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Sign up for Magicka: Wizard Wars, help shape the game
Starting today, October 15, Steam users can jump into an Early Access version of Magicka: Wizard Wars. Interested parties simply need to sign up for a Paradox account through the game and should be able to dive right into the tutorial match afterward. Expect Magicka: Wizard Wars to change over the course of development as Paradox North looks to incorporate fan feedback during the Early Access run. Magicka: Wizard Wars is a free-to-play multiplayer-based affair where two teams of four battle over spawn points within an environment, though you do need to pay to get into the Steam Early Access version. The game is anchored by the original Magicka's unique DIY spell-casting system where players queue up an assortment of elements in a specific order, which then produces a spell. Once a team has captured all three spawn points and killed the other team, it's game over – or as soon as one team has burned through their 75 spawn tickets, and can no longer respawn onto the battlefield. We were able to sample Magicka: Wizard Wars back in July and found it to be an inventive and highly-competitive romp.
Vlambeer's 'Nuclear Throne' available now through Steam Early Access
Vlambeer's latest game, the "action roguelike-like" game Nuclear Throne, is available now through Steam's Early Access program. In its current build state, the $13 game from the studio that created Ridiculous Fishing and Super Crate Box, includes four playable worlds, seven characters, two boss battles and lots of weapons, skills and "randomly generated goodness." The final version will include at least four more worlds, "an undefined number of secret worlds to explore," more skins, sound effects and be shiny like a copper penny. OR ELSE! As with all Early Access games, it's best not to play unless you're willing to be part of the bug crushing process. And these are bugs created by fallout, so watch out!
Twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus is looking sharp
If you've been wondering where the great twin-stick shoot-em-ups have gone, you can be reassured to know you're not alone. Not because Witch Beam can offer you solidarity in your views, but because the Australian indie studio is trying to change all that with Assault Android Cactus, coming to Steam, PS4, Wii U, and Vita. After sinking hours into the game's Steam Early Access build, I'd say Witch Beam is onto something very promising. "What we wanted to do [with Assault Android Cactus] was make a really good twin-stick shooter in an arcade style because we don't think there's been one in half a decade or something," Witch Beam's Sanatana Mishra told me. "The last one that was really great for me was Super Stardust HD. And I think, since then, we really need more." Assault Android Cactus represents more than a (hopefully) really good twin-stick shooter to Witch Beam. It's a game the studio's three members felt they couldn't make when they were working together at Sega Studios Australia. There they put three years of their lives into London 2012: The Official Video Game, a game Mishra isn't proud of: "It wasn't very good." He and his co-founders wanted to put their time into making games they really wanted to make, and so Witch Beam and Assault Android Cactus came about. While settling on a shoot-em-up was perhaps a little circumstantial, since it was a game the studio could make using their savings and without outsourcing, it's clearly a genre that appeals to Mishra. When I asked him about the game's inspirations, he quickly rattled off the Dodonpachi series, Deathsmiles, and old-school "arena" games like Robotron 2084.
Godus v1.3 update adds bronze age, agriculture, weather system
Peter Molyneux's god game Godus has received a sizable update on Steam, where the game has been available as an Early Access product since last month. In addition to a multitude of bug fixes, the version 1.3 update adds bronze age amenities and agricultural advances, as well as tweaks to Follower behavior and some modified tents. Amongst the 12 new bronze age additions are politics, farming and cartography, according to the update's patch notes. New Farmer Followers can grow crops outside of settlements, which can then be harvested to feed the population. A new weather system will also affect your tiny virtual folk, with lightning storms that damage Abodes located outside of settlements. Meanwhile, felt tents now house and produce Followers, rather than generate Belief. Followers can now also communicate with the player through Prayers, which we assume are delivered via Post-It Note like in Bruce Almighty. Okay, probably not. Molyneux recently told us that Godus' evolution is an ongoing process, and that it can take anywhere from "a day to two weeks" for him and his team at 22 Cans to crank out a new build. "That's an amazing, incredible way to develop a game," he said. "I'm not a designer, I'm a design curator."
Audiosurf 2 glides onto Steam Early Access today
Musical rollercoaster Audiosurf 2 is grinding a preparatory ascent before tumbling down onto Steam Early Access later today. Creator Dylan Fitterer confirmed the sequel's Early Access arrival, previously set for September, will only be slightly later than expected. As per before, Audiosurf 2 procedurally generates levels based on songs in your music library, letting you ride your tunes across various play modes. One of the sequel's new modes is Wakeboard, this featuring two boats that tug you along and provide opportunities to jump and pull off tricks. Another new mode, Audiosprint, sees you jump and duck over obstacles, and it supports local four-player co-op. The game proper is set to take to the water later this year.
