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Indie Royale's ten-game Mystery Bundle could be anything
Well this is awkward. See, we were hoping to tell you about Indie Royale's new "Mystery Bundle," but there are only two confirmed games we can really talk about. We can say for sure that the ten-game bundle features The Sun at Night and Hero of the Kingdom, PC games packed with Steam and Desura keys as well as DRM-free download options available to buyers. While Indie Royale values the bundle at $70, it's available now for the pay-the-minimum price of 99 cents. Here's the catch: Indie Royale will reveal a new game in the bundle each day and will increase its price by 30 cents with every reveal, so those buying in today while the bulk of the games are unknown will get the whole lot at its lowest price. We hate to speculate, but what if Indie Royale is pulling an Oprah on us and one of the eight other games is actually a new car? What if one title is the leg lamp from A Christmas Story, or the concept of love? The possibilities are endless. The Mystery Bundle ends on Wednesday, October 15. [Image: Indie Royale]
The Sun At Night reaches Steam on August 1
Following a lengthy stay in the proving grounds of Steam Greenlight, Minicore Studios' alternate history platformer The Sun At Night will debut on Steam proper come August 1. To celebrate this release, Minicore plans to offer The Sun At Night at a 15 percent discount for its first week of availability. Normally priced at $15, those who purchase the game immediately after it appears will only spend $12.75. Before you budget the necessary funds, however, keep in mind our middling-at-best review, which claims The Sun At Night features both "bland gameplay" and an "awkward, convoluted story." Those waiting for news on The Sky Below, the second part of Minicore's Laika trilogy, will be saddened to hear that development on that episode is now on hiatus. "[T]he team has decided to see how Steam sales of The Sun at Night go before committing further resources to that project," reads the studio's official statement. [Image: Minicore Studios]
The Sun at Night, Bulb Boy among 75 games accepted by Steam Greenlight
The latest group of games, 75 in total, have been granted distribution on Steam thanks to the approval of the Greenlight community. Included in the newly-picked games is The Sun at Night, Minicore Studios' run-and-gun game that stars Russian space dog Laika. The game first launched in February and is the first of three parts in the series. The second chapter, The Sky Below, is slated to arrive in October and will incorporate feedback from The Sun at Night into it. Also approved for Steam is Ojtam Games' horror adventure game Bulb Boy. Inspired by Amanita Design's Machinarium and Sierra's 1991 adventure game Gobliiins, Bulb Boy stars a lightbulb-like boy that wakes from a nightmare to find his "Grandparaffin" and "Mothdog" missing. The game is currently raising funds to wrap its development via Kickstarter, seeking $40,000 by July 27, of which it's earned just over $7,500 as of this writing. [Image: Minicore Studios]
The Sun at Night studio announces Murder at Mystery Manor
The Sun at Night developer Minicore Studios announced that it's currently prototyping Murder at Mystery Manor, an online multiplayer investigation game that puts players at the heart of a low-poly murder mystery. Similar in setup to the classic board game Clue, Murder at Mystery Manor challenges players to unanimously identify a murderer among their ranks by piecing together clues and communicating discoveries with one another. Unlike Clue, however, the player who is assigned the role of the murderer at the beginning of each game must successfully break away from the group and kill an assigned target without being seen by other players, adding a layer of deception to gameplay. Murder at Mystery Manor is in development for PC platforms, and a release date has not been announced. Minicore is also developing The Sky Below, a direct sequel to last year's The Sun at Night. [Image: Minicore Studios]
Minicore heeding feedback for The Sun at Night sequel The Sky Below
Minicore Studios is roughly 30 percent of the way through The Sky Below, a sequel to The Sun at Night and the second installment in The Stray series. The Sky Below again stars Laika, the robot space dog with a big (and probably mechanical) heart, and it takes place directly after the ending of The Sun at Night. Minicore is taking into account feedback from players of The Sun at Night. Tweaks to The Sky Below include the addition of three Laika Support Suits, one defensive, offensive and utility. Each suit has a specific weapon and passive ability boots, and they all build upon existing skill trees. The map will be streamlined into a 2D design, and the art will be ramped up in a way that makes it clear which areas are platforms and which aren't. The Sky Below is due out in October 2014 for PC, Mac and Linux, and the team is looking at PS4, Vita and Wii U. [Image: Minicore Studios]
