Wednesday 11 December 2013

The Vice Squad Cartridge Available! (C64)


RGCD and Psytronik Software return to your Commodore 64 screens with Trevor Story and Achim Volkers' The Vice Squad, an arcade style tribute to the 1980's cop movie genre. Ever wanted to scream down the freeway in a customised motor with side-mounted machine guns, mowing down criminals (and hapless civilians)? This is the game for you. Take the war against narcotics to the streets, as you race through the city on the pursuit of the ruthless drug baron 'El Guato' and his army of henchmen, blasting away anyone who dares to stand in your way. Especially Sinclair C5s. YOU ARE THE LAW!

Featuring super-fast gameplay, awesome stackable weapon upgrades, nine missions, boss battles, superbly designed background graphics and amazing music this is one game you don't want to miss, so buy your copy now!

Tuesday 10 December 2013

The Vice Squad (Commodore 64)


System Requirements

* A Commodore 64/128/GS (PAL).
* A joystick/joypad.
* A VDU preferably connected to a loud sound-system.
* A disk drive and blank disk for saving scores.


Downloads

Download the preview version of The Vice Squad in .d64 disk format HERE!

The retail version of The Vice Squad is currently not available for free download. You can buy the game on cartridge from RGCD here, or on disk, tape or as a download from Psytronik Software here.

Sunday 1 December 2013

RGCD C64 Cartridge Development Competition 2013

The third RGCD C64 Cartridge Development Competition concluded at midnight on the 30th of November with 12 brand new games (and 3 re-releases) for the C64!

Featuring conversions, original concepts and genre favourites, the last few days have been a frenzy of activity in the C64 scene as a result of the hard work the entrants put into coding their competition games over the past few months. With CSDB already becoming saturated in cracks and re-releases I've put together a brief introduction to each submitted competition entry below, listed alphabetically with links to their original database pages. Fire up your C64 or emulator and enjoy!




I've known Geir for some years now, and after a hiatus from the scene it is great to see him return with a game as solid as Bellringer III. Taking the concept of the earlier Bellringer platform games and adding magic-based combat and the ability to backtrack, Bellringer III is full of carefully considered details, such as the enemies charging or firing at you on sight - and not forgetting the castle occupants emptying full bedpans on your head for extra realism (ok, so the docs say it is boiling hot water, but fecal matter is a far greater castle-storming deterrent if you ask me). It's not all bravado and slaughter though - the end of each stage presents the player with a logic puzzle whereby four bells need to be rung in the correct order to open the exit, providing an additional challenge. In all, it's the best game Geir has developed to date.

Sunday 10 November 2013

C64 16KB Cartridge Game Development Competition - Status Update #3

Well, that came around quickly, didn't it? We are already well into the final month now, so let's see how those competition entries are shaping up! Again, instead of showing the status of all the games (several of which have now been finished and submitted) I'll only be highlighting those with recent changes or news. The previous status updates can be found here and here.



Competition Entry #2: Phase Out
Developer: Ernst Neubeck & Simon Quernhorst
Status: In Progress


I recently received a build of Phase Out and I have to say that I'm really impressed. With outstanding music, beautiful graphics and well considered puzzles to solve, it's clear that a lot of work has gone into getting the most out of that 16KB limit. Ernst is now completing work on the password system for the 50(!) levels, and has assured me that this one will certainly make the deadline. With only three weeks to go, that news is reassuring.

Your goal in Phase Out is to clear each screen by swapping the position of the coloured gems 'match-three' style, although in this case it's 'match-two-or-more'. To make things a little more interesting, the black gems can't be cleared and must instead be used to block gems from cancelling each other out whilst you move them around. It's challenging stuff, and you'd better not run out of time or the C64 will reset!

Of course, I'm guessing that isn't actually a feature and that the game over sequence just isn't finalised yet. It did make me laugh though! :D

Saturday 9 November 2013

Super Bread Box: Releasing a Golden Era Inspired Indie Classic on Golden Era Gaming Hardware


[This article was originally written by J. Monkman for issue 60 of the Commodore 64 diskmag Vandalism News, and has been reposted here with the editors permission].

Ok, so the content of the announcement quoted above isn't entirely true. Sure, RGCD had a part to play in negotiating with Vlambeer to grant Super Bread Box an official release, but really the serious work in converting the game was done by Paul Koller and Mikkel Hastrup. Let's be clear on that.

However, minor discrepancies aside, the above tweet still represents an important event in the post-commercial afterlife of the Commodore. Here we have an incredibly popular, relevant and acclaimed independent games studio taking ownership of what is essentially a C64 scene release. Visit www.vlambeer.com and see for yourself, it's on their shop page and everything. This is a good thing.

