Game developer Jonathan Blow is a busy man. So we found ourselves scrambling about in a panic when we were given the chance to get an update on what’s going on these days with his hotly anticipated adventure title The Witness, and the team behind it, straight from the horse’s mouth. Weeks were spent attempting to scratch out a few decent questions regarding his upcoming game, development style, and some habitual leisure activities (weeks may have also been spent on holiday break as well), and now you can find those inquiries below, along (happily) with his responses.

Architecture is a unique art form, one that’s often overlooked in video games. Probably because most people don’t recognize the importance of it in society and that modern day video games developers don’t have the time or money to invest in something that most will overlook anyways. The Assassins Creed series is one of the few games in my knowledge that pays very close attention to architecture. The Witness is another one…

Hooray! It’s time for my prediction post for next year’s most popular and well received indie games! Those of you who have been with us here at DIYGamer will remember my 2010 and 2011 editions where I was correct for a few of each prediction posts.

Jonathan Blow is an interesting character. Often times he’s very cagey about the games he’s working on and what they’ll turn out to be. So when asked a few months ago about the prospect of The Witness appearing on one of the three consoles Blow shot down the idea with the simple truth that the Xbox 360 and PS3 are getting a little long in the tooth (they’re old). As such, The Witness was destined for a PC and iOS release only.

Earlier on this morning, PAX registered media members were given a tiny bit of floor time to ourselves–about 49 minutes to be precise–to get whatever we could in the relative calm before the storm of attendees flooded the floor. During our lightning round of demoing, interviewing, and other such coverage…ing, I ran into the one and only Jonathan Blow (Braid, The Witness) and was able to pull him aside for a couple minutes to grab his thoughts on whatever I could come up with.

Very fortuitously, Mr. Blow was assisting Chris Hecker’s frantic set-up of the SpyParty booth (indies helping indies right?) and was in a fairly talkative mood for someone you’d find in the dictionary under the word “mysterious.” I hope to get a longer, more fleshed out interview in the coming weeks, once things calm down a bit for everyone. Though for now, I’m quite happy to pass along the interesting tidbits.

First off, development of The Witness is really starting to ramp up, with Jon bringing on a team over the past several months to help with art and technical aspects. Previews of the title hit all over the place earlier this month, well except here (looking to remedy that soon.) As for a release date, well you know how it goes, sometime in 2012 when it’s good and ready; but he did mention that he’d be pretty upset if it slipped past that target into 2013.

Another item he was excited to talk about was Indie Game: The Movie, which will premiere in Santa Cruz this October. “In theory” he plans on being in attendance if scheduling allows to take part in QA session after the film  (so you know, our tickets are booked and DIYGamer will be there to report on the event and record the QA for all you fine folks.)

As some may already know, Jon plays a significant part in the piece along side the Super Meat Boy and Fez devs. He recently had a chance to view a preview, and expressed how impressive it is. He told me the filmmakers have hit there mark by pulling off  a captivating full-length work focusing on indie game development; complete with fantastic overarching themes, motifs, and such. Apparently, the magic we saw in the latest trailer is abundant in the full film as well. I really, really can’t wait for it now.

He also promised he wouldn’t be pulling the wool over our eyes again this year, and that the game would not be on display at all during the weekend. I asked twice to make sure he didn’t have any tricks up his sleeve, and honest-to-goodness it appears PAX attendees won’t get a chance to witness some witness this year. No worries though, the game’s dev blog has been very active, so interested parties can keep up there.

All in all some very good info coming from Number None’s number one. More PAX Coverage soon!

[Jonathan Blow]

An exhausted, excited Jonathan Blow has emerged from his laboratory after making significant strides in the development progress of The Witness; his (still) mysterious follow up to Braid. Good for us, as he has posted some exciting new info on how the game is coming along.

After some serious playtesting at GDC, Blow went in and heavily reconstructed different areas in the island (the game’s known world) as well as tied up some various loose ends. The island at current (pictured above) now contains 285 puzzles, nearing what Blow descrbies as his “Gameplay Complete” milestone.

So what’s left?

Well despite all those delicious puzzles, the game still lacks a winning condition; something Blow believes will be “a bunch of work” due to an originally ambitious idea for it. Along with that, all the visuals are still placeholder, with the developer bringing in help to design buildings and terrain that will get the game on the path to having its actual look.

So, perhaps still aways to go, but progress nonetheless! We’ll certainly keep our senses up in case Mr. Blow decides to sneak a fast one past us again. Can’t have a “fool me twice” situation on our hands.

[The Witness]

Check out our Top 10 Break Out Indie Games of 2012!

