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Shelter 2 'Cuteness' trailer is all about the lynx kitten fuzzies
Joystiq Trivia: Every morning I send Managing Editor Susan Arendt a cat gif to kick off the day. Like all good people, we share a love of cat gifs. This morning, I'm just sending her this aptly titled "Cuteness in Shelter 2" trailer. Because: d'awwww, lynx kittens. The wildlife survial sim and its lynx kitties are coming to Steam sometime next month. [Image: Might & Delight]
Shelter 2's first gameplay trailer says 'click this lynx'
Stockholm-based independent developer Might and Delight offered up its first gameplay trailer of Shelter 2 today, the studio's next PC exploration game. Found after the break, the video demonstrates the motherly lynx's survival and protection methods, including tracking down prey and cautiously trotting close to her cubs. The survival sequel features "more elaborate gameplay features than its predecessor," according to the game's site. Shelter 2 will add stamina as well as a greater variety of movement and killing abilities. Players will also be able to call their cubs to their side, carry them and encourage them to drink from streams. First announced in March, Shelter 2 is expected to launch on Steam, GOG and other digital platforms in February 2015 following its delay earlier this month. [Image: Might and Delight]
Shelter 2 protects baby lynx in 2015, dev teases new game
We'll have to wait until Q1 2015 to prove our paws hands at lynx motherhood in Shelter 2, as developer Might and Delight has delayed the PC adventure due to "persistent bugs" and to allow time for a new, separate project. "We are experimenting with a type of game that we have never created before," Might and Delight explained on Facebook, offering a teaser image of the game's production. Between the strange object, green screen paint and hot glue gun shown in the photo of an apparent workshop, we can believe Might and Delight's assurance that it's a new direction for the studio. Whatever the new project is, Might and Delight noted it's in full development and planned to release "very soon this year." [Image: Might and Delight]
Shelter 2 is bringing the lynx back to gaming relevance
Wildlife survival sim Shelter is getting a follow-up where instead of playing as a badger looking after her litter, you take on the role of a mother lynx progressing through a journey of parenthood and protection. The PC sequel, which Atari appears to have missed the boat on, is coming to Steam, GOG, and other digital platforms sometime in the fall. "The beauty of nature goes hand in hand with its unforgiving rawness," said developer Might & Delight while stroking its beard from atop of a mountain. "That is central in Shelter 2, and one of the reasons we chose to make a game about a Lynx. They are in [the] middle of the food chain, and there are far more vicious things out on the cold tundra..." The Swedish indie studio said it's bringing "more elaborate gameplay features" to Shelter 2, and including more stamina, more varied movements, and greater maternal control over your cubs. The sequel also introduces a hub-like den that acts as a central sanctuary, and "much bigger" environments that Might & Delight hopes players return to and re-explore. In short, Shelter 2 isn't the same old game, boy... [Image: Might & Delight]
Shelter review: Badger over troubled water
It's 3AM, and I am not a happy badger. I've restarted this level at least five times now. It always ends the same way, on the same barren stretch of land between the comforting cover of the underbrush and the inviting darkness of the tunnel that marks what I think is the end of the level. The eagle strikes as we're halfway across; too far to return to the underbrush, but not close enough to reach the tunnel without the feathered git making off with at least one of my cubs. This is my last shot at the level. I've come to accept that I have to lose one of my children to proceed – that the game won't let me reach its finale without at least a taste of loss – but I'm already composing an angry email to the developers in my head. You can't just betray the player's trust like this; narrative be damned. A rush of displaced wind and a terrified squeak lets me know I can open eyes and see which one of my cubs didn't make it. The one with three stripes. He was my favorite. I scrap the angry email idea and elect to send them a live badger by airmail, that'll teach them. Then something amazing happens. There's a noise; one I haven't heard before. I turn, and the missing cub saunters through the tunnel entrance, apparently unperturbed by his brush with mortality. Is this a scripted event or a random occurrence? I have no idea, but at that moment it's irrelevant. My cub has escaped certain death, and I am elated. Such is the sole real triumph of Might and Delight's Shelter. For all its failings, and there really are quite a lot of them for such a small game, it did make me care.
