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Tavern A Good Time: ‘Tavern of Heroes’ Coming Soon; Demo Now Available

Richard Glenn — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:08:19 +0000

Once a key staple of the retail gaming industry, the point-and-click adventure genre now predominantly resides within the more unglamorous, yet no less accommodating confines of the indie scene. And although they’re still retaining a healthy fanbase, it’s often argued that these forms of interactive media are becoming somewhat mundane and outdated as the hopes and expectations of an evolving audience continue to change with the times.

Montreal’s Optim Game Studio is hoping to turn the enduring genre on its head with the release of its upcoming fantasy adventure, Tavern of Heroes. Despite its official status as a standard point-and-click affair, Tavern offers a new spin on traditional convention by allowing players to control, customise and interact with an entire party of wholly unique characters. In essence, we’re looking at a symbiotic alliance between the point-and-click adventure and team-based RPG gaming subcategories, bringing together the sense of discovery and environmental interaction associated with adventure titles and the hands-on approach to tactical squad-based micromanagement made famous by the role-playing darlings of a bygone era.

The game’s developers have recently embarked upon a public funding campaign via Indiegogo, through which they’re aiming to implement new in-game items, boss battles and a lengthy, sophisticated story, which, all being well, could end up containing “themes that are not generally tackled in popular video games,” the specific details of which are yet to be disclosed. Perhaps even more enticing is the fact that Optim are also entertaining the idea of adding multiplayer gameplay, complete with full online leaderboard support, depending on public reaction to the concept.

Players wishing to dip their toes into Tavern of Heroes‘ waters can try out a newly-released demo version, which focuses primarily on the game’s battle system. It’s freely available on the game’s IndieDB page, where you can also find out more information about the game itself.

You Did It! ‘Ludum Dare 23′ Delivers Over 1100 Games

Chris Priestman — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:12:28 +0000

In what can only be described as a very impressive turnout, Ludum Dare‘s 10th anniversary 48 hour game jam has now come to a close and the target of 1000 games was smashed!

The goal was set at a record breaking 1000 games made for Ludum Dare 23 – the 48 hour game jam’s 10th anniversary event – and the masses churned out their creations in bulk. In fact, the actual count ends up at over 1100 games made in 48 hours; an adequate offering to the Ludum Dare gods if there ever was one. The theme of these games as decided before things set off, is Tiny Worlds, so you can expect a lot of mini adventures and characters of small proportions.

Now that the jam is over, the next step is to play and judge the games. This will be performed by as many people who are signed up with the site, and who bother to do so, over the next 20 days which is a fair amount of time, but to judge over 1100 games? Well, we can only hope. We’re going to be playing them ourselves and highlighting our favourites over the next few weeks.

If you submitted a game to Ludum Dare 23 feel free to post about it in the comment section below and we’ll all check it out!

Otherwise, you have over 1100 free games to go and play, so make with it!

More information on Ludum Dare can be found over on the official website.

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No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize: Metaphysical Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Moebius’ To Be Next Jane Jensen Point And Clicker.

‘Awesomenauts’ Point-and-Click Spinoff Announced

Richard Glenn — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:36:07 +0000

Looking forward to Awesomenauts? Yeah, so are we. Like point-and-click adventure games too? Then read on, indie fans.

Just after we were buoyed by the revelation that Awesomenauts will release on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network services on May 2nd, developers Romino Games have delivered a double-whammy with the announcement of Day of the Awesomenauts: Monkey Throttle.

But it’s not just any regular old point-and-click adventure. Oh, no. It’s a bona fide “story-driven, sidescrolling, point-and-click online multiplayer adventure brawler arena role-playing shooter game,” as the guys at Romino so eloquently put it. That, I think you’ll agree is a gaming package and a half.

In keeping with the genre traditions laid out by such industry pioneers as Schafer and Gilbert, Romino will also be placing a hefty emphasis on taxing puzzles and whimsical dialogue trees, forcing players to scan every single pixel in a given level to ward off NPC players, who will be fully prepared with a veritable arsenal of verbal witticisms and punchy rhetorical diatribe with which to thwart your efforts.

“I didn’t just miss the clicking,” claims Romino’s Jasper Koning. “It’s especially the pointing that seemed to be missing from games nowadays.”

Smart man, that Mr. Koning is.

Day of the Awesomenauts: Monkey Throttle will undergo full development following the public release of Awesomenauts, with a release date firmly cited by Romino as being “exactly a year from now”.

So, what are you waiting for? Dig out those diaries and get ready to circle the all important date – April 1st 2013.

Wait, April 1st? Ah, dang it.

Back For Seconds: ‘Anna’ Knows When You’re Scared

Chris Priestman — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:33:22 +0000

Two weeks later and here is another trailer for the Italian horror adventure game, Anna, and this time things are getting just a little bit…scary.

Anna is a confusing mistress. While at first glance she’ll catch your eye with the bright green grass and detailed exterior of the game’s central location. Head inside and things take a dramatic turn for the worst. It’s within the confines of this decrepit building that eyes start appearing all over the walls, even more so than in Condemned, plus plant pots will launch themselves at your face.

We’ve been a little bit excited about Anna as it slowly escalates the horror elements – the bit we’re all here for really. Though the game’s interface, which operates as part point-and-click adventure and part that physics-based touchy feely of Amnesia, is also an attraction. Not to mention the game’s adaptive narrative which will assess your choices and actions and pick one of three different endings for you to head towards.

Enough chuffing about that old news though as this new trailer starts to pick up the fear in and of Anna. We can only presume that the titular Anna is a force, perhaps a spirit, of some kind and that she wants to scare us. Worst thing is she knows how to and if she doesn’t at first she’ll soon find a way to. Bring it on!

You can find out more information about Anna over on the developer’s official blog.

‘Flatland: Fallen Angle’ Gets To The Point

Chris Priestman — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:37:15 +0000

The newly-found conglomerate that is SeeThrough Studios has released Flatland: Fallen Angle after just 96 hours in the making, which aptly describes their game design philosophy: “Make games fast. Show your working.”If there was ever a good example to point towards for how to make your game look decent without an artist on board, Flatland: Fallen Angle is it. Inspired by the 1884 novella Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott, Fallen Angle is the tale of an isosceles triangle on the run from the law in a polygon-noir world. No you haven’t got your ‘Crazy Hat’ on, we actually just said that.The whole development process behind the game has been thoroughly documented (have a look here) – it being made by a thrown together team from Throw the Looking Glass and Ark Games in 96 hours across a three week period and with no artist whatsoever. Fortunately, the audio side of Fallen Angle was superbly supplied, featuring “narration by a semi-professional actor, music by a guy who has an IMDB page, and sound effects by a guy who doesn’t.”The result of this hectic development process is a game which has you “splinching” your shapely enemies; basically stabbing them with your point until they are broken up into tiny pieces

Original Source: ‘Flatland: Fallen Angle’ Gets To The Point

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