Quick Fix: Screenshot Satuday 4/4

Title: Intersection
Developer: miziziziz
Your world is dying. Your predecessor gave his life to link you to a young world; now you must use this link to save your people.
This is InterSection

Title: XO
Developer: Jumpdrive Studios
The war is over. We lost. The survival of the human race now rests on the shoulders of a single battleship. In XO you command a rag-tag fleet of starships against an unbeatable enemy. You'll be evacuating refugees, scrounging for resources, and assembling your flock from one jump-point to the next. Your goal is to lead what's left of humanity out of reach from the unknown threat that pursues.

Title: Wizard of Legend
Developer: Contingent 99
A rogue-like 2D action adventure game where your goal is to become that greatest wizard in history. Our focus is on the ability to explore a large variety of skills and the option to build your own class based on the wide range of spell that will be available. The game will have couch co-op (up to 2 players) and will feature a local PvP arena where players can test their spell builds against one another.

Title: Bunker Punks
Developer: Ninja Robot Dinosaur Entertainment
Bunker Punks is a retro-inspired shoot-and-loot where each level is new and unique and you only get one life per game, so you have to make it count.  You play a Bunker Punk, a revolutionary fighting to bring down the elitist corporate government.

Q&A: Chris Olsen on Somerville

Last week, I wrote about the in-development game Somerville. Developer Chris Olsen was kind enough to answer a few questions about his episodic sci-fi cinematic platformer and reveal more about its gameplay and story.

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1. What inspired you to get into game development?

I've been a gamer since before I can remember and was always in-love with game development.  Although I've spent the greater part of a decade working in the Film and TV industry I did dabble in the games industry early on at Ninja Theory, in Cambridge as an Animator.  There haven't been many working experiences as positive as that in my time and only due to momentum did I go down a different path.  It was always in the back of my mind to make a game but programming proved a daunting hurdle.  It wasn't until I was introduced to Unity a few years back and it's artist friendly approach that I went full hog on making a game.  At first I was intending to return to games production as a day job to absorb all the facets I wasn't experienced in but there were so many case studies in the Indie scene of lone developers diving in head first and coming out with a positive experience.  So I decided to brave the early mornings and late nights of part time game development.

2. Between The Last Night, Orphan, Hunger, and several others, classic cinematic platformers appear to be making a comeback. What makes the genre so appealing and why did you choose to go that route with Somerville?

There's quite a few factors for these games coming back, I imagine.  One being that the generation that grew up with the classic early 90's Chahi titles are getting older and the tools have become so accessible that instead of wishing someone would bring them back they're just taking the initiative themselves.  I think what we're seeing in the resurgence of all the classic gaming genres from Point and Click adventures, Isometric RPG's and Space Sims are developers freeing themselves from publisher agenda and with the help of platforms like Kickstarter delivering experiences they feel have an audience and were unjustly left by the way side.  

For me, besides Another World being such a core pillar of my childhood gaming life and all the reasons above.  The genre lends itself to all my tastes and capabilities.  I come from a film background and I get a lot of satisfaction from playing with camera framing.  Having the player on a fixed plane grants me the camera flexibility without sacrificing readability (if I do it right).  Animation wise it's a hell of a lot more forgiving and I can smash out character animation without worrying about the player throwing the camera into an area of ugliness.  I can think in terms of storyboard panels rather than 3D space, locking down color scripts or lifting concept art and dropping that exact framing into the game.  

This control over what the player can see allows me to go bolder with my ambition.  I can have spectacular dramatic set pieces and not have to worry too much about what happens outside of the frame.  Condensing the world into such a narrow view sounds limiting but I believe it gives me the opportunity to really finesse and paint the important subtleties into the periphery of the viewer rather than make them look at everything I deem important. 

From a gameplay standpoint a 2.5D platformer speaks for itself in terms of accessibility for me.  Being my first game I can attempt to nail tight mechanics, again, within restricted dimensions.

3. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Somerville is its narrative framework: a teacher telling her class about the hero of man's war against aliens, as you play during the invasion. What inspired this story structure?

