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Fotonica is dashing into the distance on iOS right now
After getting a running start on PC, Mac and Ouya, Fotonica has leaped to iOS devices to continue sprinting through wireframe environments at a breakneck speed. At $2.99, developer Santa Ragione's one-button runner is a reasonably-priced chance to fry your brain trying to jump, glide and dash through Fotonica's seven levels. If you need something beyond personal bests to conquer, you can also share half your screen with a friend for Fotonica's two-player mode. Staring at still images of Fotonica doesn't quite get its sense of speed across though – check its iOS launch trailer after the break to fully realize its blazing pace. [Image: Santa Ragione]
First-person runner Fotonica premiering for iOS this summer
Santa Ragione's first-person endless runner Fotonica is coming to iOS devices this summer, building on its minimalist premise with a collection of new modes, levels, and online rankings. You may recall spending some time with Fotonica following its initial launch via Kongregate in 2011. Since then, the game has grown in scope for a Windows and Mac release, with the upcoming iOS and Steam versions boasting a local multiplayer mode and five new stages in addition to three endless, procedurally generated levels. DRM-free Windows and Mac versions of Fotonica are currently available for $4.99 via its official website. Fotonica was Greenlit last year, and buyers will receive Steam keys following its launch at Valve's online storefront. [Image: Santa Ragione]
MirrorMoon EP update adds indie nods alongside well-timed sale
2013 IGF finalist MirrorMoon EP, a minimalist exploration game where you navigate space and explore planets, is on sale for $6 all this week on Steam. The sale is timed alongside a new content update, which adds a mysterious button with an unknown function to the Galaxy Map area. New structures that pay homage to other indie games like Kentucky Route Zero and Gone Home have also been erected on MirrorMoon EP's planets. MirrorMoon EP's soundtrack is also up on Bandcamp for $5, in case you're looking for some moody music to get you through the day. Finally, developer Santa Ragione has announced MirrorMoon Ep is up for an award at this year's SXSW Gaming Expo. The free show, which takes place from March 7 - 9 in Austin, TX, celebrates gaming and geek culture. [Image: Santa Ragione]
MirrorMoon EP takes off today on Steam, on sale through Sept. 11
MirrorMoon EP is a critically acclaimed, minimalist exploration game that thrives in multiplayer, and it's out now on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux. Until September 11, MirrorMoon EP is available for $9, ten percent off its regular price. MirrorMoon's core mechanic involves traveling to planets across the universe and discovering all of their deep, dark (and sometimes bright) secrets, using moons as mirrored maps of each world's terrain. Using equipment found on the planets, players are able to slide moons in and out of the suns' rays, rotate them and manipulate gravity, among other neat tricks. But that's the single-player portion. MirrorMoon can't be truly completed without multiplayer, which allows players to find planets and share their discoveries with others. The first person to find a planet gets to name its Star System whatever she wants, and that name is branded to the star for all other players, for as long as the game is online. There are 1,000 Star Systems in each Galaxy, so that could be a very long time indeed. We got to play MirrorMoon at GDC Europe and we talked about that experience on the final, games-focused episode of the Gamescom Super Joystiq Podcast Special.
Santa Ragione's VHS rewinds movie-selection sims at Fantastic Arcade
VideoHeroeS is a good fit for Fantastic Arcade, the annual indie game exhibition tied to Fantastic Fest, a genre film showcase held in Austin, Texas. VHS is a game about the nostalgia of picking out movies, on VHS, in the 90s from the local rental store – players are the store clerk and have to find the right tape for each customer. Customers have specific demands, such as, "I hate movies. They suck. Give me anything that is not a movie," and questions including, "Do you still have that martial arts movie with the screaming guy? You know, when he says, "Kiiaiii!" I played VHS during GDC Europe in Cologne, Germany, and it's more than a simple point-and-click method of movie selection. It's a physics game in the way that Octodad uses physics, flinging films around the carefully organized shelves to float above the floor in a jumbled, chaotic pile. This adds to the frenzy of helping customers as their demands pile up. As the clerk, you only get paid if you find a film to meet the customer's needs. It's a joy not only to pick the correct movies, but also to look at all that old-school box art. Currently, VHS uses actual movies and their box arts, but if the game takes off outside of Fantastic Arcade, developer Santa Ragione has a plan: commission famous and talented artists to design boxes inspired by classic titles, mimicking them enough for players to get a sense of each film's contents, but not enough so the devs get sued. As a bonus, this avenue would create tons of original artwork within the game, which could be an extra selling point. Anyone going to Fantastic Arcade in Austin on September 19 - 26, check out VHS – and please be kind, rewind.
IGF finalist MirrorMoon EP offers up pre-orders to tide us over
MirrorMoon EP, a finalist for the 2013 IGF Nuovo Award for innovation, took a long, hard look at itself and decided to open up pre-orders with beta access today, August 7. MirrorMoon is an exploration and mystery game set across thousands of Star Systems, wherein each planet holds a variety of artifacts, structures and puzzles to decipher. The beta offers the multiplayer portion of MirrorMoon, allowing players to share Galaxy Maps and discoveries with each other. The first explorers to land on a planet get to name its Star System, making that name permanent and official for every other player. "Each Galaxy consists of a thousand Systems: It will be possible to fully discover the mysteries of MirrorMoon EP only while collaborating with other players," developer Santa Ragione says. MirrorMoon is set to launch on September 4 for PC, Mac and Linux via Steam and the Humble Store, with an Ouya version scheduled for fall. Pre-orders run $9, $1 off its final price, and are currently open to PC and Mac players. Early buyers will get a DRM-free version and a Steam key automatically upon the game's launch. You can't explain that.%Gallery-195609%
Fotonica lands a $1 sale for six days
Fotonica comes from Italian development house Santa Ragione, which makes sense considering how positively vogue the game is. It's a one-button, first-person runner in duotone with a smooth, blippy soundtrack – and right now it's all just $1. Fotonica is 80 percent off direct from Santa Ragione's site (using that handy Humble Store widget), now and for six more days. Fotonica supports PC, Mac and Linux, and it's available through Desura, Indievania, OnLive and the Mac App Store, though that $1 deal is via Santa Ragione only. The developers would like to see Fotonica on Steam and are making a leap with Greenlight – if it gets voted in, Santa Ragione will create new levels, modes and music for all Fotonica players.
Waste your Friday playing Fotonica
C'mon, it's Friday. You know everybody else in the office is taking it easy. Check out Debbie, you think she's working on next week's ad budget? Nope. She's looking at pictures of her sister's birthday party on Facebook and wondering how she stays so skinny. Look at Rick in HR over there, you just know he's catching up on the scores from last night's [insert prominent sporting events here]. Why don't you head over to Kongregate and check out Fotonica, Santa Ragione's extremely cool new first-person running game you play with just one button. As you'll see in a trailer after the break, the game features a gorgeous wireframe aesthetic, so maybe you can convince your boss that you're making 3D ... work ... models, or something. Heck, he probably won't look up from The View long enough to notice.
