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Indie Games [October] Now Voting - Post 1253!

I don't know what happened, but now every time I start Steam, it and Google Chrome crash after a few seconds. Which sucks because I needed to play some How To Survive for a better review today. Thank god for DRM-free games. Anyone know what the issue could be?
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
VOTING

AscendAon - Free (PC)
Cool mechanic and artstyle that hopefully inspires someone to make a game with a similar feel but ... better. Its a decent first game-type project but the basic foundation has lots of potential if used properly.

Bear Steams Bravo: First Episode
- Free (PC, Browser)
I... uh... what? Certainly one of the weirdest games in this thread series so far. Real life hobby actors-adventure with wacky .. things happening. Super trashy and fun but I cant see myself paying for the second episode.

Boson X - Free (PC, Mac, Linux)
Endless runner that didnt do much for me personally.

Brawlin' Sailor - Free (PC, Browser)
Charming and short sidescrolling action game with a twist and two different endings! You should give this a try if you have 10 minutes to spare.

Cubic Climber - Free (PC)
Well presented concept, but just seems like a different take on the typing game genre with a rather low difficulty level and some nice physics animations.

Ethan: Meteor Hunter - Free Demo/ $9,99 (PC)
Not in the mood.

FarSky - Free Alpha (PC, Mac, Linux)
Game ran so poorly that I could hardly try playing it, but I guess the idea of a survivalcraft game at the bottom of the ocean could be neat.

Fortify: Special Edition
- Free Demo/ $3,99 (PC, Mac)
Interesting take on the tower defense genre that works to due smaller and focussed design. Unfortunately, its hold back by UI issues/overall polish.

FootLOL: Epic Fail League - Free Demo/ $9,99 (PC, Mac)
Yeah... no.

Fuaim - Free (PC, Browser)
Stylish platformer, but the controls and motion sickness inducing world turning meant I couldnt play this for more than 2 minutes and basically cant give a proper evaluation.

Full Bore - $8 for preorder and first half of the game (PC, Linux)
Absolutely fantastic puzzle platformer with 10-15 hours of content for the first part alone. Super charming, highly polished game. My favourite this month and contender for my Indie GOTY at the end of the year already.

Goscurry - Free Alpha/ 4,50$ for pre-release version (PC, Mac, Linux, Browser)
The game works and is rather nice to play, but I didnt see much reason to continue playing it other for highscores, which I am currently not all that interested in. Its basically a more complex endless runner, a bit similar to the Bit.Trip.Runner Games I suppose, just top down. Good though.

Gravity Bomb
- Free Demo/ $2,50 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Didnt start for me at all.

Hexcells - $3 (PC, Mac, Linux)
This dev (Sentinel) really knows how to make nice sounding and looking games. Its a minesweeperish puzzle game that can be finished unfortunately a bit too fast (~3 hours). Nonetheless, its a good game at a discount price. I can forgive the shortness and love to support this guys efforts.

Hyper Gauntlet - Free (PC, Browser)
Endless Runner that was a bit too... simplistic maybe? I cant put my finger on it, but I didnt find this enjoyable at all. Maybe bland is the better word.

Impulse - Free (PC)
To everyones surprise, this is a damn fine game that has way more going for it than you might assume at first. Absolutely love it for the way it takes simple rules, and makes completely different gameplay challenges that require differents skills just by slightly changing those rules. The beginning seems a bit standard, but you should really continue playing it to see the later stages. Here are my full impressions: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=87357310&postcount=1306

Incognita - $16,99 for preorder, alpha access and a second key (PC)
Seems like a great tech demo for a tactics game, as to be expected by Klei. Currently not much of a "game",but I am really looking forward to them finishing it up.

Ironclad Tactics - $14,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Good Card Battle game with a slight Plants vs Zombies touch for board tactics and a great and rewarding ingame system to unlock cards. Definitely a good game, but might be a bit too high in price for most people to recommend it whole-heartedly. Still one of the best games this month.

Kaiser Earth - Free Demo/ $2,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
I absolutely love the aspect of building your spaceship piece by piece (weapons, shields, core, boosters..), but unfortunately the world ruling aspect is just a mere backdrop which you have no influence on and the battles dont have any actual tactical depth to it either. Still, potentially something that could be made fun if it were to be expanded for a Kaiser Earth 2.

MirrorMoon EP - $9,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
A lot has been said about it. Fantastic exploration game that doesnt thrive upon the need to give the player constant level up bonusses but rewards pure exploration with fantastic sceneries. The more I think about it, the more I get to the conclusion that this is going to end up a cult classic in the community.