As it stands the narrative structure is still being worked on and subject to change but I can tell you that it will revolve around a story being told by a future generation and it will involve children.  The story structure came from a lot of places.  The game is episodic and with the fleeting attention of children it shall be delivered almost like a "story-time" structure that you used to get in Primary School or a weekly assembly school play.  I'm toying with the idea of zero character dialogue, either written or voiced. I want to use a combination of emotive sound and animation - a narrator will help facilitate this.I've always been a sucker for tales of folk heroes and these days they seem few and far between, mainly due to the information age we function under now.  Children are also a central focus of the story so I thought why not give them one last figure to sing songs and jot notes about in history lessons.

4. One feature you stress in the game's description is its "responsive shooter mechanics." Do you feel these mechanics evolve the core cinematic platformer gameplay? And how expansive will the player's arsenal be in Somerville?

Again, still in-development but yes. My goal is to have engaging, responsive combat mechanics.  I'll probably play down the "shooter" aspect as it gives the impression you'll be blowing aliens away left right and center which would betray the path our protagonist takes (in the beginning at least).  He's fragile and the mechanics reflect a defensive approach but that's not to say he gets his moments to level the playing field.  Whilst the bulk of the game will rest in the the realm of a solitary adventure when the shit does hit the fan I intend to ratchet up the action to a level that borrows more from Treasure shooters than it does of traditional cinematic platformers.  I don't think it's an evolution, just me being a fan of enticing shooter mechanics. The offensive arsenal won't be extensive but I do intend to get as much utility out of the defensive systems as possible.

5. Can you shed some light on the kinds of challenges and dangers players will face?

Sure.  Earlier on the game is focused on survival and avoidance in hostile territory with gameplay hints toward the base combat framework.  Through the hazardous environmental challenges you will learn the fundamentals and hopefully when backed into a corner be able to apply this to fight or escape hostile encounters.  This will be the crux of the prologue, you're a weak fleshy human with an ability that keeps him alive. 

The first full episode will be about empowerment.  Gathering your strength and knowledge to take on greater foes with more intricate offensive strategies.  I won't go into detail on the variations on enemy types and exact hazards as to not spoil anything but they will all be built around the core combat mechanics. 

Overall I want it to be a nice split of puzzle solving, adventuring, topped off with frenetic action and set piece moments.  I recognize it will be a challenge to get the player well versed in the combat mechanics through means other than fighting but I believe the system I have in place will bring it together.

6. How far along is Somerville's development?

Very early.  I've set a deadline for October 2015 to deliver a prologue and proof of concept trailer.  The prologue I intend to be a couple of hours gameplay that scratches the surface of the systems, introduces you to the world and see if people like it.  About 70% of all the features I intend to put into that have been prototyped to the extent that I have faith they won't fall apart when implemented.  I've just started blocking out the levels in Unity from 2D mockups for the actual game and intend to have the prologue playable from start to finish by July.  I still need to wrap up the story treatment before I can 100% commit to churning out levels but that should be done within the next two weeks.  Most of my time right now is split between writing and finessing character control and feel.

You can learn more about Somerville on Olsen's Tumblr blog and Twitter page and follow its development on TIGSource.

Quick Fix: Screenshot Saturday 3/21

Organizam
Developer: Vakey Rujevic
The game is an interactive story driven experience where the following gameplay elements are combined with story telling to have the player feel and experience the life of an Organism.
Born as a foreign organism in a habitat that is slowly diminishing due to the extraction of vital resources by artificial organisms, you will fight to keep the habitat alive.

My Last Friday
Developer: Gadan Games
In My Last Friday, you play as Howard Goodson who finds himself locked inside an old house. He has no idea why and how he got there.
He falls deeper into a surreal world filled with dark secrets and gruesome creatures. While he's trying to find the way out it slowly becomes clear, why he is in this strange place and what forces are behind his torment. But he must fight and solve puzzles to see the connection between him and all these horror.
It's Friday and somehow he feels that it could be his last one. Whatever happens, he still can make a difference.

Viridi
Developer: Ice Water Games
Viridi is a meditative potted plant app currently in development for PC/Mac and mobile. Nurture a small pot of succulents that grow in real time.
Our goal is to provide a moment of peace and quiet that you can pull out of your pocket whenever you want and/or need it.