I'm James Monkman, the editor and founder of RGCD, and in this article I'll share the story of how and why this happened.

Sunday 20 October 2013

RGCD at GameCity / Super Bread Box Release Date!


Well, those were a busy past couple of weeks! Huge thanks to everyone who purchased a copy of Bomberland (either as a cartridge or download) - I've almost shipped all of the current batch now, and Skull and Conrad have been really happy with the feedback from players. As a little gift back to you, check your email inbox this morning for a couple of secret passwords that add a LOT to the game. ;)

Between packing and posting Bomberland to destinations all over the world, you might have noticed that we've also launched the website for Super Bread Box and added 'coming soon' placeholders to our shop. We'll be releasing the game to the wild on the 22nd of October at the GameCity festival in Nottingham, giving away 50 Vlambeer 'white label' CD-R copies and Super Bread Box posters for free as well as running a high score competition during the two days we're in the Open Arcade. If you are in the area on Tuesday and Wednesday, we'll also be revealing Paul Koller's secret new project (and entry for the RGCD C64 Game Development Competition) and will have a variety of other WIP games and previous Commodore 64 releases available to play at our stand (including Bomberland, The Vice Squad, C64anabalt, Get Em DX, Rocket Smash, Assembloids and many more). We should be easy enough to find - just look out for the massive RGCD banner.

Ok, back to packing computers in boxes. Hope to see some of you there!


Tuesday 8 October 2013

Bomberland Cartridge Available! (C64)


Bomberland, one of the most long-awaited Commodore 64 games in recent history has finally arrived and is available to buy now as either a cartridge or downloadable .CRT rom image from our shop!

We're super proud to have teamed up with Samar Productions on this one - developed by a two man team (primarily by designer, graphician and coder Michal 'Skull' Okowicki, with Owen 'Conrad' Crowley providing the audio and support), Bomberland is a hugely ambitious project for a debut game release. Exclusive to C64 cartridge (due to using the rom space as additional memory), the game supports up to five players in the classic multiplayer deathmatch mode as well as offering an epic 36-stage single player campaign over six different worlds, complete with boss fights.

Featuring gorgeous high resolution graphics that give the game a deceptively 16-bit feel, tons of different enemies, C128 enhancements, password saves, game-changing power-ups and multiple play modes, Bomberland supports both the CGA (Protovision) and HIT (by Excess and Hitmen) four-player adaptors and even includes full keyboard support, so you can play it solo on a stock C64/128 without any peripherals!

Bomberland (C64) (2013)


System Requirements

* A Commodore 64/128/GS (PAL/NTSC).
* A joystick/joypad (Protovision or Hitman adapter required for five players).
* A VDU preferably connected to a loud sound-system.
* A group of friend to play with (optional, yet strongly recommended).


Downloads

Download the preview version of Bomberland in .d64 disk format HERE!

The retail version of Bomberland is currently not available for free download. You can buy the game on cartridge or as a download from RGCD here.

Saturday 5 October 2013

C64 16KB Cartridge Game Development Competition - Status Update #2

Well, things are getting pretty heated on the competition front now, with some exciting new entry announcements and impressive progress made on several projects. Rather than repeat the list from the previous update (which you can check out here), to keep things concise this time round I'll focus only on the games for which I've received updates.



Competition Entry #2: Phase Out
Developer: Ernst Neubeck & Simon Quernhorst
Status: In Progress


Ernst is still working hard on Phase Out, which now has some new in game visuals and over thirty levels designed by Simon Quernhorst. With Simon being somewhat of an expert at mini-game coding (with no less than five C64 games released to date, soon to be six), we're pretty excited about this puzzle game.

Developer Interview: Magnetic Realms


(Further to RGCD's recent review of Inescapable, Matt Fielding of Magnetic Realms kindly took the time to answer some of our burning questions).

As a way of introduction, please could you give a brief paragraph or two about your history in the videogames industry and how/why Magnetic Realms was founded?

My first job was at Future Console Design in Doncaster, UK, where we made the Xploder range of cheat cartridges for the PS1, N64 and later the PS2. We also did some Dreamcast and Gameboy stuff. After I moved back to Australia I worked for Firemint in Melbourne on a few Gameboy Advance and mobile games, and a bit later at Transmission Games where I worked on a couple of Xbox 360/PS3/PC games.

Magnetic Realms was born from my disillusionment with the games industry and the nature of modern (console) game development. Game programming had lost it's fun for me, and I wanted to try and get it back.

