Kickstarter project Timespinner, has blown its goal of $50,000 out of the water and has hit practically all it’s stretch goals! Timespinner is a pixelated style fusion of games like Castlevania Symphony of the night, Megaman X, and Star Ocean. These sensibilities have seen a huge revival in the last 5 years, but Timespinner has an identity all its own.
Timespinner Overview
You play as Lunais, a woman with the ability to control time, who seeks revenge on a technologically advanced empire for killing her family. She is praised by her community of mountain villagers for her beautiful features and abilities to control auras which allow her to utilize magic orbs through telekinesis. Using the Timespinner, Lunais must travel through time to hunt down the perpetrators that ended her families lives.
It’s likely that you’ll be seeking out many of these auras which will provide your character with a ton of different powers to crush your enemies with. If they can be mixed together for different kinds of effects is a question that’s on a lot of peoples mind. Time control mechanics seem to be used offensively and defensively, but can also be used in seeking out and discovering new areas. The action looks tight, smooth, and fast, with the ability to grapple onto walls and double jump to discover new areas and tons of tasty loot. The music is reminiscent of Castlevania and I am sure will vary depending on which time period you are traveling to.
What really sold me on backing this game is the art style, gameplay, story and overall concept of it. It’s like they took 4 of my favorite games (Castelvania, Metroid, Chrono Trigger, & Megaman) and slammed them all together. For any fan of the retro gaming resurgence, this will be a great nostalgic escape from all the big commercial releases and is definitely something you should check out as soon as you can get your hands on it!
Timespinner will be available for for PS4, Vita, Nintendo 3DS, PC, Mac OS X, and Linux and will feature local co op, and new game +.
Kickstarter indie game project “Ghost Song” has met (and exceeded) its desired goal of $15,000! What is Ghostsong you ask? Ghost Song is a beautifully crafted 2D platformer, that has a 16 bit art style that looks like a direct descendant of Super Metroid for the SNES. What does this mean for fans of the retro resurgence? For fans of 2D side scrollers, this is going to be another fun trip down memory lane to a classic era in gaming. Though Ghost Song does resemble and take influence from the Metroid series, it does look to have many aspects that set it apart from the series. Utilizing an exploration rich map system and tons of hidden artifacts and rooms to explore, it is sure to keep gamers busy for hours on end. The games focus on exploration and challenging gameplay are things that the indie community feeds on and is something fans of the genre can’t get enough of. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious, with deep feelings of isolation and great music to set the tone. The games creator, Matt White claims to be heavily influenced by Dark Souls and states “Playing that game was an extremely formative experience for me as a game designer, and has caused me to rethink everything”. I think many gamers agree that Dark Souls recreated that classic “beat your controller into your system until you beat it” challenge, but with modern sensibilities that kept you coming back for more. Matt white was also involved in Pulseboy, which is an online Gameboy chiptunes sequencer, that you can use to create (and save) your own chiptunes!
The story revolves around a planet called Lorian V. It is a deadly place that seemingly swallows the souls of any who enter, trapping their spirits and leaving only their disfigured lingers shells left to roam the planet in a chaotic rage. Not much is yet known about the hero in this tale, except that you are a scientist on a discovery mission named Saymund Of Ayon 9. Your goal is to set free the spirits of this cryptic planet and uncover the mysteries of Lorian V.
From the Ghost Song Kickstarter page:
Large, open ended world to explore
Challenging and rewarding gameplay
Precise, responsive controls
Obtain a range of new abilities to unlock progress to new areas
Optional hidden weapons and abilities that that are not required to proceed, incentivizing exploration
Large and challenging bosses and mini bosses
A slinky, resourceful foe who stalks you throughout the game
Atmospheric and lonely tone
Initially for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux, with other platforms possible in the future
You still have time to back this great project. Starting at the $15 dollar level will get you a DRM free copy of the game & a Steam code. The game has many great features which you can find above as well as some great screen shots.
I may be a bit late on this one, but i recently picked up this great title on the recent STEAM sale and couldn’t put my controller down. This game in particular stands alone among many other newly released indie games. Not only hailed for its fast paced and addictive game play but for its thought-provoking idea behind the game. If you haven’t heard enough about it already, Hotline Miami is making waves in the indie gaming community. Created by Dennaton Games, this top down pixelated action shooter makes quite a statement about violence in video games today and with everything that has been going on in our media lately, this is an important game to think about. Take a trip through the bloodstained streets of Miami in our Hotline Miami game review below (Beware of spoilers).