The Sun at Night review: Bark in the USSR
The Sun at Night raises many questions. Is it moral to experiment on animals? Is communism practical, or will it always lead to corruption? How viable are old-school, indie side-scrollers in 2014, several years into the retro nostalgia indie revival? Can we accept a cybernetic space dog as the lead character in a game that is otherwise dreadfully serious? The Sun at Night turns the real life story of Laika the Russian space dog into a rote run-and-gunner. Laika's one-way trip to space in 1957 was a show of force for the Soviet space program, and either a depressing abdication of man's responsibility to animals or an inspiring step forward for science, depending on how you feel about murdering a dog for nebulous reasons and minimal scientific gain. The game speculates an alternate history in which Laika survives, returns to Earth with a robot suit and the ability to speak, and becomes an ersatz Samus Aran. It's not quite a true heir to Metroid – there is much back-tracking through twisting tendrils of shafts and corridors, and there are many upgrades to acquire, but the game's divided into a handful of discrete levels that don't connect to one another. Still, like Metroid, it's a sprawling adventure with re-traversal elements, and you'll spend most of the game running toward the blinking spot on your map, juggling between your guns and an invaluable shield in order to survive the Russian attack.
Russia's lost space dog returns with a vengeance in The Sun At Night
If Minicore Studios' newly released The Sun At Night proves anything, it's that no one can keep a good dog down, not even megalomaniacal mustache aficionado Joseph Stalin. The game's star, Laika, was an adorable pup shot into space aboard the Soviet Sputnik 2 rocket in 1957. Unfortunately, at the time the Soviets hadn't mastered the reentry process so little Laika was doomed to perish in geocentric orbit. While our reality's version of events is a gloomy glimpse at Soviet science worthy of a Sarah McLachlan commercial, The Sun At Night presents an alternate history where Laika instead picks up an arsenal and proceeds to dismantle Stalin's forces with the tenacity of a scorned pooch. Minicore Studios describes The Sun At Night as a "2D action platformer," but as you can see from the above launch trailer that description is a bit lacking. The Sun At Night clearly draws inspiration from the highlights of its genre, including Metroid and Contra, while mating these well-worn ideas with modern technological and aesthetic accoutrements. More information on The Sun At Night can be found at Minicore Studios' official site, or you can purchase the game by visiting this page and dropping $15 into the developer's coffers.
Russians and Neo-Stalinists chew apart The Sun at Night's Soviet past
On November 3, 1957, under leader Nikita Khrushchev, the USSR launched Sputnik 2 into Earth's orbit with Laika the dog on board. Laika was not expected to survive the mission and she died of overheating hours after takeoff. This is where Minicore Studios begins The Sun at Night – by imagining a scenario where Laika doesn't die. Instead, she returns to Earth with robotic enhancements – including speech – and joins the fight against Soviet forces, which have conquered the world using a mysterious energy source. Some people don't like this premise. They're not upset about seeing an animal harmed in a digital world, they don't mind that the true story behind the game is kind of upsetting, and they're fine with the suspension of disbelief required to play as a talking robotic animal who crash-lands on Earth. They don't like how Soviets are portrayed in The Sun at Night – and they want Minicore to know. Of all the comments that Minicore receives on The Sun at Night's websites and email, 5 - 8 percent are from upset Russian nationals, non-Russian Communists or Neo-Stalinists who believe the game paints Soviets in an unjust light, studio founder John Warren tells me. "[They've] decided, after being given very little information about the game's premise, that it's a very pro-USA, anti-communism kind of narrative – which it really isn't," Warren says. "I mean, the Western countries like Britain and the US don't even really factor into the narrative at all. The game itself isn't really an indictment of any one political ideology or anything like that. At the end of the day, it's still a sci-fi platformer about a robot space dog."
