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Harmonix announces 'rhythm-runner' Record Run for mobile
Harmonix announced the development of a new free-to-play game at PAX East in Boston today called Record Run. Described by the developer as a "rhythm-runner," the game is "coming soon" to as-yet-undetermined mobile platforms. Record Run features gameplay that compares to Gaijin Games' Bit.Trip series, according to Harmonix head Alex Rigopulos. The game uses songs from players' mobile devices as the backdrop for its levels, which features a character running down a sidewalk, avoiding obstacles and collecting music records, all seen during Rigopulous' presentation. He noted that Harmonix has "lots of other irons in the fire on mobile" aside from Record Run. [Image: Harmonix]
Control two totem pieces in Project Totem on Xbox One, 360
Press Play, the Danish studio behind Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, announced its next game today, codenamed Project Totem. Like Max, Project Totem is a colorful platformer, and is currently in development for Xbox One and Xbox 360. Press Play is preparing to launch the game this fall. The "playful yet precise" game has players guiding two totem pole pieces with one game pad. The gameplay concept comes from two brothers, Asger Strandby (Game Director) and Bo Strandby (Lead Designer), who opted to add local cooperative multiplayer to Project Totem in addition to its single player campaign. [Image: Press Play]
Portal to find a companion in Android-based handheld, Nvidia Shield [Update]
Popular first-person puzzle-shooter Portal is coming to Nvidia's Android-based handheld system, Shield. Nvidia is handling the adaptation, said to be a full port of the PC version of the game, with the blessing of Valve. The Nvidia Shield launched in late July 2013 and our review of the system deemed it an "expensive novelty." Nvidia upped the system's PC streaming functions to 1080p and added button-mapping options in December. While it is unclear whether Portal will make its way to the Google Play store for use on more Android devices, all signs point to its exclusivity on the Nvidia Shield. We've contacted Nvidia to clarify that point, and will update as we learn more. Update: Nvidia informed Joystiq that Portal is a "native Android game," and will be sold on the Google Play store for use on other Android devices. [Image: Valve]
PixelJunk Inc is now Nom Nom Galaxy, chomping on Steam next week
Q-Games' PixelJunk Inc has long been in development, and will see an alpha version launch on Steam's Early Access service on March 13. The game, which was originally codenamed "PixelJunk 1-6" in November 2012, will also undergo a name change and be known as Nom Nom Galaxy from here on out. Q-Games originally planned to launch Nom Nom Galaxy on Steam last year, and now has a quirky Early Access trailer to make up for lost time. In the trailer, Q-Games serves up the game's new name and places items like a PS3 and a copy of StarFox Command in a giant pot of soup. Given that players use lasers to destroy the environment in the 2D platformer and in turn build their soup empire, we guess boiling a game console in a video makes sense on some level. [Image: Q-Games]
Limbo investor funds indie sleepwalker Back to Bed
Sleepwalking puzzler Back to Bed is back on track thanks to assistance from Danish investment firm Capnova. The investment prompted the team of students from the Danish National Academy of Digital Interactive Entertainment (DADIU) to form an official studio now known as Bedtime Digital Games. Capnova's history of video game investments include Playdead's Limbo, PressPlay's Max and the Magic Marker and Full Control's digital adaptation of Space Hulk for iPad. Bedtime Digital Games Project Manager Klaus Pederson told Polygon that the funding from Capnova will make a second game from the developer possible. Back to Bed was scheduled to arrive in late December 2013 before being pushed back during the developer's restructuring. Players guide a sleepwalker through dreamlike, 3D puzzle-platforming environments in the game, which will come to PC, Mac, Linux , iOS, Android and Ouya. The developer earned $13,312 on Kickstarter in March 2013 to initially fund the game. [Image: Bedtime Digital Games]
Tulpa mixes Limbo, Alice, occultism for two-character platforming
Tulpa is an eerie, symbolic puzzle-platformer that draws inspiration from Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, American McGee's Alice and Limbo, with roots in occultism and theosophy. In layman's terms, it's a creepy game about secrets and sanity. It features two playable characters: Ophelia, who can interact with the physical world, and Oliver, who uses telekinesis to move objects. Tulpa comes from two student developers and a musician in Larisa, Greece, working under the studio name Encryptique. The word "tulpa" translates to "conjured thing" or "thoughtform," magical things created by thought alone. "Oliver is Ophelia's tulpa," Encryptique writes. "He was created by her own mind in need for support. That cause has an effect. Ophelia needs Oliver to be close, otherwise she begins to lose her sanity, ensuing an inevitable death." Encryptique is looking to raise $4,500 on Indiegogo to finish Tulpa for PC, Mac and Linux. Specifically, the team needs two Unity Pro licenses, money for sound effects and a new laptop for the musician. Encryptique expects polishing Tulpa to take several months, though it will invite backers to beta test the game before launch. Tulpa is also on Steam Greenlight. [Images: Encryptique]
Stealth Inc: Ultimate Edition tip-toes to PS4 in March
Curve Studios' stealthy platformer Stealth Inc will receive a special Ultimate Edition version on PS4 in early March, the developer announced today. The bundle will include the base version of the game formerly known as Stealth Bastard as well as its two DLC add-ons, The Teleporter Chambers and The Lost Clones. The pieces of downloadable content add 40 levels to the game's already-existing 80. Stealth Inc launched on PSN for Vita and PS3 in July 2013, following its November 2012 launch on PC and April 2013 release on Mac and Linux. While it was Cross-Buy-enabled on PSN then, the developer noted today that the Ultimate Edition will not be free for current Stealth Inc owners to download. Still, it is "looking into ways we can offer a very significant discount to people who already own Stealth Inc," and will reveal as much in the coming weeks. [Image: Curve Studios]
Escape from giant heads in this Gnah teaser trailer
Gnah is a "game about exploring and escaping giant heads." That's how Montreal-based indie developer Ko-Op Mode describes its latest project in addition to the phrase "the only way out is through" in the game's teaser trailer. Gnah is a collaboration between the Ko-Op Mode collective and designer Samuel Boucher, whose Tumblr blog is filled with attractive designs related to the game. Boucher took to an indie gaming forum to discuss the project in December, calling Gnah a "puzzle game about a little guy trapped in some weird heads called Gnahs." Gnah has players controlling the character in the heads as well as manipulating the heads themselves to help the character escape. The game is in development for PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya.