Spill Norse and Saxon blood in War of the Vikings today
Paradox Interactive has announced that War of the Vikings, the follow-up to multiplayer medieval combat game War of the Roses, will join Steam Early Access. An Alpha version of the game is available right now on Steam, and those who've picked up the Kingmaker edition of War of the Roses can try out the sequel free until October 4. War of the Vikings is based on the Viking Age, a period around 800 AD when the Vikings scoured Europe looking for conquest and trade. The game, which doesn't stray very far from the foundation established by War of the Roses, will launch fully on Steam early next year.
State of Decay breaks it down on Steam Early Access tomorrow
State of Decay launches on Steam Early Access tomorrow, September 20, for $20. Undead warns that the Early Access version is not final – it may still crash and it doesn't support keyboard and mouse input yet. Players must use an Xbox 360 controller or similarly compatible gamepad for now. Undead will post keyboard interfaces in progress and use player feedback to perfect those before going live. "This process is not for everyone," Undead writes. "Casual players, the easily frustrated, and the short of time should not get the Early Access version. Hey, I am all three of those things, y'all. Those are not criticisms. It's just that we want everyone to have the experience that best suits their needs." The full version of State of Decay will launch later this year, and Early Access players will of course get that for free, with no need to restart. We found State of Decay on Xbox 360 to be technically frustrating, but an enjoyable zombie survival experience – as enjoyable as such grimness can be, anyway.
Molyneux's Godus manifests on Steam Early Access
Just as the prophet Peter Molyneux foretold, Godus is now available through Steam Early Access. Godus, which puts players in the heavenly shoes of a God who monitors and fosters the growth of a loyal indigenous people, is currently in development at Molyneux's indie outfit, 22cans. The game, which sought financing through Kickstarter and ultimately earned £526,000 ($852K) in funding, is a reinvention of Molyneux's lauded classic, Populous. As with all Steam Early Access games, this isn't the final version of Godus but an ongoing development project that Steam users can buy into. 22cans hopes to launch Godus on PC, Mac and mobile platforms initially, but is also considering Linux.
Smashmuck Champions now on Steam Early Access
If you were intrigued by our hands-on with new MOBA Smashmuck Champions at PAX Prime last week, we've got good news. The title is now available via Steam's early access program, according to a Kiz press release. The "program helps to further Kiz's commitment to open development, bringing the fans and players into the creation process to tweak, refine, and suggest new ideas that are incorporated into the game," the company says. Smashmuck Champions is free-to-play. You can view an announcement video after the break. [Source: Kiz press release]
Ridge Racer Driftopia enters Steam Early Access
Drifters and powersliders alike may now partake in Namco Bandai's free-to-play PC racing game, Ridge Racer Driftopia, which launched today as part of Steam's Early Access program. Developed by Ridge Racer Unbounded creator Bugbear Entertainment, Driftopia focuses on asynchronous online competition, challenging players to beat their friends' best times on 10 included racetracks. Players can also equip bonuses and stat boosts before each race, evening the odds in the global leaderboards. A public beta for the PlayStation 3 version of Driftopia recently kicked off in Europe, and a release is slated for later this year.
The atypical story of Kerbal Space Program's indie flight to success
Making video games is what Felipe Falanghe always wanted to do. Unfortunately, that's not what his job was at Squad, an interactive marketing company in Mexico City, Mexico. Squad was responsible for creating multi-media installations to sell products from Samsung and Nissan to the Mexican market. So one day, in early 2011, Felipe approached his bosses and told them he wanted to make a game. "And it completely blew me away when they just said, 'Okay,'" Felipe told me during a meeting at PAX Prime. "I didn't believe them at first," he added, but his bosses were serious: If he brought them a good idea and a solid business plan, he would be free to go for it. This is when he wrote the design document for Kerbal Space Program, a sandbox space flight simulation game that has been quite successful since its launch through the Steam Early Access program in 2011. Felipe has been lead developer ever since.
Pounding beats and dragons in Crypt of the NecroDancer
I'm all alone in this dark dungeon. I've only got a dagger and I'm on my last heart of health. The thumping beats and pulsating sounds of Danny Baranowsky's energetic soundtrack keep pushing me forward. From out of the shadows, a dragon emerges. I'm ill-equipped to fell this beast, so I use my freeze spell to stop the enemy. Then I charge in time to the beat and strike. This is Crypt of the NecroDancer, a charming and wholly original hybrid roguelike/rhythm-based experience from seven-man studio Brace Yourself Games. It's unlike anything I've played before and represents everything that I treasure about the indie games scene.
