Exploring the “final frontier” is usually ignored in science fiction games these days, with disturbing dystopias or post-apocalyptic settings often taking priority. That’s why it is always nice to see games like FTL pop out of the blue and inspire developers to look to the stars. Mi-Clos Studios, developer of iOS game Space Disorder, is working on an upcoming space exploration game Out There.

Out There is a beautiful looking game that the developers have told us is heavily inspired by FTL and the classic Masters of Orion. The player will be set “at the ends of an unknown galaxy” and tasked with keeping the main character alive and bringing him home.

While the screenshots make this game look very FTL’ish, the developers are adding some features that change things up. Most importantly is the game’s narrative. Out There is written by FibreTigre, a popular interactive fiction author with ten years under his belt. There is also a crafting system and the ability to mine planets.

Out There is still early in development, so we have not seen any gameplay videos. We do have a very pretty animated trailer though, with an art style the developers describe as “psychedelic 70s sci-fi comics.”

Today I bring you a somewhat brilliant game that implements some great ideas into a rather interesting, minimalistic framework. Alphaland is the game and it has been created by Terry Cavanagh and Jona Skyratzes, two very talented developers and although Alphaland is over two years old it still contains some brilliant ideas.

Alphaland is an action adventure platformer that throws you into this unfinished world, a world full of holes… literally. You start out in some basic maze game and before you can make it to the end you find out this game does in fact have some serious bugs and so you are transported via the magic of glitches to this whole other world.

The world has been created fantastically to highlight the supposedly unfinished nature of the game with holes all over the place and even lines of code scattered about the level.

Average play time – less than an hour

Alphaland is a game that embraces the glitch and actually turns it into a gameplay mechanic that just works. If you are a fan of platformers then you can’t go wrong with this awesome little game.

Play Alphaland now on Newgrounds.

If you are a developer with A fun indie game that can be played over a coffee break, we want to hear from you! Private message us on twitter @IndieGameMag or shoot us an email at editors@indiegamemag.com with the subject “Indie Intermission” and you could be our indie intermission pick of the day!

Abducted is an upcoming horror adventure game from Sunside Games. In Abducted, players find themselves abducted by aliens and taken across the universe. The goal of the game is to escape and find a way back home, but Sunside Games is not going to make things easy. Combined with environmental challenges and extraterrestrial horror, Abducted features a deep storyline that focuses on free-form conversation, allowing players to learn as much, or as little, as they desire. Planned to be released in six episodes beginning this June and releasing every seventy-five days, Sunside Games has opened pre-orders for the first episode of Abducted.

“The vision for Abducted is as an episodic adventure,” explains Richard Cowgill, Abducted’s lead designer, on the game’s Greenlight page. “Not episodes that take years to make, but instead are produced in a rapid, high quality fashion like a modern TV show (Dexter, True Blood, etc). Each episode will be meaty, with its own arc, its own story and construction. There will be a lot to do, see and experience.”

Sunside Games developed Abducted using their in-house engine Radiance, which they previously used while developing Crow for iOS devices. The developers at Sunside Games have over thirty years combined experience in the video game industry, and have worked on titles like the Borderlands series, and the Battlefield 1942 modification, Desert Combat.

Pre-orders for Abducted are being taken on the official website, and buyers have three options to choose from: the Collectors Edition ($39.99), the standard edition ($24.99), or the first episode alone ($7.99). Pre-ordering the Collector’s Edition gets buyers into the Beta tests that Sunside Games is planning to take place in June. Look for episode one, later this summer.

Visit Abducted’s official website, follow the developers on Twitter, and check out the game on Steam Greenlight.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Adventure-Horror ‘Abducted’ Opens Pre-Orders, Beta Access Available

Earlier this morning, Tom Francis, PC Gamer editor and game developer, and the rest of the Suspicious Developments, team proudly revealed the release date for their tactical stealth shooter, Gunpoint. After much teasing, Francis revealed that Gunpoint will launch on June 3rd, and immediately opened pre-orders through the game’s official website.

“I’ve been working on Gunpoint for three years,” Francis explains in the announcement, “and it could be a turning point in my life. If it does well enough, I will quit my job to become a full time game developer. I could make more games like this, hopefully better and more quickly.”

Gunpoint comes in three different packages: the standard edition, the special edition, and the exclusive edition. The standard edition comes with a DRM-free copy of Gunpoint and a Steam key for the game. The special edition contains the standard edition and the soundtrack, and optional developer’s commentary provided by Gunpoint’s designer, artist, and musician. The exclusive edition contains the special edition as well as a 40-minute “Making Of” documentary, a prototype pack, four additional musical tracks, and Beta access to future Suspicious Developments games.