This is easily one of my favorite posts of the year. In fact, since about June I’ve been looking forward to crafting this piece. Last year I came up with a similar list of games and, while they weren’t all correct, I’d say I nailed at least 4 and a half of them:

• Super Meat Boy
• Joe Danger
• Max and the Magic Marker
• Shank
• Puzzle Bots (the half point for being in PAX 10)

Not too bad of a percentage, if I do say so myself.

So, while you may be pondering what indie games are even being released next year, allow me to thrill you with my predictions for 2011′s break out indie games.

(Alphabetically)

Bastion

I’m sure, as you’ve probably surmised by now, that I’m absolutely in love with Bastion in both gameplay and artwork. Just check out my glowing preview from this past year’s PAX 2010 to get a good indication of my thoughts on the game.

Still, despite my personal opinion, it also makes sense that the mainstream media and consumer would be interested in the game. It’s very polished, offers a unique storytelling mechanic, and is overall an easy sell for people on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation Network. In fact, I’d be surprised if Bastion wasn’t picked up as an exclusive for one of the two consoles.

[Super Giant Games, Trailer]

Faraway

Faraway was a game that I wasn’t able to play until this past year’s IndieCade and remains the only mobile game on this list. While I’ve no doubt there will be many popular indie mobile games next year, I believe Faraway stands out above everything else I’ve seen thus far in it’s unique, almost ambient, styled gameplay.

Oh and for those who took that as “yet another art game” I assure you that Faraway tries to do nothing than offer itself as a fun, addictive mobile game, of which I believe will absolutely capture the minds of attention of mobile gamers everywhere.

[Steph Thirion, Video]

Fez

Is anybody really surprised Fez is on this list? Fez is a game that was originally promised in 2010, but, unfortunately was pushed back to 2011. No matter though, the game has long been awaited by mainstream press and consumers alike.

The game itself features a unique puzzle platforming type gameplay that has you shifting the world around in order to move Fez in and around obstacles. It’s certainly a unique angle to take on a game and one that seems to resonate with all kinds of gamers.

[Polytron Corporation, Trailer]

Monaco

Monaco. There’s so much to say about this game and only a couple of paragraphs to say it in. Coming out of nowhere at the 2010 IGF to win the grand prize was certainly a good start to what has been an amazing year for the game and its owner.

Today, Monaco is constantly reported on the mainstream press and maintains a stronghold on the consumers’ eye for 2011. Now if we could only figure out what platform the game is due to come out on we’d be set. Look for Monaco to be one of the premiere indie games next year.

[Pocketwatch Games, Trailer]

Retro City Rampage

Okay, so Retro City Rampage is still “planned” for a release in 2010. I can see the official reports that were listed a couple months ago. However, I have it on good authority that this game may be slipping to early 2011.

Regardless of when it actually ships, though, Retro City Rampage will be the must-own WiiWare release of the year. There’s not many of them each year, but I can guarantee you that this will be one of them. It has enough open world action, combined with classic video game satire/humor to make any old school gamer sit up and take notice.

[Vblank Entertainment, Trailer]

Slam Bolt Scrappers

Born out of MIT’s Gambit game lab, Slam Bolt Scrappers maintains its place as one of the most interesting PSN games of 2011. When the game isn’t trying to be a Tetris-like puzzle game, it’s trying to be an action game. It’s absolutely insane. The best part is that the game seems to mesh the two genres so perfectly. It’s chaotic, yes, but fun as hell.

Of course, obviously the game has a lot going for it and because of that the mainstream and common gamer has seemed to take notice. When it ships in early 2011 this could be the PSN game everybody compares themselves too.

[Fire Hose Games, Trailer]

Spelunky (Xbox 360)

Who wouldn’t have guessed this game would make the list? While it’s not necessarily an original game, Derek Yu is updating the graphics and adding enough new features to it so that it will certainly feel like a fresh new game.

Of course, that’s not to say it wouldn’t sell were the game not being revamped so much. Spelunky is arguably one of the most popular PC indie games, up there with the likes of legends Cave Story and Knytt. When this game hits XBLA next year, expect it to make waves.

[Spelunky World]

Spy Party

I’ll be honest. I don’t know a terribly large amount about this game. I wasn’t able to play it at PAX and I, unfortuantely, have not been able to talk to Chris (the developer) about it. What I do know, however is that the game constantly had an incredibly large crowd surrounding the Chris’ PAX booth at all times. If that’s not indicative of success I don’t know what is.

But aside from all that, the game does have a fairly unique premise in its spy/assassin party premise. The one thing I could see holding this game back is a niche release on PC. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of distributing support the game gets in 2011.

