Today, Steam launched a nine day sale featuring indie games. The well-timed Indie Spring Sale will overlap both PAX East and the 2013 IGF awards.

The sale page is a little misleading, though. The page claims “hundreds of games” are on sale, though when you click through the banners and get into the sale page, there are only six games featured, and broken down into the PAX and IGF categories there are only twenty more total. I imagine Steam will shuffle through the entire list, daily, throughout the duration of the sale…but it is unlike Valve to make it difficult to find sales. Luckily you can search for “indie” in the store and it will aggregate all of Steams indie titles, for easy viewing.

Some of today’s featured titles include:

Guns of Icarus Online – 75% off – $4.99
Capsized – 70% off – $2.99
Awesomenauts – 50% off – $4.99
Gish – 75% off – $2.49
Samorost2 – 70% off – $1.49

Some other deals that caught my eye while browsing through the full list:

NightSky – 80% off – $1.99
Terraria – 75% off – $2.49
Dungeons of Dredmor – 50% off – $2.49
Trine – 75% off – $2.49

Visit the Steam Store Indie Spring Sale page, to see the featured titles (which can be speculated to rotate once a day), alternatively one can also view all of the games on sale by searching for the term “indie” in the store, or simply by clicking this link.

The Indie Spring Sale comes a day after the announcement that Steam would begin selling alpha builds of games, that people can get continually updated, as the developer furthers progress on completing the game. Some of the first titles included in Steam’s Early Access program include Gnomoria, Under the Ocean, and StarForge.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – IGF Finalists and PAX East Games Among Many Featured In The Indie Spring Sale

In today’s Developer Links: web design, video game websites, and serial cross-platform development.

Bastion‘s Argument For Doing Away With Cross-Platform Development (Gamasutra)
“In a talk at the DICE Summit on Wednesday, Supergiant Games co-founder and studio director Amir Rao (Bastion) talked about the year-plus his team spent taking Bastion to different platforms. Along the way, he urged the audience to get away from the concept of simultaneous ‘ports’ and ‘lead SKU’ and towards a thoughtful, non-parallel multi-platform development process.”

Apple Pie Chart (Mommy’s Best Devlog)
“Serious Sam Double D XXL is super close! Go go go! Time to let people know! What’s so cool about it? Let’s tell everyone! That’s what most of my time is devoted to currently and it’s getting very exciting! We’ll be heading to PAX East to promote the game and we’re even throwing a pretty big Mid-West game dev launch party here in Louisville on March 1st!”

What’s In The BattleBlock Theater Beta? (The Behemoth Development Blog)
“The BattleBlock Theater Closed Beta will be here sooner than we think. We’re still locking down all the details, including the beta testing dates, but we do have an exciting update to share! In addition to story levels and the level editor, we’ll be giving Beta Testers access to all the arena modes!”

A Week As Webdesigner (Computer Games)
“Probably not many of you know that before going indie, I was a (rather poor to be fair) webdesigner. Many people probably think that being a webdesigner is a creative job but the reality is that after you do the 100th website, you start to have enough… Anyway, this week I was waiting for some people to send me assets (writing, art, music, etc) so I was idle. If wasn’t Winter I would have use this unexpected “free time” to do some trips around here to relax, but since it is, I thought to finally begin the redesign of my website, something I’ve been procrastinating for too long!”

Going Forward With Drox (Soldak Entertainment)
“First off, we have Drox Operative on Steam’s Greenlight. If you haven’t already, go vote for Drox Operative on Greenlight so we can get the game on Steam. Please tell all of your friends, family, and anyone else that will listen to do so also.”

The Video Game Kickstarter Report – Week of February 8 (Zeboyd Games)
“Big week for new kickstarters! Let’s get started!”

Good Morning Gato # 109 – Warm Kitty (Ska Studios)
“PAX East is 42 days away! Ska Studios will once again be exhibiting, keeping with our trend of showing at every single PAX East there has ever been. When will this dang Charlie Murder game ever be done?! You’re asking, our friends are asking, and even our moms are asking. We still can’t tell you but we can sure show you what we’ve done so far. Come see us and play and listen to us expertly dodge the “when will it be done” question! We may just have a different answer for you by the end of March (disclaimer: we also may have the same answer for you by the end of March).”

Big List of Top Video Game Websites (PixelProspector)
“I have just updated the Big List of Top Video Game Websites. All ~130 sites offer now some basic info (Country, Platforms, Coverage, About). Furthermore I have also created a spreadsheet that you can download here.”

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Dev Links: Candy Stripes

Unknown World’s one of a kind action title Natural Selection 2 is nearing completion. The beta is now available on Steam, and as of now the game’s page has it targeted for launch next month. The game is anticipated in some ways, and already acclaimed in others with an active beta community that continues to swell in size.

