The Indie Fix: IndieCade Review of Games Part 2 | Video Game ...

Posted by Armand K. on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 ? 1 Comment?

Day 2 of IndieCade games coverage, with more to come. See the first day?s worth of games here.

The Depths to Which I Sink

I wouldn?t call The Depths to Which I Sink a fun game, as I didn?t really have that much fun playing it. What I would call it though is the first game I?ve ever played that used 3D effectively as part of the actual gameplay. Without the 3D effect, this game would be unplayable, and it was a bit difficult with my own limited ability to perceive 3D properly (I have a lazy eye, a condition that makes certain 3D effects difficult to observe). The game has a series of mini-games that utilize 3D to let the player navigate an environment, with a simple gameplay mechanic that lets you move around on an x/y axis, and with the push of a button, sink to the ?bottom? of the game?s world, then climb back up. You don?t actually control how deep you sink, when you come back up, or even the speed, but are restricted to going all the way down, then up again with each activation of the trigger, thus creating a rather difficult challenge that can be satisfying when executed properly. It was, for all its shortcomings, the first game where I thought ?oh look at that, I?m playing a game that makes sense in 3D.? Nintendo would be wise to look at this game for inspiration on how to develop games for their 3DS, provided it would work with the type of 3D the device uses.

See the game?s site here, in glorious 2D!

Star Drone

Star Drone is a fast paced game that utilizes the Playstation Move controller to quickly, efficiently, and intuitively allow the player to move around the game world. You control some sort of sphere, a ?star drone? perhaps, that moves by latching onto anchor points with an energy based hookshot, spinning around that point and releasing at the right moment to shoot across to another point which you can grapple onto. Along the way, you collect stars, combat baddies, and avoid and navigate obstacles. Gameplay is fun, the graphics and art style enjoyable, but what most stands out is how well the Move controller has been implemented into the game, and how natural it feels as a control device, something that can?t be said for too many games that utilize motion controls. The game is available on the PS3, and slated for the Vita.

Check out the site here.

Geobook ? The Indie Fix award for Most Fun I?ve Had Learning Something

Geobook is an educational game (game in the loosest of terms) being developed by Chaim Gingold. Chaim was one of the people who worked on Spore. Let me clarify that, Chaim was one of the people who was on the science side of Spore, as opposed to the cute, cartoony mess that we finally ended up with. Thankfully, Geobook utilizes the science aspect of Chaim?s expertise to bring us something that makes understanding concepts from geology, meteorology, climatology, and probably some other scientific ?ologies? I don?t know about, much easier. I spent at least 15 minutes with Geobook, and had concepts like the effects of climate change illustrated to me in a very clear manner, not by some prerecorded video or series of graphs, but by the outcome of my own manipulation of sea levels, temperature changes, and so on. This is a must have once it?s released to the public, and a great tool to help educate people young and old about the way planetary evolution works, and how small changes can have far reaching effects. I hope to see Geobook or something similar to it implemented in educational curricula across the nation, as it might be the most innovative scientific educational tool since the dissectable frog.

Follow the game at Chaim?s website.

Hohokum ? The Indie Fix award for Best Art and Design

Hohokum is a game that exudes beautiful design style through its every pore (yes, games have pores, don?t argue with me). It?s like a cartoon come to life, and while holding its esthetic high, it manages to meld excellent and smooth gameplay into the mix flawlessly. You control an eye like entity that flies around the game world leaving a rainbow trail in its wake which various denizens of the game world will jump onto, allowing you to move them around the environment, and interact with items. In the first level I rescued a multitude of imaginative and colorful creatures while their city was under attack from cannon fire by carrying them to a floating sailboat which ferried them to safety. In the second level, I helped them have a pool party by getting them into their swimwear, collect the sound system for the DJ, and depositing them at a water slide. Fun was had by all. This is one game I will be purchasing the day it is available. It?s beautiful, creative, and loads of fun!

Check out the site, and watch the gameplay video to get an idea of how it looks in action.

He's actually playing a game here. It's called Pew Pew Pew.

Solar 2

Solar 2 is a bit of a strange one. The game has you controlling a star (yup, that?s not a typo) which you hurtle across a massive space sandbox, picking up planets, debris, and space stations which will orbit you as you try to grow in size. You can take your personal solar system and battle other solar systems (seriously, I couldn?t make this stuff up) with non-player controlled mini-spaceships, or just by simply ramming planets into each other. The more mass you build up in your system, the more items you can add to it, eventually grabbing other stars as well. It?s an oddity to say the least, but one potentially worth checking out, if for no other reason, simply based on the bizarro factor. It is already available for download through Steam, and you can check out the developer?s site where you can download the soundtrack for free.

Solar 2?s website be here.

PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew

Another strange one, PewPewPew is a two player game that uses microphones as it?s controller. One player uses their voice to control a flying spaceman?s height on the screen, either aiming for or avoiding obstacles along the way, while the second player says ?pew pew pew? into their mic to shoot at whatever might be in their way. It?s about as silly as it sounds, and I did feel a sense of looking like a fool as I repeated the words over and over again until my vocal chords were exhausted and I had to stop. I also had the option to yell into the mic to release a massive-kill attack. Though I wasn?t wild about the game myself, a lot of people were enjoying it, and I could see it as something that could be fun at a party where alcohol was available in abundance.

Developer?s site here, where you can watch people playing the game.

Hero Generations ? The Indie Fix award for Finally Getting Me to Play a Facebook Game

After ages of denying people their requests to play Facebook games, deriding their exploitative nature, their weak gameplay devices, and generally being a hater, I finally played something to convert me. Hero Generations is a cute and fun game that takes classic role playing and roguelike mechanics, and strips them to a minimalist level making for something accessible but with depth that can be enjoyed in short bursts. You start off with a hero, whom you send out to explore the countryside, fight monsters, collect loot, and raise his fame level. The catch is that you have roughly 60 turns (years) with the hero before he dies of old age. Before that happens, you need to make sure to find a mate for the little guy, and get to making babies. Once you do this, your child will take up your gear, and continue where you left off in exploration. The wider goal is to try to collect as much fame as you can for each individual hero, but beyond that, the game is just fun to play, evocative of Desktop Dungeons in its ability to take something complex and make it accessible to the masses in a way that won?t insult core gamers. It?s free to play, and all you need is a Facebook account, so go ahead and try it. I mean, it?s a Facebook game that is also a finalist at IndieCade, so it must have something going for it, right?

Follow the developer?s blog here, or check out the game here.

Skulls of the Shogun

A turn-based strategy game for up to 4 players, Skulls of the Shogun has players controlling a general and three troop types as they battle each other for dominance. The troop types include cavalry, a balanced type, infantry, a defensive type, and archers, an offensive type. Some units are better suited to attack others, and generals are powerful hero types able to take on anything in their path. Just don?t let them die though, as when you lose your general, you lose the game. Eating the skull of your fallen enemies gives you demonic powers and allows you to be even more powerful. The game features a lovely art and design inspired by the 60?s cocktail party style. Along with the multiplayer aspect, the developers promised 8-10 hours of single player campaign mode. The game will eventually be available on both Xbox and PC, and I for one can?t wait to get a go at it with some friends.

Check out the games site here.

Antichamber ? The Indie Fix award for My Mind Just Exploded

I?m no big fan of puzzle games, limiting myself to the cream of the crop, the ones I know will be satisfying despite their annoying habit of making my brain work harder than your average shooter. Titles like Braid have a way of activating parts of the brain that don?t usually get much action from gaming, and those are always a welcome change of pace, and ones I keep my eyes peeled for. I believe Antichamber is one of those games. I only played it for about ten minutes with the developer and a crowd of onlookers huddled around, and I knew I had to stop for fear of ruining a future experience once it releases and I get a copy in my home. I wanted to enjoy this alone, letting myself get lost in the complex, mind bending puzzles. The game world exists in a massive corridor based environment, but follows non-Euclidean laws of geometry and space, where perception can influence the reality of the game space. Walk down a corridor, and find a repeating pattern, a loop you apparently cannot escape, but turn around and go back and you?ll find yourself somewhere entirely new, with little to no linearity to the physical space you just traveled across. Or come across a chasm with the word FLY floating above it, and you assume when you jump, you?ll effortlessly glide across, only to fall to a different section of the labyrinth. Walk instead of jump across that same chasm though, and the floor will build below your feet and take you safely across. Antichamber stresses taking what we think we know in a game?s environment and the laws we understand, and constantly shifting and changing them, forcing the ?trained? gamer to have to rethink and relearn that which they think they have mastered. Suffice to say, this is one of the most exciting things I played at IndieCade, and is a game I cannot wait to get a hold of. Let me say this again. Antichamber is an important game that anyone reading this should take the time to follow. If it?s compared to the likes of Braid and Portal when it finally releases, I won?t be the least bit surprised.

Check out Antichamber?s unfortunately bare-bones website here, but sign up to their Facebook page if you want better info and coverage.

More games coming soon. so much indie goodness it makes me dizzy.

Filed under Indie Game News, Indie Game Previews, Indie Game Reviews, Indie Games, PC, PS3, Site News, The Indie Fix, Uncategorized, Xbox 360 ? Tagged with Antichamber, Geobook, Hero Generations, Hohokum, IndieCade, PewPewPew, Skulls of the Shogun, Solar 2, Star Drone, The Depths to Which I Sink

Source: http://bnbgaming.com/2011/10/11/the-indie-fix-indiecade-review-of-games-part-2/

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