Let the god games begin: 22cans' Godus beta available on Steam Early Access September 13th (update: iOS and Android release dates)
A collective effort pulled back Curiosity's curtain early this summer, and now it's nearly time to play god. On September 13th, 22cans and Peter Molyneux will make the beta release of Godus, the studio's latest "experiment" in god gaming, available via Steam Early Access for PC and Mac. The early release will cost eager overlords $19.99 and allow them to "sculpt every inch of a beautiful world," and, of course, destroy those worlds in multiplayer battles with other virtual gods. The Kickstarter-backed nod to Molyneux's Populous reached its funding goal in December of last year with the promise of PC, Mac and mobile compatibility and continued his focus on the video game as social experiment. Final release details are still under wraps but you can see an updated trailer after the break. And for more Molyneux, check out our interview from E3 2013. Update: We had a chance to catch up with Molyneux following his keynote at PAX and, among other things, he revealed release dates for iOS and Android versions of Godus: October 31st (Halloween) and November 14th (Day of the Colombian Woman), respectively.
Terraria content coming to Edge of Space in cross-over event
Terraria is a 2D sandbox survival adventure game. Edge of Space is a 2D sandbox exploration game. Like peanut butter and jelly, the two will now meet in a tasty cross-over event, bringing Terraria content to Edge of Space, developers Re-Logic and HandyMan Studios announced. Those attending PAX Prime in Seattle this weekend can get their hands on the Terraria-inspired content at Reverb Publishing's booth (#3436). Among the goodies arriving in Edge of Space is a "cybernetically-enhanced version of Terraria's skeletron boss," Omegatron. Edge of Space is available via Steam Early Access for $11.99. Terraria, meanwhile, launches on iOS today for $4.99.
Audiosurf 2 rides the wave to Steam Early Access in September
Audiosurf 2 will make its debut on Steam through the Early Access program sometime in September. The news comes from a brief blurb over on the game's official site. Previously, the sequel was billed as Audiosurf Air. Creator Dylan Fitterer's studio, Invisible Handlebar, even went so far as to launch a website and solicit beta applicants for Audiosurf Air early last year. Predecessor Audiosurf - a game that builds custom 3D levels from your music library, which you then "surf" in the game - first launched on Steam in February 2008. Audiosurf is often credited as being a pioneer in the modern indie games movement.
Electronic Super Joy is happy to enter Steam Early Access
Electronic Super Joy, the hardcore platformer with a flashy soundtrack, is on its way to Steam Early Access on August 7 for $5, a 35 percent discount from its eventual launch price of $8. Pre-orders get instant access to the beta, and the Steam version will include online leaderboards, achievements and brand new levels (to die in). Electronic Super Joy is a mix of Super Hexagon and Super Meat Boy, and not only because they share a similar word – it stands out at conventions because of its bright colors, high-intensity music, and the crowd around players failing ridiculous platforming levels again and again. Seriously, you will die in these levels, but it will sound so good. Electronic Super Joy is available for pre-order, with beta access, right now for PC, Mac and Linux via developer Michael Todd Games.
Double Fine's Broken Age goes to Steam Early Access for additional funding
In order to make the version of Broken Age that it has planned, Double Fine needs more capital than the $3.3 million it crowdfunded in March of 2012 through its historic Kickstarter campaign, founder Tim Schafer has said in a backers-only update on Kickstarter. "Even though we received much more money from our Kickstarter than we, or anybody anticipated," Schafer said, "that didn't stop me from getting excited and designing a game so big that it would need even more money." Thus, a new plan was formed: Double Fine will release a refined version of the first half of the game through Early Access in January of 2014, which is expected to generate enough income to sustain production until the rest of the game is completed. Development costs will also be offset by the profits made from other Double Fine games. Folks that backed the original Kickstarter campaign will be given beta test access before the Early Access launch. They'll also get the first half of the game through Steam Early Access and a copy of the full game once it's completed.
Edge of Space available now, thanks to Steam Early Access
After getting approved by both Kickstarter and the Steam Greenlight program, the indie sandbox survival game, Edge of Space, is playable by the public, thanks to Steam's Early Access program. The game can now be purchased for an early access price of $11.99, just a few bucks off from the eventual $14.99 launch price. Anyone buying the game for early access will also get a set of "First Responder Armor," with some extra bonuses as you leave your crashed spaceship and attempt to survive in an alien world. This release of the game is still in beta, and the developers promise there may be other early adopter rewards beyond encounters with "genetically-evolved polar bears."
