Review: Saturday Morning RPG by Mighty Rabbit
May 08.12 / Review, Screenshots, Trailers, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch / by omejia
A number of indie games that I’ve come across over the past few months have contained elements of old-school games. This isn’t all that surprising, since many indie developers grew up during the 8-bit era of gaming, back in the 1980’s.
Saturday Morning RPG, from Mighty Rabbit and Joystick Labs, takes the nostalgia factor a step further. This iOS RPG is about rekindling memories of 1980’s cartoons, particularly ones that used to air Saturday mornings on network television, before Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon even existed. While many of the gameplay elements feel basic, anyone who grew up during the era of Oingo Boingo and John Hughes movies is in for a big treat.
Review: Terraform by Holgersson Entertainment
May 08.12 / PC Downloadable, Review, Screenshots, Trailers / by omejia
Anyone can build a virtual house or maintain a virtual farm, but it takes a truly brilliant mind to cultivate an entire virtual planet. Few games give you an entire planet’s ecosystem to play with, but Terraform does just that.
Terraform is the latest title from Holgersson Entertainment and it weeds out lesser minds like a hurricane washing away a city street.
Review: Call of the Ninja by TeraBit Software
May 03.12 / Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Review, Screenshots, Trailers / by omejia
Over my years of gaming, I’ve gotten used to leading mindless creatures through dangerous areas. The Lemmings-style puzzle game is an old favorite. Of course, I’ve also learned over the years that everything is better with ninjas.
It’s a strange idea to think of ninjas as mindless lemmings, but that’s the premise behind Call of the Ninja from TeraBit Software.
Review: Voxeliens by Volumes of Fun
May 01.12 / PC Downloadable, Review, Screenshots, Trailers / by omejia
Arcade classics are bound to undergo forms of evolution. Some of these are for the better (the arcade cabinet, Pac-Man Battle Royale), while others are diminished significantly (the N64’s Tetrisphere). Volumes of Fun has undertaken the challenge of recreating the classic Space Invaders for a 3D world by creating Voxeliens.
While the interface could use some polish, the translation from 2D to 3D is about as smooth as it gets.
Review: Fallen City by Big Robot
May 01.12 / Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Review, Screenshots, Trailers / by omejia
Cities can fall at a moment’s notice. A bad economy, dilapidated conditions, and deteriorated infrastructure can turn a formerly thriving metropolis into an abandoned wasteland. A troubled town can be saved, though. A concerned citizenry can keep a town alive, but it takes unwavering conviction and an attention span that lasts longer than a couple of seconds.
Fallen City, from Big Robot (AVSEQ, Sir, You Are Being Hunted), is a puzzle game that has everyday citizens banding together to restore a decrepit town to its former glory.
Review: A Valley Without Wind by Arcen Games
Apr 27.12 / Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Review, Screenshots, Trailers / by omejia
I went into A Valley Without Wind expecting to find a throwback to the old days of 16-bit era side-scrollers. I wound up with something much more than that. Arcen Games has crafted an immersive action game that mashes up several elements of other genres.
It has old-school platforming, 2D combat, an MMO-style magic interface, and civilization-building elements, just to name a few. This game is far more than what it appears to be on the surface and it swallowed hours of my time before I knew it.
Experimental Gamer talks Boot Hill Heroes
Apr 27.12 / PC Downloadable, Screenshots, Trailers, Xbox Live Indie Games, developer spotlight, interview / by omejia
Ben Rubach and Dave Welch are a pair of Chicago roommates that have spent some brutal winters playing through their collection of video games. Like many indie developers, they had an idea of what they would like to see in a game. Welch said that games “have the ability to make us feel, think, and experience things in ways not possible by other non-interactive media.” Setting out to make games that create an emotional reaction in players and leave a lasting impression, Rubach and Welch formed Experimental Gamer.
First on Experimental Gamer’s slate is Boot Hill Heroes, a turn-based RPG set in the Wild West.
Review: Botanicula by Amanita Design
Apr 25.12 / Linux Downloadable, Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Review, Screenshots / by omejia
Following up on the imaginative work in its post-apocalyptic Steampunk world of Machinarium, Czech Republic-based indie developer Amanita Design has given birth to another memorable new world.
Botanicula blends together a traditional point-and-click adventure with a world of oddball creatures to create an astounding experience.
Phil Hassey talks Dynamite Jack
Apr 24.12 / Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Screenshots, Trailers, developer spotlight, iOS, iPad, interview / by omejia
When one normally thinks of space marines, it’s hard not to imagine a bulked-up, heavily-armored commando armed to the teeth with outrageous weaponry. Space marines are all about shooting rampaging aliens into galactic particles.
In a way, that already makes Phil Hassey’s upcoming top-down action game, Dynamite Jack, somewhat of a departure from the norm.
Vlambeer talks Game Cloning, Ridiculous Fishing
Apr 24.12 / Industry News, interview / by omejia
Indie developers Vlambeer (Super Crate Box, Serious Sam: The Random Encounter) made a long trip to GDC earlier this year, venturing out from the Netherlands to deliver a seminar on a subject that has hit close to home recently — game cloning.
Comprised of Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman, one of Vlambeer’s first games was a Flash title called Radical Fishing, in which an average redneck fisherman would catch fish using outrageous weaponry. Months later, Ismail and Nijman began working on a mobile version of the game with Zach Gage (Halcyon) and Greg Wohlwend (Puzzlejuice). The Vlambeer duo suddenly started receiving outraged Tweets from their fans — a reaction stemming from Gamenauts launching an iOS game called Ninja Fishing, a near-copy of Radical Fishing.
