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'Runner 2' and other indie hits get rare physical releases
Indie games don't often cross over into the physical world, so it's pretty notable when two separate companies make boxed games at once. Choice Provisions is partnering with Limited Run Games on a physical version of the Runner2 sidescroller on PS4 and PS Vita with 3,500 copies of each for sale online starting March 17th. Limited Run will also sell 1,000 copies of a (separate) limited Runner2 edition at its PAX East booth on March 10-12.
'Rogue Legacy' studio returns with a retro co-op brawler
The developer behind hit indie game Rogue Legacy has a new title coming in 2017: Full Metal Furies. The teaser trailer shows off a brawler with a retro aesthetic, four unique classes of female protagonists, and a serious sense of humor.
'Nidhogg' creators bring hypnotic platformer 'Flywrench' to PS4
Messhof, the team behind indie hit Nidhogg, today announced that it's bringing critically acclaimed platformer Flywrench to PS4. Featuring the studio's trademark lo-fi art style and an aural assault of glitchy breakbeats, this minimalist-looking action-puzzler will offer 199 levels of brightly-lit mayhem. After a well-received PC release in 2015, Flywrench will be making its console debut on February 14th, launching on PS4 for $6.99.
'RunGunJumpGun' is currently free for Twitch Prime members
If you're a fan of the weirdly fantastic indie game RunGunJumpGun, you'll be excited to hear that Amazon is offering a free download of the PC version for a limited time. The only catch is you need to have a Twitch Prime account, which you can access at no extra cost if you already have an Amazon Prime membership. Otherwise there's an option to sign up for a 30-day trial. Developed by ThirtyThree Games, RunGunJumpGun is like Super Mario on steroids, featuring dark colorful worlds and quirky characters. You only have until this Sunday, February 5th, to grab it for free from Twitch Prime so you better move fast.
Game developers take a stand against Trump's immigration ban
The opposition to the Trump administration's immigration ban has spread far and wide. Video game developers are joining the chorus against what some see as an unconstitutional policy put forth with no thought or consideration of the outcome. For a number of studios, that means making donations to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the non-profit organization that successfully challenged the ban in court over this past weekend.
'A Normal Lost Phone' is a game set entirely inside a smartphone
"A Normal Lost Phone." That's precisely what you think after launching this curious new indie game. The text messages, calendar app and music player -- everything is made to look and feel like a smartphone. You're free to poke around, but with no credit or internet connection your options seem limited. That is, until you start reading the texts. You'll quickly discover who the owner is and begin to piece together their life, including their relationships and inner demons. I'll say no more -- any further details would give away the story -- but it's a brilliant blend of writing and puzzles.
A single image of the Nintendo Switch tells us three things
Nintendo has shown precious little of the Switch's user interface so far -- just a few seconds teasing the console's menu during last week's livestream and a fleeting glance during a Treehouse livestream. Apart from showing off the general layout and confirming the presence of the Nintendo eShop, Nintendo's tease didn't tell us much. Now, an image tweeted out by indie developer Nicalis tells us a lot more: The Switch may have multiple users, menu themes and even a couple of unannounced games.
Quirky adventure game 'Night in the Woods' lands in February
Kickstarter success Night in the Woods has a new release date, after missing its previous mark of January 10th. The studio behind it, Infinite Fall, revealed today that the indie title will be ready for Linux, Mac, Windows and PlayStation 4 on February 21st. That's exciting for backers (and others) who have been waiting months to play this game, which focuses on the adventures of a cat as she drops out of college and returns to her hometown. Let's hope it is worth the wait.
'Firewatch' comes to Xbox One on September 21st with bonus modes
Campo Santo's wilderness mystery Firewatch became an instant indie classic when it was released back in February, but only on PC and PS4. The San Francisco-based studio is fixing that gap in its game's playerbase with an Xbox One launch on September 21st and throwing in a few extras to boot.
Google announces 30 finalists for its first indie games festival
Google's first indie gaming festival is less than a month away, and today the company is announcing the 30 games that made the cut for the competition. You can find the whole list here, but note that you won't be able to try out all of them just yet -- 20 of the 30 games haven't been released in Google Play yet. Games that are out in the store now include Chetan Surpur's Orbit, High Score Hero's Hovercraft: Takedown, Double Coconut's Parallyzed and Roofboot (both still in beta) and Worthing & Moncrieff's A Matter of Murder. (The full list of games can be found here.)
