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Developers Nifflas, KnapNok team up for Affordable Space Adventures
Space travel isn't cheap, but that doesn't mean you need fancy things like radar-based vision or mechanical reliability to have a proper adventure! Affordable Space Adventures, an upcoming collaboration from Knytt Underground creator Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren and Spin the Bottle developer KnapNok Games, seems keen on proving this. The Wii U eShop venture is planned to launch in the Fall of this year. Players will serve as pilots of Affordable Space Adventure's Small Crafts, navigating their ship through stealth-based puzzles in a dark, cavernous environment by using a lone spotlight. Multiple difficulties will be selectable, and if players are inclined to recruit a co-pilot to help control the ship, they'll be able to do so. In an interview with IndieGames, Nifflas notes that cooperating in local multiplayer requires "both players to be coordinated and agree what to do and how," which is surely easier said than done. When asked about the possibility of Affordable Space Adventure making contact with other platforms, Nifflas stated that using the Vita with the PS4 would be the only on-market possibility that wouldn't require an overhaul of the game's mechanics. No specific porting plans were offered, however. [Image: KnapNok Games]
Snapshot: Knytt Underground
Knytt Underground is the kind of game you can easily get lost in. I mean that in both the metaphorical sense of an engrossing experience, and the literal sense of a game in which I wandered around until I found where I was supposed to be.Somehow, Nifflas's latest combines discrete chapters and an open, explorable map, and makes that seemingly impossible combination work. And it's pretty funny.
Dig into Knytt Underground on PSN this week
Knytt Underground, the latest platformer from Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren, will be released on PS3 and Vita via PSN tomorrow in North America. Europe will have to wait until December 21, but will have access to it free with PlayStation Plus, which more than makes up for the brief wait. It's also coming to PC, and to Steam if it gets enough Greenlight support.Knytt Underground consists of more than 1,800 rooms, through which you'll run, jump, grapple, and bounce. The release date announcement also promises "multiple story-driven quests" within these interconnected rooms.
Portabliss: NightSky (3DS eShop)
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. I can never think, or write, about NightSky without using the word "meditative." So I'm just going with it. NightSky is meditative in the extreme. It throws calm and serene imagery all up in your face. It's not overly easy; rather, the combination of clever level placement, soothing music and subtly beautiful visuals make the whole experience more ... well, meditative.When the 3DS port was first announced, Nicalis producer Tyrone Rodriguez told us it wouldn't display in 3D. However, the final game does include stereoscopic visuals. "We tried it and it looked better than we thought," Rodriguez explained to Joystiq, simply. "But then we had to ditch the gyro," referring to plans to use tilt controls.%Gallery-169349%
Knytt goes Underground, emerges on PS3, Vita, and more this year
Knytt Underground is the colorful followup to the platformer Knytt and the platformer-slash-game design engine Knytt Stories, developed by Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren. This new game is bringing the Knytt series to consoles for the first time since the homebrew DS port of Knytt Stories. There are official plans to release Underground on PS3 and Vita this year, along with Windows, Mac, and Linux versions.Nifflas is developing the new platformer with Green Hill, allowing for "the biggest game I ever developed," he said. Knytt Underground is also "the first game where I feel that I have a story to tell. It's about the big questions; trying to understand life and our place in it - and failing completely."%Gallery-161238%
Nicalis bringing NightSky to 3DS eShop, in 2D
Cave Story developer Nicalis revealed on Twitter that it's working on a 3DS port of NightSky, the puzzle platform game it released on PC and Mac earlier this year. Later, the developer followed up with a note that it'll be on eShop, making the 3DS version of Nifflas's game one of the rare non-Game Boy, non-DSiWare downloadable games on 3DS. "We literally just started working on it last week," Nicalis "Producer and Janitor" Tyrone Rodriguez told Joystiq in an interview today. "I'd like to have it done before Christmas and out." Even though work is still early, "it looks perfect on the 3DS." As if the status as an eShop game didn't confer enough novelty status, NightSky on 3DS will not display in 3D. "I feel that it would distract from the game," he explained. NightSky is flat silhouettes against sky, so we aren't even sure how 3D would work there. Nicalis is still deciding whether to implement motion controls. "We'll probably add that as an option," Rodriguez said. "If it feels right, then we'll definitely do it." Nicalis has another eShop game planned, which it's not ready to announce just yet.
Steam discounts NightSky, Tom Clancy games
If you're looking to spend your long weekend in a quiet, relaxing way, you could do worse than to check out NightSky, the meditative rolling-ball platformer by Knytt creator Nifflas. And now's a good day for it, because Steam has reduced the price to five bucks through 1PM tomorrow. If you're in the mood for less tranquility and more Tom Clancity, the ongoing Ubisoft sale continues today, with 66% discounts on pretty much every Tom Clancy game ever, including various Splinter Cells, Ghost Recons, Rainbow Sixes, and HAWX ... es.
Nicalis' NightSky coming to Windows on January 6
Nicalis, best known for releasing Daisuke Amaya's Cave Story on the Wii and DSi, has announced that it will be bringing the 2D physics-based platformer NightSky to Windows on January 6. The title, by Sweden's Nifflas, was originally scheduled for release on WiiWare as well. Nicalis says it hasn't "given up on consoles" for the game, but the PC and Mac releases will arrive first. The game looks intriguing -- you can see a short launch trailer after the break. There's no word on price yet (or where you'll be able to get it, other than the official website), but assuming the game arrives as planned, those who want to get their hands on this 2009 IGF finalist will finally be able to do so.