Naya's Quest - Free (PC, Browser)
I have nothing but applause for this puzzle game concept. Its not often that a puzzle game can still genuinely surprise me with its main mechanic, and this game makes my brain melt in the best way possible.

Ninjah - Free (PC, Linux)
During the first few minutes, all it did was making me wanting to play N+, but once the trickier levels kicked in, I noticed that its actually quite a different beast and is more relying on the grappling hook navigation. Good fun, even though the controls are a bit loose and it doesnt seem to have that much content. But its free, so why not.

One Finger Death Punch - Free Demo/ $1,99 (PC)
Surprisingly fun game. Doesnt look like much and certainly doesnt seem better once you are told that the game is played with a single button, but its crazy how satisfying this games combat is, with just one button. Adding complexity without making the controls more obtuse. Fun, satisfying combat and inventive challenges that require you to master one button puches.

Particulars - Free Demo/ $4,99 for the Alpha (PC, Mac, Linux)
I think I simply dont like the game. There isnt particularly much wrong with it, but I just didnt find the gameplay appealing.

Probe Team - Free (PC, Browser)
One of the 10 seconds games on this list, which was a really awesome theme for the game jam. You have a small level in which you need to advance, and do so by earlier roboter units and their progress. Works really well. Unfortunately only short

SUPERHOT
- Free (PC, Browser)
Best pure FPS I ever played. Period. *slight exaggeration to get people to play it* As someone else put it in this thread, more games need to play with the idea and perception of time. This game and its possible follow up version are really special games and definitely among the standouts this year.

The Last Tango - Free (PC, Mac, Browser)
Stylish game with a unique concept. Shooting spies and avoiding dangers while dancing tango? More offbeat stuff please.

Time Frame - Free (PC, Browser)
Impossible to describe without spoiling it, there is so much to talk about here and has a feeling of a certain other popular game it reminds me off. They basically explored the idea of 10 seconds in 10 minutes exactly as I hoped it would and even though its short, managed to create a game that is open ended enough to have different play experiences for different players.

Tri - Free Demo/ $9,99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Really intriguing puzzle game with a seemingly similar, yet satisfying gameplay mechanic and very well thought out level design. Made me think of Portal X Alice due to the very distinct and pleasing art style. Def. going to pick up the full version of this, full impressions here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=87482929&postcount=1351

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Considering I wouldnt even have realized how good 4 games on my top10 are (the bold red ones) without the last 2 days in which I went through most games I had an interest it... it just once again shows how important it is to actually try stuff before dismissing it. The keywords this month for me were "surprisingly fun" and I am really glad I checked out Impulse, Hexcells,Tri and Time Frame after all.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Without breaking NDA -- Toma, I disagree with you about Frozen Endzone. I really enjoy it.

Oh, right. You invited me. Almost forgot about that. Chat me up when you are online again, there are some things I'd discuss with you in that regard as I never said its not fun, its just nowhere near as good as FS was for me and most of the issues annoyed me after I played FE for a few hours. It is def. easier accessible, but I cant see it having the same lasting appeal for me at least.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Can you guys still go online? My version doesnt work anymore. Either old Betas are now not working online anymore or their server is down.
 
Oh, right. You invited me. Almost forgot about that. Chat me up when you are online again, there are some things I'd discuss with you in that regard as I never said its not fun, its just nowhere near as good as FS was for me and most of the issues annoyed me after I played FE for a few hours. It is def. easier accessible, but I cant see it having the same lasting appeal for me at least.
Not sure how you can say under NDA, but I have a question for you: do you enjoy American football? Seeing as that's the whole premise of the game, I'd assume that those with knowledge and interest in the sport would get a lot more enjoyment out of the game. My brother started playing this Fall and I was surprised how complex and strategic football actually is.
 

Hofmann

Member
Let your imagination go wild in the new multiplayer open world fiction by Aliceffekt.

Sn7U5Ta.png
 

Wok

Member
I have filtered out games which I already know about, and games which I am not much interested in. I will post the raw list of links. The next step is to remove the links which do not include a demo.