Regret
Developer: Revenge Games
Regret is a 2D, psychological, survival horror game about a teenage boy, named Keenan and his pet fox, Curo.
After mother’s death, the boy is forced to move in with his father, out in the rural town of Silver Pines. Upon arrival, Keenan finds Silver Pines to be a ghost town, taken over by a living darkness, and the boy’s father is nowhere to be found. While struggling with a loss, Keenan must fight for his sanity, for his life and for his missing father, that is a stranger to the boy.

Quick Fix: Screenshot Saturday 3/14

Observer
Developer: AeroJoust
OBSERVER takes you on a journey through eldritch, strange worlds. OBSERVER is a minimalistic, cryptic first person adventure game. OBSERVER will always be there.

Project Ascension
Developer: Emotion Theory
Project Ascension is a puzzle adventure game about remotely manipulating the environment with the power of light. Each level introduces new and increasingly complex mechanics that alter the way you think about puzzles and progression. It is mostly inspired by the dungeon design and perspective seen in the top-down Zelda titles such as A Link Between Worlds and The Phantom Hourglass.

Venturi
Developer: Negative Zero Inc
Venturi features fast paced and rewarding combat, a deep and evolving story that you shape as you play, and arena style multiplayer that will test your tactical skills. Build a loyal party to venture with you while you explore the massive galaxy, alive with intelligent AI controlled denizens with their own schedules and goals. The galaxy is full of mystery and secrets for you to find.

Blossom Tales
Developer: Castle Pixels
Blossom Tales is a refreshing combination of classic Action-RPG gameplay and modern design. Players can expect a one-of-a-kind experience as they explore hand-crafted dungeons that cleverly combine pre-designed layouts and randomized areas, all while using the handy target-lock system to take out specific enemies, lock onto a boss’ weak spot, and interact with puzzle elements and game world objects. The young Lily will also keep players on their toes by occasionally introducing enemies, story events, and more as she helps her Grandpa tell the tale.

Asylum
Developer: Senscape
Decay surrounds you, dread around every corner. You feel imprisoned while traversing the endless corridors…
Asylum is a chilling journey through the intricate floors of the Hanwell Mental Institute, in which unimaginable atrocities have occurred in the past. Over four years in production, this horror adventure aims to marry cutting edge visuals with thrilling storytelling to give you the ultimate experience in fear. From the designer of the award-winning and cult sleeper hit Scratches.

Quick Fix: Screenshot Saturday 3/7

Ritual
Developer: Ellen Brown
Ritual is a 2D horror game where you play as a girl searching for her little brother in an old, haunted school. Players must partake in a twisted take on hide and seek whilst trying to find and close 3 portals to another realm, opened as part of a ritual by an unknown being trying to hunt them down!

Razed
Developer: Warpfish
Razed is a fast paced platform racer about finding kindred spirits in a lethal developing world. The controls are simple because the player has just one ability, a shout. The player must learn to use their shout creatively to collect sympathisers and interact with the evolving world around them. The abstract levels are filled with a wide variety of threats and obstacles which the player must navigate in ten seconds or less in order to reach the goal and prevent the wrecking ball from finding its target.

.Age
Developer: Michele Pirovano
.Age is an hybrid between a roguelike(-like) and an european board game village simulator (Agricola-style), as well as a reverse god-game. In .Age, you take the role of the village elder, spritual guide of a secluded village in the middle ages. A dark omen is cast upon your land, and you must help your villagers survive the forthcoming years of travail. Build, produce, assign your Pips and watch as the heavens unfold their wrath on your puny village. Also, make sure you stay alive.

Luckless Seven
Developer: Deckpoint Studio
Luckless Seven is a card game RPG set in land of Arithia. Throughout Arithia, playing card games is a common method of social interaction. The most popular game played is Ekosi (also referred to as 20), a card game in which players use decks of numbered cards to try and reach as close to 20 as possible. Players can use a side deck containing a variety of cards to manipulate their score. While Ekosi is commonly played for gambling purposes, it is also a primary source of recreation.