Dark and drunken platformer, Spate, due out on Steam in March
Spate is a drunken, emotional platformer due out for PC, Mac and Linux on March 19, via Steam and the game's website. Spate has evolved since we first saw it in March: The new screenshots show off a colorful, twisted world, while previously it looked plain twisted. The story remains dark, following a father as he deals with the death of his daughter by drinking the pain away – the more he drinks, the better he runs and jumps, but the world becomes more grotesque with each sip. "The deeper into the journey he gets, the more surreal things become," Spate creator Eric Provan says. "Will he be able to ditch his drinking habit and finally face the emotions haunting him since his daughter's death? Or will he allow the drink to completely engulf him?" Spate is in beta now, available in a pre-order bundle for $25. Pre-order the final game alone for $10. Provan migrated from the film industry, starting as an artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Animation and the Jim Henson Creature Shop. In March, he told us how these skills translate to game development, and that his favorite aspect of Spate was the rain: "I began thinking of all the movies that I love and what they have in common: Stalker, Dark City, Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China. It was rain! I began thinking of the feeling that I get when I sit at my window watching and listening to the rain come down. It's a special feeling, and it's one that I am determined to achieve with Spate."
Episodic XBLIG platformer Oozi: Earth Adventure collected on Steam
2D platformer Oozi: Earth Adventure has made the leap from XBLIG to Steam, available now for PC at a discounted price of $8. The sale runs through December 12, when the game jumps back to $10. Oozi: Earth Adventure was released episodically on XBLIG, but is now gathered in full on Steam. It follows the alien Oozi, who crash lands on Earth, loses his space suit and has to find his way home. Oozi is a straight-up platformer, without any distracting puzzles or punishment, developer Awesome Games says. It features difficulty settings spanning "Kid" to "Hardcore."
Super Mario 3D World powers up in launch trailer
This launch trailer for Super Mario 3D World offers a brief overview of the game's cast of characters and varying power-ups along with glimpses at the stages players will leap through. Among the characters not shown is Rosalina, an unlockable fifth character that stars in Super Mario Galaxy. The trailer, intended for European audiences, notes the game's November 29 release date, though it will launch November 22 in North America. Our review of the game was positively glowing, finding the platformer "utterly delightful from top to bottom."
Cast a silhouette from the light of this Contrast trailer
There's something lurking in the shadows of this Contrast trailer, and it smells like secrets. Well, and a fire-breathing shadow dragon, but we're not sure how to best describe that scent. Contrast is on Steam, Xbox Live Marketplace, PS3 and is currently free for PS4 owners with PlayStation Plus.
Shadowy platformer A Walk in the Dark now on Steam
Indie platformer A Walk in the Dark is now available on Steam. Priced at $6.99, the game has players leaping around lethal obstacles in shadowy levels as a cat named Bast, searching for its owner Arielle. The game draws apt comparisons to other challenging platformers like Limbo, VVVVVV and Super Meat Boy, as each game was a key influence for developer Flying Turtle. Similar to Limbo, the platformer includes "gravity inversion" mechanics in some levels, and seen in the screen above, a rather nefarious-looking spider. A Walk in the Dark was among a group of 100 games that were granted distribution on Steam thanks to Valve's Greenlight service in August.
Shift the city's architecture in cyberpunk stealth platformer Interference
French artist Anthony Beyer launched an Indiegogo project for Interference, a stealthy puzzle-platformer for PC, Mac and Linux. The game has players joining a cyberterrorist organization called The Interferers, an underground group that are opposed to a totalitarian government. The group grants players access to a device known as The Glitcher, which allows players to slide pieces of the city Arachnopolis around to create paths and avoid enemies. Interference relies heavily on stealth mechanics similar to that of Klei's Mark of the Ninja, though Beyer said he wants to create his own game "with a fully-realized and immersive universe that isn't disjointed by levels." Players will unlock districts of the city similar to the Metroid and Castlevania series, but can freely traverse the open parts of Arachnopolis at will. Beyer is seeking €25,000 ($33,475) by December 11 to fund the game's development, and plans to deliver it by June 2014. He also made a pre-alpha demo available to download for both PC and Mac owners, found on the game's website. [Thanks, Andrew!]