Embedded below is our next PAX Prime ’12 interview – with some gameplay footage packed in as well. A member of the Unknown Worlds team was kind enough to step-away from their busy booth to discuss the various mechanics of the title, the variety in asymmetrical teams, and bringing the experience of leadership/being a team player into the title.

At least 12v12 matches, and could be more down the line? Splendid!

It’s been a painstakingly long wait for the official release of Natural Selection 2 since it first garnered major attention, but it’s shaping up to be one of the better multiplayer experiences we’ve seen in years. Balance is key for a good competitive multiplayer game, and they’ve been grinding away at that for years it seems.

As with any multiplayer affair, maintaining active player numbers are key; but with their aforementioned beta players in tow, there’s little worry this game will have every chance to flourish on a very high level upon release. Especially if it delivers on all points being sold.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – PAX Prime ’12 Interview: Unknown Worlds On Natural Selection 2

Cannon Brawl was showcased at PAX and looks to be a very interesting take on strategy games. Crossing some of the tried and tested mechanics from the Worms series with elements of tower defence and a nice dash of artillery styled game thrown in over the top. All making for a very interesting take on RTS, be sure to check out the PAX trailer below and judge it for yourself it does indeed look to be an interesting take on the genre.

Cannon Brawl is from Turtle Sandbox, an independent studio founded in 2011 by Pete Angstadt after winning the Activation independent games competition with Dstroyd (now renamed to Cannon Brawl). The graphics styling looks very interesting taking a heavily cartoon feel to the game, making for a very interesting aesthetic.

Cannon Brawl will include a single player campaign that is largely to be implemented to teach the game mechanics along side telling an exciting story, which is expect to span around 20 levels. The first level infact has you playing as a baron in an airship to rescue your friend from the kings jail, which just sounds to be the makings for a great level in the game. Also it will feature a great multiplayer which looks to be the main heart of this game as you battle against others to prove dominance in strategy and planning.

Cannon Brawl will include the ability to alter your loadouts prior to the game allowing for more tactical play along with creating your own personal play style which adds another great dimension to the game.

The graphic styling and the awesome level design really make Cannon Brawl one to watch as an upcoming strategy game. I am sure for all the people who played it at PAX the gameplay was great fun and it looks to take some great ideas from a few games and mix them into something new.

Cannon Brawl is still in development and is billed for a PC, Xbox and PS3 release. You can follow the progress on Turtle Sandbox’s site here or IndieDB here. Of course all the news will be covered right here on The Indie Game Magazine so be sure to check back soon as the story breaks.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – ‘Cannon Brawl’ A New Take On RTS

Our long list of indie interviews at PAX kicks off with Andy Schatz of Pocketwatch Games speaking to us about the highly anticipated top-down heist ‘em up Monaco.

Schatz touches on single player and co-op modes, the title’s general history, and more. Though the most interesting bit for my money is how the team went about making it a great game to play with friends on the couch–adding that the couch experience was what they wanted to capture in online co-op as well through sleek, easy to use menus/lobbies.

The game’s looking fantastic (and really has for years at this point), so we’re excited to hear that it’s finally ‘almost done’ in Schatz’s words. Look for the game to launch simultaneously on both PC and on at least one console.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – PAX Prime ’12 Interview: Andy Schatz Of Pocketwatch Games On Monaco

Those hungry for a new romp in the shoes of a rouge will be delighted to hear news of Pixelscopic’s latest project, titled: Delver’s Drop. Owing alot to legends like Zelda and Wild Arms, Delver’s Drop looks to be a dungeon crawler sporting randomly generated floors in a rogelike fashion coupled with Zelda-esque combat and Wild Arms-styled environmental puzzles. The game’s art style is bursting with a vibrant and colorful pallette that looks to compliment its fast paced gameplay. Both enemies and your character have physics engines attached to them that work in conjunction with an underlying “friction” (according to the devs) system to determine how much knockback either party will receive from weapon hits during combat.

In addition to the trademark rouge class touted on title’s homepage (and in its scarce videos), the team over at Pixelscopic plans on including several other classes; all of which are undisclosed at this time. Interestingly enough, character progression won’t be lost upon death, and will instead be a persistent affair, encouraging players to spend a bit more time with one primary character as opposed to jumping between several as some of us would in a normal roguelike.

At the moment there is no concrete date for Delver’s Drop to release, but Pixelscopic has stated that it will be available on iOS, Android, PC, and Mac sometime in 2013. Personally, I’d love to see this title hit Ouya upon launch as well (which might not be that farfetched of a request considering Ouya runs on Android OS). Keep your compass pointed toward IGM for future updates as the details drop!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Drop into the Dark with ‘Delver’s Drop’

We’re onsite and busy as all hell this weekend at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle covering PAX Prime 2012. Video interviews with over a dozen indies including Pocketwatch Games, Zeboyd Games, Unknown Worlds, Cipher Prime, and more are being put together as we speak and will be hitting the site throughout the month starting this weekend.

