DON'T TREAD ON ME: Independent Thread of Independent Indie Games (Steam or GTFO)

[Howard Alan Treesong]

All I play these days are 15-minute freeware PC games that hope to expand the ludonarrative grammar used to describe player intentionality. Oh, your garage-developed game is on XBLA? Yeah, that's totally indie.

Are these games "fun"? Are these games "games"? That's what we're here to discuss, chaps!

Good Indie Game Blogs:
<a href="http://www.tigsource.com/">TIGSource</a>
<a href="http://www.indiegames.com/blog/">Indie Games</a>

And remember:

[youtube=560,345]617lGZjYyNo[/youtube]

Okay, so who here has played <a href="http://distractionware.com/blog/?p=759">Judith</a>? It's a collabo between the creator of <a href="http://www.increpare.com/2008/12/rara-racer/">Rararacer</a> and <a href="http://www.increpare.com/">Opera Omnia</a> and the creator of <a href="http://distractionware.com/games/flash/dontlookback/">Don't Look Back</a>. It's a bit of an odd beast, hardly a "game" at all, and the only clue we have to authorial intent is that it's a game about "control."

Spoiler-filled thoughts:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The interesting thing about the game, to me, was the way it told its story and built tension via taking control away from the player at key points - anything close to a puzzle or gameplay choice is taken out of your hands, leaving you to sort of coast from one segment to the next. Though somewhat dissatisfying, this does have the effect of making the PC's drive to "discover" the truth feel stronger - so strong that she's going to act outside of the player's input. Bioshock played around with this with the Andrew Ryan segment, but I think it's better implemented here.

I'm iffy on the actual narrative, but enjoyed the way it was told and felt it did a good job of building a conflicted sense of drive/unease in the player - which is what the designers were going for, surely

[close]

.

In my next post I will talk about And Yet It Moves!

[Howard Alan Treesong]

And Yet It Moves kinda sucked.

Maybe next time you can spend less time smoking weed and more time designing clever levels around your gameplay mechanics.

[Rman]

Interesting art direction at least. 

[Eel O'Brian]

what's the name of that game where you do stuff

[Fragamemnon]

Hey I am down with this thread. I've been waiting ages for someone to start sifting through all the indie rubble and point out the games that are actually games and not PSN bait.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Passage, but I would edit out your spoiler-filled description!

Gravitation is also good. He has an iPhone puzzle game called Primrose.

EDIT: looks like you can get Primrose for free on the platform of champions, the Personal Computer.

[demi]

BreakQuest

http://www.nurium.com/

[Howard Alan Treesong]

A bit more bitching about And Yet It Moves:

It's a physics-based platformer where you can rotate the world 360 degrees, which is kind of cool. Unfortunately, the level design never goes beyond the "jump from the top of a platform to the bottom of the platform" or "jump and rotate 90 degrees."

I wanted gravitational dampeners floating in space, trampolines, jello, different ground materials allowing for different fall distances, applying "English" to a spin before a jump to go off on a tangential vector, swimming, the works. Like Portal, this is a simple yet infinitely expandable mechanic. Unlike Portal, they really lack the courage of their convictions and don't go nearly as far down the rabbit hole as they should.

Good first effort, but wait for $5.

[cool breeze]

I got bored after 3 levels of And Yet It Moves.  Metal Storm did the same thing in 1991, except the appeal of that game wasn't just the gimmick.  I think that's the problem with a lot of Indie games, it's usually just the gimmick and nothing else compelling there.

and Zeno Clash is out soon, I think the 23rd or so.

[Bebpo]

I tried Judith last night.  Seemed neat but didn't get that far.  Will try to play more tonight.

[Don Flamenco]

what's that 2D platformer that has a huge crazy twist in the story or something?

[Bebpo]

what's that 2D platformer that has a huge crazy twist in the story or something?

Braid?

[Don Flamenco]

nah, it's one of these PC ones.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

nah, it's one of these PC ones.

Braid is now available for the PC. That's probably it.

[FatalT]

what's that 2D platformer that has a huge crazy twist in the story or something?

Cave Story?

[Bebpo]

I finished Judith but I don't understand the plot.  Why do the narratives in so many of these indie games have to be "deep" and not make any sense on the surface without breaking the plots down into essay discussion format.   

[Don Flamenco]

nah, it's one of these PC ones.

Braid is now available for the PC. That's probably it.

GODOMMOT



maybe it started with a V or something. 


maybe it is Judith?

edit: not judith, because there was a gaf thread on the game I'm thinking of.  In fact, the guy who started the thread did a review of the game and included spoilers in the review and everyone bitched at him for it.   

