At first glance, the PC game Black Future ‘88 looks like too many other indie games, with its pixel art, synth music, and neon-infused cyberpunk aesthetic. But below the familiar surface is a well-defined roguelike with a surprisingly distinct identity forged in large part by the sheer force of creative will imposed…
The match-3 puzzle concept seems simple enough, but its a foundation that can build into a lot of different ideas, even a cooking competition or a fighting game. It’s that malleable mold that forms Rose City Games’ The World Next Door, an upcoming indie puzzle-battle game that looks pretty friggin’ sweet.
Twitch Prime’s free games for June include Strafe, The Banner Saga 1 and 2, Tumblestone, and Treadnauts. If you haven’t heard, an Amazon Prime subscription automatically gets you a Twitch Prime subscription, which now gives you a handful of great indie games to download and keep each month.
Duck Jam mixes WarioWare style mini-games with a touch of absurdist comedy to tell the story of a bunch of ducks trying to make money. Bills, you could say. The fast-paced change from one game mode to another means you need to always be on your toes if you want to avoid begging for bread crumbs on the street.
As reported by Gamasutra, IGN has acquired indie-game deal site Humble Bundle. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed but the site will continue operating independently, ensuring everyone has at least one cheap copy of RPG Maker that they never use.
I spent the weekend in Los Angeles at Indiecade, an annual event that celebrates independent games of all sorts, from PC and console games to games where you put on costumes and pretend to be witches. Here are the coolest ones I got to play this year.
Have you ever seen a zombie and thought, “Look at those squishy rotting cheeks. I just want to pinch them!” Well you’re in luck, because in Raise the Dead, you can keep adorable (but vicious) zombies and perform experiments with them.
You Have 293 Keys is an absurdist look at game dungeons and an exercise in patience, created by 14HLB. Faced with a locked door and a massive pile of keys, players must brute force their way to victory or give into their deepest frustrations. It’s a silly game that makes repetition into art and a perfect Indie Pick.
Beautiful platformers stand side by side with state surveillance simulators in ResistJam. Focused on projects that “resist oppressive authoritarianism in all its forms,” it’s full of great games. All of them are this week’s Indie Pick.
It’s tough making games in China. Not only do you have to fight against the stereotypes of Chinese culture surrounding Kung Fu, gang warfare, and illegal street racing, you have to do so under the rule of one of the strictest governments in the world. All media consumed and produced within China’s borders is vetted by…
The East Van EP is a collection of games from Canadian designer ceMelusine. It’s full of mystic visions, mixed drinks, and late night swimming. The mundane becomes magical in this series of Cool Indie Games.
Epitasis is a new project being worked on by Lucas Govatos. It’s a puzzle exploration game in the mold of Myst that was inspired by the soundscapes of electronic musicians like Tycho. It’s also being made entirely in Unreal Engine 4.
Clone Drone In The Danger Zone is a chaotic arena slice-a-thon made by Doborog Games. Players face an unceasing flow of dangerous robots and fight to survive for as long as possible. It is this week’s Cool Indie Game.
A Cosmic Forest is a free game by Titouan Millet. Filled with pillars of pure color, drifting creatures, and calm ambience, it is probably one of the most relaxing games ever created. It is this week’s Cool Indie Game.
The relaxing farming sim and role playing game Stardew Valley will make its way to the Xbox One on December 14th.
Mark Kleback knows that, when gamers think of arcades, they think of ‘80s nostalgia titles like Pac-man and Q*bert. He’s been there—from his Brooklyn workshop, Kleback told Kotaku that he still fondly remembers hours spent railing on his local roller rink’s X-Men cabinet.
Slain: Back from Hell is a side scrolling hack and slash title out now for the Playstation 4 and PC. It looks and sounds like it could be a Castlevania spin off. But that’s not enough to save it from vapid combat and tedious gameplay.
Downloadable-only games have exploded in popularity in the last few years. Gone are the days when retail was the be-all, end-all of video games. Now, some of the coolest, most inventive games are just a few clicks away from being able to play. Still, I can’t help but feel like the grass is greener on the other side of…
Kickstarter may be the closest thing we have to democracy in game development. Although gamers, in a sense, always vote with their wallets, Kickstarter lets them feel integral to the game development process by directly funding games. The results have been excellent: From Kickstarter funding, we’ve gotten knockout…
