Tag Archive

“Gamers Are Revolting” – Hover: Revolt of Gamers | Review

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Broken Joysticks

So Hover: Revolt of Gamers is a game Kickstarted in 2014 (remember this) inspired by Jet Set Radio and Mirror’s Edge. While I have zero experience playing the evergreen classic of JSR, I have a lot of respect for the original Mirror’s Edge and a bit of it for its… requel.

Hover starts us off by waking us up in our customizable avatar from a Cloning Vat, and takes us through a short tutorial that gives us the basic controls in a small controlled environment before unleashing us out in the world of Trash Haven, where the “resistance” is led by… gamers. Yup. Because laws have made video games official contraband. Seriously.

You can find collectibles (like the “Gamegirl” handhelds) or destroy some “anti-leisure propaganda”. The game progresses both to new areas and through whatever story may actually be here through Missions, which are the typical checkpoint-relay variety, or one with the twist of throwing your delivery package “Gameball” at a wall magnet. Added into the mix is the ability to design your own missions for your friends or strangers to play through as well.

Its level design is very cluttered. There are jump-pads that aren’t lined up with anything so you overshoot, there are massive vertical climbs without actually giving you decent pathing to do so. The climbing over terrain itself is quite frustrating, at times I will line up a jump and it’s a coin flip on whether my character will try to climb over the ledge I land on, or instead position to wall jump off of it for no reason (one time I even wall jumped off of a slime waterfall?). These little mishaps will leave you tumbling down, and you either have to spend several minutes trying to climb back up to where you were, or burn through your suit’s “rewind” power (less Braid, and more Overwatch’s Tracer),

For a first/third person platformer that’s all about parkour and jumping, it feels very haphazardly thrown together in that regard and uses the Rewind to try and excuse its own poor level design with zero regards for consistency or fluidity of motion.

It seems to be more trying to be in your face about “We’re here and we’re gamers” over actually presenting a good product, and considering that it was crowdfunded in 2014 over folks “taking your games away”, it feels very much like at least one of its members was part of the culture that created that other “gamers revolt” in 2014. And really, we don’t need any more of that.

Hover: Revolt of Gamers developer provided Brokenjoysticks.net a code for the game for our consideration & Impressions

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Soulless Wonder Needs Your Steam Greenlight Votes

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Les Major

Soulless Wonder Conversation

We’re getting close to the release of the Soulless Wonder Kickstarter. It’s a wonderful game drawn by past Marvel and Dark Horse comics artist Rod Espinosa! The story itself is quite deep too. Gamers help make decisions of Lantz, a bard who is cursed to have to date Monster Girls. It’s a comical adventure but also takes on some very serious issues as well!

It’s an important game to Darkain Arts and we hope you’ll give it a look. Covering topics like mental health, bullying, and even transgender issues hasn’t been an easy task, but the writing is top notch. The game isn’t preachy. It’s about building relationships and getting to know each of the games complex characters.

Inspired by the conversation mechanics of NIS America titles but with lots of decisions like a Telltale Games adventure, Soulless Wonder is an ironically titled game that’s full of spirit.

Give the team a vote on Steam Greenlight and help get Soulless Wonder closer to a digital release: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=874540710

There’s lots more to come on this fantastic new title so stay tuned. If you’re a Steam user, be sure to vote! It costs nothing to vote yes. It’s a poll and it shows your support for this title. The game is still in development after all.

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Monster Dating Game Soulless Wonder Hits Steam Greenlight

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Les Major

Soulless Wonder Title

Sister site Darkain Arts Gamers has released their very first game on Steam Greenlight and it’s a doozy! Lantz is a cursed bard who has to adventure out beyond his kingdom to try to convince monster girls to fall in love with him. Why? Because the Paladin Queen of the kingdom shattered his soul and it’s the only way to restore his spirit to his body!

Lantz can try to romance eight different characters ranging from a fox girl, zombie, slime girl, goblin, succubus, and even an eldritch horror inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft to name a few.

Inspired by companies like Telltale Games and NIS America, Soulless Wonder is a dating sim with meaningful choices to make and complex characters to get to know. Even more amazing, Rod Espinosa of The Courageous Princess fame is doing the artwork! He’s working for companies such as Marvel and Dark Horse comics in the past, as well as being nominated for both an Eisener and Ignatz award! The news just keeps getting better with composer Joel Steudler creating the music for the game. He’s best known for creating music packs with Degica for RPG Maker in recent years.

