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'Alt254' is a Zelda-style adventure where you play as a pixel
It's about as low-res as games get these days.
Surreal adventure game ‘The Gardens Between’ is coming to Switch
Independent developer The Voxel Agents has announced it plans to release abstract puzzle title The Gardens Between for Nintendo Switch in addition to previously disclosed PlayStation 4, PC and Mac platforms. It's expected to arrive sometime in Q3 this year.
Giant scissors are your controller in this quirky first-person action game
There's this small world inside GDC 2018 called Alt.Ctrl.GDC, where you'll find a booth full of quirky games that incorporate physical objects into their story. With Scissors the that than (the latter part pronounced "da da dan," according to its Japanese developer), you use giant scissors as your controller and as the main weapon inside the actual game. Before we get into the premise of Scissors the that than, you should first know that the physical pair that acts as a controller only has a joystick on the left handle (which you use to move) and a red button on the right one that starts the game.
'Gunhead' puts an artistic twist on a first-person shooter game
First-person shooter games are dime a dozen, but every now and then there's one that stands out from the pack. That's exactly the case with Gunhead, an open world title from Alientrap, the same indie developer that brought you the gorgeous 2D platformer Apotheon. The game, which quietly debuted at SXSW 2018 last week and is here at GDC 2018, features visuals reminiscent of films like A Scanner Darkly, the animated sci-fi thriller from 2006. Gunhead's artwork feels cartoonish, yet polished, with dark, vibrant colors that pop as you travel between spaceships in your role as a pirate mech with a gun for a head.
'Flower' brings its zen gameplay to iPhone and iPad
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it had snagged exclusive rights to the next game from indie studio Thatgamecompany. Sky (described as a "romantic social adventure game") will be an Apple TV exclusive. But, there's more to the relationship between the two firms. On Thursday, the developer revealed its given its indie classic Flower the iOS treatment. The game is now available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, priced at $4.99.
Indie charmer 'TumbleSeed' will arrive on Nintendo Switch May 2nd
Okay, so you've had your Nintendo Switch for awhile. Ganon's corpse is but a speck in the proverbial rearview mirror and hunting for the last remaining shrines in Breath of the Wild isn't all that interesting. What's a person to do? Well, that's where indie games come in. And for the purposes of this article, we're talking about TumbleSeed specifically. The charming rogue-like about climbing a mountain as a tiny future-flora will be released to Nintendo's latest console May 2nd. That's only a few weeks away!
'Cuphead' and its deal with the devil pushed into 2017
Chalk up another high-profile indie game being delayed. This time it's Cuphead, the platformer styled after 1930's animation (think: Steamboat Willie and Betty Boop). The Steam and Xbox game was scheduled for a 2016 release, but that simply isn't feasible anymore according to developer StudioMDHR. "We wanted to finish our game 80 years after 1936 but it will now be 81," a blog post reads. "Throughout this year we discussed reducing the scope to make a 2016 release, but we made the difficult decision to delay the launch in order to ship with our vision intact."
Firewatch Photos will print and ship your in-game snapshots
In-game photo modes are cool and all, but beyond sharing your Driveclub or Arkham Knight snaps via social media, there isn't much you can do with them. Well, in the PC version of Firewatch (out this week, and on PlayStation 4) you can go a step further and have them printed and mailed to you from the folks at developer Campo Santo and publisher Panic. There's an in-game disposable camera, you see, and photographing artist Olly Moss's gorgeous landscapes is highly recommended; $15 nets you a set of 4" x 6" prints and they'll ship free "almost anywhere." TechnoBuffalo notes that after finishing the game you're presented with a link to an online store to place an order for your shots; that publication's photos are embedded below.
Tinder gets a lo-fi makeover in 'Millennial Swipe Simulator 2015'
If you've been using Tinder for long enough chances are that you've opened the app in the morning with some rather surprising matches. Brainlessly swiping right on whoever fits the bill for you in the hopes that they'll do the same and you'll potentially have a love connection is part of the experience. It's this sort of activity the web-based Millennial Swipe Sim 2015 aims to replicate. In the "game" you have to keep swiping (regardless of direction) to keep your boredom meter from filling lest you die. Seriously. Funnily enough, developer Will Herring (a Buzzfeed creative director and former GamePro (R.I.P.) editor) managed sneaking some of the app's quirks in. Like people in group photos and the same profiles that keep popping up repeatedly, for example. What's missing though are wedding shots from the altar or church steps and profiles consisting entirely of photos of one's children. Maybe in the next update?