Though we’re still sorting through and slapping together all the various footage, we had a chance to put together a preview of our PAX experience to show off what kind of crowd this event draws each year as well as provide a taste of what’s on the way from our coverage.

It’s been a fun and exhausting experience so far, with still one more jam-packed day ahead of us. The only thing else to say at this point is stay tuned!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – IGM Running Down And Chatting Up Indies At PAX Prime

Vlambeer is an indie development company founded by Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman in the Netherlands two years ago today, they have had a very interesting two years with some incredible highs but it has not always been plain sailing.

The biggest hurdle that Vlambeer have overcame to be here today was a battle over their first game Radical Fishing which originated as a flash game being cloned against their will by a San Francisco studio for iOS release as Vlambeer were developing their own port of the game. This led to the two man team losing all motivation that almost caused the studio to go out of business, luckily the release of Super Crate Box on the iOS was hugely successful and raised substantial revenue along with more importantly injecting a second wind into the team getting them back on their A-Game.

Looking at Vlambeer today at the PAX Indie Megabooth this weekend they seem to now be hitting their stride with their hotly anticipated game Luftrausers coming out later this year 2012 will continue to be a good year of Vlambeer. The year started off very strong at Gamescom where it was announced that their flagship game Super Crate Box is going to be a launch title on Sony’s Playstation Mobile, opening a whole new area for Vlambeer along with many other indie developers to truly focus on. On the back of this announcement Vlambeer now offer Super Crate Box for free on Steam for both Mac and PC so if you haven’t already played it check it out.

Vlambeer have a great retro styling for many of their games along with injecting a great deal of humour making them a great development team to have in the indie scene, with Luftrausers billed for a release later this year many including me will eagerly anticipate this release. It is very fitting that the studios birthday falls on PAX as their presents at PAX truly is a testament to how far they have came and also sending a message to new developers that it is indeed possible to overcome the slumps and hit success. Be sure to check The Indie Game Magazine for all the latests on Luftrausers as and when it develops.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Happy Second Birthday Vlambeer, It Has Been An Interesting Two Years

How many video games take place in the Arctic? Not many, right. How many video games feature a three way battle between the native Eskimos of the arctic, a mega corporation drilling for oil, and then the creatures of the north that have been mutated by ancient goo? Even less than before. Toss in an arms dealing polar bear named Fatty Sparkles and you have a game I never would have thought up in even my most twisted dreams. That is what you will get to experience in Lantern’s first title, Frost Wars: The Rise of Fatty Sparkles.

A turn based strategy game, Frost Wars: The Rise of Fatty Sparkles lets you take the reins in a war for the arctic being fought between the Eskimos and Toxi Co. Customize your squads and lead them onto battle on a hexagon based map with variable heights, structures, and pathways that are all customizable by the player.

The game is currently in its pre-alpha stage of testing with Lantern constantly changing parts of the design based on player feedback. What’s impressive about Lantern is how much of the game is actually being driven by player feedback, entire game modes have been implemented based on what the gamers want in the final release, something that is always good to see.

Frost Wars: The Rise of Fatty Sparkles will enter its closed alpha stage during PAX and afterwards with its open beta stage set to begin four to six months afterwards. You can keep up to date with the development of Frost Wars on their Facebook page.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Snowballs, Chemicals, and an Arms Dealing Polar Bear

You may recall that a little event called PAX East happened last week and amongst the many attendants were Gaijin Games who said of their capacity and interest in bringing BIT.TRIP Runner 2 to the Wii U.

Considering that the BIT.TRIP series started off life as a Wiiware title it may be fitting that the next entry in the quaffable series, Runner 2, might, perhaps, just maybe coming to Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U. It is most certainly a non-certain subject at the moment but Gaijin revealed at PAX that they are interested in the notion and do in fact have a Wii U development kit, thus making the possibility of its happening fairly likely.

“Stop floundering and get on with it, will you?” Oh yes, I hear your cries, as faint as they are – but I digress, let’s actually pull from this interview with PushSquare‘s Jon Wahlgren, what Gaijin actually said. Better?

“We have a Wii U dev kit, and our game is coming out around the time that system launches, so [Runner 2 on the Wii U] would be pretty cool.”

Gaijin were also asked what they thought of the Wii U’s controller too – you know, the one with the in-built screen:

“I have to think of it in terms of Runner2 now — thinking about it broadly would be too much — but if we were to do a Wii U version, what if you could have a pick-up in the game that reveals hidden bonuses and stuff that you can’t see on your screen but have to hold the controller up? You’re still playing but it’s sort of like an X-ray vision.”

Well there’s a thought – it certainly seems that Gaijin can conjure up some ideas for Runner 2 on the Wii U. But wait – what’s this? It seems that Gaijin are asking fans what king of thing they would want to see implemented in a Wii U version of Runner 2, as proved in this tweet. Well? What do you want to see – go and tell them!

Via NintendoLife