indie

Super Indie Karts “Ultra Update” races onto Steam Early Access

by
Super Indie Karts "Ultra Update" races onto Steam Early Access 2

Super Indie Karts is a 16-bit kart racer that features drivers and tracks from a variety of games like Duck Game, Runbow, and Freedom Planet. The game is heavily inspired by the original Super Mario Kart with flat tracks and sharp, hairpin turns. 90s kids will remember that the original and Mario Kart 64 were the best of the bunch. And only 90s kids will be able to drown in the nostalgia of the VHS trailer for the Super Indie Karts’ Ultra Update. The update includes a whole slew of new features to the game which turns it into a more modern, yet retro classic.

Just jump around in this promo vid and you’ll see the similarity between the two games:

The “Ultra” release rolls out on July 19th and includes a whole new est of tracks that feature more obstacles, modern layouts, and an N64 design with polygonal shapes but keeps the original theme of the game. Super Indie Karts is obviously the type of indie mashup game you’d expect from a crowdfunded indie dev.

The game’s characters look the same with their original sprites but they’re on newly redesigned tracks. It sports various sets of tracks based on SNES graphics and another group of tracks in a futuristic VR-like setting. These are the main game modes.

For those who want some multiplayer action (some people only played Mario Kart for BlockFortresss, believe it or not), the game will also have a battle mode. The total number of tracks is about 50, which is more than any Mario Kart game on the planet to my knowledge (not including mirror tracks)!

Development of Super Indie Karts started in May of 2015 and has been slowly racing towards the finish. One Legged Seagull started a Kickstarter campaign. He wanted to include all the content he could before releasing the game to avoid another future sequel. Players will get the full feature upon release date, which is currently scheduled for 2018 on Steam and is currently available in Early Access.

Dark Souls-like Action RPG Unworthy coming out on May 29th

by
Dark Souls-like Action RPG Unworthy coming out on May 29th 3

Unworthy is a new 2D Metroidvania game that plays similar to Dark Souls.

It’s the second game from indie developer Aleksandar Kuzmanovic and plays in the classical tradition of being a hardass action RPG. It’s a “hardcore combat-focused Metroidvania” where players can explore a grim universe. The game also offers a ton of weapons, unique abilities, and plenty of lands to explore.  He also uploaded a new video showing off the game as sort of a teaser trailer.

From the trailer, you can see that the game is very similar to Dark Souls. in that players must defend themselves and forge a new path in a grim world with black-and-white pixel art. The game has enemies, bosses, and plenty of hazards that can be dodged by rolling or blocking. The game also has an in-game cash shop where players can buy items and gear. The game is pretty much an indie version of Dark Souls.

Players will be controlling an unknown hero who wanders the lands in search of meaning. The narrative is similar to Dark Souls., so it’s not surprising to see indie games paying homage to it.

Unworthy will be released on Steam on May 29th with a $14.99 price tag.

An indie title that tackles bullying; The Path of Motus is coming Summer 2018

by
The Path of Motus is a game about bullying where words literally hurt.

The Path of Motus is a game that aims to depict the effect of hurtful words.

Before you dismiss it as some anti-bullying campaign, it’s actually a very well-done and unique little concept that’s pretty awesome. It’s designed by Michael Hicks and Goncalo Antunes- two indie developers who want to make a game that tackles the subject of bullying. Although it’s not the first game to showcase the trauma and ongoing effects of bullying in the world, it’s a unique way to represent it.

In the world of The Path of Motus, words literally hurt. The game has you playing as Motus, a kid who wants to build and escape out of a fantasy city inhabited by goblins by building bridges. Bullies are ever-present int he game and need to be dealt with accordingly. The city is full of bullies who aren’t too nice to one another, and it’s up to you to find out why the city is this way.

The bridges built in the game are done by solving a bunch of puzzles which range from simple to complex. Motus ages throughout the game and progresses from a small child to an adult. The game has many different characters to interact with that uncover the story behind the city.  There’s a whole cast of NPCs to help you uncover the story and dive deep into the background and lore of the situation.

Hicks mentioned in a post on the official site:

“Motus has big dreams of building bridges through the forest; using an art brush passed down to him from his dad, he can connect groups of nodes together to design bridges! He can also use his brush to solve “Thought Door” puzzles. Thought Doors appear throughout the game, and were designed as an emotional language to convey what Motus is thinking or feeling. While they look and behave like normal puzzles, the ideas behind how they’re solved is the key to how this works!”