[Eric P]

i heard the braid port was muy sloppy

could only play windowed, etc etc

[cool breeze]

nah, it's one of these PC ones.

Braid is now available for the PC. That's probably it.

GODOMMOT



maybe it started with a V or something. 


maybe it is Judith?

edit: not judith, because there was a gaf thread on the game I'm thinking of.  In fact, the guy who started the thread did a review of the game and included spoilers in the review and everyone bitched at him for it.   

are you talking about that game where parts of the levels transported you to other dimensions/times? like, plants would die in the bleak future and all that?

[ToxicAdam]

I've just started playing this game, but it's pretty cool.

Scary Girl : http://www.scarygirl.com/

[youtube=560,345]NmdUEdMh-H0[/youtube]


I've pretty much become an indy game only player for about a year now. It feels so much better to paypal a creator 10 bucks then spend 30 dollars in Wal-mart.

[Don Flamenco]

nah, it's one of these PC ones.

Braid is now available for the PC. That's probably it.

GODOMMOT



maybe it started with a V or something. 


maybe it is Judith?

edit: not judith, because there was a gaf thread on the game I'm thinking of.  In fact, the guy who started the thread did a review of the game and included spoilers in the review and everyone bitched at him for it.   

are you talking about that game where parts of the levels transported you to other dimensions/times? like, plants would die in the bleak future and all that?

i don't know because i haven't played the game.  if I saw the name, I'd know it.

I've pretty much become an indy game only player for about a year now. It feels so much better to paypal a creator 10 bucks then spend 30 dollars in Wal-mart.

i tried this, but these games are generally pretty overhyped.  besides noitu love. 

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Kranz, I appreciate your stance but let's try to keep this thread focused on sharing info about indie games that are worth (or not worth) checking out. if you want to debate the worth of indie games en masse that is probably outside the scope of this thread. Thanks!

Let's talk about

Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!

[youtube=560,345]PuiaAOUtzSQ[/youtube]

It's an awesome 1920s high school girl diplomacy board game simulation something something. Great writing and you can get it on Steam for the Gentleman Jack of gaming platforms, the IBM-compatible x86-architecture personal computer.

[Don Flamenco]

okay.  lemme rephrase that.

If you want more and different iterations of gunstar heroes and alien soldier, check out this guy's games:
http://www.konjak.org/

Noitu Love 2 ($10) and Legend of Princess (free, demo) are both great.  the latter is Gunstar Zelda and will never be a full game, as its an obvious rip/tribute to zelda.   I hear Chalk is great too (and is not gunstar-ish.)


man, hope someone figures out the name of that other game.

[pilonv1]

Kranz, I appreciate your stance but let's try to keep this thread focused on sharing info about indie games that are worth (or not worth) checking out. if you want to debate the worth of indie games en masse that is probably outside the scope of this thread. Thanks!

Let's talk about

Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!

[youtube=560,345]PuiaAOUtzSQ[/youtube]

It's an awesome 1920s high school girl diplomacy board game simulation something something. Great writing and you can get it on Steam for the Gentleman Jack of gaming platforms, the IBM-compatible x86-architecture personal computer.

I was really intrigued with this game. I think Joe Molotov bought it. I'd definitely get it on a steam sale but full price seems a bit much

[cool breeze]

Eversion

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348422

ok, if it's not that, I have no clue.

[Don Flamenco]

Eversion

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348422

ok, if it's not that, I have no clue.

YEAAAHHHHHHH~!


edit: windows NOOOOOOOOO  gotta get around to bootcamp one of these days

[Bebpo]

Kranz, I appreciate your stance but let's try to keep this thread focused on sharing info about indie games that are worth (or not worth) checking out. if you want to debate the worth of indie games en masse that is probably outside the scope of this thread. Thanks!

Let's talk about

Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!

[youtube=560,345]PuiaAOUtzSQ[/youtube]

It's an awesome 1920s high school girl diplomacy board game simulation something something. Great writing and you can get it on Steam for the Gentleman Jack of gaming platforms, the IBM-compatible x86-architecture personal computer.

I was really intrigued with this game. I think Joe Molotov bought it. I'd definitely get it on a steam sale but full price seems a bit much

Yeah, there was a time when it was on sale for ~$6 and I debated getting it but passed.  Now I kind of regret it!

[Howard Alan Treesong]

It's only $10 which isn't that bad, but $5 is better of course. This is also a good thread for posting when Steam or Greenhouse or GamersGate have indie game sales!

[pilonv1]

It's not really an indie game but everyone should try Defense Grid

[Bebpo]

It's not really an indie game but everyone should try Defense Grid

It seems like the ultimate tower defense game.  Which is cool, but you gotta like tower defense 

[pilonv1]

yeah its pure sex for tower defense nerds.