PSN Europe starts biweekly indies sale with Pid, Topatoi, Zack Zero tomorrow
A new batch of indie games will be on sale every two weeks through PSN in Europe. The first three to jointly cut the ribbon on this new promotional indie carousel are Pid, Topatoi and Zack Zero. Pid (was £7.99, now £4.79; extra 30 percent off for PS Plus) is an action/puzzle game from Might and Delight, an outfit comprised of ex-Grin folk. Topatoi (was £7.99, now £3.19; extra ten percent off for PS Plus) is a notoriously difficult episodic platformer from Boolat Games, and Zack Zero (was £7.99, now £2.39; extra 25 percent off for PS Plus) from Crocodile Entertainment rounds out the group with its 2.5D action-platforming. If you'd like to learn more about these games, the PlayStation Blog has also published some commentary from each of the participating developers.
Pid dev unveils 'early gameplay footage' of wildlife survivor Shelter
At first glance Shelter looks kind of cuddly; you play a badger mother looking after her cubs in some pleasant looking greenery. Pid developer Might & Delight is billing its next game as anything but. As this early footage shows, you'll have to hunt other animals for food, and avoid becoming prey yourself. That inferno at the end isn't too cuddly either. Shelter, announced earlier this year, is still foraging on Steam Greenlight. Might & Delight's plans are to release it into the wilds of PC and Mac towards the end of this summer.
Pid dev badgers Steam Greenlight with new game Shelter
Pid developer Might & Delight announced Shelter today, a third-person, single-player PC and Mac game that sees you play as a badger mother protecting your cete of cubs from natural dangers. It's an unexpected turn for the Swedish indie studio and its former Grin members (Bionic Commando, Terminator Salvation), but perhaps it's about time we saw more of the monochrome omnivore in the gaming scene. Might & Delight promises an "emotional" game that won't shirk from the "harsh" realities of nature. "It's our ambition to create an experience of immersion by making you feel exposed and vulnerable in the sometimes unforgiving hands of the wild", said lead level and game designer Andreas Wangler. "We are not saying nature is cruel, however what the mother and her cubs will experience is simply a fact of life. There are no boss fights in this game. No good or evil elements. It's simply about survival and protecting your offspring."Shelter is slated for late summer 2013. In the meantime, Might & Delight has the game up on Greenlight in the hope the community digs it enough to bring it to Steam. %Gallery-185658%
Pid's 'Easy Mode' brings balance, universal enjoyment to Steam
The Easy Mode that Pid developer Might & Delight promised earlier this month is now live on Steam, offering "a version of the game that can be enjoyed by everyone." This would include us, we assume, especially since we found Pid to be "one of the most annoying games" of the year, with manic, frustrating difficulty spikes."In Pid's Easy Mode we have redesigned nearly all levels and maybe most importantly made all the boss fights shorter and more simple," Might & Delight writes on the Steam announcement. "We have studied the reviews and playthroughs on YouTube thoroughly to determine how we can create a version of the game that can be enjoyed by everyone. We have also reworked small parts of Normal Mode and the difficulty spikes that people encountered!"The patch also allows players to change difficulty mid-game, without having to restart. Pid on, people.
Pid receives 'Easy Mode' on PC
Might & Delight patched a new 'Easy Mode' into puzzle-platformer Pid earlier this week. The Swedish studio redesigned levels to lower the mode's difficulty and shortened boss fights. Normal Mode also sees some tweaks, with the developer saying changes were made based on feedback from critics and fans.In our review, Garrett Martin grew frustrated with the game's difficulty spikes, and Might & Delight now says those spikes are "lessened" thanks to the update. Overall, Garrett rated Pid at two and a half stars, saying the game comes alive when it sprinkles puzzles on top of its straightforward platforming, but also "makes a few crucial mistakes that similar recent games avoided."If you want to try but not necessarily buy Pid for yourself, the game now has a demo available on Steam.
Pid review: Ups and downs
I hate this butler.I don't know any real butlers. I'm talking about Pid's first boss, a giant flying neat freak that swoops down to clean up any mess I make. I've spent an hour or two coasting through the blandly whimsical world of Pid, a side-scrolling platformer set in a storybook-ish alien planet overtaken by mean robots. I can jump and kill the bad guys with my very limited stash of bombs, but the action consists largely of using antigravity beams to float above and across obstacles. Suddenly I find myself on a giant table in a banquet hall larger than the UNSC Infinity. It's a dead end, and the only thing I can do is smash some glasses. Mazel tov!%Gallery-141150%
PSA: Pid lights up XBLA, PS3 and PC today
Pid, the puzzle-platformer from ex-Grin folks at Might and Delight, is now available on PC, PS3 and Xbox Live Arcade for $10 (800 MS Points). But you don't have to spend a dime to watch this launch trailer – well, okay, you pay for internet but you know what we mean. Yeah, you get it.