Monday 30 September 2013

Inescapable (PC/Mac/Linux)


'Lovecraftian cosmic horror meets 1960-70's science fiction' sets the scene of Inescapable, the debut release from Tokyo-based one-man indie studio Magnetic Realms, a dark tale of routine spacefaring mission gone horribly wrong in the guise of an exploratory platformer.

An unexpected rendezvous with the ominous sounding Templeman Industries in orbit above a mining colony results in you and your fellow crewmates crash landing on alien world, and after making your way to the dig site it soon becomes clear that the miners have found something a little more interesting than the usual minerals and ore. Before long you'll be exploring cyclopean ruins deep beneath the planet's surface, fighting your way through an endless army of monstrosities and solving a variety of item-based puzzles.

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Heroes of Loot (PC/Mac/Linux/OUYA/iOS/Android)


Heroes of Loot is the latest OUYA title from Orange Pixel, developers of the superb Gunslugs. Whereas the latter is their take on the run 'n' gun arcade genre, Heroes of Loot is described as a Rogue-like with extra helpings of Gauntlet.

Monday 23 September 2013

Doppleganger (PC/Mac/Linux/XBLIG)


Doppleganger has recently been released on PC, five years after making its debut on Xbox Live Indie Games and six years after we first previewed the game back in RGCD issue #03. Originating from a simpler time before the current day indie-scene explosion, the game is essentially a mash-up of Jeff Minter's Iridis Alpha and the coin-op classic Defender - and as that would suggest, it's a ton of classic retro-style twitchy-shmup fun. Also, in contrast to the XBLIG release the pc version is completely free - which is always a good thing.

Thursday 19 September 2013

Asgard Met Vikings (Amiga)


Is there anyone out there doesn't like beer and Vikings? Commodore Amiga owners are in for a booze-fuelled Nordic treat because Paradise/a1k.org's Asgard Met Vikings features beer in abundance and some Vikings thrown in for good measure!

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Gravity Beam (Amiga)


Gravity Beam tips its second hand hat at classics such as Thrust or Lunar Lander, and as the old adage goes, 'Good artists borrow and great artists steal'. There are more stolen bits in this game than your local Cash Converters store but unlike the aforementioned pawn-shop, Gravity Beam won't empty your wallet to enjoy its wares.

There are tons of clones out there, but very few are willing to try something new with the concept. Gravity Beam's gimmick is its namesake, you have a gravity beam which allows you to tow objects to their destinations. If only modern games were so honest with their titles, we'd all be waiting for the upcoming release of 'Murder n' Drive' or 'Army-Shooter: Quick Time Event Cut-scene Watcher'.

Monday 16 September 2013

Mrs. Dad VS Körv (Ouya)


With just about every tech-savvy gamer on the internet voicing their opinions on the Ouya's shortcomings, it can be a struggle trying to convince yourself (let alone others) that it's a device worth having in your everyday gaming set up. However, here at RGCD we're sticking by the Ouya because despite the fact that the micro-console has the most self-destructive marketing team in the history of videogaming, it is actually a neat little piece of kit and home to many equally neat little indie games - with the über-stylish, Ouya exclusive Mrs. Dav VS Körv being a perfect example of exactly what the machine is best at.

Sector Strike (Ouya/Android/iOS)


Decent Ouya shoot 'em up releases have been a little thin on the ground lately, so I was pretty surprised when I turned mine on the other day and discovered Sector Strike sitting in the sandbox. With the official blurb boasting that the game 'combines the mechanics of old school shooters and the aesthetics of modern 3D games' it had to be worth checking out. And now, several hours later, I'm rather glad I did.

A little Google research on the developers (Clapfoot Inc.) offered more information on this hitherto unknown release - namely that the game was originally released for Android and iOS devices back in 2012. My heart sank a little; as a follower of the shmup scene, surely I would have heard of the game if it was any good?

Friday 13 September 2013

Droidscape: Basilica (iOS)


Droidscape: Basilica is one of the most interesting games I've come across in a very long time, breaking ground with some truly unique ideas and gameplay twists. The folks at Kyttaro Games have dubbed Droidscape: Basilica as a 'sci-fi, stop motion animated action puzzler' and I couldn't have described it better myself.

Let's start with sci-fi. Droidscape takes place in a pretty dark-sounding universe in the year 4057(!), a time when humanity has been plunged into a second Dark Age. Apparently, one of the last remaining 'Chronomancers', who must be responsible for saving said humanity in some capacity, has been taken hostage on the Basilica space station. Of course, as is usually the case in these situations, only a lowly little droid named Bishop 7 can save him.