Show your support today and vote for Soulless Wonder: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=874540710

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Circles: An Indie Game | Review

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Meghan Kass

Circles is an independent, casual puzzle game by developer Jeroen Wimmers. Circles boasts its 90+ levels and bonus content and its unique intuitive game play that doesn’t require lengthy tutorials,  words and a “zen” atmosphere that promotes relaxation and the ability to “let your mind wander”.  Does this minimalist circular based game succeed in its efforts to relax and be so intuitive that you don’t need tutorials or texts to distract you from relaxing? Or does it fall short?

As far as design and atmosphere, there are some fine choices that do set the desired mood the designer intended. the color choices of this game are earthy, soft and pleasant to the eye. There is rarely a level that uses bright, loud colors and instead uses light blues, browns, soft pinks and deep oranges which are relaxing to watch as you explore the levels. The music is soft and changes along with your movements in the game, but always stays breathy with occasional strums when you need to start a puzzle over again. Even the use of circles themselves is almost calming; there are no sharp corners, no overwhelming numbers of different shapes and instead just simple, round circles. This game’s design will definitely put you in a zen mood with its simplicity and softness.

The gameplay is definitely unique as advertised. The game uses only the mouse to move around your circle through the puzzle of opposing circles in order to meet your matching circle and complete the level. The levels range from easy to challenging, though there are a few levels that seem to be a bit nonsensical in their solution. A few puzzles had me just swiping the mouse quickly through circles and it actually working out for me. These levels left me feeling slightly unsatisfied, but were quick enough to not ruin the game for me. The beauty of this game is that for every level you don’t enjoy, there are plenty more you most likely will if these kinds of puzzles are your type of game. There are also beautiful “boss” levels that lead you through swirling circle patterns to enter the next stage which had me almost hypnotized. If there is a game that can call itself “zen” or “relaxing” while still offering a challenge, this is it. Each new stage offers new gameplay elements to explore to keep the game from being monotonous or boring, which is good for a game consisting of nothing but circles and one ultimate goal.

This is not the game you play when you’re looking to let out aggression or are looking for something punishing in its difficulty, but it really is a game to play to unwind and relax maybe while watching your favorite TV show or before bed. As someone with anxiety and mood disorders, this game was definitely enjoyable. Not needing a tutorial or to memorize lines of text was almost a relief as sometimes games can be overwhelming trying to teach you its rules and world. I was worried the game would get tiresome or boring, but the levels and interactivity vary enough to keep from too much repetition or tedium and you can bounce around slightly to different levels if one is not suiting you or enjoyable to you. If you want a relaxing, simple game to unwind with after a long day, this may be for you. The game will be offered for $8.99 US dollars and with the sheer amount of content and beautiful, zen atmosphere it might be worth considering. If you are not a fan of simple puzzle games, you can pass on this, but if you like puzzles and want a calming experience, pick it up and play and enjoy hours of circles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aey6wZ0Y16w&feature=youtu.be

 

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What does the possible elimination of the NEA mean to video games?

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Meghan Kass

In the United States, there is a federal agency that goes by the name the National Endowment of the Arts. According to their website, they are “an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.”. On January 19th, a report from The Hill, and an unnamed source reported that the NEA was on the chopping block for budget cuts under the reasoning that taxpayers should not have to pay for such things such as plays, paintings, scholarly journals or other such works and that it was a “waste”. While it can be debated whether or not the NEA is necessary or not, what can not be debated are the numbers. The NEA and NEH (National Endowment of Humanities) would only be 0.0006 percent of the 2016’s federal spending, a minuscule amount for something that provides a lot of opportunities to so many Americans. This is also particularly disappointing as only as recently as 2012 was the NEA paying attention to the world of video games and funding such projects as Walden, a game and allowing what was once thought of as mere children’s toys to be seen as a serious medium for art. How will the elimination of the NEA effect the gaming community?

A Still From Indie-Cade 2015, a popular gathering of indie developers.

In 2012, $290,000 in grants were given to 4 video game projects. This opened the door to new types of video games and new creators. It was even inspiring non profit organizations such as the WITS (writers in the schools) to utilize grant money to incorporate video games into the education of students in reading and writing by using their inspiration and knowledge to make whole video game projects and stories. If not for the NEA, some creators may not have had the opportunity to explore video game creation and bring their ideas to life in this medium and with the NEA offering millions of dollars in grants each year, who knows what new creations could be made or what brilliant new artist could be discovered? If the NEA is eliminated, this could potentially hurt the progress of video games being explored and expanded as a medium even further, especially since it had only just gotten its chance to shine as a federally funded art form in America.

 

The freedom of indie developers mean that exploring with emerging technologies like VR is possible.

