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Frozen Synapse stars in new Humble Indie Bundle
The latest Humble Indie Bundle has only one pay-what-you-want participant -- Frozen Synapse, the "simultaneous" turn-based strategy game from Mode 7 Games -- but exceeding the average price will transform it from misnomer into a proper collection of games. Paying more than the average price ($4.27 at time of writing) will net you another cold bonus in the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle, which offers an assortment of games from the Finnish indie developer. Those include Trine, Shadowgrounds, Shadowgrounds: Survivor, the canceled Jack Claw prototype and a pre-order for the upcoming Splot. Plus: your money can go to Child's Play and The Electronic Frontier Foundation as you see fit. Since Humble Bundle games work across multiple platforms (Jack Claw excluded), Frozen Synapse makes its debut on Linux, complete with a free copy of the soundtrack. We'd love a chance to listen to it in isolation, as most of the music gets drowned out by our utterances of "oh shit oh shit" when both players execute their plans at once.
New Humble Bundle features Frozenbyte games and prototype
Humble Bundle's third, pay-want-you-want indie games collection, "The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle," is now available from the official site for the next fifteen days. As the name implies, the new set features the works of Finnish developer Frozenbyte, including the platformer Trine and the top-down shooter series Shadowgrounds. The bundle also includes a pre-order license -- no, not for Trine 2, but for Splot, a mysterious (yet adorable-looking) title that's still under development. Most intriguing, Frozenbyte has tossed in the source code for a canceled project called Jack Claw. According to Edge, the developer hopes to crowd-source the game to completion and offer it for free to everyone that helps. Like past Humble Bundles, this one is DRM-free and -- with the exception of the Windows-only Jack Claw code -- all the games are available to download for PC, Mac and Linux. Additionally, purchasers are entitled to Steam, Desura and OnLive product keys for compatible titles, as well as the soundtracks for Trine and the Shadowgrounds games. Oh! And how could we forget? Any two portions of your purchase can be donated to the Child's Play Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a public interest nonprofit that protects consumers' digital rights. Check out the Frozenbyte Bundle promotional video after the break to find out more about this most awesome offering -- or just go buy it already! [Thanks, Luis!]
Pre-order Trine on Steam, get Shadowgrounds for free
Usually, whenever we're offered free games as a pre-order bonus, there's some common theme between the reserved title and the aforementioned playable incentive. Perhaps the bonus game is the prequel to the upcoming release, or at least belongs in the same genre as the pre-ordered title. However, a recent deal on Steam seems to go against this convention -- if you pre-order the upcoming fantasy action-platformer Trine on Steam's download service, you get the frantic top-down shooter Shadowgrounds for free.Okay, so they're both made by indie developer Frozenbyte, but still -- there's a wide chasm between the worlds of Smash TV and ... well, we can't think of a pre-existing game to compare Trine to. Super Ultima-rio Bros?
Gametap Thursday: Tube-It on the Futoshiki Shadowgrounds ... or something
GameTap delivers a sprinkle of random titles this week for subscribers. The two puzzle offerings, Futoshiki and Tube-it, are there if you need them, but the most enjoyment will probably come from Shadowgrounds. The basic gameplay of Shadowgrounds consists of running around and shooting things like Gauntlet in space -- and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Futoshiki (Windows) - Another Japanese number filling game like Sudoku or Kakuro. Yes, yes, both those games were originally American, but you get the point. Shadowgrounds (Windows) - A competent action game that has you blasting some aliens and generally having a good time. Tube-It (Arcade) - The forefather to the BioShock hacking game. Connect the colors through tubes from one side of the screen to the other. After the break is GameTap's list of free games, with Commandos 3: Destination Berlin being this week's new offering. With the money you save, you could do something in honor of Berlin ... like buying a currywurst. If you can't find one, make it yourself.
