Technology and charm are not two things that naturally go hand-in-hand. This year has seen massive studios create technologically stunning new ways to render brown dirt roads and shattered concrete – there’s just no room for whimsy in triple-A development, it seems. That’s where the indie scene comes in. Frozenbyte’s Trine 2 is a great big cozy comfort-blanket of a game, but is charisma all this fairy-tale storybook has to offer? It takes more than graphics to make a complex platform-puzzle game sing, after all. Wrap up warm, grab yourself some hot cocoa and read on for our verdict.

Gaming is a pretty divisive hobby, but as of late there’s been two things that gamers have universally agreed on: That Frozen Synapse is an amazing game, and the Humble Indie Bundles are amazing value for money. Those two universal statements have somehow crashed headlong into each other. Now – and for the next two weeks – you can get Frozen Synapse (plus an additional five games by Frozenbyte, if you want to pay a bit more) for a price of your own choosing.

The previous two Humble Indie Bundles have been unprecedented successes, launching otherwise lesser-known independently developed games into the big leagues through a single almighty ‘pay what you want’ sale, and all while helping charity along the way, too. Today, the announcement went out of a ‘bonus’ bundle being organized by Wolfire, featuring three games by graphically adept studio Frozenbyte, one unfinished prototype game (with source-code) and one preorder, all for whatever price you’re willing to offer.

This past weekend, Steam and several other digital distributors had a variety of discounted offerings as most of PC publisher Paradox Interactive’s catalog had been put on sale. A few of these games were included in our latest Indie Game Sales feature, as during the vast majority of development they were considered to be independently funded–and as such fall under what we cover on DIYGamer.

In cases such as this, where a publisher’s name is tagged to a game we feel might fall under our admittedly amorphous coverage blanket, it’s simply our duty to exercise due diligence and figure out where the funding for the game came from. If we conclude the finances came from the developer itself, then we’re free to write on it. There’s still a ton of grey area and this certainly doesn’t explain or justify every game that’s been included/omitted from these pages, but it gives us a floor to walk on so to speak.

We’re a young and ambitious site, some of our golden rules are set and some are still evolving on the subject. In the end we’re human, and many times we’ll error on the side of inclusion if there’s no readily available information stating that the game has received funding outside of the developer’s pocket. If it’s found out at anytime that it proves to be otherwise, we’ll be the first to admit fault and correct our mistake–including full omission of the title in question if need be.

Let’s use developer The Behemoth as an example. Microsoft is considered the publisher of Castle Crashers while The Behemoth is listed as both the developer and publisher for their previous title Alien Hominid. For both games–and presumably their upcoming third effort BattleBlock Theater–the dev claims on their website “Our development is 100% self-funded with support from fans who support our cause!” with a link to their games and merchandise. Taking them at their word that indicates that Microsoft only puts funding toward the exposure of Crashers, not the development.

In that case, I consider the game to fall on the right side of our line. Some wouldn’t, and they’d be tough to argue against, but I don’t feel that if one game receives more marketing support than another it should be forced to give up its indie badge and gun.

It’s undeniable that indie games are as popular as they’ve ever been. More than ever before, the indie scene has been brought closer to the typical gamer’s foremost interests. This has been accomplished through all walks of effort and perseverance from more individuals than we may ever know our give credit to. It leads me to beg the question: Why should an indie game lose its tag when the mainstream shows interest in it?

A notable point of contention in what I’ve written above is that we still cover partially-funded games that come from developer’s who were previously indie/independent such as Runic Games (Torchlight), Frozenbyte (Trine) and ACE Team (Zeno Clash, Rock of Ages.) All three developers have been picked up by publishers to develop sequels (or in ACE’s case a completely new IP) of their successful independent predecessors. Must our coverage halt right then and there because of this? Honestly, the jury is still largely out on the point, but let me explain why I personally feel compelled to write on it for both myself and our readers.

We like these games, and we like the people who developed them. We’re interested in what they’re cooking up next. For me it comes back to questioning why we must stop following a developer’s path simply because a publisher has picked them up based on their past independent success. That success is what enabled them to make their next game one way or another, if they look to a publisher to relieve some of the stresses they had to deal with during independent release (outside of development of course) should we then turn a blind eye?

Obviously, if the developer is ever wholly absorbed by their respective publisher and ceases to be some form of individual entity then there’s simply no argument, it can’t and shouldn’t be posted here.