Hotline Miami Game Review:
It’s nostalgic graphic style, pixelated blood splatter, and trippy 80’s dance club score, create an experience unlike anything we have seen in recent years. Imagine if you could, the bastard child of Splatterhouse and Drive, with the music of John Carpenter, on a shitload of cocaine in a Miami dance club…..and that’s Hotline Miami. The look and feel are only complimented by its high-octane action and flawless game play, forcing you to eliminate every enemy on the map, using a combination of stealth and quick reactionary tactics. In all honesty, it has NEVER been this fun to be a serial killer. In my opinion it beats the shit out of GTA in the violence, challenge, and overall fun category. And when I say this game is VIOLENT, I mean it. You must tactfully use whatever means possible to dispose of your enemies, whether it’s a machete to the face, eye gauging, or even curb stomping, this game get medieval on your ass. You have a large arsenal of melee or ranged weapons to choose from and scoring better on each stage can unlock more masks or weapons. Each stage has you enter into a different building where your only mission is to kill every enemy on the screen without dying first. This sounds a lot simpler then it is. Game play can be extremely challenging, as enemy AI is quick and one hit will result in your demise, only to restart the stage dozens of times, praying for that perfect run. Though this may seem repetitive, but HLM has a way of sucking you in. Each death results in you learning something about your enemies and allows you to craft a strategy for your next run through the gauntlet. This brings me back to the old NES days of grinding through a game merely for the satisfaction of overcoming something extremely challenging. This idea couldn’t be more true then with Hotline Miami.
Plot: (spoilers)
The game opens with you as a nameless character alone in your apartment confused and unaware of what to do, you hear the ringing of your telephone. A mysterious voice answers on the other end, feeding you subtle directions to your next task, which is generally inferred as a metaphor for killing everyone there. You are given different masks to choose from for each stage and each one either grants you an advantage or a handicap. Your character regularly experiences hallucinations, and you are met by three mysterious masked strangers who often question your motivations, identity, and actions. This makes for an interesting narrative, as you start to feel as though these characters are questioning YOUR motivations for blindly killing without question. As the story develops stranger things begin to happen. Your character beings to see violent imagery in his trips to different shops, you save a drug addicted prostitute, and even wind up in hospital with little knowledge of how you got there. After killing hundreds of white suited mobsters, the plot only gets more convoluted and your lead further down the proverbial rabbit hole.
Overall:
Hotline Miami might be one of the most fun games i have ever played. It has action, great graphics, and an incredible soundtrack. If the challenging stages, fun weapons, and thumping dance beats don’t keep you coming back for more, i don’t know what will. This game has so much to offer, and frankly as soon as i started playing i was addicted. But what does that say about me? Am i addicted to violence? Are we as a society addicted? So much media in our popular culture has shed light on these questions (The Running Man, any News station, Natural Born Killers), and shows us a reflection of our reality. I don’t believe that violence in video games or movies necessarily creates violent people. I think the need for fantastical escape is pretty normal, its a playground for stable minded people. It’s those who can’t grasp reality, and perform these heinous acts of violence that cause the government and media to point fingers at the gaming industry. When in actuality it is by the hands of the individuals themselves and their free will that cause these atrocities. Maybe if we didn’t live in such a violent reality with for some, extreme societal pressures, then some people wouldn’t behave so violently. Hotline Miami, like the films above, is a contemporary satire about media violence, and any video game that can make a cerebral statement that strongly will forever make it’s mark on video game history.
Update (10/14/14) – If you are as excited as I am for the upcoming release of Hotline Miami 2 Wrong Number and want to see more, than check out the leaked footage of Hotline Miami 2 Wrong Number in one of our past blog posts. Beware there are major spoilers, including gameplay and the entire soundtrack for the game. Enjoy!
With the new year just beginning this can only mean one thing for gamers: A ton of new releases and projects in the works from independent game developers around the world. Many developers have turned to the fans to fund gaming ventures by utilizingKickstarter to get their projects off the ground. Kickstarter has turned out to be an incredible way to get creative projects launched without the influence of publisher funding. It’s been incredibly successful for gaming projects such asDouble Fine, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, many of which have actually blown their estimated goals out of the water (by 300% or more)! These fun indie games look exceptionally cool and i highly encourage everyone to check them out. I have, over the past few days come across a ton of really incredible independent games in the works and am more than excited for their completion and to get my hands on them.
This sequel toBarkely Shut up and Jam: Gaiden, is an action RPG that puts you in the shoes of Hoopz Barkley, descendant of Charles Barkley and cybernetic badass baller. Hoopz finds himself aboard a shady space ziggurat Necron 7, with no recollection of who or where he is. These questions drive Hoopz to drift through a cybernetic wasteland in search of the “cyberdwarf” who will ultimately unlock the secrets of Hoopz past and his future as well. Barkley 2’s gameplay is from an isometric perspective and possess 16 bit graphics taking us back to the sega genesis days. One of my main draws for this game is that the first Barkley game was hilarious and this one plans on being even better. Barkely is going to be a fast paced action game, set in a post apocalyptic universe, which is exploration heavy, is dependent on the choices you make, with fun characters, great music and a hilarious story. This just seems like a win for me! Check out their KICKSTARTER PAGE HERE!