Steam competitor GOG is getting into the movie selling business
The generous group over at Good Old Games is prepping to bring another medium into its trademark DRM-free digital distribution platform: movies. Starting today, you can head over to GOG.com and download or stream a handful of gaming-and-geek focused documentaries. What's on tap? Art of Playing, TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard and Indie Game: The Movie (seen above) among others, and you can check out the first two flicks in this list absolutely free of charge. If none of those strike your fancy the company promises more titles will be added on a weekly basis. Don't expect to see Guardians of the Galaxy pop up on the site's digital shelves in the coming months, though.
Phil Fish cancels Fez II, tells haters 'you win'
The game that helped to take indie development mainstream, while also proving how tortured and twisted the process can be, will not be getting a sequel. As you may have heard over the weekend, Fez's creator, Phil Fish, wrote a typically short and emotional fragment of explanatory text on Polytron's official website, saying that he's "getting out of games" and that he's killed the Fez II project that was announced last month and had been destined for the PC: "FEZ II is cancelled. i am done. i take the money and i run. this is as much as i can stomach. this is isn't the result of any one thing, but the end of a long, bloody campaign. you win." The "bloody campaign" in question likely consists of numerous hate messages that have been sent to Fish, sometimes in relation to his outspoken comments about other games and gamers, sometimes connected to things he did / didn't say about Microsoft, and other times simply due to the fact that Fez was so financially successful. We're not going to provide any specific examples, since gamer feuds are never worth the stress, but if you have a tougher skin and you want to know more, feel free to sully yourself at the links below.
Indie Game: The Movie Special Edition coming July 24, brings fans over 300 minutes of new material
Count yourself among the numerous fans of Indie Game: The Movie? Good news for you, as the film's creators are set to release Indie Game: The Movie Special Edition next week. This special edition brings over 300 minutes of new content that tells the tale of what's happened in the time after the first movie and includes a series of new short films and additional commentary from the IGTM's directors. The new content will be available as Steam DLC on July 24, or a download can be pre-ordered straight from the IGTM website now for $14.99. Should physical media be your preference, limited edition DVD and Blu-ray box sets (3,000 of each) signed by the directors can be pre-ordered for $59.99 and $69.99, respectively. For your cash, you get three discs that hold a full theatrical cut of the original film and the 300 minutes of new material that include extended interviews and Q&A sessions with the directors, cast and crew. Plus, you get an IGTM notebook, laptop sticker and a double-sided poster -- with the IGTM theatrical poster on one side and limited edition artwork by Edmund McMillen on the other. Box sets start shipping in early August and will also come with a code for a digital special edition. Once shipping starts, the pre-order price goes up to $69.99 for the DVD set and $89.99 for Blu-ray. So, head on past the break for a special edition trailer and check the source to get in line while the getting's good.
Indie Game: The Movie: The Worldwide Release: June 12th
What, you didn't think those games appeared on Xbox Live through some act of magic, did you? No, they're the product of insanely small teams working insanely long hours, at the risk of their well-being, social lives and, in some cases, personal hygiene, in order to bring you a downloadable break from Call of Duty. Indie Game: The Movie is a beautifully shot, occasionally heartwarming and perpetually fascinating look at the intersection of art and technology currently being explored by indie game developers, focusing on the creators of Fez, Braid and Super Meat Boy. We managed to get a sneak peak of the Sundance documentary, courtesy of filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, who appeared on the most recent episode of the Engadget Show -- and now you can join in on the fun: the film is getting a worldwide web release on June 12th, by way of iTunes, Steam and the official movie site. If you can't wait until then, however, you can pre-order the movie now for $10 in the source link below.
Canabalt creator Adam Atomic talks indie gaming, documentary on the way (video)
Adam Atomic's real name is Adam Saltsman, but regardless what you call him he's the man behind Canabalt, a killer parkour-inspired title in which you control a dude running across a rooftops with just a single button -- jump. Though it has simple mechanics and simple aesthetics the thinking behind it was anything but, a topic that Adam explores in the video clip embedded for you below. The footage is the product of James Swirsky and the team behind the upcoming documentary Indie Game: The Movie, due out next year and promising to explore the art and craft of the independent game movement. It's too early to tell whether the film might be able to knock The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters from the top of our documentary chart, but this segment (not actually a part of the movie) certainly makes things look promising.