This adorable little bipedal android is controlled by none other than you, the player. He, in addition to all the characters in the game, was hand-created in clay and brought to life with stop-motion. I have a deeply rooted love of stop-motion animation, fueled by childhood evenings huddled around the measly tube TV watching Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger with my father. Thus, the graphic presentation of Droidscape charmed me immediately. Characters and enemy androids really pop on the screen with colour, personality, and life. All of this is accentuated by ace, satisfying sound effects and an atmospheric soundtrack - when played with headphones as the game recommends, you won't be disappointed.

Shambles (PC)


Planet Earth is at saturation point with zombies. It would take forever to list the legions of zombie related franchises laying waste to all the world's media even as we speak. Zombie related novels are going straight to the slush piles of most major publishing houses, apparently, and big budget Z-movies are being critically panned. People are getting sick of the world's sickest people.

A game that can cut through the fog of media overexposure and fly in the face of the desensitisation to the hordes of walking dead shouldn't be allowed to pass by without this reporter popping his head up from behind the parapets of zed-besieged RGCD Towers and taking an extended look at it, and Shambles certainly warrants a good shufti.

RGCD News Update


It's been a while since I posted one of these general RGCD news updates, and to be honest so much has been going on here that it is hard to know where to start! There are new C64 game projects to be announced, recent developments and updates on the Android based Ouya micro-console, an RGCD Steam Greenlight channel - the list just goes on and on. We've also brought on board a few new writers lately who've been keeping the game reviews rolling over whilst I've been frantically trying to keep up to date with other projects, so you've them to thank for the fact there isn't virtual tumbleweed rolling by on the front page of this website.

Ok, so join me in grabbing a coffee/tea/beer and let's have a catch-up...

Verminian Trap (PC/Mac/Linux/Ouya)


[This review was originally written by J. Monkman for indiegames.com, and has been reposted here with the editors permission].

Locomalito and Gryzor87 are on fire right now. It seems like only yesterday that Gaurodan came swooping down onto PC and Ouya screens and now they've released a four-player follow-up-of-sorts to They Came From Verminest. Inspired by the likes of Wizard of Wor and Battle City, Verminian Trap has the player (and up to three friends) stranded in an alien bug nest with zero chance of escape - the only option open to you is to take out as many of the little critters as you can before you ultimately end up as their lunch.

Thursday 12 September 2013

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PC/Mac) (Preview)


As a StepMania veteran, I like to think that rhythm games are my thing. Mind you, I'm no Guitar Hero or Rock Band star but I can at least move my fingers to a beat. I also enjoy my roguelikes; Dwarf Fortress, Realm of the Mad God, POWDER - all of which are games so difficult that you are left with a real sense of accomplishment by simply making it through the first or second floor alive. Brace Yourself Games's Crypt of the Necrodancer however, is a whole other ball game. It's a roguelike in foundation... that is, until you try to move. At that point, the game pats you on the head, says "Nice try", and displays a little [MISSED!] on the screen. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen; believe it or not, Crypt of the Necrodancer is a roguelike rhythm game.

Friday 6 September 2013

100 Rogues (Ouya/iOS)


Time for a bold announcement. Towerfall may well be the top multiplayer game on the Ouya, but Wesley Paugh's 100 Rogues is hands-down the best single-player game available for the console - at least in this humble reviewer's opinion. More Rogue-lite than Roguelike, with its SNES-era production values and console gameplay, not-to-be-taken-seriously bestiary, boss battles and tongue-in-cheek humour, I'd probably go as far as to say its my favourite classic-style rogue game released to date.

It's not often I can claim that my second playthrough of a game resulted in me dying in the pits of hell, mercilessly butchered by a clown and a pack of gummi-rats shortly after defeating the pope. In 100 Rogues that very fate was realised. Another epic encounter saw my luckless crusader almost vanquished by a rocket-launcher wielding robot, barely surviving close combat, yet ultimately winning the battle by throwing an arrow at the fiend whilst bravely fleeing the scene. Neat, huh? But it has to be said that nothing beats the time I slayed Satan by biting him in the groin whilst in the guise of a giant dinosaur. Oh yes, this game is full of these moments.

PESTER (PC/XBLIG/Ouya)


My mother always told me, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." If I followed her advice, This review would end after the next paragraph or two.