[Spy Party]

Tales from Space: About a Blob

Fresh from new developer Drinkbox Studios, About a Blob is destined to be the other exclusive PSN game that has people talking. From the onset the game immediately feels like a sort of 2D Katamari, but with oodles of charm and a character who you’ll immediately fall in love with.

Recently picked up by Sony’s indie funding initiative, expect a decent amount of marketing to be used on this game, not to say the press isn’t already aware because we most certainly are.

[Drinkbox Studios, Trailer]

The Witness

Two words: Jonathan Blow. The second game from the legendary creator of Braid – arguably one of the greatest indie games ever created — The Witness immediately has a different feel to it. That’s not to say it won’t be as good however. If we know anything about Jonathan Blow it’s that he knows how to create an interesting game premise.

Of course, being that the game is being created by none of than the same guy who created Braid, you can bet the mainstream media won’t let this one go without showering it with tons of press.

[The Witness]

And that’s it! Those are my picks for 2011′s break out indie games. Note that I’m not necessarily saying they will be the best or most fun. I have no way to indicate if these games will actually be any good upon release. However, given their status right now I’m feeling pretty good about my predictions.

Did I leave one off? Do you have another game you think will do better? Let me know in the comments!

Round-up is back with so much good stuff to share from all across the indie line. Popular indie titles being picked apart, notable indie developers talking about anything/everything and of course, lots of free games to discover and play. Thank you, come again.

A Tantalizing Session With The Witness, The Next Game From The Creator Of Braid (Stephen Totilo/Kotaku)
“Unattended, unlabeled, unmarked… the new game from the small team led by Braid creator Jonathon Blow was stealthily present at the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend. The adventurous — and those who recognized Blow standing off in the shadows — got a delightful surprise.”

The Weekly Report #1 (Paul Eres/TIGSource)
“This is a new feature where I’ll be covering ten notable releases and newly posted games in production of the past week. A couple of people suggested I call this “The Eres Report” but it’s really just as much Ortoslon, who suggested most of the games here. These are all good games so try them all out, the numbering is just in the order of my preference. I’ll also include a weekly classic (2+ years old) game that was never covered in TIGSource.”

The Arena Shooter Tribute (Pixel Prospector)
“This Video showcases 6 sec clips of 93 enjoyable Arena Shooters that all happen to be free…Lean back, enjoy the show and then have a good time by checking them out afterwards.”

In(die)credible: Best New Indie Games You Haven’t Played (Tim W/IndieGames)
“At PAX 2010 there was an awesome panel that highlights a couple of indie games which you may not know about. This video features indie superstars like Robin Hunicke (thatgamecompany), Eitan Glinert (Fire Hose Games), Nathan Vella (Capybara Games), Dylan Fitterer (developer of Audiosurf) and Andy Schatz (Monaco) recommending some of their favorite indie games to the audience.”

Interview: Carpe Fulgur’s Dice Talks Recettear, Indie Charm (Kyle Orland/GameSetWatch)
“New import publisher Carpe Fulgur has brought quirky Japanese ‘item shop’ indie RPG, Recettear, to PC digital distribution services, and talks to our own Kyle Orland about localization challenges and plans.”

In-Depth: RedLynx On Life After Trials HD (Simon Parkin/GamerBytes)
“Trials HD developer RedLynx tells our own Simon Parkin about MotoHeroz, the studio’s recently-announced stunt racing game for WiiWare that “has as much in common with Super Mario Brothers as it does Trials HD.”"

Review: Tidalis (James Murff/Big Download)
“The folks at Arcen Games have been hard at work continuing AI War. Once of the sleeper hits of last year, it’s a stellar strategy title that builds design around cheating AI, as opposed to simply having it there. However, they are not just working on AI War’s expansions. Recently, they released a new game that is far outside of what one would expect from an indie strategy darling. The game is Tidalis, and it is a casual puzzle game in the same rough ballpark as Bejeweled. Tidalis is not just for casual players, however. Under its simple match-3 exterior hides a game of incredible depth and complexity that will intrigue players from every camp.”

Indie Game Challenge Deadline (IndieDB)
“Only 1 month remains to enter the indie game challenge and have a chance to win over 200,000$ in prizes. On October 1 2010, entries will close to the 2010 indie game challenge. With two prizes worth $100,000 each it is well worth your time to have a crack. Just ask last years winners COGS how it worked out for them.”

Interview: In Conversation With Rudolf Kremers – Co-Creator Of Eufloria (Marty Mulrooney/AMO)
“Following on from our recent review of Eufloria (Version 2.05) on PC, AMO caught up with co-creator Rudolf Kremers to discuss the future of his studio Omni Systems Limited, Eufloria’s pending PSN reboot in 2011 and life as a full-time indie game developer.”