While the gaming industry is still going to be standing and even the indie community will still find its funding, especially with crowd funding as an increasingly viable option, the elimination of the NEA still destroys an opportunity for learning and growth for some and it is now more than ever important  for Americans to help support its gaming  community and its creators and continue to grow and evolve video games. Art, in any form, is essential to culture, building creativity, empathy and education and that most certainly includes video games.

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Perception, A New First Person Horror Experience Coming From Ex Irrational Devs

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Developers from the now defunct Irrational Games have formed a new studio, The Deep End Games, and have unveiled their first project – Perception, a first person horror experience that will be coming to both Windows PC and PlayStation 4. The Deep End Games have partnered with a brand new publisher, Feardemic – which is owned by Layers of Fear devs Bloober Team, to bring their unique horror experience to life.

Perception isn’t your typical horror narrative, the game’s protagonist, Cassie has lost her sight and relies on a cane and SmartPhone in order to navigate the environment. With these tools at her side she is able to use a form of echolocation to traverse a gloomy Massachusetts Mansion that might be hiding a dark & ancient secret. Using her tools Cassie is able to use her cane & phone to generate sounds that will illuminate the environment for players. Ambient sounds such as a door slamming shut or a foe running towards you will also illuminate more of the mansion for players to explore. Since Cassie can’t fight back if she is spotted she’ll have no other recourse but to hide and wait for the all clear.

It is important to note that this game does fall into the trope of providing blind people with superpowers – in this case literally echolocation that produces vivid imagery. While modern scientific research using fMRI machines has shown that the brain will rewire itself towards the other sense, this does not result in the type of enhanced experience shown within perception. As someone with a partial visual impairment –  I’m blind in one eye – I am a primarily auditory dominate individual but this doesn’t mean that I can hear frequencies that others can not, it simply means the brain has rewired itself through neuroplasticity to put more focus on the other senses. I feel that this is an important distinction that needs to be addressed when discussing a game with a disabled lead character, especially with a mechanic like Cassie’s echolocation.

As Scientific American discuses the neuroplasticity concept in relation to loss of senses thusly:

“It is commonly assumed that the improvement in the remaining senses is a result of learned behavior; in the absence of vision, blind people pay attention to auditory cues and learn how to use them more efficiently. But there is mounting evidence that people missing one sense don’t just learn to use the others better. The brain adapts to the loss by giving itself a makeover.”

Realism aside Perception looks like a fun horror experience with a story that could be engaging – honestly I’d like to know more about the game’s narrative. Perception was originally kickstarted in 2015 to the tune of $168,000 USD with a then projected release date of June 2016. The devs outlined more about their plans for the game over on the PlayStation Blog yesterday – go check it out!

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Bound Review: A Game That Hits All The Right Beats

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Meghan Kass

In a summer that has allowed indie games and smaller titles to shine and show what they are capable of, Sony has added one more title to that list before the fall rush of major AAA titles begins. Bound, developed by Plastic, has taken the spotlight and used it to tell an emotional, heart wrenching story and manages to do so in quite a short amount of time. This is a game that will hypnotize you and definitely leave an impact on some long after it’s over.

Bound’s strength is first and foremost in its story. In the game, you take on the role of a young princess who needs to navigate her world using the art of interpretive dance and elegant, flowing movement and ultimately save her world. The universe in which the princess resides is surreal and dreamlike, which fits with the narrative because we are exploring the mind, feelings and memories of a young woman and her past. As you explore, you are able to piece together her thoughts and relive her experiences through this princess and help her overcome some of her more distressing memories. This story is dripping in metaphor, but is not inaccessible to those not caring to analyze and break it down; it seeks to paint a clear enough picture with metaphor and surrealism that will help keep the player immersed in the mood and art rather than leave them lost and bored. There are both beautiful, slow, thoughtful moments along with hectic platforming depending on the story unfolding to help keep you
on your toes, so to speak.

Bound’s artistic style might take a little time to get used to, but once I let myself become immersed in the paper style, beautiful dance movements and bright colors, I was hypnotized. The dancing was some of the most beautiful animation I have seen in a game and really had me impressed with the small development team. I al
so very much enjoyed the puzzle piece style of putting together the young woman’s memories and how the pieces of the picture would gather and put itself together based on where you moved in the scene.

bound-770x300_c

The only weak point for Bound is in its gameplay. This is not a game for those looking for competitive play, heavy action or breakneck speed. This is a slow, emotional, artistic trip that focuses on the style and story rather than the gameplay. While this is not a bad thing, the platforming does suffer because of this.