To many aspiring game developers, creating a shoot 'em up (shmup hereafter) may seem like the obvious choice for a first project. On the surface it's one of the simplest concepts, only needing a few collision detection routines to tell if your bullet has connected with an enemy or an enemy bullet has collided with you, and some simple scoring logic. Add to that some brightly-coloured graphics, some shooty-bangy sound effects and a repeating background track. Bang. Job done. Add a price tag and you have one shitty-shmup ready for retail release on XBLIG or the portal of your choice.

What many developers don't realise, is that under the surface of a good shmup, there needs to be much more than just shooty-bangy sounds and enemies to kill. There needs to be some method in the madness, be it in the form of intelligent scoring systems, interesting mechanics, or even just intricate bullet patterns that players need to learn and master to navigate through unscathed. In addition to this, a cleverly considered colour palette to easily differentiate bullets and destructibles from the backgrounds they fly over helps - as does working collision detection and tight controls.

Sadly, Pester falls firmly, squarely, and awkwardly into this shitty-shmup category, breaking both of its ankles upon impact.

Sunday 25 August 2013

Gommy Medieval Defender (MSX)


"Let's rock!" The sampled voice at the beginning of early nineties Amiga coverdisk game Ork Attack plays in my head every time I fire up Gommy Medieval Defender. I used to play Ork Attack to an eye-bleeding extent and to see a game very similar to it appear on the MSX is exciting indeed!

There's something primevally satisfying about belting enemies on the head with a rock as they try to scale the walls of your castle. Like a hard-coded impulse in the mind to really get jollies from defending a huge pile of masonry. Maybe that's why we're such territorial dicks at times. Retroworks' Gommy Medieval Defender, which recently came fourth in this year's MSXDev coding contest, has a direct line to this ancient butthead sector of the human brain and is a clobbering good laugh.

The Agent: Glory to Moscow (PC/Mac)


Developed in nine hours for Creative Assembly's "The 80s" game jam, Bristol-based Force of Habit and Clockwork Cuckoo's The Agent: Glory to Moscow is modelled after a fictitious lost Russian arcade game of the 1980's, with influences including cold war propaganda, Soviet aerobics videos and esoteric Russian technology.

Friday 23 August 2013

Gunslugs (Android/iOS/OUYA)


Gunslugs is a run 'n' gun title that is decidedly retro in its approach and the concept will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played, well, pretty much any action arcade game from the 1980s and early 1990s. Advance your gun-toting hero onwards to the right, blasting anything and everything that stands in your way. Rinse and repeat.

Our friends at Wide Pixel Games recently paid similar homage to the 80s arcade era with their Ouya release, Heavy Recoil. However, where Heavy Recoil focused on delivering a genuinely authentic vintage arcade experience, Orange Pixel have instead opted to infuse Gunslugs with a modern twist; random level generation. After all, this is 'retro' gaming as viewed in 2013, not 1986.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Headblaster (PC)


We live in a golden age of electronic entertainment, everywhere we turn there are hundreds of fully interactive, deep, challenging experiences full of three dimensional characters with heavy hearted back-stories pursuing their goals within vast, realistic and realized worlds.

In contrast, Headblaster by Loud Noises raises a middle finger salute and screams out "fuck it - let's take some drugs!" before exploding onto your screen in a short-lived yet riotous cacophony of fun.

Thursday 15 August 2013

rymdkapsel (Sony Vita/iOS/Android)


Martin 'grapefrukt' Jonasson has been making flash games for a decade, and his latest creation, rymdkapsel, is a little gem. The minimalist space-station construction real-time-strategy tower-defence game has been out on Sony's Vita for some time (the console on which I've been playing it) and was just released for Android and iOS, for which it's likely an even better fit due to its touch-heavy interface.

So what's it all about? No plot or back-story to mess around with here. The player is stationed on a floating island of sorts, with a few minions available to do their bidding. Using touch controls, one must place 'rooms' to expand their stronghold. The trick is that these rooms are much like Tetrominos in that they are randomly selected, you get what you get, and they must be rotated and manipulated to achieve the finest configuration.

Friday 9 August 2013

Savant: Ascent (PC)


Holy shit. It isn't often a game makes me say that. Out loud. However, Savant: Ascent by D-Pad Studio, did exactly that.

Inspired by the album covers and artwork created for - and music created by - EDM/dubstep/glitch hop artist extraordinaire Savant, this game is truly unique. It storms onto your screen with the presence of the horned child of a lusty Skrillex after a sweaty three-way romp in a motel with Castlevania: SoTN and a bullet-hell shooter.

