Residue is an intelligent, story-driven 2D platform adventure in which you control three different characters, exploring an abandoned excavation site in the remains of the Aral Sea in present-day Uzbekistan. Once the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea is now an arid wasteland, a victim of decades of Soviet cotton irrigation. To some, it is the prime example for humanity to stay out of nature’s business. To others, it’s a world waiting to be saved.

The Indie Game Magazine and IndieGameStand have teamed together, and are proud to announce the first ever IGM Developer Competition! Between May 3rd and May 10th, any one signed up for the IGM Community forums will be able to participate in a contest to create small games that fit our theme. The best entries will be featured in a game bundle at IndieGameStand for a “pay what you want” price, with proceeds going to a soon-to-be-announced charity.

We will announce a theme on May 3rd, and the developers will start work on their prototypes on May 6th!

This is a great time for us at The Indie Game Magazine, and we look forward to seeing what everyone is capable of creating! If you are interested in learning more, why not introduce yourself and ask whatever questions you have over on our forums.

But I can’t do How can I enter?

People are looking for someone like you! We have a team building thread where plenty of people are posting what their skills are, and what they need. So post your own skills, and send whoever a message to ask about a team effort!

I have a great idea for a game I’ve been meaning to make. Do you think it will fit the theme?

It might! The theme is still a mystery, but if you are able to justify it to us when you submit your entry, that’s fine with me.

Where do I sign up?

Just post in this thread to let us know you’re interested. We need a proper tally of people who want to join the contest so we can plan properly.

I’m so excited now!

Not as much as us!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – IGM’s Week-Long Developer Contest – May 3rd!

TheChineseRoom’s poignant first-person adventure based on a Source engine mod, Dear Esther, has now been given a release through Desura. Having previously been released through Steam and in its raw, DRM-free state through TheChineseRoom’s official website, the game is now available for £6.99, putting it on par with the the standard price on Steam.

It’s fair to say that Dear Esther raised more than a few eyebrows upon its initial release back in February, with numerous commentators praising its unwavering focus on the art of dynamic, interactive storytelling, but with less enthusiastic voices lamenting its alleged lack of substantial gameplay mechanics. Whichever side of the fence analysts have tended to fall, it’s managed to establish itself as a defining focal point in the ongoing debate over what truly defines the gaming medium.

This weekend marks a very special occasion as it will be the 10th anniversary of the 48 hour game development event Ludum Dare. To help get us excited about it, Chevy Ray has prepared a rather awesome keynote.

Are you ready for the 10th anniversary of Ludum Dare? Well you should be but if you’re not then you should definitely watch and play this keynote made by Ludum Dare veteran, Chevy Ray. First though, make sure you’re signed up over on the official Ludum Dare website and vote in the final round of the theme voting. This will be the theme that everyone who participates in the event over the weekend will be making games to fit into.

The last Ludum Dare event gave birth to 891 games made in 48 hours but as this is the event’s 10th anniversary the aim is to break the 1000 barrier. Now on that rather fabulous keynote!

Psst! You’ll notice that the key note doesn’t quite fit into our slim column, so to watch the key note in its full size you should go right here.

If, as offered, you want the source code of those games you just played in the keynote then you can download it right here.

More information on Ludum Dare can be found on the event’s official website.

Five years. Five long, tumultuous years of intrigue, curiosity and impatient awe. Relax, everyone; the wait is over.

Polyton’s stunning puzzle platformer, Fez, is finally available for download through the Xbox Live Marketplace, chiming in at a very reasonable 800 Microsoft Points. As always, there’s also a trial version available for you to savour the game’s exquisite morsels, but I’d say you’d be well advised to go the whole hog and download the full banana already. Find out why in our full review.

The Indie Buskers have updated their site so that you may now start voting on which games they will each be making during their livestreamed 48 game jam.

Remember the Indie Buskers? Of course you do, how could you forget!? After having made a bit of a racket about themselves and what they have planned, they now move on to the next logical step. Up until now, they’ve been asking for people to send in their game ideas of which they had over 1500 entries. Just to recap, with these ideas the five developers who make up the Buskers will be making one each over a 48 hour period. Everything will be livestreamed and you can donate money if you like what you see and receive the games once the event is over.

The 48 hour game jam in which the highest voted games will be made will take place over April 14-15th and as said you’ll be able to watch the whole thing live. Head over to the official Indie Buskers website for more information on the voting process and the event itself.

Amidst the fantastic critical reception it’s garnered over the past week, you’d think that Jasper Byrne might have taken a break from Lone Survivor-related announcements. You’d be wrong.

If you can’t get enough of the game’s awe-inspiring tension and pulsating atmosphere, you can now order the official Lone Survivor soundtrack at Bandcamp.

With 19 extended tracks from the game, it rocks in at $6.99 USD and is available in .mp3 and .FLAC formats.

For more information on the soundtrack, along with a heartfelt expression of gratitude on the part of Byrne, take a look at the official Superflat Games site.

Zombie survival shooter, Deadly 30, is now up for grabs so if you can’t enough of splatting brains all over the walls then you might want to check this one out.

Gonzossm and Iggy Zuk released their 2D zombie survival game, Deadly 30, over the weekend so it’s our duty to line up the recruits to fight the zombie scum. If you’ve ever played The Last Stand or one of the many games like it then you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into with Deadly 30. The idea of the game is very simple. You’re a soldier who is trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. If you last 30 days then you’ve won the game and we presume that you get saved from this hell hole – that’s the usual scenario at least.

In order to survive the ever tougher zombie hordes you’ll need to build up barriers around your base, search for survivors and resources while the sun is up and upgrade your weapons so as to more effectively defend yourself at night. If that’s your kind of thing then you may consider picking up Deadly 30 over on the official site for just $5.

More information on Deadly 30 can be found on the game’s official website.

Evan Todd has notified us that his “immersive first-person parkour” debut, Lemma, is now available to play in its alpha form. You should totally check it out.Since 2008 gamers have wanted more parkour in their games. Well, here it is you lot – lap it up! On a more serious tone, Evan Todd’s Lemma is looking rather impressive, both for its technical excellence and abstract concept.Lemma is set on a mysterious island which you must attempt to navigate using sleek parkour techniques. The environment is in no sense ‘normal’ though, surfaces pop in and out of existence at will.

Original Source: You Want More Parkour? Check Out The Playable Alpha Of ‘Lemma’

This Article was originally posted on our sister site, The Indie Game Magazine written by Chris Priestman.