Bit.Trip Run sprints to iOS
Gaijin Games' rhythmic platformer, Bit.Trip Run, is now available on iOS. The game costs $3.99 and includes three worlds with 30 normal levels, 15 retro levels and 12 challenge levels playable with eight different characters that can be customized with 40 unlockable costumes. Bit.Trip Run is the mobile version of Bit.Trip Runner Presents Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, the sequel to Bit.Trip Runner, except with a conveniently succinct title. The developer has a free update planned for the game, which will add two more worlds with 20 levels, eight challenges, 10 retro levels and two additional boss battles.
Newton challenges Escher on Xbox Live Nov. 13 in The Bridge
IGF Student Showcase winner and all-around acclaimed puzzle platformer The Bridge leaps to Xbox Live on November 13 for $10, published by Majesco's new indie arm, Midnight City. Suspended platforms in The Bridge may not look like bridges at all – they may be staircases inverted upon themselves in a seemingly infinite loop or chessboards with cut-out walkways. The game is a 2D logic platformer that questions physics and interrogates perspective, "Isaac Newton meets MC Escher," as developer Quantum Astrophysicists Guild says. If you want to get a head start, The Bridge is $15 on Steam and from the Quantum Astrophysicists for PC.
Boogerman wants to celebrate his 20th anniversary with a new pick and flick platformer
Interplay-developed Boogerman will reach its 20th anniversary next year, and to celebrate, its original creators are looking to develop a new game, funded by Kickstarter. Like the original Sega Genesis, Mega Drive and SNES game, Boogerman 20th Anniversary will have players guiding Snotty Ragsdale through nasty platforming levels like pus palace, the naval caverns and the mucus mountains. Developers Mike Stragey and Chris Tremmel, who have since worked at a number of studios such as Activision, EA and WayForward, say the game will be a brand new HD experience with new mechanics and levels like swimming and minecart-riding. Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country 64 composer Grant Kirkhope will create the game's soundtrack as well. Boogerman 20th Anniversary is estimated to arrive in November 2014 for PC, Mac, PS4, Vita and Wii U. The developer is looking to raise $375,000 by November 20 in order to bring the project to life, and has a Greenlight page set up to gain community approval for release on Steam.
Shadowy platformer Contrast coming November 15, says Steam
Contrast is now available to pre-purchase on Steam, which says the game will arrive on November 15. Compulsion Games tells Joystiq that the November launch date is "to be confirmed," and may change as it draws near. The game is 25 percent off ($14.99) until it launches. Contrast has players controlling a young woman named Dawn that can traverse shadows cast by all objects in the game. At the center of the 1920's noir universe is Didi, a nine-year-old and sole friend of Dawn, who unravels a story surrounding Didi's mother and absent father. Our time with the game at PAX East was pleasant, though there were a few rough spots on the puzzle-platforming side of things with Dawn's character model getting caught on the edges of shadows at times. Contrast will also come to PSN and XBLA in Q4 2013, though no solid release date has been determined for those platforms yet.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze rolls down a Retro track
"Okay, where are the minecart levels?" That's a novel, ill-advised question when it comes to platformers, but Retro Studios achieved the improbable with 2010's Donkey Kong Country Returns (updated this year with a 3DS version). The side-scrolling platformer knew how to do a good minecart level, exhibiting creative design in a realm meant to be firmly on tracks – sometimes the whole track would curl up and break loose, rolling forward as you spun around a makeshift motorcycle cage. The rickety rail-jumping returns in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, along with some of the other special traits that rightly suit Nintendo's tie-wearing gorilla. I played a handful of levels set at various points of the game, getting a sense of its challenge and momentum. As before, Donkey Kong and an optional companion – the diminutive Dixie Kong joins this time – run from left to right, leaping and swinging to avoid flames, falls and the fury of nasty animals marching about. The backgrounds are a vivid mix of jungles, caverns and cloudy skies, and all benefit from Retro's graduation to HD on the Wii U.
Escape Goat absconds to Steam, celebrates with a sale
Pixelated puzzle platformer Escape Goat has rammed its way onto Steam. Available on Steam for 20% off its $5 asking price until October 16, Escape Goat is compatible with Windows PC, Mac and Linux. In Escape Goat, players assume the role of a goat imprisoned for using witchcraft. Players must navigate various rooms full of traps and enemies in an attempt to escape the Prison of Agnus. A sequel, aptly titled Escape Goat 2, from developer MagicalTimeBean is currently in the works, though it recently suffered a setback and had to be delayed from its intended September 10 launch date. Creator Ian Stocker has yet to announce the new release date.