Edit: This is the list: http://pastebin.com/EjSAw3q9

I have filtered out games which do not have a demo yet, there are 23 games left. Direct links to the demo can be found here. Otherwise, if you prefer, these are IGF and Digipen links:
  1. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=1633 AXYZ
  2. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=4477 CAVE! CAVE! DEUS VIDET
  3. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=1487 Cubicity
  4. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=5853 Mark of the Old Ones
  5. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=4899 The Note (already featured in this thread)
  6. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=5786 Alaska
  7. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=2745 Schein (already featured in the "upcoming" section in the thread in September)
  8. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=6074 Actual Sunlight
  9. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=1728 Depression Quest (already featured in March)
  10. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=6048 Gods Will Be Watching (already featured in July)
  11. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=1986 Bokida (already featured in August)
  12. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=4660 Arcane Worlds (already featured in the "upcoming" section in the thread in June)
  13. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=4070 Beyond Perception
  14. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=1819 TimeFrame (already featured in this thread)
  15. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=4643 Monochroma
  16. http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2014.php?id=3105 Secrets of Raetikon
  17. https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26681 Demon Drum
  18. https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26686 Flicker
  19. https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26689 Chrono Disfunglement
  20. https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26710 Whispers of the Goddess
  21. https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26713 Temple of the Water God
  22. https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26730 Oniro
  23. https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26930 Spectrophobia
This is the same list in txt.
 
Did 140 not count for this month?

That game was awesome.

It's going to be in the next month thread. Mostly of the games featured in the October thread were released in September same thing for the next month thread, this way a game released near the end of a month dont suffer of having less time to be played than the others.

You can look for the Toma's impressions in this page and play the ones that you like the description.
 
Votes

Brawlin' Sailor
Foul Play
Full Bore
Ironclad Tactics
MirrorMoon EP
Sokobond
SUPERHOT
Volgarr the Viking
Hexcells

Haven't quite got my list all finished so I'll take these last few days to hopefully add a few more games.
 

Hofmann

Member
Sooo, what is it? Neither that quote or the page gives me much of an idea. It's a MUD where the users make their own content I guess?

It's more of a procedural God/Adventure kind of game, that let you and the other users shape the world around to your likings, creating vessels that can be placed inside another vessels and so on. I believe it's still WIP, but there are already a lot of possibilities: you can become those objects, put them on top of each other, describe them (well, I don't know how this one works yet) and then travel anywhere you want - it's up to you how you use your powers.

This video shows how these commands work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZTzMxPfKAs
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
I have filtered out games which do not have a demo yet, there are 23 games left. Direct links to the demo can be found here. Otherwise, if you prefer, these are IGF and Digipen links:
  1. snip
This is the same list in txt.

Did you check the games that Hof mentioned for demo availability as well? Just need to know whether your list included the stuff he found or whether I should check all games in his and your post ;)
 

Hofmann

Member

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Of course the Digipen games kick ass once again. Flicker, Chrono Disfunglement, Temple of the Water God, and Oniro look awesome

And thank god Beyond Perception is getting extended.
 

Hofmann

Member
I could have missed something, but I think it's about right. There are also some iOS games that don't have demos by default? Oh, and one Vita exclusive game that with Tearaway may force me to buy the goddamned thing.

Edit: Sym has a demo.
 
Ok...deep breath, got Steam working again. Keep crashing yesterday, but restarting my laptop fixed that. But let me tell you, not having Steam really makes you appreciate DRM-free games
 

Moobabe

Member
Voting

AscendAon: I played this. And while it's a "good" idea, it's far from good in execution. I hope someone takes this and runs with it though.

Boson X: This is pretty competent - plus it has you playing as a guy with elbow patches, which is a plus. The menus are slick, music is pretty catchy as well.

Ethan: Meteor Hunter: Admittedly I only played the demo, but it's ok. Seems functional enough with some neat ideas.

Fuaim: I like the idea of having text/narrative at a fixed angle and trying to maneuver yourself into positions to read it. This is pretty basic though, but the art and music are both pretty cool

Full Bore: I haven't played this enough really. It looks nice and has a cool concept, just fell at the wrong time of the month for me.

Mirrormoon EP: I didn't really "get" this. It seems cool but I wasn't keen on the control scheme at all plus it felt like I was just walking around in circles for an hour. I might give it some more time.

SUPERHOT: Yeah this is pretty cool. I would play a full game of this.

The Last Tango: It's a neat idea, with nice animations. Shouldn't take too long to play through it either.

Volgarr The Viking: Yeah this is awesome, probably the best game on this month's list that I've played. It's feature rich, difficult and rewarding. Top stuff.


All I've played so far - but I'll update the list as I play a little bit more.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Votes

Haven't quite got my list all finished so I'll take these last few days to hopefully add a few more games.

Voting

All I've played so far - but I'll update the list as I play a little bit more.