All that said, and there’s still hundreds if not thousands of individual cases that could be argued either for or against in this never ending debate. There isn’t a single authority who correctly and absolutely categorizes what is considered indie in the vast sea of games and projects out there. So instead we research facts and rely on what are gut says a lot of the time. Not an exact science, but no one has ever claimed it to be.

Again, this is just one man’s (still developing) opinion on a very, very complex subject.

Digital Distributor GamersGate has rolled out a week long sale that includes several titles that we at DIYG both know and love. Discounts range from 50%-75% off and the offers are all lovely, so take a look and see if you can turn your misfortune of not owning/playing these games yet into the reward of solid savings.

Clover: A Curious Tale for $5 (50% Off) — Originally an Xbox Live Indie darling, the enhanced PC version offers 50% more puzzles than the original, multiple endings, full voice acting and more.

Emberwind for $4.78 (60% Off) — A fantasy platformer with RPG elements sprinkled on top. Geoff gave it a sparkling review and also had the pleasure of interviewing Erik Möller, one of the game’s creators.

The Lunar Pack: Wake and Lunnye Devitsy for $3.79 (60% Off) — If you missed the pay-what-you-want sale Boss Baddie ran a while back, here’s your chance to pick it up at a price you could easily see yourself wanting to pay. Our review of Wake and interview with the developer.

Max and the Magic Marker for $5 (75% Off) — The title, also out on WiiWare, offers a unique take at the platformer genre and is really a steal at just $5. Geoff’s review.

Saira for $5 (50% Off) — Another great title from Nifflas, the 2D side-scrolling platformer has players exploring seven star systems and solving puzzles. Our review.

Trine for $6.78 (66% Off) — We’ve written a multitude of pieces on the excellent puzzle platformer. If you haven’t yet picked it up based on that or the numerous times it’s been given this type of large discount, well, now’s your chance. Geoff’s review of the game and interview with Frozenbyte’s Lauri Hyvärinen.

Frozenbyte has announced the release of a new update for Trine in celebration of the one year anniversary of the game’s release. The v1.08 patch is currently available only on Steam (a manual update is forthcoming,) and brings support for Nvidia’s 3D Vision tech. If you have the monitor, graphics card and glasses necessary, you now have the option to play the title in 3D.

The update also brings improvements for the game’s anti-aliasing support and fixes the final level so no new enemies appear on the Very Hard setting.

Steam owners should receive the patch automatically. If you’re unsure fire ‘er up and see if that doesn’t kick-start it.

From the change log:

Trine v1.08

- adds support for NVIDIA 3D Vision

- tweaks the antialiasing method, works better now (enabled in the Launcher or “/antialias_samples 8″ etc in the game console)

- tweaks the last level once again, now no enemies on Very Hard (for the Achievement)

- fixes minor item description text errors

It’s an unusually fantastic weekend for indie sales, what’s unusual for us is that it all comes from one outlet. Yes, Steam is having one of its semi-annual blowout sales that sees the vast majority of games in the digital distributor’s catalog discounted somewhere between nice and blatantly absurd, including over 60 indie offerings. Let’s highlight some of the biggest and best, as well as some of the other sites (yes, there are other sales going on this weekend.) Another thing to note about the Steam sales, these go through the 4th of July, but there are also ridiculously cheap daily deals that we’ll have to miss here, though I must mention Galcon Fusion for $2.50 until tomorrow morning!

Out of the many offerings available, Sacraboar at 90% off would seem to take the cake, the well received $20 tile is now $2. Altitude is 66% off at $3.40, AI War carries the same 66% discount as does its expansion. Chains is 75% off at just $1.24, Invent4′s Bad Rats: the Rats Revenge is $0.95 down from $5. Puzzle game Quantz is $2.50 down from $10, Super Laser Racer is $1.25, the list goes on.

Looking to save a bundle on a bundle? Steam’s offering several at big discounts including:

Introversion Complete Pack for $5 (87% off) – Packs Darwinia, Multiwinia, Uplink and Defcon.

Action Indie Pack for $6.24 (75% off) – Packs Larva Mortus, Penguins Arena: Sedna’s World, RIP – Trilogy, Space Trader: Merchant Marine and Tank Universal.

Puzzle Indie Pack for $3.74 (75% off) – Packs Chains, Gumboy – Crazy Adventures, Obulis and Vigil: Blood Bitterness.

