Scrap Garden Developed by Flazm Interactive Entertainment Published by Flazm Interactive Entertainment Available on PC, Mac & Linux (Windows, via Steam—reviewed) “The tinsmith forgot to give me a heart” ~Tinman, The Wizard of Oz WHAT DOES it mean to be human? Is it our heart, tirelessly pumping away to circulate fresh, oxygenated blood to our starving cells? Is it …
Crash Bandicoot slumps on his couch, grabs the greasy remote and switches on the telly. “Man, this freelance racing gig bites!” He sighs, brooding over the golden days of his first high octane adventures; the slick, razor-sharp turns, the smell of gasoline, and the pure rush of adrenaline each time his foot hit the pedal. Today, all that seems so far away. He …
Blink and you might miss this ultra-slight morsel, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for ‘The Confirmation.’
Undertale made an impression on not only the indie scene but the entire video game world when it released last month. The result of a wildly successful campaign through Kickstarter which began two years ago, this revisionist take on the classic RPG was said to blend elements of Earthbound, Shin Megami Tensei and Touhou into an entirely originally package. The effort of over 2,000 backers and the mind of Toby Fox helped create one of the most unique and charming releases this year.
There’s a moment when you’re playing Her Story where you begin to really grasp the depth and scope of what its creator is attempting. For me, it came when I looked at the scattering of post-it notes stuck to my laptop and realized I still wasn’t sure at all where the truth of the story lied. …
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime Developed by Asteroid Base Published by Asteroid Base Available on Xbox One, Microsoft Windows I’m a sucker for a cooperative game, but too few truly demand cooperation. While it is always fun to play alongside a friend or loved one, it is rare to find a game where coordination, synchronization, …
You’re a piece of bread. Well, one slice of bread in a loaf. However, you are special. You have a quest, like no other piece of bread. You’ve always been a ‘do-it-yourself’ individual, even when you were just a single grain (work with me here, I know bread doesn’t grow from a single grain). So while most other pieces of bread would be happy to let the people do all the work, you’ve taken it upon yourself to become toast.
Sometimes an experience is all something offers and in the end it’s all something needs to offer. This has been the trend with story-driven indie game walking simulators for the past few years. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter attempts to tell its story in a similar fashion while surpassing its contemporaries in certain aspects and, conversely, failing at being something more than it ought to.
The recent revival of local multiplayer has been a welcome addition in the crowded, independent platformer genre. Towerfall in 2013 and Nidogg in 2014 both provided a seemingly endless source of group fun with their own particular flavor of easy to learn, difficult to master gameplay. Now in 2015, Adult Swim Games will release Duck Game on Steam (previously an OUYA exclusive), in what seems to be an attempt to bank on single screen multiplayer resurgence. ASG have a pretty excellent track record as of late, including the much praised Jazz Punk and the brilliantly old school Völgarr the Viking. Thankfully Duck Game succeeds where it matters most, with a group of friends and some genuinely unexpected moments, yet like so many of its counterparts, it leaves little for the solo player.
Writer-directors Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione mix satire, horror, and science fiction into an irresistible social experiment that puts all of us under the microscope in ‘Circle.’
Toren is a great example of what can happen when a creative team over-reaches, and Brazilian developer Swordtales has clearly over-reached with their first major release.
Music has the power to make you move, to inspire great works, and to touch your soul. But as the year draws to a close, Christmas music prepares to blast our eardrums for what seems like an eternity, music becomes the enemy (I love Christmas, but can we at least wait till Thanksgiving is over before we deck the halls?). Before we all stuff our ears with cotton, let’s reflect on a game that really brought music to life in the distant year of 2008.
Lakeview Cabin Hypnohustler PC Private island. Peaceful cabin. Perfect weather. These hardly seem like the elements of a horror game, but Lakeview Cabin manages to turn this scenic vacation spot into the stuff of nightmares. It’s impossible to talk too much about this horrifyingly comedic puzzle game without ruining the plot, so, SPOILERS AHEAD! You have been …
There is a certain nostalgic thrill at being able to finally play new games in what has long been thought to be a dead genre. Quest for Infamy aims to tap into that nostalgia right from the get-go, and is, for the most part, fairly successful.
Lake Erie Monster #1 Written and Illustrated by: J. Kelly and John G. Published by: Shiner Comics Group Remember Creepy and Eerie comics? Did you grow up with Tales from the Crypt? Did you love watching Creepshow? The Lake Erie Monster is a wonderful throwback to the classic horror comics of the 70’s. The art, …
Demeter By: Becky Cloonan Publisher: Self Available: http://www.comixology.com/Demeter/digital-comic/38455 When Comixology announced that they would offer a self-publishing feature, the indie world nearly exploded. Now creators the world over could get their work into the hands of the public. Creators, who would never have a true chance to garner a fan base, now have a soap box …
Auteur Theory: Volume 4 A true independent filmmaker, Douglas Buck’s short films have made him a recognizable name in the festival circuit. Beginning his filmmaking career in the early 90s, shooting his films on Long Island, Buck pretty quickly managed to build up a following. His films meld gore-based horror with harrowing stories of American …