Tuesday 28 May 2013

Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe (PC)


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

Almost two years from when Andrew Morrish uploaded his original prototype build, Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe (SPPD) has finally arrived and is available to buy on Steam - and it has most certainly been worth the wait. As promised in the Plus version released by Adult Swim Games earlier this year, SPPD takes the acclaimed 'Mr. Driller in reverse' game formula to the next level with six themed worlds in which to battle those evil pastel-coloured blocks, seven additional unlockable characters, challenges, achievements and - most essentially - a local two-player vs mode.

Chasm (Preview) (PC/Mac/Linux)

 

Chasm, like many Kickstarter darlings, has been getting a lot of press lately - and deservedly so. I mean, it's a "2D Fantasy ARPG Platformer featuring procedurally generated Metroid-like dungeons and authentic pixel art." Shut up and take my money! In all seriousness, though, a solid concept does not always yield a solid game, but it (fortunately) seems that the team at Discord Games have something special brewing.

I sometimes get annoyed with the plethora of Kickstarter buskers with a dream but no dollar, clamoring amongst the crowd to get a few bucks from me when they don't have anything to show, or aren't even developers/artists/coders/etc! The team behind Chasm, however, have gone over and above in giving gamers good reason to toss them some clams - a full-featured, surprisingly robust alpha demo is publicly available to try out.

It is thus hardly surprising that the game, as of now, is already funded. But how does it play?

Hammerwatch (Preview) (PC/Mac/Linux)


Anyone familiar with games like Gauntlet or even Rogue will be instantly familiar with Hammerwatch, a game by Jochum Skoglund and Niklas Myrberg currently available in beta form. Containing only the first act and a rough version of a planned Survival mode), play takes place entirely in a dungeon, with a selection of character classes, up to four (in the final version) players, waves of enemies and loot, keys and potions to collect.

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Huenison Update (PC/Amiga)


Remember the rather positive Huenison preview we published a couple of months back? Well, it seems that our friend Simone Bevilacqua of Retream was rather enamoured by the write-up, and after our successful relationship in handling the cartridge of his C64 eat 'em up Quod Init Exit he offered RGCD the opportunity to publish the game in both digital and physical formats! Needless to say, we are super proud to be involved in the release of such a unique game.

Work has been continuing on Huenison, including a few extra game modes and brick types, but mainly Simone has been polishing and tweaking things for the final release. More importantly for the hardcore Amiga crowd, as with his previous release BOH, Huenison will be available for both PC and Amiga OS 4. More information will follow soon, but for a taste of what is to come, check out the teaser trailer below.

Sunday 5 May 2013

Zero Cross (PC/Mac)


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

Christopher "udderdude" Emirzian, developer of the hardcore indie shmup XOP, has delivered yet another perfect slice of STG action in the form of Zero Cross, an arena-based arcade game that combines bullet-hell with intelligent gameplay mechanics, a variety of different mission goals and some impressive boss designs.

Instead of the usual 'rush about the screen in a circle avoiding abstract enemies and bullets' that you'd expect from a typical arena shooter, Zero Cross has you activating shields to protect friendly structures, creating blackholes, destroying enemy bases, fighting colossal battle ships and closing rifts in the fabric of space-time. Sounds awesome? Well, to keep things brief - yes, it is.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

C64 16KB Cartridge Game Development Competition!


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!

INFINOS (PC)


INFINOS is definitely a rare gem. Played R-Type or virtually any classic 16-bit era shooter? Then you've played INFINOS, but that wouldn't really be doing this indie title any justice. Given the very sparse nature of its website, courtesy of developer Picorinne Soft, it would be very easy to overlook this one - but don't.

The second INFINOS is fired up, it conjures up fond mental images of my 11 year old self sitting cross-legged in front of a small tube TV in a modest bedroom, banging on the controller to the tune of Super R-Type (perhaps the first true shooter I ever played. I was also fond of Darius Twin).