Northern Lights Indies for $20 (64% off) – Packs Blueberry Garden, Bob Came in Pieces, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Plain Sight and Saira. That’s a quality bundle of games right there.

Summer Indie Action Pack for $20 (60% off) – Packs Aaaah! A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, Gridrunner Revolution, Metal Drift, Starscape and Zombie Driver.

Maybe most importantly Steam also offers 50% off on almost every big indie title you can think of over the past couple of years with titles including (just to name a few): Machinarium, Zeno Clash, Trine, Cogs, Eufloria, Gratuitous Space Battles, Time Gentleman/Ben There, Dan That and much more. If you were waiting for any of the various titles we mention on this site to go down in price its more than worth your time to browse through the list and pick up some wonderful games at amazing prices.

Impulse carries a lone independent sale with Zoetrope Interactive’s Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage for $18 instead of its standard $30, a 40% discount.

Direct2Drive also gets in the mix with Kerberos Productions Fort Zombie for 75% off, bringing the title down to $2.50.

After reading our post a couple days ago about Frozenbyte announcing a partnership with Atlus and announcing a new game at E3, you may have been left wondering just what that game was. Was it a new IP, an XBLA version of Trine, or perhaps a sequel to the original? Well if you guessed the latter then you’d be right as Atlus has revealed that Trine 2 will be shown off next at next week’s E3 convention in Los Angeles, of whch we’ll have the most extensive indie coverage you’re likely to find.

For those who haven’t played the original, I strongly suggest that you do. It is easily one of the best PSN games on the PS3 hardware, as well as one of the best indie PC games available.

The story follows three unlikely heroes: a selfish wizard, a greedy thief, and a clumsy warrior as they attempt to figure out what went wrong with the world and why they seem to be inextricably cursed by a magical device named the Trine.

Read my own review of the game.

The sequel will probably be picking up from where the first one left off, although the manner in which they do it will be interesting. Trine’s ending, without spoiling anything, didn’t really leave much to create a new game off of. Still though, with Frozenbyte’s incredible knack for creating a beautiful story, I’m sure they’ll be able to do it again for the game’s sequel.

We’ll have more information and, hopefully, a hands on experience of the game at E3 next week. Stay tuned!

E3 is less than a week away, and since a triad of DIY writers will be attending the event to provide you WALL-TO-F@CKING-WALL COVERAGE (or you know, try to get a few conversations and previews with those indo devs wandering around) I thought it a boon to get a head start on all the madness, and with a related press release arriving in the inbox this morning, there’s something significant to share.

Frozenbyte–developer of the all around excellent puzzle platformer Trine–has been busy behind the scenes, with word arriving that the studio has partnered with publisher Atlus to release a yet to be announced digital distribution title. The game is currently targeted for a 2011 release and more info will be announced next week at E3.

While no platforms were provided in the press release, ‘digital distribution’ all but confirms it will have a PC version and begs the question if PSN or perhaps even XBLA or WiiWare will be involved as well. We’ll have more when the announcement hits sometime during the Expo. From the full press release:

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – Atlus U.S.A., Inc., publisher of Demon’s Souls, GameSpot.com’s 2009 Game of the Year, and Frozenbyte, developers of Shadowgrounds and the award-winning Trine, today announced a publishing partnership for an as-of-yet unannounced 2011 digital distribution title.

“In a short amount of time, Frozenbyte has established itself as a premiere international developer, delivering original, critically-acclaimed interactive entertainment,” stated Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Atlus. “Their last release, the cooperative physics-based action-platformer Trine, achieved arguably more acclaim and success than anybody expected, and left an indelible mark on the industry as to how new technology can help completely redefine a classic gaming genre. We’re incredibly excited for the opportunity to help them bring their next impressive project to the international gaming community.”

“We couldn’t be happier signing our new game with Atlus. As an independent developer we felt that partnering with a publisher who is flexible and shares our vision of the game was the best way to bring the game out to a large audience,” said Lauri Hyvarinen, CEO of Frozenbyte. “We can’t wait to unveil the mystery – I’m confident that we’re creating one of the best titles of 2011!”

More details about their upcoming project will be disclosed upcoming E3 2010 Expo in Los Angeles, California.

About Atlus U.S.A., Inc.

Located in Irvine, California and founded in 1991, Atlus U.S.A., Inc. is renowned for its proud tradition of publishing exceptional role-playing games with strong niche appeal. The Atlus library of critically acclaimed video games includes Demon’s Souls, Odin Sphere, the Trauma Center series, and the award-winning Shin Megami Tensei series. For more information, visit http://www.atlus.com.

