jim-guthrie
Latest
Harmonix scores Freezepop, Super Meat Boy composer, more for Amplitude
There's going to be less talk, more rokk for Harmonix's Amplitude Kickstarter campaign going forward, as the band Freezepop has joined the fight to bring a new version of the 2003 PS2 cult classic to life. The band, which frequently collaborates with Harmonix, won't be alone in their quest, as plenty of other high-profile artists are ready to lend their talents to the project. Danny Baranowsky (Super Meat Boy, Crypt of the Necrodancer), Anamanaguchi (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), C418 (Minecraft), Jim Guthrie (Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP) and Kasson Crooker (FreQuency, Amplitude) will all contribute original music to the game should it reach its funding goal, Harmonix announced via Kickstarter update. As of this writing, the campaign is just shy of $400,000 with a goal of $775,000. Harmonix has until 5 p.m. EST, May 23 to reach their goal. If the crowdfunding campaign fails, Harmonix has said that Amplitude will go "back on the shelf." [Image: Harmonix]
Steam Daily Deal: Sword & Sworcery for less than a cup of coffee
Sword & Sworcery EP from developers Superbrothers, Capybara, and musician Jim Guthrie is Steam's featured "Daily Deal," slashing the indie darling's price down 80 percent to $1.59. The promotion will conclude on Wednesday, January 22 at 10am Pacific. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is the million unit-selling adventure title that first launched for iPad in March 2011. Sword & Sworcery has since launched for other iOS devices, Android, as well as (and included with a purchase on Steam) PC, Mac and Linux. The award-winning indie title follows the courageous adventures of The Scythian as she attempts to vanquish a ghost terrorizing a mountain top. The game is presented in multiple sections, venturing from the start of The Scythian's journey to the dreams of those affected by the ghost's presence. Also, it's gorgeous.
I Am Street Fighter filmmakers creating documentary series Outerlands
Area 5's newest project is a documentary-style series called Outerlands. The group of filmmakers are taking to Kickstarter to fund the first six-episode season of the show, requesting $210,000 by February 15 to produce it. The team has already raised over $25,000 towards its goal. While Outerlands is vaguely about the "people and culture of videogames," the project's Kickstarter pitch video hints at the numerous topics Area 5 plans to cover, such as game preservation and e-sports. The team has stretch goals that start at $300,000 and reach $1 million, some of which will provide funding for additional freelance artists and musicians like Fez creators and composers Phil Fish and Disasterpeace as well as Sound Shapes composer Jim Guthrie. Formed in 2009, Area 5 comprises five former 1Up Show staffers, who created the I Am Street Fighter and Grounded: Making The Last of Us documentaries.
Capy flies 'Below' the radar on the Xbox One
Microsoft's E3 press conference yesterday was full of gigantic new titles like Titanfall, Ryze, and Metal Gear Solid 5, but in among the blockbusters, there was one little announce that stood out in a big way. Below is the latest game from Capybara Games, the indie Canadian studio behind Critter Crunch and Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, who most recently won all the awards with the beautiful iOS title Sword and Sworcery EP. Below is about as far from an early next-generation console title as you'd imagine: Instead of bombastic, flashy, and loud, it's quiet, subtle, and slightly menacing. "You are small," Capy co-founder Nathan Vella says while smoking a cigarette outside a Microsoft E3 showcase last evening. "Death is at every turn if you are not smart about it." Below is "a roguelike like," he says, focusing on sending the player through a series of randomized, one-screen dungeons, with a sword, shield, and some other not-yet-revealed tools and weapons.%Gallery-191148%
Superbrothers and Jim Guthrie make Sound Shapes' 'Corporeal'
The next artist and musician pair to create a Sound Shapes album has worked together before: Superbrothers and Jim Guthrie famously collaborated on Sword & Sworcery EP, and now they've made "Corporeal," a series of levels for Queasy Games' Vita platformer."After some initial discussion with Queasy," Craig "Superbrothers" Adams said on the PlayStation Blog, "we chose to explore some of the concepts in prior Superbrothers films including Children of the Clone and Dot Matrix Revolution, so our levels are populated by computers, mainframes, office workers and water coolers." The level design is modeled on "something like Impossible Mission for C-64 & Spectrum," though still within the mechanics of Sound Shapes.Adams didn't offer a specific release date for Sound Shapes, but he did say it'll be playable at Sony's E3 booth. Good news ... for us!
