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Indie platformer Knytt Stories to be released by end of August
Previously silent on the timing of the release of a Knytt sequel, Within a Deep Forest creator Nifflas has finally let a date slip from his keyboard: August 30th. The indie game creator has forged new ground in the community by crafting atmospheric platform adventures that emphasize mood, environment, and exploration. Within a Deep Forest poured the challenge on like warm, thorny honey, while the follow-up Knytt nixed most of the enemies in favor of item discovery. Knytt Stories continues in the same vein and will include a powerful level-editor, a first for Nifflas. Another first will be the release of an expansion pack with extra levels, music, and other bonuses available for purchase, though both the game and editor will remain free. [Via Independent Gaming]%Gallery-3719%
N+ level creation competition is on
Following the recent announcement of the indie platformer N making its way to DS, PSP, and Xbox Live Arcade, Metanet has launched a level creation event aimed at spurring creativity in the already-active community. SUBLiME (Submit Unique and Brilliant Levels in to Metanet Event) launched Monday and lasts through June 18th. Level designers can download special versions of N's editor (Ned) to create platform-specific stages. Winners "may" receive N+ gear and their levels "may" be included on the upcoming releases.
Early look at exploration-based indie adventure Aquaria
The gorgeous non-linear side-scrolling exploration game Aquaria (winner of the IGF Seumas McNally Grand Prize) has the indie community all atwitter anticipating its looming release. The Ambrosia Times recently got its hands on a build of the game and had nothing but praise to lavish upon it.You play as Naija, a lonely sea creature who uses songs to affect the environment, gain temporary abilities, and interact with the creatures around you. Levels are vast with tunnels, caves, and hidden areas to explore for hours on end. Bit-Blot has been silent about a firm release date, but talk from the game's co-creator and artist Derek Yu suggests it's in the final polishing stages and could hit in just a few months.%Gallery-3627%
Indies and consoles: an imperfect system
According to Gamasutra's Simon Carless, the independent scene is facing an uphill battle when developing for consoles, specifically in the realm of digital distribution. Carless argues that the difficulty in bringing a title across all platforms, both for technological and business reasons.Other than some retro titles (e.g. Joust), a very small number of downloadable title are appearing on both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is one of the few exceptions, and Capcom's Christian Svensson said it required "considerable coordination" to get the titles on both consoles, which indicates to us that less established independent houses would have insurmountable difficulty.Carless notes that Sony's collection, retro games aside, are predominantly first party (though we should note that flOw went to Sony because they actively sought out the independent title). Nintendo has always talked about bringing original games to the Wii, and there have been murmurings of a Game Channel, but so far all the only tangible indication of a non-Virtual Console title is Impossible Mission.Carless' analogy to the film industry (three separate formats for theatre chains), though admittedly ham-fisted, does not account for industry history. It may be unfair to the independent developer, but there hasn't been a time when gaming was controlled by a single format. Sure, development teams are now much larger and require a bigger budget, but that hasn't stopped smaller teams from succeeding with Geometry Wars, Ragdoll Kung-Fu, and Alien Hominid (pictured). The state of indie games isn't ideal, but it seems to be getting better. We say keep on fighting, Simon.
New partnership brings European adventure games to North America
A new partnership between Lighthouse Interactive and German publisher dtp entertainment could help boost the adventure game market in North America. The companies have agreed to localize European-made adventure games for the North American market, translating text and removing all references to "spanners" in the process.Three games have already been announced to receive the North American Englishization treatment: Sproing Interactive's WWII-themed spy thriller Undercover: Operation Wintersun, Artematica's conspiracy game Belief & Betrayal, and the upcoming psychological adventure from House of Tales, Overclocked. No word on how far in the future this partnership will extend, but it bodes well for North American adventure aficionados craving more games.[Via Adventure Gamers]
Indie horror adventure Penumbra: Overture available on Linux, coming to Mac
Indie developer Frictional Games announced today the Linux release of the first episode of its 3D horror game Penumbra: Overture. The PC version hit back in March and provides a solid adventure game with more spooky atmosphere than you can shake a blood-covered piece of wood at. The game emphasizes interactive physics and physics-based puzzles, not combat, meaning you'll spend more time playing with the environment than stabbing baddies. Mac gamers can take heart, as Frictional is planning a Mac port of the game some time soon.[Via Adventure Gamers]