For breaking news, special promotions, insider info, and more, visit http://www.atlus.com/faithful to join the ranks of the Atlus Faithful!

About Frozenbyte

Frozenbyte is an independent game developer focused on games based on original IP for consoles and PC. Frozenbyte’s current original IP titles include the highly acclaimed Shadowgrounds series and Trine. The company is currently working on two projects. Frozenbyte was founded in 2001 and is based in Helsinki, Finland. Please visit the official website at http://www.frozenbyte.com for more information.

We have an uncommon amount of inquiries in our latest gaggle of Indie Links. We’re like the anti-Lowe’s: You’ve got questions, we’ve got ‘em too pal; but, with a lot of reading and a little introspection you may just find answers. Answers you didn’t even know you were looking for in the first place.

Have I thoroughly confused you? Good, you’re prepped, jump into the colorful ball pit.

The Activision Indie Games Competition from the view of an Indie Game Developer (Wolfire Blog)
“You may have heard that Activision is hosting an independent games competition, like a much higher stakes version of the Independent Games Festival. We’ve been getting messages from fans about it, encouraging us to enter. However, after reading the finalized terms, this seems to be an entirely different kind of competition: an indie game / business plan jam to create investment opportunities and world-exclusive development prototypes for Activision to profit from. Many stories see it and immediately laud Activision for helping the indie community, while many stories are quick to trash it, noting dubious clauses in the fine print. As an indie developer, I thought I’d take a closer look myself.”

Who’s The Boss? (Team Meat Blog)
“I posted the 1st images of C.H.A.D. the final boss in Ch2 “The Hospital” on our twitter the other day and i thought id make a more in depth blog post about him, and bosses in general.”

Opinion: Where Have All The Good PC Casual Games Gone? (GameSetWatch)
“In this editorial, Gamezebo founder Joel Brodie examines the effects of a vicious price war on PC downloadable casual games, suggesting that the segment is in “dire shape”, and may only get worse without major changes.”

Postmortem: Frozenbyte’s Trine (Gamasutra)
“As the third game for us, Trine had a lot riding on it. If it would not be successful, it would be hard to find the strength to carry on, and the financial debts would probably devour the company. But it was also a project full of potential — Trine was to be the rebirth of Frozenbyte.”

Why didn’t you buy Gratuitous Space Battles? (Cliffski’s Blog)
“I am NOT complaining. I am NOT moaning about sales. I am NOT unhappy with sales, I am not whining or anything like it. I just like making games that people enjoy, and I don’t know why the people who didn’t buy it, didn’t buy it. I’d like to know. The answers may well make it a better game for everyone, if I fix those reasons (if they make sense). It will make the game attractive to current fence-sitters, better for current owners, and more sales for me and my cats.”

Interview: Firemint’s Peters On iPhone/iPad-Fueled Studio Independence (GameSetWatch)
“Independent Australian developer Firemint (Flight Control, Real Racing) has built a strong presence on iPhone and iPad, and our own Christian Nutt talks to the studio’s Alexandra Peters about its success and philosophies.”

The Joystiq Indie Pitch: bitFLIP (Joystiq)
“Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we’re giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week, we talk with Joshua Hernandez of Tap Me! Games.”

Joe Danger Review (IGN)
“These aren’t just race tracks. Levels are laid out like platforming environments with hidden areas and items to find. You’re not just trying to reach the finish line as fast as you can – this is a game you can explore.”

Mini-Review: Love+ (Big Download)
“There’s something supremely entertaining about a simple, lo-fi game that doesn’t aim to complicate its mechanics. Love is such a game, and the developer has outdone himself with the remake Love+. A love song to the era of tough platforming, Love+ is fun, polished, and best of all, available for whatever you want.”

Preview: Night Train‏ (IndieGames)
“Night Train is the story of a woman’s journey into her memories. Having fallen asleep while riding the train, she begins to remember her past, and slowly pieces together why she is on the train in the first place.”

Preview: Leap4Blue (IndieGames)
“We don’t usually post trailers for Flash projects awaiting sponsorship, but Noel Berry’s Leap4Blue seems like a fun little game that could be of interest to fans of challenging platformers. He’s currently working on adding around fifty levels to Leap4Blue, and once that’s done it’ll be up for bidding and shortly after, a release.”