Quick Fix: Screenshot Saturday 2/28

MegaSphere
Developer: Anton Kudin
MegaSphere is a sci-fi themed action platformer with a big shiny gun, mad battle robots and unpredictable world that is different each time you play. Fight enemies, search for loot, hack AI's, upgrade weapons and your suit. No hand holding, no tutorials — play like a grown-up!

Courier
Developer: Adam Creations
Experience a role-playing game where the focus is on the world, exploration, characters, puzzles, and avoidance instead of battling. Peacefully reverse an evil plot to bring a kingdom to its knees while uncovering ancient secrets, hidden conspiracies, and helping the lives of all in Veilend. Communication routes have been severed and all signs point to retaliation by Veilend's neighboring enemies, the Ignetiles. Help restore routes and stop the conflict from the inside before it erupts into a second war between the two kingdoms.

Scrap Mechanic
Developer: Axolot Games
Scrap Mechanic is a multiplayer survival game with creativity and ingenuity at its core. In Scrap Mechanic’s interactive open world, you explore, scavenge and collect objects and then use them to build shelters, impressive moving vehicles and other machines that will help you survive the treacherous adventures lying ahead! Team up with friends or fight against robots and other players who are out to steal your stuff.

Flotsam
Developer: Pajama Llama Games
Flotsam is a building sim where you try to survive and build a functioning society in a world flooded by water. 

Quick Fix: Screenshot Saturday 11/29

A Quiver of Crows
Developer: Sheado.net
A Twin-stick Shooter Set in a Grim World Cursed by Demons and Ghouls
Learn more here

Urban Galaxy
Developer: Urban Galaxy team
Sci-fi MMO in an urban theme
Choose your path and conquer this Megapolis of opportunities! Develop your skills and your career as alliances and hatred dynamics constantly change.
Learn more and play here

Star Command Galaxies
Developer: Warballoon
The next chapter in the Star Command saga
Real time lighting, crew desires and planets
A more open, dynamic and exciting Galaxy to explore.
Learn more here

Robots Ate My City
Developer: Andrew Morrish
Destroy robots with your camera and use their parts to upgrade, from the developer of Super Puzzle Platformer
Learn more here

Skytorn
Developer: Skytorn team
Centuries after a mysterious cataclysm tore the world apart, humans have taken to the skies - ferrying their kin in airships, searching the remains for artifacts and survivors. Explorer Nevoa ventures out across uncharted islands, left floating in the sky. Alone and armed only with a shovel, she is determined to carve her own path. Skytorn is a procedurally generated action adventure game, set in the ruins of a fallen world.
Learn more here

Life Was Hard Back Then
Developer: Tristan Dahl
A roguelike strategy game where the player manages a small village through many generations. The villagers must struggle to protect themselves and their children against wild animals, cruel bandits and an unforgiving climate. As time passes, the children grow up and are able to fend for themselves and eventually, their children. Below is the first iteration of the female villages at various ages.
Learn more here

Gearend
Developer: SolarLune Games
A 2D Metroidvania about a little robot that explores the ruins of a long forgotten facility in search of the other members of his small robot family.
Learn more here

Hypt

Developer: EmpI Studios
Hypt is a game that uses reflection as its primary game mechanic. You use it to defend yourself and reflect projectiles back on attackers.

Learn more and download the demo here

Jobchanger Brigade

Developer: Pidroh
A fusion of boss battle oriented 2D platforming with classical RPG jobs
Action RPG + Dynamic Jobchange + Hard Boss Fights + Crafting + Online Multiplayer

Learn more and play here

Quick Fix: Screenshot Saturday 11/22

GRAV
Developer: Bit Monster
In GRAV, players will explore massive procedurally generated worlds and have endless adventures in a hostile universe. They will discover planets constructed with a unique variation of oceans, mountains, plains, and canyons. 
Learn more here

Blues & Bullets
Developer: A Crowd of Monsters
Blues & Bullets is an episodic noir story, where the player will need to survive thrilling shootouts, dark investigations, difficult decisions to make and unexpected story twists in the skin of a former detective who struggles with his own demons trapped in a decadent city.
Learn more here

Blood Will Be Spilled
Developer: BLWBS dev team
Blood Will Be Spilled is a western-themed 2D action platformer from a small Slovak indie studio. A story of blood, bounties, revenge and chitin
Learn more here

Codename Ro.N.I.N.

