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Within a Deep Forest creator Nifflas interviewed
Two very small, unassuming freeware platform games have made a big splash in the indie gaming community: Within a Deep Forest and Knytt. Created with Multimedia Fusion, a game creation suite similar to Game Maker, designer Nifflas wanted to make something different than the thousands of platformers swarming the internet.Nifflas' games focus on exploration and intrigue, breaking a few gaming conventions along the way. Both WaDF and Knytt feature large game worlds with very few enemies and tons of secrets to uncover. Knytt has practically no background music and instead relies on ambient sounds played at key points during the game.PlanetFreeplay has just posted an interview with Nifflas who is hard at work on a new game. He continues to forge ahead with his current philosophy to create more of exactly what we want. These games may look simple, but they're just as epic as many commercial titles on the market. Plus, they're free.
Indie game ratings system re-launches
The Independent Game Rating System, or TIGRS, has received a major overhaul to incorporate a sleeker and more accessible design. The voluntary ratings system was originally unveiled two years ago as a way for indie developers to label their games and help warn parents of any objectionable content.The problem with a voluntary system such as TIGRS is a little word called "accountability". While most developers would use the logos responsibly, it would only take a few naughty people to ruin the whole thing. And considering the trouble the ESRB has been into after the Hot Coffee fiasco, do indie games really need that kind of exposure?
Game du Jour discounts indie games one day at a time
Gadget geeks have Woot, free software hounds have Giveawayoftheday, and indie gamers have Game du Jour. The "one deal a day" website offers a new casual game at a massive discount very day of the week. So far the offerings have been limited to classic arcade clones, card games, or simple puzzle titles. But from time to time they drop the bomb with a deal you just can't pass up.Today is one of those days. Game du Jour is featuring Gumboy Crazy Adventures, a game that's as weird as the title sounds. It's a physics-based platformer similar to Chronic Logic's Gish where you control a rubbery balloon-type character using its momentum to move through each stage. The artwork is divine and the gameplay itself is quite unique. Game Tunnel voted Gumboy Crazy Adventures 2006 Game of the Year. No small feat considering the excellent games that rolled out last year.Game du Jour is offering Gumboy Crazy Adventures today only for $9.97, half the the usual price. Later in the week the 3D arcade game Shlongg (you read that right) is on the chopping board, followed by the strategy game Kingdom Elemental, another offering from Chronic Logic and number ten on Game Tunnels Game of the Year list.Cheapass indie gamers, this is your week to spend.
HD DVD looks Circuit City's way, compels independent filmmakers
Although the most recent reports (well, in the US, anyway) have insinuated that Blu-ray disc sales are claiming the lead over HD DVDs, you can bet the (currently) losing side isn't sitting around idly. While various parties have claimed victory over the other, it looks like the HD DVD camp is opening up a previously closed door by pushing Toshiba players into Circuit City stores. Apparently, Circuit City hasn't been exactly fond of carrying Tosh's HD DVD units up until now (or vice-versa), but getting the devices in front of hordes of potential buyers has reportedly enticed a myriad of HD addicts to pick up said units. While a spokesperson for Toshiba declined to get specific, she hinted that having its second-generation players in the big box retailer's store for just a few months allowed them to "eclipse the lifetime sales of the company's first-generation players." On a not-so-surprising note, it seems like consumers might see even steeper price drops sooner due to the newfound BD pressure, and in a presumed attempt to find yet another genre to grab tight to HD DVD, Microsoft is joining the team in order to persuade independent filmmakers to consider the format. Of course, only time will tell if the little guys can actually make it on the high-definition format, but you won't see us complaining with HD DVD titles hitting stores whilst never making their silver screen debut.
New Indie Superstar videocast available
A new episode of the independent gaming videocast Indie Superstar has just been released. The 8-minute episode showcases some of the most interesting independent games to roll out in the last few months. Topping the list is Frets on Fire, a free Guitar Hero clone for the PC and Mac, and an isometric adventure-RPG game from Moonpod, Mr. Robot. There's also a helping of old-school-style adventure games to appease the inner Sierra fan.The most interesting feature is OvO, a webcam game that lets you play by hopping around in front of your computer like a lunatic. Think EyeToy, but cheaper. OvO illustrates how indie developers don't always have to wear the 'Pants of Innovation', they can copy established ideas just like anyone else.