Russian space dog Laika's 'The Sun at Night' launches Feb. 4
Laika Believes, the upcoming indie game from Minicore Studios, has a new name now: The Sun at Night. In addition to the new moniker, Minicore Studios has also announced a final launch date for the game: February 4, 2014. The Sun at Night is a 2D action-platformer about an alternate history for a very real dog named Laika. The Soviets had sent Laika off into space – the first animal in space, to be exact – back in the '50s and this game poses a very fantastical "what if...?" scenario for the long-lost pup's fate. Unfortunately, the Soviets never figured out a way to bring Laika back. The Sun at Night is also vying for votes on Steam Greenlight right now, if you'd like to help push for a Steam release.
Laika Believes Kickstarter failed but was a 'great success'
Minicore Studios canceled the Kickstarter for Laika Believes, its space-dog action platformer, on August 2, one week before the project would have ended. It raised $12,082, which isn't bad – but Minicore requested $100,000 to implement sound assets and localize the game's first episode, The Sun at Night. Mostly, Minicore saw Kickstarter as a platform for early players to provide feedback on the game and to cultivate "a true testing environment." In this sense, the Kickstarter was a success, Minicore Marketing Director Shelley Smith tells Joystiq. "It was a great success in many ways," she says. "We've met so many new supporters and their feedback has given us a better sense of what makes Laika Believes special." Now, Minicore is still developing Laika Believes: The Sun at Night, and the team is digging into the budget to unearth extra cash for those audio assets. The failed Kickstarter means localization will be delayed. "We wanted that to be a day one thing, but now we'll have to look at different ways of getting that done," Shelley says. "Maybe some specific crowdsourced localization? We'll see." Laika Believes: The Sun at Night is still going strong on Steam Greenlight, and Minicore hasn't given up on its pet project. "In any case, it's onwards and upwards!" as Shelley puts it.
Laika Believes in somber settings, intense battles, robot bears
Two new Laika Believes trailers feature environments and gameplay that Laika, the armor-clad dog, will encounter. The environment video shows forests, labs, manors and huts, while gameplay stars birds, humans with guns and four-legged foes. Both videos include a half-robot bear, of course.
Indie developers cautiously optimistic about self-publishing on Xbox One
Microsoft's reversal of its publishing philosophy for the Xbox One has obvious and wide-reaching implications for the indie development community. While the original plan mandated that developers release games through a third-party publisher or broker a deal with Microsoft itself, indies will now be able to self-publish. Furthermore, retail Xbox One SKUs will function as development units, which historically are more expensive and more difficult to acquire than off-the-shelf models. "Ideally, this news could have been broadcast more proudly and loudly months ago, giving indies more time to prepare strategies for upcoming games," Minicore Studios founder and CEO John Warren told us, "but I suppose they don't owe anyone that courtesy. We know now, so now we can prepare for life with a Microsoft console, which is something I wouldn't have said yesterday." Warren and his team at Minicore are in the process of Kickstarting PC, Mac and Xbox 360 versions of their latest project, Laika Believes: The Sun at Night. "I think releasing on Xbox One without a publisher is a big step forward, of course, but the fact that (eventually) I'll be able to use my retail console as our dev kit is huge," he added. "My secondary (maybe flailing and futile) hope is that the fees for publishing won't be insane. It's one thing to only have to shell out $600 for a dev kit, but quite another if we have to spend another $10k on publishing fees. My hope is they'll be content with 30 percent of revenue and be done with it." Cautious optimism was a consistent theme among most of the indie developers we reached out to, though some had greater reservations over Microsoft's inner machinations than others.