The game seems to be a nice little indie adventure game that brings the subject of bullying to light. It’s like one of those educational games where you need to solve puzzles to progress while teaching you about an education subject at the same time. Typically, these types of games only focus on the teaching part which makes them tedious to play. The Path of Motus is similar, but from what I’ve seen, it actually does the game part well and has a good balance between the two subjects.

The Path of Motus will be released in Summer 2018 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Check out the trailer:

Image via official site.

Nintendo Switch’s best indie games of 2018 revealed

by
Nindies games.

Nintendo just released their top 10 list of the best-selling indie games on the Switch.

This list is the best of the best. If you like indie games, you gotta check out these titles if you haven’t already. The games were revealed at a Nindies convention at GDC. It’s based on sales up to March 5th, 2018.

Here’s the list:

  1. Steamworld Dig 2
  2. Stardew Valley
  3. Kamiko
  4. Celeste
  5. Fast RMX
  6. Golf Story
  7. Enter the Gungeon
  8. Overcooked: Special Edition
  9. NBA Playground
  10. Shovel Knight – Treasure Trove

This list is the best so far.

Nintendo also decided to give independent developers a showcase of their own at Indies Direct.

Some games that were impressive were Mark of the Ninja Remastered, Fantasy Strike, Just Shapes and Beats, Garage, Pool Panic, Bomb Chicken!, and Lummies Remastered. Stay tuned for more details.

Chucklefish is publishing a new strategy RPG called Pathway

by
Chucklefish is publishing Pathways- an indie turn-based RPG coming out in 2018.

Chucklefish announced that they’re publishing the strategy RPG called Pathway.

It’s being developed by Robotality and it’s a turn-based strategy RPG game based in the 1930s in the German military. Your partner Morten has vanished after investigating the Nazis. So you and your team go in and find him through many different locations. It has a basic storyline but a lot going for it in terms of gameplay and strats.

The game is procedurally-generated each time you play, so it’s always different and fresh. The game takes place in a variety of locations that are yours for discovering and uncovering. They’re pretty eerie looking. The game is rendered with gorgeous pixel artwork and offers a nice storyline to go with it. It’s a pixel and hybrid technology that gives a real feeling of depth to the environment.

The OST is composed by Gavin Harrison who has experience with Robotality’s games- like Halfway.

Each time you dive into a temple, you’ll have to strategize and plan your moves. It is a turn-based strategy game so you’ll have to decide and plan strategically to take down the baddies. As you explore and encounter bad guys, you’ll be familiarized with a combat system similar to the XCOM series where positioning, weapons, skills, and roles play a huge factor in your success.

Pathways will roll out for Mac, PC, Linux in late 2018. You can check it out on Steam or check out the official site for more info. If you like TBS, you should check out this indie game for sure.

Image via Chucklefish blog.

Coffee Crisis to be released February 15, 2018 – a cult indie retro classic

by

Coffee Crisis is set to release on February 15, 2018.

If you’ve never heard about it before, it’s a game developed by Mega Cat Studios. It was originally released as a Sega Genesis cart, but now it’s available for multiple platforms- Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as PS4, Xbox One some time later in the future.

The game first appeared from a successful Kickstarter campaign about a year ago in 2017. It rolled out as a Genesis cart with a box and instruction manual. Mega Cat Studios basically wanted to create another Genesis game without all the laws and regulations of creating one. It’s completely fan-made with no input from Sega.

The game was a success and they continued to work on new updates for the game via the circuit boards and new cartridges because the game was in a physical format and had no connection to the internet. Some updates included art, combos, and new hitboxes. It’s a real blast to the past.

Now, Coffee Crisis is the next game. It’s an action sidescroller beat ’em up with gorgeous 2D graphics. If you’ve played legendary classics like Streets of Rage and Final Fight, you’ll know exactly what the game is like. Players play as one of two characters who need to fight off an alien race in Penn State. It’s a 2-player game with 10 stages that are hand-drawn with complete couch co-op. The game also has some awesome music made by a band called Greywalker and has 12 tracks.

If you’re into indie games, this is one you don’t want to give up.

It’s already being planned for Xbox One as they’ve already begun the process and PS4 will be announced some time later. Windows, Mac, and Linux will be released on the 15th of February.

There will be also some exclusive PC features as well.

The keys for the PC version were delivered to backers in March, and since then we’ve been adapting their feedback into the game. Because of their suggestions, the PC release will have a ton of polished content and exclusive features! We’ve also started the Xbox certification process, so a cup of crisis is coming to consoles too!

Check out their campaign for more info.