I unfortunatekdkvohmh6sdhlk2sr2nhly encountered some broken platforms that would cause me to fall through them while jumping, even though it was clear I had landed on them, which would set me back a little, It was not enough to make me give up or get angry, but worth noting. I also found the moments you had to dance to hold back enemies to be slightly unfulfilling as you simply could just press whatever dance button you like with no reasoning or direction and it would all work the same in getting past whatever obstacle was in your way, but some might see that as a way to just express yourself and be more free in what you can do with this dream like world; i personally still enjoyed dancing in as many different ways as I could and dancing in as many different ways I was able to.

While Bound is not perfect, I still highly recommend it. For what few flaws cause it to stumble, it more than gracefully makes up for in its art and story. It’s short, sweet and worth the evening it will take to complete. Let the princess and her adventures sweep you off your feet.

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Lovely Planet Follow-Up Focuses On Arcade Action

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Do you remember Tiny Build’s 2014 colorful FPS Lovely Planet? Well the publisher is back with a direct sequel to their heart filled, pastel colored shooter that focuses on FPS action. With four unique worlds for players to explore Lovely Planet Arcade offers up hundreds of levels that will test your jumping, strafing and shooting skills. Once you’ve beaten the arcade mode all of the levels can be played in either Fast or Mirror mode for an additional challenge.

Lovely Planet Arcade is available for pre-order on Steam for $5.99 USD but if you want a taste of Lovely Planet’s action without putting down any cash Tiny Build is giving away the 2014 original in partnership with Bundle Stars & PC Gamer– so make sure to head on over there and redeem your free key while supplies last.

In their official blog post Tinybuild described Lovely Planet Arcade like this:

“2014’s critical-hit Lovely Planet had us flying through the skies, carelessly spraying bullets in the clouds. It’s time now to hand in your jump boots because we’re going back to the shooting range for some old-school action in Lovely Planet Arcade! Buckle up for close quarter combat through tight corners sprinkled with trigger-happy baddies eager to send you back to the starting line!”

Check out the launch trailer for Lovely Planet Arcade below and let us know what you think of the game in the comments section.

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ASSAULT SUIT LEYNOS AVAILABLE NOW on ps4

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

One of the many titles I got the chance to see at PAX east was Assault Suit Lynos. A game about mechs, flying, destroying things, and well not much else. Now  publisher Rising Star Games have brought this love letter to mechs to PS4. I loved the 2d flat arty take on mechs that I got to play at Pax East, and it looks like from the launch trailer that that action is still there.

Based on the legendary classic 16-bit series (also known as Target Earth), the Assault Suit series is famous for fierce and fast shooting action, a tactical variety of missions, and wonderful weapon customization options. When I played it the action was fast, the enemies were strong.

Were gonna need a bigger... gun?

Were gonna need a bigger… gun?

Lee Skittrell  the marketing director for Rising Star games said of  Assault Suit: “The biggest, best and most thrilling summer blockbusters always feature an alien menace to conquer, Assault Suit Leynos stands confidently alongside the most explosive sci-fi smash hits, with its faithful HD remaster and – via a host of new gameplay features – retooling of, a much-loved classic from the halcyon days of console gaming.”

So is there a story?

yes, and here it is. As Earth reels from the impact of a fourth world war and dwindling resources, an uneasy truce between nations sees mankind reach for the stars. Colonies are settled, resources are mined, and the future starts looking a little brighter. Just as peace finally seems possible, an unknown enemy emerges from the deepest region of space to threaten the very existence of humanity. Only one thing can stop them – it’s time to deploy the Assault Suit Squadron! Gamers will blast through the opposing enemy forces with devastating weapons like machine guns, rocket launchers, and laser beams, all while discovering the hidden truth behind the invaders.

Sounds pretty generic, but hey its a game about mechs that shoot stuff, go play it trust me you will love it.

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Summer Sale! Games You Should Play: HammerWatch

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Kyle Scarboro

It is that time of the year (For our Northern Hemisphere readers). The days are long and school is out! The sun is shining and….STEAM IS HAVING THEIR SUMMER SALE?!

Steam-Sale-meme

 

Okay, enough with the cheese. Let us get down to the meat and potatoes of this sacred occasion.

Throughout Steam’s Summer Sale, I will be reviewing games that are ripe for the picking. These games are hidden gems that I believe would be worth your time and hard earned lunch money. Some games will be new and some will be older titles, but all games will be on sale and that is truly what matters. So without further ado, let us meet our first contestant!

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Indie VR Spotlight: Fox VR

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Virtual Reality is all the rage right now in the PC space and sure big titles like Elite Dangerous, Eurotruck Simulator and EVE: Valkyrie have proven that VR can be as immersive as we imagined, there is a lot of interesting stuff out there released by independent developers.

