adventure with challenging gameplay and a focus on exploration. The Kickstarter lists Dark Souls, Symphony of the Night, and Hotline Miami as some of the sources of inspiration. I can't wait to play this!
That looks really neat, and makes me think how to list in development stuff that's not yet playable. I'll probably use a second post for those.
TheBothersomeMan
Neo Member
Inner Vision and Depression Quest are both fantastic and insightful. They do a really good job of highlighting the strengths indie games have over AAA titles. I also think that dealing with complicated themes in the mature way that they do (even if, in the case of Inner Vision, they do so relatively simplistically) goes a good way to improving the status of games in the mainstream. Great thread btw, keep up the good work!
I really think that almost all of the games linked in the OP show the strength Indie games have over bigger titles ( and of course also their disadvantages) There is something meaningful about bite-sized gaming that only feels the need to explore a single aspect instead of needing to speak to the masses to sell many copies. Really hope this thread thrives with more contributors.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Wow, looks absolutely amazing. I wish I caught that Kickstarter.
Here's one for you:
It's called Pavilion.
Some sort of hybrid adventure game, this is an in-game screenshot:
Developer's Blog
[from adventuregamers.com]
I'm really looking forward to this one.
rohlfinator
Member
Just out of curiosity, what limitations did you run into? A buddy and I started working on a game in Game Maker recently, and I'm hoping we don't run into the same kind of thing. :/
Messofanego
Banned
Impressions:
King of the Wood is pretty cool for a prototype, love the Deus Ex reference. But it's more a Blade Runner FPS than the Deus Ex series, was expecting multiple solutions. Highly reminiscent of Blendo Games' (Thirty Flights of Loving, Gravity Bone) art style. Funny "The Shining" reference. I'm not sure if the books strewn about were giving my clues? The ending was pretty cool, but then asks more questions like is the
?
Inner Vision is a bit too simplistic and felt like it was treating talking people out of suicide as a joke, with the solutions being mostly the middle option and kind of obvious. Still, talking to a swearing skeleton grim reaper had its charm. At least it is opening a dialogue about suicide in games even if it feels undercooked in comparison to Depression Quest that nails its difficult subject matter all the way.
The Button Affair as a story-driven Bond throwback autorunner is a cool idea with touches of Heart of Darkness/Out of this World deaths. The sections inside carriage cars where you're slowed down to a crawl with cramped spaces and with more direct control actually led to lots of restarts because it was tough to gauge the distance for the jumps. Those parts felt terrible, but other than that liked it overall and the
cutscene had me laughing.
King of the Wood is pretty cool for a prototype, love the Deus Ex reference. But it's more a Blade Runner FPS than the Deus Ex series, was expecting multiple solutions. Highly reminiscent of Blendo Games' (Thirty Flights of Loving, Gravity Bone) art style. Funny "The Shining" reference. I'm not sure if the books strewn about were giving my clues? The ending was pretty cool, but then asks more questions like is the
music brainwashing and the cycle continues anew
Inner Vision is a bit too simplistic and felt like it was treating talking people out of suicide as a joke, with the solutions being mostly the middle option and kind of obvious. Still, talking to a swearing skeleton grim reaper had its charm. At least it is opening a dialogue about suicide in games even if it feels undercooked in comparison to Depression Quest that nails its difficult subject matter all the way.
The Button Affair as a story-driven Bond throwback autorunner is a cool idea with touches of Heart of Darkness/Out of this World deaths. The sections inside carriage cars where you're slowed down to a crawl with cramped spaces and with more direct control actually led to lots of restarts because it was tough to gauge the distance for the jumps. Those parts felt terrible, but other than that liked it overall and the
love triangle
First of all, GM is horrible for making game where you have many instances of something in memory. It only works for games where you only have something going on at the level of the player. If you want to include simulated aspects on other parts of the map that continue even while the player is not there, GM is not for you.
And also: It has the limitation of being able to play only 1 sound effect. Background music + 1 sound at a time. Meaning if you have more than one monster in the room or firing fireballs at you, only ONE can make a noise. That probably isnt a big restriction for an RPG type game, but after I created my first boss which shoots fireballs randomly from all directions, and only 1 would get a sound, I was really pissed.
Yeah, I agree with your impressions on that. Compared to Depression Quest, Inner Vision really seems to be lacking, but I wouldnt say that it seemed like the game was making fun of it. Glad you gave a few games a try! And to be fair, King of the Wood HAS 2 different end choices.