Fancy Pants Adventures creator Brad Borne interviewed
The Flash game Fancy Pants Adventures is one part Super Mario Bros., a dash of Sonic, and a heaping tablespoon of originality. Brad Borne's fancy-pants-wearing stick figure stars in a side-scrolling platformer that emphasizes speed, exploration, and acrobatics. It's a well-polished title that stands tall over the deluge of second-rate Flash platforming games.PlanetFreeplay sat down with Brad and prodded out details about his past as a programmer and the Fancy Pants development process -- we also get his top five. But the question we all wanted to ask was left out: boxers or briefs?The first world of Fancy Pants is a great start to the series, and Brad is hard at work on World 2. This is one of the few Flash platformers that actually feels like an original game and not some dull Mario clone.
AutoFire 2007 shooter competition results announced
A group of nearly 20 indie-made shmups battled it out for supremacy in the recent AutoFire 2007 Shooter Competition. The quirky Clean Asia flew away with the top overall score, while Excellent Bifurcation and Force Majeure rounded out the top three. Games were also ranked by graphics, sound, and innovation; and Clean Asia polished off the top place in two of those categories as well. Not bad for a game with wireframe visuals.If you read the recently featured guide to doujin shmups, the AutoFire competition should be your next destination. Not only are the contestants some of the best indie shooters around, they're also free. Free as in gratis. Free as in beer. Free as in go download them now!
Penumbra indie horror adventure makes its 'Overture'
Penumbra is a 3D horror game by Frictional Games created to show off the studio's proprietary physics engine. It plays like a Resident Evil meets Half-Life 2 mashup -- which is reason enough to give it a try -- but also offers something new in the realm of interactivity. Almost every object you see can be moved, carried, and used. If you can't reach the vent on the ceiling, try piling some junk on the floor to stand on. Steam blocking your path? Cover the open pipe with whatever's lying around. Set in an abandoned factory, Penumbra provides a deliciously dark, spooky atmosphere filled with mystery. The indie gaming community ate up the initial offering, so Frictional Games immediately began work on a commercial-sized helping.The demo for Penumbra: Overture has finally been released. Three episodes are planned over the next year with the first installment hitting March 30 for $19.99. In addition to a longer adventure, Overture promises even better visuals (which were excellent to begin with) and deeper interaction with the game environment. A combat system is also in place, though the focus is on solving environmental puzzles, not shredding baddies.[Via Independent Gaming]
'Whirled' casual MMOG from Puzzle Pirates studio
A new MMOG is in the works from Puzzle Pirates creator Three Rings. The web-based virtual environment of Whirled will favor player-created content and social interaction over character development and time-consuming quests for the Magical Boots of Running +5. A Flash-based interface will allow for easy creation of items, furniture, avatars, and even complex multiplayer games.Three Rings is to casual MMO games as Blizzard Entertainment is to life-dominating MMO games. Puzzle Pirates and Bang! Howdy are two of the most well-known indie MMOGs out there. If Whirled builds on the success, Three Rings executives will be lounging in private yachts right next to the Blizzard folk.[Via GameDaily]
Bounce red ball. Hit targets. Earn points
Red Ball is as simple as Flash games get. On the left side are numbered targets, separated from your throwing zone by a dotted line. The goal is to toss the red ball and hit the targets in numerical order. That's it.Do it right, progress through the stages, and you earn points. Blind luck and l33t skillz are both acceptable methods (bending space and time is not). You can thank the game's author Anton Granik for stealing away the next half hour of your life.[Via digg]
Indie developers refuse to turn the other cheek
Analogies are a great way to convey information, especially if they involve naughty bits of the human anatomy. Today's Independent Games Summit brought a panel of indie game developers together to discuss the future of the industry. Early on, Greg Costikyan of Manifesto Games referred to the indie scene as a "pimple on the game industry's ass." Whether that's a good thing or a bad depends on how much you like pimples, but Bit Blot co-founder Derek Yu didn't think it was a fitting analogy. Independent games are one cheek, Yu said, while the mainstream is the other. It's hard to walk with just one cheek.That may be true, but the problem is that most people aren't aware of the flabby left cheek, and indie game developers don't have the financial muscle to make it stand out. Ironically, shovelware is a major issue in independent gaming, just like in the mainstream. Anyone with a computer and free time can make a game -- and the results are usually frightening. Your average gamer doesn't know where to find and download the "Good Games®." Game Tunnel and Game Trove, two of the better-known indie information portals, do a fair amount of sorting but are far from comprehensive. Would a little business oomph threaten the charm of the independent gaming scene?