Currently, Gunpoint is for Windows only, but the team is not ruling out expanding to other operating systems in the future. A level editor comes with the game, allowing players to easily create and share their creations.

Visit the official website to read the full announcement and purchase a copy of Gunpoint.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – ‘Gunpoint’ Demo Released, Pre-Orders Open, Arriving June 3rd

Today’s pick of the web is a rather interesting roller-coaster designer that goes by the name of PaperCoaster. PaperCoaster was created by Elisée the whole idea is to create a roller-coaster which both scores you a good score whilst functioning.

PaperCoaster is a game of two halves as you must first draw the roller-coaster on the paper and then run it in real-time to ensure it works correctly. The drawing stage does take sometime to get use to, but after you get the hang of it the idea is rather straight forward.

The next stage where you must test the coaster is a little bit more difficult as you quickly begin to see flaws in your design as you try time and time again to get your coaster to the finish intact.

The concept is genius and brings about many very straightforward ideas which when put together make for a very fun game.

Average play time – 15 minutes

PaperCoaster is of such a high standard that it’s hard to believe this was designed in just a weekend. It’s a game with a great deal of potential and with some added development I could see this taking prime position on mobile devices, as the controls are very simple I feel it would be suited well to touch devices.

Of course the mobile version would need more levels and the ability for users to create and share their maps with others. Be sure to download PaperCoaster now and see what you think.

If you are a developer with A fun indie game that can be played over a coffee break, we want to hear from you! Private message us on twitter @IndieGameMag or shoot us an email at editors@indiegamemag.com with the subject “Indie Intermission” and you could be our indie intermission pick of the day!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Indie Intermission – ‘PaperCoaster’ Sometimes The Theory Is Different To The Reality

This week I look through some more great Ludum Dare games trying to bring some of my favorite games into the lime light getting them the love they deserve. This weeks selection is pretty awesome with some geometric struggles and some colourful capers.

As always clicking the title will take you to my original article whilst clicking the image will take you to the game, enjoy.

Monday:  ’Minimalism’ A Geometric Nightmare

Minimalism is a great little puzzle shooter in which you must morph your shape into that of the locks across the level to try to make it to the end. Of course it is not just about getting the correct shapes you must battle your way through this maze of unrelenting shapes to reach your goal.

Tuesday: ’My Mini Castle’ A Mini Slime Fighting Adventure

My Mini Castle is a rather cute little game that has you commanding this solitary penguin to throw his potatoes at incoming slimes. It’s a very simple idea but executed fantastically with these great graphics and fun mechanics.

Wednesday: ’ProductionVille’ It’s All About The Planning

For one reason or another I don’t get to feature many strategy games on here so I leapt at the option to feature Production Ville. In Production Ville you must setup a village that actually turns a profit. This is made all the more difficult by everything having an initial price along with an upkeep fee that can make you think twice before expanding to open a new mine.

Thursday: ’Mono’ Respect The Colors

Mono is a somewhat unique physics based puzzler that has you taking control of this rogue circle as you try to navigate the unforgiving levels in front of you. Although Mono only has six levels each adds some new mechanics creating an ever-changing experience that is just a great deal of fun.

 ——

 That about does it for this weeks round-up.  I hope you have enjoyed playing some – if not all – of the games I have selected for you this week. Have a fantastic Sunday and see you tomorrow for an all new Indie Intermission.

If you are a developer with A fun indie game that can be played over a coffee break, we want to hear from you! Private message us on twitter @IndieGameMag or shoot us an email at editors@indiegamemag.com with the subject “Indie Intermission” and you could be our indie intermission pick of the day!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Indie Intermission Sunday Round Up: R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Today’s game comes from the brilliant pool of games that have been developed for the Ludum Dare 26 competition. My Mini Castle has been developed by TijmenTio and is a great, cute little game.

In My Mini Castle you must fend off wave after wave of slimes with only a limited supply of potatoes. The whole aim of the game is to fire your potatoes correctly to hit the slimes as they come to try to take down your castle.

The most difficult thing about My Mini Castle is the aiming of the potatoes, as there is a slight delay from when you throw it and when it hits meaning you must learn to aim. Although the aiming starts out a little tricky you should quickly be able to pick it up and hit your mark.

My Mini Castle has a fantastic art style, a lot of humorous lines, and some great music all combining together to make one great little game.

Average play time – 7 minutes

My Mini Castle really is quite the stand out game due to its great artwork and interesting gameplay mechanics. The concept is simple but it has been executed fantastically really making the game a whole load of fun.

My Mini Castle can be downloaded from the official Ludum Dare site. If you like the game be sure to vote for it on the Ludum Dare site.