Laika Believes: The Sun at Night takes to Kickstarter, Greenlight
Minicore Studios has started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the completion of its dog-based alternate-history action-platformer Laika Believes: The Sun at Night. The Austin, Texas-housed indie is seeking $100,000 to fuel the completion of the game's art assets, sound production and to facilitate the creation of Mac and Linux versions to accompany the PC version already on Greenlight, and the Xbox 360 version waiting in the wings. Reward tiers, of which there are many, run from as little as $1 for some desktop wallpaper to $10,000 for an Executive Producer credit, in-game robot version of your own real-life dog and a buttload of other stuff, including an adorable plush version of Laika. Stretch goals, if reached, help make PlayStation 3, Vita and Wii U ports possible, in addition to expanding the game's overall amount of content. Until now, Minicore Studios has relied on angel investors to front the bill while it worked on bringing Laika's episodic odyssey to life. "We raised money over a year and a half period and have gone through most of those funds since last May," founder and CEO John Warren told us. Income from Minicore's most recent release, iOS puzzler Tumblewords, also hasn't done much to extend Laika's development budget. "Tumblewords income has been minimal, so that's barely factored into it," Warren said. "It was supposed to buy us some time, but in reality income from Tumblewords has bought us a few days, not a few weeks or months. Which, on a side note, is a shame because it really is a lovely mobile game!"
AbleGamers summer grants offer funds for assistive gaming tech
AbleGamers and Minicore Studios, the developer of coming space-dog adventure game Laika Believes, are teaming up to offer grants to purchase assistive gaming technology to players with disabilities. The program is called the "AbleGamers 2013 Summer of Fun Grant Program," and it's open to people of all ages. Take a look at the grant application here. The application will be live until July 31; after that, the AbleGamers board will review the submissions and dole out funding as they see fit. AbleGamers Founder Mark Barlet says he expects to receive thousands of requests, Game Politics reports. Minicore Studios founder John Warren says it's an honor to be involved in the grant program. "Minicore is a huge supporter of the AbleGamers charity," he says. "We love what they do for the gaming community and those with disabilities. This was a perfect opportunity to get involved and help gamers with disabilities play."
Laika Believes in this new teaser trailer
Minicore Studios has dropped the first trailer for its alternate history action RPG, Laika Believes: The Sun at Night. Robo-animal enemies and branching levels aside, just look at those puppy-dog eyes! Who's a good little girl? Who's a good little mechanically altered war machine? You are! You are!
Laika Believes in this cyber elephant speed-painting video, too
In this latest burst of time-lapse Laika Believes concept artwork from the folks at Minicore Studios, artist Devin Lawson breathes life into a distinctly ominous-looking cyber elephant. Well, we say life – in this case "soulless unending servitude" may be more appropriate.
Laika Believes in this cyber whale speed-drawing video
Laika Believes, Minicore Studios' alternate history action-RPG (starring a robot dog), will feature at least one massive cybernetic battle whale if the above speed-drawing video is any indication. Watch artist Devin Lawson will a whale into existence, Green Lantern-style, over the chiptune strings of the game's soundtrack.
Laika Believes preview: The robot space dog with a heart of gold
Minicore Studios is a small indie developer in Austin, TX, and it's making an alternate history game about the first dog in space. The game is called Laika Believes, but unlike the legitimately terrible fate that befell the real Laika, Minicore's version of history represents something a bit more hopeful, despite its dystopian overtones.In this universe, Laika survived her trip into orbit and returned to Earth with robotic augmentations, somehow transformed into a capable canine war machine. Why exactly this happened remains uncertain, though her mysterious metamorphosis hasn't changed her into a mindless killing machine. If anything, Laika's conversational skills are just as important as the various weapons mounted on her back.%Gallery-184816%
Laika Believes: an alternate reality space dog game for PC and XBLA
Laika Believes, by Austin-based Minicore Studios, presupposes a world in which not only did Laika (the first animal to orbit the earth!) survive her historic voyage, but she returned as a super cyborg dog for some reason. And ... she returned to a world dominated by a Soviet superpower.This depressing (except for the superdog) alternate reality forms the basis of a Metroidvania-type platformer for PC and XBLA about resisting the world takeover, starring a character with "a novel defensive mechanic that lets players turn the firepower of Laika's enemies against them." All the company has shown so far is concept art, but it's art for a concept strong enough to keep our attention.