Naturally, I'd push for you guys to check out the other stuff I voted for :p Hope both of you get some more playing time in. And MirrorMoon definitely is more like an art/aimless exploration game to start up for a minute, explore a random planet and then shut off again. You wont find much "gameplay" here, but the sense of exploration is splendid.

And OFN's list makes me painfully aware again that I'd love to try Sokobond, sigh.
 
I had a go at that Time Frame game and I feel like I am missing something. It just throws you into the centre of a massive field and although I'll give it that it is strikingly beautiful, there is little sense of the decreased passage of time given that there is little to gauge it against. Other then perhaps the movements of the sun itself but that didn't help much.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
I had a go at that Time Frame game and I feel like I am missing something. It just throws you into the centre of a massive field and although I'll give it that it is strikingly beautiful, there is little sense of the decreased passage of time given that there is little to gauge it against. Other then perhaps the movements of the sun itself but that didn't help much.

Yup, missing something although the way you played it is valid too.
If you want to see more
Explore more and finish it once at least.
Its short anyway. And its definitely easy to miss huge chunks of the of what happens considering the way the user can experience it, which is actually rather smartly done.
 

Gazoinks

Member
It's more of a procedural God/Adventure kind of game, that let you and the other users shape the world around to your likings, creating vessels that can be placed inside another vessels and so on. I believe it's still WIP, but there are already a lot of possibilities: you can become those objects, put them on top of each other, describe them (well, I don't know how this one works yet) and then travel anywhere you want - it's up to you how you use your powers.

This video shows how these commands work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZTzMxPfKAs

Huh, that sounds really interesting. I'll check it out.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
I'll echo others and ask why is 140 not on the voting list? I haven't played it yet though.

You should know the rules by now though Messof :p It wasnt mentioned in last months thread or it was released during the current month so it will be in next months voting list if someone posted it in the current thread with a screenshot.
 

daydream

Banned
I had a go at that Time Frame game and I feel like I am missing something. It just throws you into the centre of a massive field and although I'll give it that it is strikingly beautiful, there is little sense of the decreased passage of time given that there is little to gauge it against. Other then perhaps the movements of the sun itself but that didn't help much.

Actually, the
fountain in the abandoned city
is a cool indicator of the time stuff. So is the ending.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Actually, the
fountain in the abandoned city
is a cool indicator of the time stuff. So is the ending.

I have the hunch he might not even have gotten there yet. I was unsure where to go at first as well. I suggest exploring a bit more before reading the Spoiler of Daydreaming.
 
You should know the rules by now though Messof :p It wasnt mentioned in last months thread or it was released during the current month so it will be in next months voting list if someone posted it in the current thread with a screenshot.

Rules schmules but acceptable explanation ;)
 

daydream

Banned
I have the hunch he might not even have gotten there yet. I was unsure where to go at first as well. I suggest exploring a bit more before reading the Spoiler of Daydreaming.

Huh, I hadn't thought of that. That was my first destination by instinct, following
the archway
. Always interesting to see how different players tackle exploration, though.
 

Hofmann

Member
Huh, that sounds really interesting. I'll check it out.

If you want to add description to your creation, simply write it in the same line after the note command in the parent vessel.

Has anyone created a reality worth exploring and messing up with? ;D Cheese?
 
Okay, finished Time Frame. The ending did surprise me, I will give it that. But walking around the world is not nearly exciting or simulating enough to make it anything other then 10 minutes of complete boredom. That isn't going to enter my voting pattern, but Hexcells did because logic puzzles to ambient music rocks.
 

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Okay, finished Time Frame. The ending did surprise me, I will give it that. But walking around the world is not nearly exciting or simulating enough to make it anything other then 10 minutes of complete boredom. That isn't going to enter my voting pattern, but Hexcells did because logic puzzles to ambient music rocks.
Definitely one of my more questionable votes, but let's wait another 1-2 days before talking about it. There ae some obvious things it didn't get right and I can totally see why someone else wouldn't like it, but it definitely had its merits for me.

What is generally your opinion on these artsy non-games? The smaller ones especially.
 
Paradise Lost: First Contact
Trailer (just watch)
Site
Greenlight Concept
In Paradise Lost you will take control of an alien plant, that has been captured and concealed in a secret bioengineering facility. After it's imprisonment, a security breach in the system allows the specimen to escape and discover the secret purposes of the research company.

Our adventure takes inspiration from classic games like Metal Gear, Metroid, Castlevania and the Oddworld series, focusing on a action-stealth type of play and taking elements from platformer and puzzle resolution.