PSA: Pid and Pool Nation hit XBLA Oct. 31, Karateka and ToeJam & Earl Nov. 7
Major Nelson's latest Xbox Live Marketplace update confirms a few dates for us. Pid and Pool Nation drop tomorrow, while the ToeJam & Earl Collection and Karateka are beating towards November 7 releases. Jordan Mechner's beat-em-up was orignally set for a week later, but the Major says otherwise. Each game costs 800 MSP.There's also some noteworthy DLC on the way. Assassin's Creed 3 and WWE '13 get season passes today for 2400 and 1600 MSP respectively, while Sleeping Dogs can now explore the 'Nightmare in North Point' for 560 MSP. When Halo 4 comes out on November 6 the succinct 'War Games Map Pass Season One' should be ready and willing for 2000 MSP. Finally, the similarly concise Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 gets 'Deck Pack 1' on November 7 for 240 MSP.
Pid saves a planet in distress on October 31
Might & Delight's Pid will distort gravity on Xbox Live Arcade and Steam starting on October 31. Interested puzzle platform fans will be able to snag the game for $10.If you haven't been following Pid, it features the adventures of a boy who acquires the ability to change gravity, which comes in handy when trying to solve tricky, dangerous puzzles.Pid will be released on PlayStation Network later in 2012.
Pid co-op has great potential for evil
Given the many perils of Pid – spikes, pits, etc. – the potential for griefing during cooperative play is pretty high. With each player controlling one gravity beam, a great deal of trust (or patience) sounds like a prerequisite.
An audio walkthrough of Pid's soundtrack
In this video, you will not only find a copious amount of into about the soundtrack created by Retro Family for Pid, you'll also see lots of juicy Pid footage, including some shots of developer Might & Delight's early prototypes. It's come a long way from a kid with triangles for legs.
D3 publishing Pid on XBLA [update]
If you were at E3, you likely deduced this from Pid's presence in the D3 Publisher booth, but the publisher has made it official via a press release: D3 will act as publisher for the XBLA version of Might and Delight's platformer.Might and Delight co-founder Adam Boyes previously suggested that it was "renting" an XBLA spot from a known publisher, in order to take advantage of one of the predetermined publishing slots allotted to said publisher; however, in the announcement, Might and Delight managing director Wendy Young touts D3's "distribution support," suggesting more involvement from the publisher. In addition, a Might and Delight spokesperson informs us that D3 is acting as a true "publishing partner" for Pid. Pid will be self-published on Steam and PSN.%Gallery-157631%Update: Added a note from D3, and a quote from Might and Delight, clarifying the relationship between the two.
Might and Delight planning August debut for Pid
Might and Delight, an indie outfit composed of ex-Grin folks, is crafting a charming platform-adventure game called Pid. Look for our impressions on this very website soon.Pid was slated to launch sometime this year back in December, but during a demo on the E3 show floor, lead programmer Kian Bashari told me the current goal was to launch in August. As for pricing, Bashari said it had yet to be determined.%Gallery-157631%
Might and Delight 'renting' XBLA spot to sell Pid there
Pid is a new platformer being put together by Might and Delight, and when it arrives, it'll be available on PSN, Steam, and XBLA. But while Might and Delight will be self-publishing on PSN and Steam (because both platforms have plans in place for devs to do that), it won't be self-publishing on the Xbox Live Arcade. They won't have another publisher, either -- instead, Might and Delight is "renting" an XBLA game slot.The PA Report explains how it all works: When Microsoft agrees to allow devs to publish on XBLA, those devs get a set number of slots to sell games with. Not all of the publishers who get these slots use them and some of those publishers are now selling their slots, usually for a share of the game's profits, to other developers. That's the case with Pid: Might and Delight is "borrowing" another publisher's game slot and in return sharing part of Pid's profits.Anyone publishing a game on XBLA needs to give Microsoft a cut of the profits as well, so both Microsoft and the publisher are taking money away from Might and Delight here. But on the plus side, Might and Delight doesn't need to make a traditional publishing deal at all, so there's no issue with exclusivity or long-term rights. If the game does well, they're much more likely to make sure they see the rewards directly.
Pid vid: See Might & Delight's new platform adventure
After its sneaky, unarchived debut on Giant Bomb's livestream, Might & Delight has officially announced its "original adventure game," Pid. Stranded on an alien world, the player uses "gravitybending action, intricate puzzle-solving and classic precision platform action" to find the way home and defeat "quirky robots." You won't need to solve any intricate puzzles to watch the trailer; simply click above. Might & Delight intends to release this on console download services and PC in 2012, though it needs a publisher before it can do that.%Gallery-141150%