Indian mythology inspires new game
Canadian-based studio Syncere Arts is working on an action-adventure game based on the Mahabharata, an epic tale in Indian mythology. Mahabharata: The Dawn of Kaliyuga aims to let players feel as powerful as the ancient gods while still providing a good challenge. You play the role of warrior prince Arjuna (try not to think the Prince of Persia) whose destiny is, obviously, to save the world. The game will let players choose between various schools of combat, and nearly 100 weapons and Vedic powers. Syncere hopes to publish Mahabharata in April 2008 and plans to release both PC and Xbox 360 versions.Greek and Norse mythologies have long been sources for video game material in the west, so it's great to see Syncere stirring some fresh Indian-inspired content into the pot. The non-violent first person Hindu shooter project was another promising effort in the same vein, though unfortunately it never came to fruition. With gaming gaining popularity in India, this certainly won't be the last we'll see of Arjuna.[Via Good News]
Japanese homebrew shmups deciphered
Japanese homebrew shooters, or doujin shmups, form a subculture of developers and dedicated players in the indie gaming scene. It's a massively confusing (but not-so-multiplayer) world of strange games, websites with squiggly characters, and obscure names that have become the subject of fanboy worship. If you've played Warning Forever, Clean Asia, or even Cave Story creator Pixel's new project Guxt (a work-in-progress demo) you're off to a good start. The Independent Gaming Source has published a quick guide to the world of doujin shmups. Everything is divided into digestible bits of information that actually makes sense to the doujin n00b. And once you know who Kenta Cho is and why you should put him in your will, an entire universe of free indie shooters is at your disposal.
Indie developers drop the 'i-bomb'
Monday afternoon brought a pack of indie gaming stars out of their dark workspaces and into the spotlight of the Independent Games Summit. Kyle Gabler (Tower of Goo), Jenova Chen (flOw), Jonathan Blow, and several others were on hand to discuss the role innovation plays in independent game development. The overused "i" word has become a cliché in recent years with commercial developers using it to mask the ugly symptoms of sequelitis. But with smaller dev teams and less emphasis on making money, indie developers actually can focus on creating interesting content and stretching the boundaries of gaming conventions.As Gabler points out, computing power will continue to progress over the next several decades and exceed our ability to use it. Instead of inventing new gimmicks to distract us, games must focus on the one thing that doesn't change: human emotion. That's the reason Final Fantasy VII will make you cry (if you're a wimp), Beyond Good and Evil will make you hate Big Brother, and Tetris will lead to the development of an odd proclivity for stacking objects.