G-Force (PC)


Back in the early days of RGCD, before Death Ray Manta, before SYNSO, and even before War Twat, we previewed a work-in-progress game by a chap called Oddbob (aka Rob Fearon). That game was G-Force, essentially a remake of a ZX Spectrum game of the same name by Boris Baginski, a niche and "untypical" shmup that was described by Crash magazine in 1984 as a "hard game to describe as it fits in with no known categories and resembles no other game we have seen".

Well, that just goes to show how useless Crash's review staff were, because in a nutshell G-Force is Atari's coin-op classic Tempest realised in 2D. And to that note, if the original ZX Spectrum G-Force is no more than Tempest in 2D, then Rob's remake is arguably the eye-popping Atari Jaguar exclusive Tempest 2000 in 2D, complete with an extra serving of psychedelic Jeff Minter-sauce.

Thursday 8 August 2013

Cropky (Amiga)


Yikes! There aren't many games that will get me screaming at my monitor in pure frustration at my lack of skill. Ladies and gentlemen, this game is one of them. Cropky by C&A Fan is an Amiga port of an 8-bit Atari game released in 2011, which itself was an adaptation of an old pen and paper game that is commonly known as 'Dots', but with a little twist.

Starting with an empty grid of dots of varying shapes, two players (either human or AI) take turns to add a single line between two unjoined adjacent dots. These lines can be in any direction, including diagonally, but must not be longer than one square in length, and must not cross other lines already on the playfield. This continues until no more moves can be made. Whoever cannot make a line during their turn loses the game. Simple, right?

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Malaika (MSX)


Created as an entry for the MSXdev 2013 competition, Revelo Videogames' Malaika was particularly well received by the judging panel and was awarded second place in the final results. Karoshi's Shouganai may have beaten it to the top of the winners podium, but as far as I'm concerned, Malaika was the real winner. Why? Well, its simply because I LOVE Bubble Bobble, and Malaika is an MSX exclusive love-letter to Taito's masterpiece, sharing many of its mechanics with the classic and the feel isn't too far removed either as a result.

Gaurodan (PC/Linux/Ouya)


[This review was originally written by J. Monkman for indiegames.com, and has been reposted here with the editors permission].

A mere five months in development, Locomalito's homage to Choplifter, Defender and the classic monster movies of yester-year has been unleashed into the wild! Destroy the puny armies of mankind, battle collossal creatures and lay waste to the sleepy towns of the sun-drenched Canary Islands, all in glorious vintage coin-op-o-vision whilst Gryzor87's thematic chip tunes blast out in the background! Oh yes, there is a whole lot of authentic 1980's fun to be had in Gaurodan.

However, the big reveal - and indeed the reason why this particular release is so special - is that Gaurodan is the first Locomalito game to be released on a console as well as PC. Enter centre stage... the Ouya.

Sunday 28 July 2013

Elansar Cartridge Available! (Jaguar)


"Welcome to the Island of Elansar. Will you uncover its mysteries?"

After two years in development, Orion's Myst-inspired adventure has migrated from its PC/Mac/Linux and Atari Falcon roots and has finally arrived on the Atari Jaguar in 4MB cartridge format (limited to 75 copies)! Explore the beautifully rendered tropical island, taking in the sights and sounds, solving logic puzzles and making good your eventual escape in this classic-style first-person perspective point-and-click adventure.

Heavy Recoil - Convoy Chaser (Ouya) (2013)


System Requirements

* Ouya console & controller (wired USB Xbox 360 pad also supported).
* HDMI compatible TV/Monitor preferably connected to a loud sound-system.

Despite being an Android .apk, this particular version of Heavy Recoil - Convoy Chaser only works on the Ouya console.


Download

You can either download the game direct on the Ouya via it's Discover store, or as a standalone .apk from it's page at Total Ouya. Initially, the game is in demo form (playable up to the first boss) but can be unlocked for $0.99.

BONUS! The OST is available to buy from Hasse Axəlsson's Bandcamp page HERE.


Introduction

Wide Pixel Games' Heavy Recoil - Convoy Chaser takes the run 'n' gun genre back to the coin-op golden age of the 1980's, when you hadn't really beaten a game unless you'd done it on a single credit.

Lead your auto-cannon wielding robot deep behind enemy lines and smash tanks, gunships and fearsome bosses with your awesome arsenal of deadly weaponry! Rescue prisoners of war and blast everything in your path like a REAL hero!

* No Nonsense! No Continues!
* Horizontal Firing Only!
* Abilities and Upgrades!
* Secondary Weapons!
* Good/Bad Endings!