nDreams reveals casual episodic game aimed at women
Casual game studio nDreams announced today that another announcement is on its way July 5 to reveal its new game, Venus Redemption. The casual adventure game aimed at women will have episodic content authored by Kate Pullinger to create "powerful storylines, deep characters, emotion-based interactive conversations and exciting adventure gameplay."With the increase of female gamers in the casual games field, it's no surprise developers are attempting to tap the new market. But is gender targeting necessary? A good game is a good game and will be enjoyed by men and women alike. Hopefully nDreams won't drench this game in "female themes" and alienate countless potential players.[Via GameDaily]
Danish studio seeks publisher for unique Wii game
A small Danish studio has just released a trailer for a game it hopes to publish on the Wii. Visually, Pollen Sonata reminds us of Katamari Damacy, but the gameplay is strongly reminiscent of the indie PC game Cloud. You can't go wrong with that combination, and the game looks very intriguing with its calm atmosphere and free-form gameplay. Definite potential.A prototype is available for the PC, but you must have Steam and Half-Life 2 installed to play. At least we know the game exists, unlike Nibris and the eternally mysterious Sadness. Let's hope a publisher shows some interest in this game and sees the light of day.[Via NeoGAF]
Indie devs huddle in the dark for three days at TO Jam
Three days, 62 programmers, and we can assume at least three dozen cases of Jolt Cola. The second Toronto Indie Game Development Jam (T.O. Jam ... get it?!) has come and gone, leaving in its wake nearly two dozen games created by programmers from across the continent. T.O. Jam is aimed at stirring creativity and helping game developers get the most out of their coding time. It isn't a competition, it isn't a seminar, it's just a bunch of geeks writing code for three days. Only seven of the 20 games have been released, but already a few gems have surfaced. Especially worth checking out is Xiq, a clever combination of Qix and Vectrex.
Lovecraft-inspired PC horror adventure unveiled
Zoetrope Interactive today announced a Lovecraft-inspired horror game in development for the PC: Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder. You take the role of police detective Howard E. Loreid (which is an anagram for "Stock Character") attempting to solve the murder of rich guy Clark Field who, as luck would have it, has had dabblings with the occult. According to Zoetrope, Darkness Within lets players explore the "eerie and disturbing corner[s] of the human psyche". If you met some of the people we know, that's a terrifying prospect indeed. Look for Darkness Within later this year. In the meantime, stare at the gallery below to get the spookiness flowing.[Via CVG]%Gallery-3525%
Escape the ghetto ... Czech style
Building on the success of a board game called Cesta z Ghetta (Out of the Ghetto), an organization called Tady a Ted (Here & Now) recently announced its plans to release a video game designed to educate students about the challenges of poverty in the Czech Republic. Themes in GhettOut! will include dealing with authorities, discrimination, housing, crime, and drugs. Players learn what it's like to live in constant uncertainty trying to sort everything out and live a successful life.The game will be available as a download, and Here & Now is aiming for a December release. According to the organization, interest in GhettOut! is high in a number of countries, so an English-language release is inevitable. Also distinctly possible: a hip hop music video unveiled in tandem with the game. Seriously.[Via GamePolitics]
Lost Garden's new prototype challenge: CuteGod
Similar to his previous Spacecute prototype challenge, Danc of Lost Garden has issued another call to programmers looking to flex their muscles. Using the provided tile set, designers are tasked to create a small-scale casual god game. Think Populus, but ... cute. Programmers send in their prototypes for discussion and critique, all in the spirit of making a better indie game. If you've got the urge to get some game making done, most of the design document is at Lost Garden, you simply have to fill in the blanks.
Stargate Atlantis lovingly rendered in Line Rider
The unassuming webtoy created by Bostjan Cadez, Line Rider, has inspired thousands of creative gamers to construct unique/crazy/inane tracks for the tiny sledder to skate through. This latest video from YouTube member unconed shows a surprisingly detailed track based on Stargate Atlantis. It's also one of the most impressive theme-based Line Rider worlds we've seen to date. The stage makes extensive use of the background drawing tool while the sledder's path runs smoothly through isometric scenery. We barely have the patience to draw a successful half-pipe, let alone decorate dozens of screens with background art. Check out a more abstract and artistic video after the jump.Line Rider is a free Flash game anyone can play around with, and publisher inXile recently announced it will bring the game to the Wii and DS systems later this year.