Tower of Goo evolves into World of Goo, 2D Boy is born
The Experimental Gameplay Project has produced a number of crazy, unique, and surreal games, such as On a Rainy Day, Attack of the Killer Swarm, and probably the most famous, Tower of Goo. Recently project founder Kyle Gabler stepped up with buddy Ron Carmel to start a brand new indie game studio, 2D Boy. The bubbly had barely been popped when they announced their first project, World of Goo.What is World of Goo? According to the 2D Boy website, "it is extremely mysterious." Let's go out on a limb and say it will be a lot like Tower of Goo but inflated to full-game proportions.[Via Independent Gaming]
GDC 07: How to get your indie game published
It seems like everybody's hitting it big publishing their indie games through services like Xbox Live Arcade. But what about you? For those among us still clinging to indie projects but burning to get them out into the world (ah, it burns!), Simon Carless hosted a "Console/PC Distribution Gatekeepers" panel this afternoon as part of the Independent Games Summit. With John Hight from Sony, Sandy Resnick from GameTap, Greg Costikyan from Manifesto Games, and Ross Erickson (formerly) of Xbox Live Arcade, the panel covered everything from what game services are looking for, to how many submissions they get, to how much they pay. Here are some tips and heads-ups from the suits who decide the fate of your games: Sure, experience, fun factor, uniqueness, and audience appropriateness are all important factors in getting your game published, but the execs also stressed enthusiasm. Making a game takes a lot of work, so publishers want to know you'll see it through. Said Erickson, "The game we want is the game you're passionate about."
LEGO MMO in the works by indie dev NetDevil
Independent game developer NetDevil (Auto Assault) announced today a partnership with The LEGO Group to develop a MMOG based on the colorful little building blocks. Few details apart from the brief announcement were given, but a representative from LEGO told Gamasutra the game would merge social interaction with physical play. A virtual community where you can build things with LEGO blocks? Yes, please.The game will likely be aimed at children, but that won't stop us kids who have jobs from giving it a try. After all, everybody loves LEGOs.[Thanks, Phillip]
Dream-Build-Play offers prizes for original XBLA games
After opening Xbox Live Arcade to developers and releasing the XNA Framework, Microsoft is continuing its efforts to seek out and publish unique casual games. The company today announced the Dream-Build-Play competition aimed at attracting new talent via independent game developers. Twenty prizes are up for grabs, including a grand prize of $10,000 and an XBLA publishing deal. The contest is open to anyone using XNA Game Studio Express and ends on July 2. Winners will be announced in August at Microsoft's Gamefest. Full details including the fine print everyone's just itching to read can be found at the official Dream-Build-Play website.We've heard promises of more unique games on XBLA before, but according to the Games Portfolio Planner David Edery, Microsoft has firm plans to deliver the goods this year. Dream-Build-Play is an excellent start and, with the recent announcement of GameTap's Indies program, we could see quite an upsurge of unique independent games this year.
Student Postmortem with DigiPen's Toblo
Walking the fine line between simple and just plain boring gameplay is a delicate issue, especially with independent game makers. How do you make a game appealing without stripping it of the elements that keep players coming back for more? GameCareerGuide's postmortem with the Toblo design answers just those questions, discussing the high and low points in the development process. "Light-hearted" and "easy to play" were two key phrases in the design of Toblo, a simple capture the flag game created by a group of DigiPen students. Played in a world of colored blocks, your only goal is to capture the other team's flag. Your weapons are the very blocks that surround you, simply walk up to anything and tear it down to load up on ammo, then dash into the enemy's fort and let 'em fly. Although Toblo isn't a full-fledged game, it's proof that a concept doesn't need to be elaborate to be interesting.
'GameTap Indies' launches lil' guys into cyberspace
GameTap has launched its 'Indies' program, an initiative to market and distribute independent games through its subscription-based service. While GameTap Indies will supposedly "take effect immediately," there's no sign of it today. A representative confirmed with us that launch titles won't be announced until GDC, when, during the Independent Games Festival, GameTap will present its first ever 'GameTap Indie Award' to three "hand-picked" recipients.The trio will have their games showcased on GameTap, assumingly headlining a selection of less-heralded indie titles. One recipient will receive a $10,000 advance for signing a 5-year distribution deal with the GameTap Indies label; two others will receive $5,000 for signing away similar distribution rights.It's a strong play from GameTap -- still seeking a firm identity -- and will hopefully encourage similar services to support independent development more aggressively. Will 'Indies' help to negate the stigma that GameTap is a bloated client with little original content to offer? Mr. Turner and company certainly hope so -- Sam & Max and Myst Online can't do it alone much longer.