Oh the agony! Oh the torment! Both Peter and myself sat next to television that was playing the Witness (Jonathan Blow’s newest game) and completely didn’t even notice it. Of course, at the time we were actually talking to Andy Schatz about his amazing game Monaco (which we’ve covered extensively in the past and still have our PAX preview of it coming soon). Still though, Andy was sitting right next to it and was probably attempting to get us to notice it the entire time since he wasn’t able to just come right out and say it.

Oh well, you win some and you lose some.

For those of you who haven’t been caught up on the Witness extravaganza, or for those of you, like us, who didn’t get a chance to play the game at PAX, here’s a brief gameplay video courtesy of  Kotaku, who did witness the game.

As you can see the game plays like a sport of Myst-type first person puzzle game. Very intriguing, especially given that the creator of Braid is also creating this game so we know that there’s bound to be some sort of unique/clever hook in the game.

Anyway, we’ll have more coverage of The Witness in the weeks to follow. It’s just too bad we didn’t take the chance to play it when we had the chance.

[Kotaku and The Witness]

I missed last week, so we’re twicing the standard dosage of Indie Links. That’s right, don’t make me bring the thricening! Anyway, making up words is fun, but not as much as exploring the greater indie horizon. Hello Games gets in a couple shots, and plenty of interviews, hands-on, reviews and more. Have a gander.

‘No monkeys?!’ Why publishers nixed Joe Danger (Develop Online)
“Hello Games took to the stage at the Develop Conference today to exact revenge on the publishers that turned down the Joe Danger project. Without naming any names, Murray went through a list of reasons why the game was turned down, quoting what he had heard from various publishers in meetings. Attendees at the Develop session broke into laughter.”

XBLA is a “slaughterhouse” for smaller developers (Games Industry — Registration Required)
“Hello Games chose to release Joe Danger via Sony’s PlayStation Network because the team regarded Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade as a “slaughterhouse” for small developers.”

The Witness: Location Development (The Witness Dev Blog)
“Much of the other work that I personally have been putting into the game is about the user interface for the puzzles. As I mentioned, gameplay is the utmost concern; this being a puzzle game, you spend a long time solving puzzles, so it’s important to make that feel good, even at this early stage.”

Rules For Games: Do & Don’t #2 (Rock, Paper, Shotgun)
“I’m in charge. This is firmly established (citation needed). So it’s important I continue to decree my rulings. All must obey, for I am as bad as BP and I burn in hell. Fear me.”

COLUMN: Design Diversions – Fate/Stay Night: Choices Beyond Good and Evil (GameSetWatch)
“‘Design Diversions’ is a biweekly GameSetWatch-exclusive column by Andrew Vanden Bossche. It looks at the unexpected moments when games take us behind the scenes, and the details of how game design engages us. How do we get over our fixation on good and evil as a gameplay element? Fate/Stay Night, a Japanese visual novel, may have the answer.”

Developer Interview: Soenke Seidel (IndieDB)
“Cap’n Frie here bringing ye landlubbers fresh booty! I blabbered wit’ one of me hearties: Cap’n Soenke! Nothin’ like swashbuckling wit’ this sea dog!”

Dog Fighter: Hands-on Impressions and Giveaway (Shacknews)
“DogFighter, Dark Water Studios’ arena-based aerial combat game, took to the virtual skies via Steam about a month ago. I spent the past couple of weeks in its virtual cockpit to assess the fast-paced shooter.”

Review: Cut It (TIGSource)
“His first game about drawing, Crayon Physics Deluxe, won the IGF Grand Prize in 2008 and since then, Petri Purho has been developing experimental games on a monthly basis. Cut It is his most recent project and features similar concepts seen in Crayon Physics, but also introduces new ideas and offers a solid concept from which the crayon master can draw on.”

The Joystiq Indie Pitch: 0 A.D. (Joystiq)
“This week we talk with Aviv Sharon of Wildfire about the studio’s 0 A.D., an indie project nine years in the making.”

Depth Music Q&A: 4mat’s Decades (Indie Games)
“Independent game creator Matt Simmonds teased his upcoming PC shooter Depth back in December, which makes creative use of inexpensive red/cyan lens 3D glasses. Music for the title will draw on the Sussex, UK-based designer’s twenty-plus years’ experience in the game industry, featuring arrangements of previously released chiptunes.In this interview the musician relates how varied experiences as a sound designer, ranging from mainstream titles to indie games and the demoscene, are currently contributing to the shape of Depth.”