- By Ash
- in Indie Games
JackHammer is a newly announced and fast-paced multiplayer shooter where all of the action takes place in rather small arenas. Instead of the usual cast of FPS characters the competitors in JackHammer are all fully customizable robots, which combined with the fact that its powered by Unreal Engine 4 should hopefully result in some extremely satisfying impacts with scrap and bits flying all over the place.
Since arena shooters tend to live and die by how enjoyable their action is, it would probably be a good idea for you to check out the recently posted teaser trailer. Oh, and I hope you like electronic music because that's all you're going to get with JackHammer! Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
While I'm not a big fan of horror movies, John Carpenter's "The Thing" is one of the rare few I am perfectly willing to rewatch each year once it inevitably appears in the post-Christmas broadcasting lull. As such, I'm quite happy to say that the upcoming 3D survival game Distrust appears to be a rather faithful adaption of the concept.
As you would expect the action starts with our lone survivors getting stranded near an abandoned Arctic base that just so happens to host a rather nasty shape-shifting creature. In order to survive you will need to not only scavenge for food and equipment, but also keep a close eye at your fellow survivors as you can never tell which one of them is not what they appear to be. As a movie concept this worked pretty damn great, but how does it all transfer to a video game?
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Aporia: Beyond the Valley is an upcoming first person puzzle-adventure set in a world filled with ancient technology and long-overgrown ruins. Instead of using text or the classic narrator the storyline will conveyed entirely through the use of atmosphere and the ever-changing environment. An interesting idea to be sure, but one that is going to be difficult to pull off well.
If you're wondering what Aporia might look like in terms of gameplay, wonder no more as the developers have recently posted a decently lengthy gameplay trailer that covers pretty much everything you need to know. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
The Swords of Ditto is an upcoming "compact action-RPG" that will have you explore a fairly large and hand-drawn overworld, delve through a variety of dungeons in either singleplayer or co-op, and naturally, collect a whole bunch of loot along the way. What might be the most interesting part of The Swords of Ditto, however, is that every time you die you will come back as an entirely different hero. Its not a massive twist on the classic roguelike formula, but if each characters starts with enough unique weaknesses and strengths I could easily see it working out quite well.
If you're wondering what exactly The Swords of Ditto might look like in terms of actual gameplay, wonder no more as Devolver Digital has recently posted an extended gameplay video covering just that. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Tooth and Tail is an upcoming real-time strategy game from the developers of Monaco, though it does have a couple of twists that set it apart from the rest of the genre. First and foremost, the four factions are all sentient animals that are currently waging a bloody civil war in order to decide who gets to eat, and who gets to be eaten. So instead of the usual RTS units you'll be marching onward with an army of flame-throwing boars, mustard gas-lobbing skunks, and other such lovely combinations.
Since the concept is completely and utterly bizarre, perhaps it would be a good idea for you to check out the recently posted cinematic trailer. The video doesn't really showcase much gameplay, but it does a rather good job of explaining the storyline and setting the proper mood. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Thunder Lotus Games are currently preparing to launch Sundered, a hand-drawn Metroidvania set in a ruined world teeming with eldritch horrors, and in order to drum up a bit of excitement they are giving away their previous game Jotun. As you can probably guess from the title, Jotun is a hand-drawn action-exploration game deeply rooted in Norse mythology and filled with a whole bunch monsters that need slaying.
I haven't played it myself, but from what I've managed to gather so far the reviews are fairly mixed, with the most common complaints being about Jotun's lack of focus on any one feature. If this is something you're willing to overlook in favor of some truly spectacular artwork, head over to either Steam or GOG to grab yourself a free copy. The giveaway will only last for two more days, until Monday 4pm UTC to be specific, so don't delay for too long or you might just miss it.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Crypt of the NecroDancer team's next project will be a wacky rhythm game spin-off - Rift of the NecroDancer.
Crypt of the NecroDancer: Amplified, a DLC prequel to the rhythm-based roguelike, has now officially released from Steam Early Access. It brings with it a brand new zone full of dangerous enemies, 4 new characters to mess around with, 3 new bosses, as well as a whole bunch of new items.
If you're wondering what all of this might look like, and more importantly what the new characters play like, you'll find what you seek in the recently posted launch trailer. Have a look and make sure to turn your sound on, for obvious reasons:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're a fan of extremely brutal platformers, more specifically Super Meat Boy, you might want to check out The End is Nigh. Admittedly it does play quite a lot differently than Super Meat Boy, but it shares a lot of the same elements such as precise platforming, a casual relationship with death and dismemberment, collectibles that unlock extra levels, as well as a difficulty curve that will truly test your mettle.
Trying to explain Edmund McMillen's games through words alone is a bit of a pointless venture, so allow me to share with you the most recent teaser trailer. It starts off a bit slow but stick with it, there is plenty of gameplay after the 'introduction'. Anyway, have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Bannerman is a medieval action-adventure with dark overtones, rotoscoped 16-bit visuals, and a combat system designed to reward skill, patience, and timing above all else. In order to survive you're going to need to attack when the time is right, parry every enemy blow you can and dodge the rest, punch and kick in order to gain an advantage, and if everything else fails, chuck and endless hail of arrows in the vague direction of your enemy and hope for the best.
You can get a brief glimpse at what all of this looks like in-game through the recently posted trailer. There isn't much straight-up gameplay on display, but what is present should give you a pretty good idea of whether you're going to enjoy this type of combat or not. Without any further delays, here's the video:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Machinarium is one of Amanita Design's best point & click adventures, and that is saying a lot given that it has the likes of Samorost 3 as competition. However, as charming the world and its inhabitants are, Machinarium has always been a bit troublesome on the technical side of things given that it was built entirely on Flash.
In most scenarios this would remain as a small little blemish on an otherwise great game, but Amanita Design has decided to take things to the extreme and completely rework Machinarium from the ground up! It now runs on a new custom-built engine, has full-screen support for even the highest resolutions, support for Xbox 360 and Xbox One gampads (as well as experimental support for the rest), cloud saves, as well as the usual slue of Steam-related features.