I really really really wanted to like Woodle Tree but I found myself underwhelmed. To be fair my main complaint (the automatic camera can have really bad placement at times) is something the developer is working on fixing. I found a lot of things to lack impact (especially combat against enemies), the music felt really out of place and should have been peppier, and the checkpoint system is a bit awkward. Its not a bad way to spend two dollars though, and I rather liked the character designs. The level designs don't offer anything novel, but they're competent enough and should be acceptably fun for most people.
Here are some other indie games I've played/replayed recently:
OFF - Free (PC)
Anodyne - $9.00 ($12.00 to get soundtrack included)(PC, Mac, Linux)
I also want to vouch for Zineth listed in the OP which is an incredible game and offers a fantastic sense of momentum and exploration. I got lost in that world for hours tracking down every last thing I could. Im really fucking bummed that the Gaf thread is a bunch of overly negative posts from people who didnt even play it, but I guess thats Gaf.
Here are some other indie games I've played/replayed recently:
OFF - Free (PC)
[Download Link]
[Starmen.net Thread]
An offbeat french RPG recently translated to english. Off features surreal worlds and quirky characters set to a fantastic soundtrack. You play as The Batter in a quest to purify the world of spectres. One of the best indie games I've ever played
If the fonts look weird, take the font files in the game folder and install them in the Windows Fonts folder. If the game flickers while in full screen to the point of annoyance, play in windowed mode with ALT+Enter
Anodyne - $9.00 ($12.00 to get soundtrack included)(PC, Mac, Linux)
[Official Site]
[NeoGAF thread]
Indie game that takes after Zelda, specifically Link's Awakening. Has impeccable atmosphere, a wonderful sense of exploration, and some neat puzzles.
I also want to vouch for Zineth listed in the OP which is an incredible game and offers a fantastic sense of momentum and exploration. I got lost in that world for hours tracking down every last thing I could. Im really fucking bummed that the Gaf thread is a bunch of overly negative posts from people who didnt even play it, but I guess thats Gaf.
The Sea Will Claim Everything (windows - $10): A really great point-and-click adventure with more emphasis on exploration and story/narrative than on puzzles. Great humor and charm even to the smallest detail, really. I click everything not because I am pixel hunting for a solution for a byzantine puzzle but because of the flavor text.
The author has an Indiegogo campaign at the moment to crowdfund his next game:
Ithaka of the Clouds that will take place in the same universe than his previous games, the Lands of Dreams. It promises to be an ambitious and long journey. A few words about the game from Jonas Kyratzes about the game:
The author has an Indiegogo campaign at the moment to crowdfund his next game:
Ithaka of the Clouds that will take place in the same universe than his previous games, the Lands of Dreams. It promises to be an ambitious and long journey. A few words about the game from Jonas Kyratzes about the game:
Thanks for your Woodle Tree impressions, havent played it myself and in the beginning I was more or less just trying to quickly get a few games for this thread together. Added the mentioned games to the OP, and I need to agree that the Zineth thread was really embarassing to read, some of the complaints were super uninformed or never gave the game any chance and stopped it after 1 minute of playing probably. I hope the shoutout in this thread gives it a bit more recognition. Some of the games in the OP are true Indie jewels (Zineth & Gorogoa definitely).
Ventilaator
Banned
Tried Jelly no Puzzle. I hate everything now, I hope you're happy.
There's nothing difficult about the concept, but here I am completely sure that level 2 isn't actually possible.
There's nothing difficult about the concept, but here I am completely sure that level 2 isn't actually possible.
...well... remember that line in the OP where I said "some" might not even to beat level 1? Guess who that is.
Thanks for the recommendation! I just tried one his past free flash games, and I really like the magical wonder and in-jokes he puts into these games. Needed to smirk hard at this:
The free game is called "The fabulous screech" and can be found here:
http://landsofdream.net/games/the-fabulous-screech/
Its really charming, which made me feel bad for having to be mostly negative on it. Its a case of a lot of issues that would be minor on their own stacking up unfortunately.
I'll check out some of the other listed games when i get a chance later today.
Ventilaator
Banned
Considering your avatar, I would think that "I can't do this" is a reaction you don't know how to have.
Ventilaator
Banned
DOUBLE POST