Developer: dwCrew
Codename Ronin is a deathmatch game featuring futuristic robots fighting each other with swords. We are considering features such as coop zombie mode, parkour style movement and other cool stuff but we want to keep the core of the game as a pure action, fast paced deathmatch.
Learn more here

No Money, No Problem: 7DFPS 2014 Edition Part 2

I posted about several interesting 7DFPS entries on Saturday, but with 146 games, some were bound to be overlooked the first time. Here's another list of cool, polished, or just plain fun entries from this year's 7DFPS

Paint The Town Red
South East Games' Paint The Town Red is a gory brawler, with a block-headed artstyle that probably brings to mind Gravity Bone. Trapped in a pool hall, use whatever you can grab to survive as long as possible: your bare fists, knives, chairs, and more. The copious blood and cool details like smashing a bottle against a wall to create a makeshift glass blade makes Paint The Town Red an enjoyable experience. The developers plan to expand the game into a larger release; you can vote for it on Steam Greenlight.

Duality
Duality is a dimensional-swapping stealth game. Using the otherworldly prism in your hand, you can move between worlds, taking advantage of barriers and pathways that may only exist in one dimensions to avoid guards and hide from their line of sight. It's stylish, tricky, and definitely worth checking out.

Shootmephrenia
Set in an shadowy landscape of mirrors and alleys, you have one goal in Shootmephenia: shoot yourself. At first, the task is simply, merely ricocheting the bullet between surfaces, but soon you'll have to make desperate leaps over the dark void to catch your projectile. A visually stylish and challenging first person puzzle game.

Motor Money Crash!
A simple fast-paced shooters. Race around the arena, blasting deady cubes with your turret and pistol, and jump off ramps in your jeep. Not very complex, but worth a try

War of Toys
Toy soldiers fight to the death with all manner of weaponry across a massive living room. The shooting is responsive and War of Toys feels quite polished for a jam game. The toy soldier theme allows for interesting level aspects, such as climbing a desk to reach higher ground.

Exposure
A cool multiplayer-only game that's essentially an abstract take on Predator. One player is a visible Hunter armed with traps and the ability to see footprints, the others must avoid him as an invisible Hunted. Really nice particle and lighting effects, and the concept makes for some tense matches.

God Complex
Red vs Blue...meets Giest (or Ghost Trick). Jump from soldier to soldier to influence the war between red and blue soldiers. Pretty simple, but fun, with some nice Unreal Engine 4 visuals

Quick Fix: Screenshot Saturday 11/15

Splasher
Developer: Splasher Game team
Splasher is a 2D platformer featuring paint
Learn more here

Extract 237
Developer: Project Extract
Extract 237 is a first person/third person Sci-Fi adventure survival game set inside a massive creature. You play as Dr Winters a lone survivor from the creatures attack on her research vessel. As you try to survive and escape from the creature’s innards, you meet other characters and encounter strange monsters that inhabit the darkest depths
Learn more here

Odd Bot Out
Developer: Martin Magni
Odd is not like the other robots. After failing a standardized test Odd ends up in the recycling bin. Help Odd escape the robot factory using building blocks, electricity, and physics!
Each level presents a unique challenge. Construct a bridge across a gap. Ride a robotic centipede. Build and drive a car
Learn more here

101 Ways To Die
Developer: Four Door Lemon
101 Ways To Die is a physics-based puzzler with a twist.
As the assistant to the morally corrupt Professor Ernst Splatunfuder, you must help recreate '101 Ways To Die' - a book full of delightfully gory death recipes for dispatching your foes in the most stylish ways possible! 
With an arsenal of deadly tools at your disposal, find the most violent and brutal ways to maim, slice, burn, explode, rip and impale the lab created creatures known as Fodder. Don't let them escape!
Learn more here

singmetosleep
Developer: acatalept
singmetosleep is an atmospheric, exploration-based interactive narrative. Vast minimalist forms, a stark color palette, and an evocative soundscape.
There are no real monsters.
Not really.
Learn more and download the demo here

Untitled Game
Developer: Alexey Abramenko
A “kickass shmup title” from the developer of Intrusion 2
Follow the developer on Twitter for updates