Sword and Sworcery devs hosting a creative jam
Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP has earned accolades from critics and players for its creativity. Now its developers are asking the community to show off their own creativity, in the "Create in the Key of Sworcery" virtual jam. Over on the game's official tumblr, they're sharing some really incredible fan art from the game, and they're asking for more to be made and sent in during a virtual jam, happening on May 11-13. It's not a contest and there are no prizes, as far as I can tell. I believe it's just making some art for art's sake. The world of Sword and Sworcery is certainly gorgeous, and has already inspired some great work from fans. If you are a fan with some artistic talent, we'll be waiting to see what you and others put together with Jim Guthrie, Capy, and Superbrothers next weekend.
Indie Game: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Pre-order offers
You might have seen Indie Game: The Movie. But have you heard it? Without all the pictures, and the talking? If you'd like to experience the soundtrack to the movie (by Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP composer Jim Guthrie) in isolation, you can now pre-order it from Bandcamp and iTunes, due on May 15.If you'd like something tangible with your audible goods, you can opt for the double LP vinyl release, or pick up a t-shirt with your digital or vinyl album. Both the LP and the t-shirt feature new artwork by designer Cory Schmitz, whose work you may be wearing right now! And if you have yet to see the movie, you can find out here if a screening is coming up near you.
Sword and Sworcery LP sampled by Lil Wayne
If you're a human being with ears and a heart, we're going to assume you loved Sword and Sworcery EP just as much as you loved Sword and Sworcery LP - The Ballad of the Space Babies, its ethereal, lovely soundtrack. Know what? We're going to go out on a limb and also assume that you love Lil Wayne -- because, really, who doesn't -- and therefore will double-love his new track, "She Will," which samples a selection from the iOS gem's score. We've contacted Superbrothers to find out the terms behind this auspicious partnership. You can listen to a brief chunk of the track after the jump, provided you're in a place that doesn't mind NSFW language. (Like, you know, not-work.)
Indie Game: The Movie has new trailer, new music, and new Kickstarter
The two-person team behind Indie Game: The Movie just released a new trailer for the increasingly epic project, featuring developers Team Meat, Phil Fish, and Jonathan Blow as they pour their lives into their games. If you want to see how a film can draw genuinely interesting visuals out of "people talking about making games," look no further than the trailer after the break. Those visuals will also be accompanied by interesting sounds: filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot announced today that Sword & Sworcery EP composer Jim Guthrie is creating the music for the film. Now, in order to finish that movie, the duo has initiated a second Kickstarter campaign. Basically, they need to bring more people in: "We're looking for help with the finishing costs of the feature film (audio, colour, and mastering) in order to make this movie the best possible version of itself." Available rewards for helping them reach the $35,000 goal include digital, DVD, or extended Special Edition copies of Indie Game: The Movie, t-shirts, and credits in the film. Go help out! We want to see this movie!
GDC 2010: Hands-on with Superbrothers' Sword and Sorcery
"Superbrothers" is the alias of Craig Adams, a Toronto-based artist who specializes in pixel-based artwork and cinema. He's a big fan of musician Jim Guthrie, and after the two met a while ago (and discovered they were actually fans of each other), he was inspired to create a few music videos of the songs that he heard. Then, a little while back, Adams ran into a few guys from Capy, a game developer (they've made some great puzzle titles like Clash of Heroes for the DS and Critter Crunch for PSN) also from Toronto, and he decided to team up with them to make his first game, and release it on the iPhone. I got to play the game for the first time at GDC, and what I found was an interesting mix of art, music, and gameplay that shows just how amazing a platform like the iPhone can be, both for independent developers and for artists who just want to express themselves (or music they like) in an interactive format. Read on to find out what the game is like, and how it uses the iPhone's assets and Superbrothers' creativity to create a singular experience.
Capy's latest: Sword & Sworcery EP, a 'brave experiment in I/O cinema'
One day after the ship date of its DS game Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, the newest project from Critter Crunch developer Capy has been somewhat revealed: a collaboration with artist Craig "Superbrothers" Adams and singer Jim Guthrie, called Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP. We aren't sure exactly what this is: the description on the site describes it in terms like "a brave experiment in I/O cinema" and "a crude videogame haiku about life, love & death." It appears to be for the iPhone platform, and the "EP" in the title suggests a short-form experience. Whatever it is, we desperately want to know more, as you will after you watch the teaser after the break. [Via GameSetWatch]