Interview: Nicalis's Tyrone Rodriguez on Cave Story, La-Mulana, and more
Nicalis, the developer of the anticipated Wii remake of the indie hit Cave Story, briefly noted in a Christmas Eve blog post that the WiiWare game had been delayed into 2010. It seemed like a good time to check in with Tyrone Rodriguez, head of Nicalis and producer on the title. Rodriguez spoke to us a bit about the progress of the remake, as well as Nicalis's other projects, Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren's physics-based platformer NightSky and another WiiWare remake of a retro-style cave exploration platformer, La-Mulana.
Cave Story developer Nicalis reveals 'Project Q'
The latest project from Cave Story WiiWare developer Nicalis -- after, of course, Cave Story, Night Game and La-Mulana -- is a new platformer from Knytt and Night Game creator Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren, currently called Project Q. You can see some early footage of the title at IGN.Q appears to have a lot in common with the Knytt games -- the tiny protagonist exploring beautiful landscapes, dealing with environmental puzzles. It follows a young woman traversing various planets in search of pieces of a transporter, "armed" only with a camera, "to document information and capture the environments."According to Nicalis's Tyrone Rodriguez, the developer has "WiiWare in mind." However, "In truth," he told IGN, "it could be WiiWare, Wii disc or even PSN, XBLA and PC."[Via Offworld]
Night Game's 'Hard Mode' explained, kind of
In an interview with Nintendo Life, Nicalis's Tyrone Rodriguez offered numbers indicating the size of WiiWare's Night Game: "There are 10 levels--or worlds, each with about 13 areas--and two difficulty modes," he said. "Right now they're called Normal and Hard, but we have to rename the Hard one to encourage people to try it."Apparently, Hard-or-whatever mode will "change the topography of the levels a lot" and offer different puzzles. In a game built entirely around environmental puzzles like that, with no enemies, that's about the only way a hard mode could be instituted without awful time limits. "It's more like playing a new set of levels than getting the normal ones in a harder format," he said. It sounds like some alteration of the base levels to create new challenges. Maybe Hard Mode is the regular game, inverted? Although looking at the above screenshot, maybe not.
How Night Game got to WiiWare
The silhouette-style puzzle platformer Night Game represents the first WiiWare release from Knytt creator Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren. Nifflas and Tyrone Rodriguez from developer Nicalis spoke with Gamasutra (specifically, Joystiq alum Eric Caoili!) about the new game and about its home on WiiWare.Surprisingly, Night Game, which still isn't its final title, wasn't intended for WiiWare at first. Rodriguez made the call to put Night Game on WiiWare early in development. Nifflas told Gamasutra that "I've always wanted there to be a PC build of (Night Game), since many of my fans have been waiting for this game. I however respect Tyrone's decision here." Adapting the game concept to the Wii Remote led to a change in control mapping that "would have been an advantage even on a PC version. "It was GoNintendo's RawMeatCowboy, according to Nifflas, who put him in contact with Nicalis, and therefore indirectly led to Night Game becoming a WiiWare title.
Trailer brings Night Game to light
The first trailer for Nicalis's Night Game is out, and we find ourselves utterly charmed. The sleepy-time color scheme and sedate music gives the game a mellow feel that should make it relaxing even if the puzzles prove challenging -- sort of like Soul Bubbles, which is a nice thing to say about a game.Night Game appears to be a platformer starring a rolling ball, which, we're guessing, is controlled by tilting the Wiimote. It's a simple concept, but even the amount of variation in the objects seen here with which to interact -- hanging chains, see-saws, wagons, etc. -- combined with whatever the ball controls are should make for an interesting experience. Especially at a WiiWare price!
Knytt Stories to see a DS port
Celebrating the one-year anniversary of Knytt Stories's release for PCs, homebrew programmer rrc2soft has released a video for his DS port prototype of the freeware game. in case you've never had the pleasure of playing the original game, it's a neat 2D platformer from Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and exploration. instead of graphics and combat.As with the PC release, Knytt Stories DS looks to be a collection of short adventures starring Juni, an agile character that can learn several abilities, such as a double jumping and wall climbing. Rrc2soft also hopes to eventually allow you to download and play through user-created levels, a feature we've already seen implemented wonderfully in StillAliveDS.The clip only shows the tutorial level, but expect to see more as development continues! Wacky Japanese games, emulation, DS Fanboy's recommendations, naughty homebrew: our recent week of homebrew coverage had it all. Don't be put off if you're a beginner, either -- we have guides and a glossary for the newest of newbs.
Knytt Stories expansion pack ... for free?!
According to a recent forum post, Nifflas, the creator of Knytt and Within a Deep Forest, may release the expansion to his upcoming Knytt Stories for free. At first Nifflas was considering releasing the pack for a modest fee, but after considering the extra work required to charge players (not to mention the fact that the taxman will take notice if he turns a reasonable profit), he's now leaning toward releasing it for free or as donationware.Knytt Stories continues the atmospheric, exploration-based gameplay that Knytt brought to our attention, though this time there are more areas to discover and a few power-ups to find. Both the game and the editor have already been announced as free. Look for Knytt Stories at the end of August.%Gallery-3719%
Knytt Stories preview and screenshots
Paul Eres recently published a short preview of the upcoming indie game Knytt Stories. The feature walks through a few of the major points of the game, comparing it with the previous Knytt release and the creator's other major game, Within a Deep Forest. Half a dozen new screenshots were also unveiled, shown in the gallery below. Paul's most interesting quote comes from his blog announcement of the preview: "... the more I play the best independent games, the more I don't want to play mainstream games ever again.". This game along with Aquaria could go in our book as two of the best releases of 2007. Look for Knytt Stories on August 30.%Gallery-3719%
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%
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.