DEFCON in your pocket
According to CVG, indie studio Introversion (Uplink, Darwinia) is looking for developers to help create a portable version of its "everybody dies" disaster game, DEFCON. With simple visuals, an emphasis on multiplayer carnage, and highly addictive gameplay, DEFCON is an ideal candidate for cell phones, the PSP, or DS. The project is still in very early stages, so no details or platforms have been announced.Earlier we reported that Introversion co-founder Mark Morris was looking to bring a few games to the home console market via digital distribution. DEFCON on your computer, on your TV, and in your pocket? Time to take the "everybody dies" slogan a bit more literally.[Via PSP Fanboy]
Ninja-based indie platformer coming to PSP
Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard of Metanet Software have gathered plenty of praise and awards (such as Audience Award at the 2005 Game Developers Choice Awards) for their 2004 indie platformer, N. You take the role of a ninja who must flip, walljump, and climb your way through hundreds of levels, many of which were created by fans using the in-game editor. It's a simple game on all fronts that captivated players with realistic physics and plenty of non-violent ninja-ing.Now, Atari and Silver Birch have announced a publishing deal to bring N to the PSP, cleverly titled N+. The game comes packed with over 500 levels, including 50 user-created stages from fans of the original game. The PSP incarnation doesn't appear to contain any additional content over the free PC/Mac/Linux game, but portability (and a decent PSP title to own) might be the biggest selling points.N+ has also been announced for Xbox Live Marketplace and is scheduled for release this fall.[Via PSP Fanboy]
The Arsecast reborn in bite-sized bits
The world's greatest indie gaming podcast, The Arsecast, has gone through a metamorphosis. Instead of 30 minute episodes released every month (or, uh, 6-8 weeks), the new format treats us to shorter, more digestible blog-style bits at a comparatively rapid pace. This allows the 'cast to cover breaking indie news with the usual dose of arseness we love so much. You can grab the final old-format episode from The Arsecast website. Mini-arsecasts have already been released and will devour no more than a few minutes each.
Indie developers argue their way into selling a game
Game Producer's recent Convince Me To Buy Your Video Game competition tossed the ball in the indie developers' court and made them argue their way into selling a copy of their game. Wild promises were made, editors had their posteriors smooched, and a few devs went so far as to brag about the game's actual features! With the post-contest fog starting to clear, three arguments emerged as the most convincing sales pitches: The Witch's Yarn by MouseChief made a sale by boasting quality illustrations, a real-instrument soundtrack, and interactive sitcom gameplay. The Code Zone convinced Game Producer to pick up Duck Tiles by offering several discounts along with ... a pony. Kudos to Cliff Harris for selling a copy of his game, Kudos, by boldly asking "Can I enter twice?" A contest like this isn't the best way to uncover hidden gems of the indie world, as offering ponies says very little about the quality of a game. On the other hand, it is a good way for indie developers to stretch their PR muscles.
In the Flash: Four Second Firestorm
Every week on In the Flash we sit down with the creator of a free online game to unravel their secret plans of world domination ... and to talk about their game: It's a coffee buzz without the coffee. No no, wait! It's a sugar high without the sugar! Even better, it's the rush of adrenaline you get if a two-ton vehicle pinned you to the ground and you had to lift it with your bare hands. Except Four Second Firestorm does it without the loss of blood! Firestorm is the third in a series of frantic micro-game collections from jmtb02 Studios. Similar to Nintendo's Wario Ware titles, you have a few seconds to figure out and win each mini-game before you're thrown into the next. Over 170 of these tiny diversions will flash before your eyes in what feels like an exercise in trying to not have a seizure.We sat down with John Cooney, the creator of the Four Second series, to ask just what was on his mind when he decided to unleash these games.
Unraveling the Indie - Loonyland 2: Winter Woods
Every other week on Unraveling the Indie we sit down with an independent developer to unearth the dark secrets of indie game creation: Don't let its colorful, cartoon-like appearance and cheeky humor fool you: Loonyland 2: Winter Woods is a whole lot of game. This massive action RPG from indie developer Hamumu Software features over 50 unique quests, 100 hidden achievements, and dozens of skills and talents you can use to customize your character. It's a deep and rewarding RPG that will satisfy most hardcore fans without alienating casual players.We sat down with Mike Hommel from Hamumu Software to get some inside information on Loonyland 2, Egyptian laborers, and the history of Hamumu. As an extra special bonus, he wrote us a haiku!
Video walkthrough released for freeware adventure La-Mulana
Created to celebrate classic MSX games such as Maze of Galious, La-Mulana is one of the most difficult platforming adventure games in the freeware world. Think Cave Story meets Metroidvania with an Indiana Jones theme and the difficulty level ramped up three or four notches. It's a long adventure filled with mysterious puzzles, dangerous temples, and tense exploration. It's frustrating at times, but boy is it fun.Until now, clueless adventurers have had only a translated item/location guide to go by. Now, thanks to DeceasedCrab and a little YouTube magic, a complete video walkthrough of La-Mulana has been released. There are more than 50 videos containing over seven hours of hand-holding spoilers and cheesy narration. Each video walks you through a specific part of the game, so do yourself a favor and only start watching when you're stuck.Download the game and English translation patch courtesy of Aeon Genesis.[Via Independent Gaming]