Enter FoxVR, a small indie title developed for the Gear VR as part of the recent 2016 Nordic Game Jam. Created by itch.io user DanniFox this experience was developed over the course of just three days – from April 8th through the 10th. FoxVR is a simple title, the player is positioned low to the ground, to simulate the stature of a fox, and you use your Gear VR (or substitute PC headset) to look around while hunting down all of the mice hidden within the map.  DanniFox’s chosen aesthetic is basic, but seeing a huge snout in front of my eyes as I used my headset to look around the environment brought a smile to my face.

FoxVR might not be the type of game that everyone is going to try on their headsets but in such an early time for the medium it is interesting to see the type of experiences independent developers can come up with given a strict deadline.

Itch.io is full of smaller bite sized VR experiences like FoxVR that provide some unique takes on what VR can bring to an interactive experience. Look forward to more coverage of smaller VR experiences in the future. You can download FoxVR from Danny’s itch.io page.

FoxVR

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‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’ Dev In Negotiations To Remake Games For Consoles

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Indie horror sensation Five Nights At Freddy’s could get a remake on current generation consoles according to the game’s developer, Scott Cawthon. According to Scott he is already in talks with “a few companies” about fully remaking the games to take advantage of the 8th generation of consoles.

The original Five Nights At Freddy’s and its’ sequels were developed in ClickTeam Fusions 2.5 – an visual orientated game development suite that eschews traditional scripting languages like C++ or C# for an easy to understand “Event Editor” grid system. While Fusion 2.5 is a very versatile creation suite that supports a number of platforms – and version 3.0 looks even more promising – it currently does not support major games consoles, making a full remake necessary.

FNAF and its spin-offs became almost overnight sensations after the first game’s massive success on YouTube in 2014. The player takes the role of a night watchmen during the 12 AM – 6AM security shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a Chucky E Cheese analogue. Developer Scott Cawthron has developed 2 direct sequels to the original game and one less than praised attempt to turn the series into an RPG.

[youtube id=”iOztnsBPrAA”]

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Knight Squad PAX East Guided Demo & Video

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

ChinsawAwesome’s 8 player indie brawler Knight Squad had their own booth at PAX East and we were able to get a guided tour of the mayhem filled multiplayer title from one of the developers. Players take to the arena was one of several colored Knights with the objective of capturing a chalice placed within the arena.  Just don’t think it will be easy to capture because every player has access to different power-ups and ability pick-ups placed throughout the map!

Last man standing style death match isn’t the only activity isn’t Knight Squad’s only mode – players can also test the strength of their friendships with Medieval Soccer, Capture the Flag, Capture the Grail and more. Knight Squad also supports up to 8 players for chaotic evil online times!

Knight Squad is currently available on Steam and the Xbox Live Marketplace.

[youtube id=”vW_gGwYhns8″]

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Blood Alloy: Reborn A good start but needs work

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

Review by: Brandon Hall

Blood Alloy: Reborn is a new early access game from Suppressive Fire Games. Its currently released in early access an introduction to the gameplay mechanics of a bigger game. Its tiny price tag of $13 is may put some people off, but it’s really just the start of a game. An early tutorial goes over just the basics of maneuvering and sliding, and leaves much open for interpretation. It also seems to be missing a story element altogether. The art style is great for any pixel art aficionado and the music is very well composed. But those seem to be the only real great points about this game as it exists now.

I made a great mistake by skipping the tutorial, and I paid for it. Skipping the tutorial may have been a bit cocky as I soon learned that I knew nothing about this game or its controls controls. After a lot of cursing and many screams of angst I swallowed my pride and loaded up the tutorial. To my amazement, or lack thereof, the tutorial was barebones with nothing more than flashing keys in the background prompting you towards the end of the section. I know it’s an early access game, but navigating the tutorial seems straightforward, yet failure results in an instant reset putting you at the last checkpoint. It was at this point that my frustration began to take hold as I felt less immersed in the game, pushing me away from enjoyment and more towards a sense of dread.

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This should give you an idea of how much happens on screen

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Kôna: Day One or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Canadia

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Kyle Scarboro

Intro

Let me just say that out of the gate, Kôna Day One captures the idea and view I have of Canada: Ice Age.

Heh, all joking aside, I really liked this game. I got to see a little of it at PAX Prime last year and I was intrigued with what they were going to do with it. This game is a multi-episodic game and Day One just refers to Episode One, so if you thought this was an one shot, then you would be mistaken.

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