Lights On (C64)


I'm obsessed about turning off the light when I leave the room. The laundry room, bathroom, and especially the closet; the light always has to be turned off. Now with this new Commodore 64 game from Avatar, I can role play and be the one who always leaves the light on.

Lights On is a puzzle game in which the objective is to light all the tiles on each of the 24 single-screen levels. Using a joystick, you control a character that moves around the grid of tiles lighting each tile it touches, and landing on a tile that's already lit turns it off again. Some levels take advantage of this mechanic, requiring you to move back and forth over tiles several times to turn them all on. Also scattered around the grid are arrow tiles that push your character in the indicated direction and teleporters can be used to instantly move to another corresponding tile. But we warned, this isn't a leisurely stroll of reckless lighting; a timer counts down at the start of each level. If you run out run of time you lose one of your five lives. Fortunately, some levels include a tile that add seconds to the timer - and you will need it, as there isn't much room for error.

Friday 26 July 2013

Heavy Recoil - Convoy Chaser Available! (Ouya)


Due to some weird circumstances too tedious to explain here, RGCD ended up coming into possession of not one, but TWO Ouya consoles earlier this month. Coincidentally, our good friends at Wide Pixel Games were toying with the idea of porting across some of their XBLIG titles, and were more than happy for us to send our spare over to Sweden as a form of sponsorship. And today, like about 30 minutes ago, our first collaborative game went live on the Ouya store!

For those of you unfamiliar with the XBLIG original, Heavy Recoil - Convoy Chaser takes the run 'n' gun genre back to the coin-op golden age of the 1980's, when you hadn't really beaten a game unless you'd done it on a single credit. Lead your auto-cannon wielding robot deep behind enemy lines and smash tanks, gunships and fearsome bosses with your awesome arsenal of deadly weaponry! Rescue prisoners of war and blast everything in your path like a REAL hero!


Featuring multiple endings, brutal no-continues/no-nonsense gameplay, horizontal firing only (like a robotic Green Beret), abilities, upgrades and secondary weapons, Heavy Recoil isn't just NES hard, it's COIN-OP hard! Luckily though for you it won't eat your quarters, instead costing only $0.99 for the full game (the F2P part is simply the game up to the first boss battle).

Grab your copy now on Ouya (at the end of the 'Sandbox' section), or as an .apk file from the games' page at Total Ouya.

Huenison Reviews Incoming!


In case you missed the news earlier this month, Retream and RGCD teamed up to bring the genre-blending retro puzzle-shmup Huenison to PC's (and AmigaOS 4 machines) across the globe. Well, at long last the reviews have finally started to come in, and so far the feedback has been extremely positive. Cast your eyes over some of our choice quotes, and if you've £2.99 to spare, hit our online store to buy your DRM-free copy today!

"Take Arkanoid, Decathlon, Dyna Blaster, Impossible Mission, Oil's Well, Pac-Man, Pang, Qix, Slam Tilt, Space Invaders, Tetris and Vital Light, mix them up with some glowy retro visuals, throw in some decidedly C64 tunes, add a splash of classic arcade mentality and lo and behold Huenison will be born." indiegames.com

"Huenison perfectly captures the essence of addictiveness and gradual mastery that retro games are so famous for, but it does so without pounding you over the head with it or making you feel like a failure." jayisgames.com

"Being what it is, Huenison isn't about progressing through a story or any of that nonsense; it's all about racking up high scores and surviving the onslaught of bricks." indiestatik.com

"It's chaotic, challenging and so much fun! Welcome to HUENISON!" wraithkal.info

"A riot of dot matrix retro graphics, synthetic sounds from the Commodore 64 and mechanics taken from an era still magical for many retrogamers." inidevault.it (Italian)

"In short, when it comes to new ideas in the world of indie games inspired by the old glories of the past, it is not always easy to match the giants of the genre but there is a lot of innovation in Huenison." idealsoftblog.it (Italian)

"Huenison we liked." Retromaniac Magazine (Spanish)

"The musical theme of Huenison is very good, elevates the intensity of the game, and it sounds like it has come out of the SID chip of Commodore 64." amiga.gr (Greek)

"You need eyes of a chameleon to track everything that happens on the screen at the same time. And with the price of chameleons eyes implants nowadays, Huenison is hard game to beat..." ordordiretro.fr (French)

C64 16KB Cartridge Game Development Competition - Status Update #1

Ok, ok! I know that I should have posted a status update on our 16KB C64 game competition at least a month ago, but things have been stupid busy here at RGCD. So, without further delay, let's have a look at the progress made by the entrants so far.