Explore indie puzzler 'The Witness' on Xbox One in September
"Ideally we want the game to be in as many places as we can get it, but since we are a small developer and it's a complicated game, we can only do so much at once." That's The Witness developer Jonathan Blow describing to us his desire for the indie puzzler to be available on more than just PlayStation 4. All the way back in February 2013. Now those dreams are coming to fruition as The Witness will make its way to Xbox One on September 13th -- two and a half years after that interview with my coworker Jessica Conditt and six months after its debut on PS4 and PC. In a post on Xbox Wire, Blow lays out what new players should do when they get their hands on it.
'TowerFall' team's next game is all about climbing a mountain
TowerFall may have been focused on multiplayer mayhem, but developer Matt Thorson's next project looks like a different type of chaos. Celeste is a tough-as-nails 2D platformer a la Super Meatboy about the perils of climbing a mountain. No, not dealing with vertigo or rockslides, but slippery slopes and spike-filled pits. That's assuming the game follows the groundwork of the same-named prototype Thorson and co-developer Noel Berry put on the web in 2015. The game's out next year and really that's about all we know at this point. There's a cryptic GIF on the development blog, sure, but that isn't much to go by.
Google's first indie gaming festival comes to San Francisco this fall
Indie game developers, Google wants to hear from you. The company has just announced the first Google Play Indie Games Festival, and you can submit your game for consideration now. The festival, which will take place Sept. 24th in San Francisco, will highlight 30 upcoming and recent games that will be available in the Google Play Store to Android users, with prizes going to the top submissions.
Icky game 'The Binding Of Isaac' gets console expansion on May 10th
The Binding of Isaac, that weird game about a naked infant fighting through pits into hell, has been so popular since its 2011 release that it's been continually released for new platforms as recently as last April, even on family-friendly Nintendo systems. But a new expansion, Afterbirth, will be come out for PS4 and Xbox One on May 10th for $11. Sorry, Wii U owners, you'll have to wait until later this year.
Creepy co-op game 'Push Me Pull You' comes to PS4 on May 3rd
Australian indie game developer House House announced on Monday that its highly anticipated (and cringe-inducing) sports game, Push Me Pull You, is finally being released for the PlayStation 4 on May 3rd. The game pits two pairs of opposing players in a weird, soccer-ish game where each team is joined at the waist. No, literally, each team operates both ends of a single torso or, as House House describes it, "you and your partner must use a shared body to wrap, writhe, and wrestle the ball into your half of the court." Here, this new gameplay trailer might help explain.
'Hyper Light Drifter' is set to launch at the end of the month
Heart Machine announced via Kickstarter on Tuesday that its forthcoming retro 2D RPG, Hyper Light Drifter, will be released at the end of March. The game, with a style that harkens back to 16-bit action-adventures, follows a helmeted hero as he hacks, slashes, dashes and shoots his way across a massive, dream-like world map in search of a cure for his debilitating disease. Heart Machine is offering HLD on Mac, Windows and Linux through Steam (though there is a small chance the Linux build will be delayed slightly). You can check out the latest trailer below.
The pulsing 'Hotline Miami' soundtrack gets physical
Hotline Miami and its sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number have two of the best soundtracks in all of gaming. But for whatever reason, until now there hasn't been a way to get a physical version of the first game's pulsing, futuristic score. As of this writing though, over a thousand people have pledged $75,033 on Kickstarter to change that.
Indie horror 'Neverending Nightmares' comes to PS4 and Vita
Neverending Nightmares will be tip-toeing its way onto PS4 and Vita before the second half of 2016, bringing its unusual brand of horror and psychological exploration in tow. The game was originally launched on PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya in 2014, following a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised just over $100,000 for developer Infinitap. Players take on the role of Thomas, a young man that wakes up from a horrific nightmare in his home. Or has he woken up? A cycle of dreams begin to form, unravelling dark emotions and memories that continue to haunt him.
Artists explain how 'The Witness' got its special look
As you walk through The Witness, solving puzzles and taking in the island's natural beauty, you might wonder how it all came together. Did gameplay take precedent, followed by artistic flair? Or were the two developed and balanced simultaneously? To shed a little light, artist Luis Antonio has written a series of blog posts that go into fascinating detail about the game and its development. From specific areas to teaser trailers and posters, it offers a rare look into how Antonio, alongside Eric Anderson and Orsi Spanyol, helped Jonathon Blow develop the look of the game.
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.