The game it's also defined with nonlinear style mechanics, in wich the player can only access certain areas. Unlocking new abilities and using specific objects allows him to explore and advance through new parts of the map.

There is also an RPG component that allows the character to evolve, adapting to your playing style with different skills that will be discovered as the game progresses. These enhancements will allow players to develop their own gaming strategies as the story goes on.

paa.jpg
pl_skills.jpg

pl_gameplay1.jpg
pl_gameplay2.jpg
pl_gameplay3.jpg
I. Need. This. Now

Edit: And "it will be soon on Kickstarter." This is an instant back right here. Forget Confederate Express, this is going to be my next KS backing
Edit 2: Kickstarter is next week
 
VOTING

1. MirrorMoon Ep - An abstract adventure game that throws you into a universe with zero hand holding. I love that it's all up to the player to figure out what to do and to make sense of what little narrative elements are presented to the player. It gives a sense of isolation but at the same time doesn't make the player feel completely alone because each "season" is being explored by numerous people. Adventure games have been my favorite genre for a very long time, and I've always been partial to the point-and-click type, but as time goes by I'm preferring games like this. Focusing on the exploration and discovery and having the puzzles take a backseat, while still providing an interesting story and immersive world.

2. Naya's Quest - Another fantastic game by Terry Cavanagh. I love isometric games and this provided a good experience. It had a story that didn't reveal too much and kept me wondering what was going on and I love the scan mechanic. I found it all to be a bit on the easy side but it was still very enjoyable. I hope he expands on the game at some point.

3. SUPERHOT - I can't say anything that hasn't already been said. A unique game that's part of a genre that is seeing less and less creativity.

4. The Note - I love the idea of transferring a poem into an interactive experience. The words of the poem itself are enough to impact someone but I feel like turning into a game only enhances what the poem is meant to convey.
 
Check out this GIF from Confederate Express, showing how your shooting changes as your marksmanship improves.

e35b65a89c4ab82c0679e41f2804925b_large.gif


Love how subtle the differences are
 
Definitely one of my more questionable votes, but let's wait another 1-2 days before talking about it. There ae some obvious things it didn't get right and I can totally see why someone else wouldn't like it, but it definitely had its merits for me.

What is generally your opinion on these artsy non-games? The smaller ones especially.

I guess I am slightly more critical towards notgames. But this is more the result of the quality criteria for art is slightly higher then that for mindless entertainment rather then an overall distaste for the notgames genre. I've always found it easy to enjoy and appreciate a mediocre shooter or platformer but if an art game isn't anything but the highest quality I find them a little dull.

Also, that Paradice Lost game looks pretty cool.
 
Anyone else here playing Broforce? They've added a lot of things, cool little details, since the free alpha. New multiplayer modes (explosion run, which is exactly as it sounds), a level editor and custom campaigns, cool details like working elevators, air ducts and vents to sneak through, gore splattering on vehicles. etc.

And soon they'll be adding Neo as a character
 

Hofmann

Member
I've included bunch of IGF games that as far as I know never appeared here.

Cube & Star: A Love Story - PC, Mac, Linux
ONt0Yd3eQD2RRHtjlS1b_CaS_ColorfulRainText_72dpi_450.jpg

http://www.cube-and-star.com/

Game about the joy of exploration - the joy of... aimless but mindful wandering. The world is a living, breathing entity and you - bold individual that you are; spread color throughout the land.

Interstellaria - PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
3x3LTQ4.gif

http://mastercoldrice.com/?page_id=74

Take the role of captain in an epic space adventure! Battle in space, explore planets, trade, upgrade your ships and crew, and save mankind!

Europa - PC
europa_sss2610.jpg

http://www.quickfingers.net/category/europa/

An immersive FPS adventure game set on Jupiters moon 'Europa'.

RIP - PC
ovYh9ew.png

FSa8ZWu.png

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=36788.0

Barch (DEios) and Mooosh (LIONESS) decided to make Pretty Much the Same Game, but working on it alone in confined space of their own personalities.

Elegy for a Dead World - PC
e1.png

http://www.dejobaan.com/elegy/

The scientists, historians, and statesmen never arrived.
Three worlds, each home to a long-dead civilization.
You must be the speaker for these ancient peoples.
Write whatever you are moved to by their landscapes.
Write to share the joys and sorrows buried in their rubble.
Write what you can imagine of their origins, existence, and fates.

Your word is all that keeps these worlds from being forgotten.

Cheongsam - PC
iKFP2N7.jpg

http://stoutgames.com/:introduction

New interactive drama from the creator of Dinner Date.
 
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