Competition Entry #1: The Blob (Working Title)
Developer: David Eriksson
Status: In Progress


David Eriksson (he of the C64 Spike Dislike port and Driar fame) has returned to working on his tentitively titled 'blob' game, and already the current preview is miles ahead of where he was last year. Planned as a huge (for 16KB) metroidvania platformer, this flick-screen game already features a variety of beautifully presented enemies, wonderful animated landscapes, unlockable abilities and even checkpoints! With most of the work done, it seems that there is just the level design left - without meaning to sound too enthusiastic, I have incredibly high hopes for this one!

Maximus Action Carnage (PC)


Every now and then I encounter a game that kicks the living shit out of me, yet I can't help but to keep coming back for more. Maximus Action Carnage by Bruneras is one such game - and when I say it kicked my ass, it kicked so hard I tasted leather. Built as a stunning example of what Bruneras' Arcade Game Studio is capable of, as a standalone game Maximus Action Carnage doesn't exactly bring anything new to the shmup genre; a heroic army bloke shoots everyone, everyone dies, the end. This is a super tough vertically scrolling shooter made in the same vein as Ikari Warriors or Commando. There is a backstory, but whatever - we didn't come here for the reading.

Anodyne (PC/Mac/Linux/iOS)


From the moment you start Anodyne, its creators Sean Hogan and Jonathan Kittaka send you on an imaginative journey where the feeling of isolation runs rampant and the need to connect in a disconnected world where fantasy and reality exist adjacent to each other drives you to the truth. Your quest starts as you play a boy named Young and follow his progress through The Land to get to the Briar. Aided by the Village Elder, armed with a trusty broom (only real men use brooms), you traverse many lands solving puzzles in dungeons a la Zelda and unraveling the mystique that shrouds the world while ethereal sounds punctuate your footsteps.

Retro Racing (PC/Mac/iOS/Android/Ouya)


In a lot of ways, Retro Racing is exactly what I wanted. A top-down 2D racing game with simple, clear graphics and a perfect feeling physics model. Those who remember Nitro on the Amiga will likely start drawing some direct comparisons, and as well they should, because Jamie "Mr Qwak" Woodhouse was also the author behind that classic. With its engine roaring at the start grid alongside other releases trying to keep the cult genre of top-down racing alive, despite all its efforts Retro Racing is just not quite substantial enough to beat the competition.

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Rogue Legacy (PC)


I forgot long ago how many generations have passed, how many flame-ring-tossing wizards I've slain, how many chests I've opened and how many spike-filled corridors I've traversed, how many times my IBS-ridden children have farted in midst of a dangerous battle. Rogue Legacy can do that to you.

Founded in 2009, the creator of Rogue Legacy, Cellar Door Games were already pretty well known in the indie scene for their portfolio of flash games - in particular the cheekily named "Don't Shit Your Pants", but their past successes are nothing in comparison to the mass exposure that they have received following the release of Rogue Legacy. And this exposure is well deserved, as Rogue Legacy is one of the most, if not the most, enjoyable 2D platformers I've played in a very long time (save for the superb Spelunky).

Super Amazing Wagon Adventure (PC/XBLIG)


Gritty reboots are the in-thing for cinema these days. Man of Steel recently reforged the camp-as-Christmas-and-twice-as-festive Superman franchise into a love poem to fatalism and duty, the Christopher Nolan Batman films did away with such marvels as the Bat Credit Card (never leave home without it) and there's a similar trend in video games, with the latest Tomb Raider excursion being more a bit grimy. But what is to be done with a game already brutal and unforgiving? A game that for thirty or more years has been chewing people up and spitting them out?

I speak of The Oregon Trail, the merciless edutainment game of watching settlers die horribly and uselessly. Often of dysentery. And the answer to the question is: go in the opposite direction and make a wagon-based migration game that is an absolutely unhinged and dirtily, filthily fun shoot-em-up. Welcome to the stage of history, colonist. This is Super Amazing Wagon Adventure. This is How The West Was FUN. Let's get edutained!

Thomas Was Alone (PC/Mac)


Games rarely balance humor whilst asking life defining questions. Who am I? Why am I here? Am I defined by my actions or by who I associate with? Mike Bithell is willing to rectify this with the wonderful Thomas Was Alone.

The game revolves around a rectangle called Thomas who blips into existence one day with no comprehension of what he is and why he is here. During his travels he encounters more individuals who are equally confused but seem to have inherent abilities that are useful to Thomas and continuing his journey through the unknown. The relationships the tiny blocks develop are hilarious and also heart warming - so don't hit Wikipedia before playing as you'll ruin half the fun.