Axiom verge is a futuristic 2D sidescrolling Metroid-clone. Clearly this game takes influence from the 2D sidescrollers we all know and love, like Metroid, Castlevania, Contra, and in my opinion even a little of Street Fighter 2010. Not much is known about the game as of yet, but this little snippet was taken from creator of AV Tom Happ “You play as Trace, a relatively normal guy who suffers a fatal-ish injury, after which he wakes up in a strange, unsettling new world that is both high-tech and incredibly ancient.” Axiom verge relies heavily on exploration and destruction of your environment to find hidden items or passage ways. The game’s atmosphere is dark and creepy. Walls are lined with what look like highly technological machinery, while some platforms seem organic and vibrate with life. It is clear that there’s a ton of Metroid and Contra influence coming through in the art direction of this game, which is awesome! This is definitely one to keep your eyes peeled for in 2013!
Stealer is a platformer that focuses on atmosphere and exploration. Stylistically, Stealer takes a ton of inspiration from the cyberpunk universe of Blade Runner, Total Recall, Johnny Mnemonic, and Robocop. The game seems to have beautiful cinematic cutscenes with an incredible attention to detail. Not much is known about this Stealer, but by judging from the trailer, you play as a robot in a highly futuristic city where exploration is a main gameplay feature. The pixelated graphics are incredibly beautiful, and really take the 8-16 bit revival to another level. I have a good feeling this games gonna get a ton of attention in the coming months! For more information about Stealer check outIndiegames.com interview with developer Winged Doom.
Sarcia is a game shrouded in mystery, and is steadily being developed by Michael Lavoie. This game is stunning graphically and takes a minimalistic approach, while being a very story-driven side-scrolling adventure game. The game revolves around learning melodic words and music to progress through the atmospheric dark pixellated areas. Apparently the game will be released in episodes as the developers do not have a very large budget for the game they can only get so much done so quickly. They are working on getting fan funding through Rockethub, which is a site similar to Kickstarter. Lavoie and co were even generous enough to give us a taste of this ambitious project with a free demo, you can find it here – SARCIA DEMO/TUTORIAL. These guys could have something huge on their hands but i really cant wait to see more of SARCIA in the near future.
What makes us who we are? Is it our jobs, our friends, our dreams of the future, or our memories of the past? Could you hang onto the smallest fraction of our history together if your memory were erased? Would you even know yourself (who you are and where you’ve come from)? Are you happy with your life or would you do anything differently? These questions are the driving theme behind Joshua Nuernbergers Gemini Rue. Gemini Rue is an independent solo project released by Wadjet Eye Games on Oct of 2011 for digital platform STEAM. Gemini Rue is a futuristic cyber-punk / noir point-and-click adventure game, similar to that of Blade Runner and Beneath a Steel Sky. The point-and-click adventure style has long since faded into distant memory (irony), yet for many fans of the genre it still holds true to being one of the best and most compelling storytelling platforms in gaming. Gemini Rue takes us on a journey through our most enjoyable memories of the genre with a dark film-noir edge.
Brief Overview:
Gemini Rue starts us off in the shoes of ex crime syndicate turned assassin Azriel Odin, who in a very Blade Runner fashion, is on the most daunting case of his career: to find the whereabouts of his missing brother Nathaniel. Alongside your partner Kane, you set off onto the planet Barracus looking for clues and trying to retrace Nathaniel’s steps to uncover the mystery of his disappearance. Barracus is a dark, rainy, drug inflicted and crime rampant planet, which is mainly controlled by a syndicate group called the Boryokudan. The game gives the player two perspectives, that of Azriel Odin and that of Delta six, which at a few points in the game you are able to switch perspectives and play whichever one you’d like. Delta six is an inmate aboard a criminal “rehabilitation” facility called Center 7. You find that this facility was designed to recondition criminals by erasing their memories. With past memories of deviant behavior washed away, and no sense of self, the scientists are able to reprogram the inmates minds and create a new past for them, ones of decent members of society. During the play through of the game both stories crossover and uncover many questions about both Azriel, Delta six, and Center 7. I wont spoil anything, but a major plot twist occurs that really puts the game up there with other great point-and-click adventures.
Gameplay:
The game play and atmosphere of the GR are only amplified by it’s music and 16-bit graphics. The graphics are comparable to Flashback for the Sega Genesis and PC with slight refinements here and there. The music is minimal and often times the sounds of rain or footstep echoes are all you have. This minimal approach however, does add to the overall dark tone of the game. Upon action sequences the excitement level is cranked up with gunfire and high tempo tunes that keep you on your toes. The general atmosphere and tone of the game is dark and rainy mixed with a sense of solitude, as you are on your own for many of the games play sequences. This is where the fun lies in the adventure genre. Searching for clues and tools is challenging and necessary in uncovering the plot. Exploration also yields quite a few hilarious Easter egg cameos by other “bounty hunter” types, so keep your eyes peeled!
Overall:
Gemini Rue is a breath of fresh air to the futuristic cyber punk universe, with a heavily cerebral story line that strikes a philosophical chord that only Philip K Dick would appreciate. Who would you be, if your whole existence had been wiped clean?