[Enl]

Don't Look Back

http://db.tigsource.com/games/dont-look-back

Spent a good 30 minutes playing this today. It's a platformer/shooter/adventure that kinda reminds me of Knytt in how it handles its atmosphere. The gimmick is that the game used bare minimal graphics. Limited to 5 colors (mostly red, black and peach) and Atari age  graphics. JoytoKey is recommended for the later parts. Found it pretty fun as a short diversion.

[Cormacaroni]

why do 90% of these look like Little Big Planet levels?

[cool breeze]

I finished Judith but I don't understand the plot.  Why do the narratives in so many of these indie games have to be "deep" and not make any sense on the surface without breaking the plots down into essay discussion format.   

I finished it and the only way I can really piece it together is

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Judith is your wife while the dungeon is your mind...or something.  I think it's about how it would be if the wife figured out about the guys secrets (getting shut out completely).

[close]

[Bebpo]

I finished Judith but I don't understand the plot.  Why do the narratives in so many of these indie games have to be "deep" and not make any sense on the surface without breaking the plots down into essay discussion format.   

I finished it and the only way I can really piece it together is

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Judith is your wife while the dungeon is your mind...or something.  I think it's about how it would be if the wife figured out about the guys secrets (getting shut out completely).

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

What does that have to do with Emily getting lost?  I'm just confused how the two timelines relate.  One is the story of a guy who owns the castle who secretly tortures people and keeps his wives hidden and it's about his new wife who discovers it and is locked away.  Meanwhile the other story is a ...non-story?  Guy meets with secret affair lover at this castle, she disappears, he finds her in the room where the castle owner had locked his wife in the other story. 

I don't really get what the point of the Emily story is if it even had one

[close]

[tiesto]

I Wanna Be The Guy
http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/

A masochistic platformer, filled with lots of rote memorization, spikes everywhere, and 8-bit/MM inspired mechanics. It's a bit too frustrating for me, but I have to give it props since I met the creator briefly at a local sci-fi/anime/geek convention (he's from nearby), and I have talked with him in the past.

rRootage
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/windows/rr_e.html

Kenta Cho is pretty well-known around the indie game scene, but this one game is what I feel is his best. It's a boss-rush game filled with some amazingly creative bullet patterns, and some good breakbeat music.

Cho Ren Sha 68K
http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/index.html

Another fairly well-known indie shmup, originally made for the Sharp X68000 computer and ported to more recent machines. Very similar to a quality 16-bit shooter, although it gets slightly repetitive.

Ocular Ink
http://www.pistachioproductions.com/dart/

An overhead action game where you shoot out paint via mouse trajectories. Cute cel-shaded graphics, feels like it would make a good DS game.

And of course... gotta pimp my own indie game, Kikan!
http://www.duky.org/kikan.html

I made this game using MegaZeux (http://www.digitalmzx.net), which is a game creator that uses text-mode graphics. It's pretty versataile as far as game creation systems go, although the graphics resemble retro DOS/C64 games. MegaZeux is a fan-made successor to Epic Megagames' well known ZZT game creation system. (ZZT being Tim Sweeney's/Epic's first ever game).

So, basically my game is a (wait for it) RPG... bet you didn't see that one coming! But, it's a bit different in story/theme. It takes place in a modern, alternate-reality NYC, where you play the role as a drug dealer, who first wants revenge against a crime syndicate when a deal goes bad, but eventually wants to overcome his addiction himself. Gameplay is pretty basic RPG style, highly influenced by Shadow Hearts and Dragon Quest. Music is (wait for it) assorted EDM genres like progressive, house, trance, d&b, downtempo and minimal. It's pretty easy, 5-6 hours long, and it's not overly complicated, but the story/theme are pretty different from your run-of-the-mill fan made RPG.

[ToxicAdam]

Massive bump


Just played a fun game from a TIGsource competition. Dungeons of Fayte. It's an action RPG with a twist. The graphics are pure 8 bit, but servicable. It plays a bit like a dungeon crawl (random events), but once you have finished your dungeon you return back to town to build up your character (through jobs or training). You get 4 weeks to decide how to build up your character and then you are back into a dungeon. This occurs 4 times and then at the end of 4 months, your town is invaded by the Bone Lord, whom you have to defeat.

The combat is a little clunky, but it makes it more challenging. I feel if the game had smoother combat, it would be too easy. There are 12 different characters and just as many different "endings" to keep you coming back for more. It has 4 player co-op, which is very unique and cool, but pretty useless for PC play.




http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2010/01/freeware_game_pick_dungeons_of.html

[pilonv1]

this sounds awesome