If you are a developer with A fun indie game that can be played over a coffee break, we want to hear from you! Private message us on twitter @IndieGameMag or shoot us an email at editors@indiegamemag.com with the subject “Indie Intermission” and you could be our indie intermission pick of the day!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Indie Intermission – ‘My Mini Castle’ A Mini Slime Fighting Adventure

An indie developer in defense of Microsoft, a spreadsheet RPG, and curious games – all this and more in today’s Indie Links.

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile dev defends Microsoft (VG247)
“The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile developer Ska Studios has never had any problems working with Microsoft, contrary to ongoing talk of how indies struggle with the platform holder.”

Making an RPG in a Spreadsheet is Easier Than It Sounds, but Takes Longer Than You’d Think (Kotaku)
“Last fall, Cary Walkin was enrolled in business school at York University in Ontario, taking a course called “Advanced Spreadsheet Modeling.” He quickly realized the application could be used for more than just accounting.”

The fear and loathing of N++ (Polygon)
“Metanet’s creative director and co-founder, Mare Sheppard, announced at GDC that after much trepidation the Toronto-based independent developer has decided to develop the final game in the N series. Sheppard told Polygon that the decision to develop N++ was more of a “gradual realization,” than a “lightning strike.””

Dragon Fantasy Book 1 coming to PlayStation 3 and Vita April 16 (Polygon)
“Developer Muteki Corporation’s Book 1 of Dragon Fantasy — a game originally released for mobile devices, Windows PC and Mac — will come to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on April 16, Sony announced today.”

Guacamelee review: more behind the mask (Shacknews)
“The ability to boil down a game’s premise to an elevator pitch can easily do it a disservice. Guacamelee has been called Metroid-vania with luchadors, a description Drinkbox hasn’t exactly shied away from. But that description, and its pun-y title, make the game seem more like a gag, and gags don’t have longevity by definition. They’re an object of fleeting fun, and the game is much more inventive and lasting than this glib explanation would suggest.”

BattleBlock Theater review: battles blocked (Shacknews)
“Following the release of Castle Crashers, The Behemoth was riding high as a stalwart of the 2D old guard. It had produced a beat-em-up that lovingly paid homage to its predecessors and injected it with a dose of Monty-Python-styled inanity. Nearly five years later, the studio has finally produced its follow-up, BattleBlock Theater. It leans less on its roots, and while greater ambition gets the better of it, it’s hard not to cheer on more of the developer’s spirit.”

Pippin Barr’s philosophy of developing ‘curious’ games (Joystiq)
“Pippin Barr’s doctoral thesis is titled Video Game Values: Play as Human-Computer Interaction, submitted in 2008 to the Victoria University of Wellington as the final stage of his degree, Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science. In the thesis, Barr highlights the act of playing a computer program rather than simply using one, with case studies in Civilization 3, Fable, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2, and The Sims 2.”

Retro Arcade Adventure Remade (Indie Gamer Chick)
“It’s been a little over a year since I reviewed Retro Arcade Adventure, a hack-and-slasher that was sort of like Smash TV for the dark ages. I didn’t really like the game. It was short, repetitive, and boring. You could see potential in the developer, but the experience was tedious. So I was skeptical when I saw that they had decided to remake the title instead of patching the original. Ballsy for sure, since the first wasn’t very good. It would be like burning a steak and trying to correct it by throwing it back on the grill for ten minutes.”

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Indie Links Round-Up: Beat The Spread

New text-based Treasure Seekers of Lady Luck arrives for all platforms today. In this interactive fiction game, players join the crew of the starship Lady Luck, and take on the role of a hyperspace pirate or a Galactic Police operative  working to stop their illegal activities. This is an interactive adventure novel by Christopher Brendel, using ChoiceScript to create interactions and reactions.  Players are presented with an event in the game narrative, and chose one of several text options to proceed.

Treasure Seekers of Lady Luck follows To The City In The Clouds, Heroes Rise: The Prodigy, Choice of the Star Captain, and many other popular Choice Of Games. In this game, as in Choice of Games’ previous titles, players are able to choose their protagonist’s gender, making an accessible and inclusive IF experience. Like all over-interactive fiction titles, Treasure Seekers of Lady Luck’s focus is on game narrative, but the game also uses traditional adventure game elements like exploring different areas,  collecting useful items (Translation for folks who didn’t grow up on Sierra games: That means stealing everything that is not nailed down.) and using one’s inventory to solve puzzles.  Christopher Brendel’s previous indie game releases include Lifestream and The Filmmaker.

Treasure Seekers of Lady Luck is available for iOS devices, Android, Kindle, and for Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can get Treasure Seekers of Lady Luck on the Choice of Games site, the App Store or Google Play.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – New Text-Based Adventure ‘Treasure Seekers of Lady Luck’ Out Now