Toren is back and more beautiful than ever

Back in September 2011, I posted about Toren, a visually beautiful adventure game by Brazilian developer Swordtales.

Not much information was available about the game, but a new video has surfaced ahead of the 2014 Independent Games Festival which shows off much more of what we can expect from this stunning looking title.

As I initially wrote, the game is based inside an ancient tower, where a young girl is kept prisoner and the themes running through the game are based around discovery and growing up.

Ico comparisons are inevitable, with Toren's setting echoing a similar theme to Team Ico's classic, and hopefully we'll learn more about the game in the months to come. You can watch the trailer HERE

 Toren is currently in development for PC, Mac and Linux.

The Dungeoning - PC/Mac

Over the last few weeks, I've been delighted to see Nick from Physmo release more screens from their forthcoming game titled The Dungeoning.

Physmo have a growing reputation for releasing quality games, with Mos Speedrun, GhostRacer and Seaglass already under their belt. The Dungeoning is looking splendid so far but when Nick told me this was a Roguelike platformer, I almost cried tears of pure ASCII joy.

The Dungeoning is currently deep in development for PC and Mac, and Physmo have announced the game will feature a variety of weapons, projectile-based magic, levelling up and - most importantly - permadeath.

No release date has been announced yet but The Dungeoning is definitely one to keep your eye on. In the meantime, gaze at this small selection of screens from the current build and head over to the official Physmo site for more information.

The Bridge - PC

There is something quite endearing - and familiar - about The Bridge's lead character. Resplendent in blazer, diamond-emblazoned jumper, well-knotted tie and round spectacles, he is an intriguing fellow - and the mystery behind him and the gravity-defying world he inhabits is just as mesmirising.

The Bridge is a puzzler, which likes to futz with gravity, mess with your sense of perspective and takes great delight in being responsible for melting your brain with its collection of gravity-shifting conundrums.

Clearly taking its visual cue from the head-scratching drawings by Dutch artist MC Escher, The Bridge is a thoroughly absorbing title and one which fuses simple controls with visually complex levels.

The player is able to walk the protagonist left and right and can rotate the screen both clockwise and anti-clockwise, with the ultimate goal of reaching a door which then whisks our smartly-presented gentleman into another, more complicated warped world.

Of course, that sounds simple but The Bridge is anything but. Snaffling keys unlocks these doors, but the act of collecting them is a lot tougher than you might initially imagine. They have a tendency to slip into the ether through gaps in the levels as you gingerly rotate the world, dangle tantalisingly just out of reach and perch precariously on ledges.

Even when you manage to collect these monochrome treasures, you still have to navigate your way to the exit - no easy task, especially when giant grinning stone marbles are intent on erasing you from existence and quirky vortexes like to swallow everything and anything that gets too close. Thankfully, The Bridge lets the player rewind time so they are free to finely tune their tactics and this nifty Prince of Persia-like mechanic keeps the game ticking along nicely.

But even though some of the puzzles are maddening - especially when polarity is introduced - the sublime monochrome pencil sketch visuals and gentle music keep the player engaged and seeing what fresh mental torture awaits keeps the player moving doggedly on.

The Bridge, then, is a rather fine game and like any good puzzler there's a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you finally figure out a level. Polished, brilliantly presented and delightfully devilishly, a stroll across this bridge into another world is a trip you should definitely take.

This review initially appeared on the Gert Lush Gaming website. Thanks to Jim for allowing me to post the review here.

Kentucky Route Zero: Act I

I could ramble on at great length about the first act of Kentucky Route Zero. But instead, I'll merely mention the strange characters, the slick art style, the unsettling atmosphere and the joy of driving around its spindly, monochrome map learning more about this eerie twilight-bathed land and its inhabitants. Why won't I go into more detail? Simply, Kentucky Route Zero is a game full of charms best discovered first-hand.

Act one of this fine point and click adventure is available here and although short, it is well worth the asking price. I can't wait to see where developer Cardboard Computer (Jake Elliott and Tamas Kemenczy) plan on taking Conway and his old, rattling truck in the months to come.

Freedom Planet

Years of being mercilessly battered by critics have left Sonic the Hedgehog - that once proud, hi-top wearing flash of blue, sprawled face down on the canvas. Sure, he manages to occasionally drag his limp, bruised body over to the ropes and raise his bloodied face to give us a soupcon of fun - usually in something other than a platform game - but the old codger just hasn't been himself since the Nineties.

It's a shame, because on the Megadrive, the spiky hog was light years ahead of the competition, starring in several wonderful and perilous platform capers. Sonic's star might have faded since then, but rather than sit around and wait for some Cocoon-like rebirth, the team at GalaxyTrail Games have come up with something quite exciting - a frothy platformer which doffs its cap to Sega's old mascot, before zooming away on a madcap dash to the finish line.

Freedom Planet is the name and judging by the excellent demo, the dev team could be on to something of a winner. The game bears a striking resemblance to Sonic's old adventures, but GalaxyTrail have added a fresh injection of fun to the old formula by adding a dose of inspiration from Megaman and Gunstar Heroes.

Multi-tiered levels, unlockable characters with their own unique moves, infuriatingly catchy tunes and breathless platform action should ensure healthy sales and with a modest Kickstarter target already surpassed, this could be big.

Visit Freedom Planet's Kickstarter page to download the demo and see the game in action for yourself.

Chasm

When Shiren the Wanderer and Koppa took me on a journey to the Lair of the Golden Condor back in 2008, little did I know the lasting effect it would have. Since then, I've become a complete Roguelike nerd, geeking out at the mere mention of permadeath, procedurally generated dungeons and gold-plated +5 katanas. So, when I found out about Chasm - a Roguelike/platformer in early development from Discord Games - I couldn't help but sit up and take notice.

Taking its inspiration from classic Roguelikes and games such as Diablo and Castlevania, Chasm has its heart in the right place, while the crisp, pixelated visuals have already set my heart aflutter.

The plan is to release the game on Windows, Mac and Linux, with the possibility of a XBLIG release to follow. It's not going to be out in the wild anytime soon, but I plan on keeping my peepers on Chasm as it goes through development.

Visit the official Chasm site to check out the latest news about the game and you can show the game a little love over on Steam Greenlight.

Knytt Underground

Nicklas Nygren’s games are always worth playing but perhaps his most accomplished work has been his fabulous Knytt series. Back in 2008, I urged Sony to bring Knytt Stories to PSN and finally, unbelievably, a new Knytt game has popped up on PS3, Vita and PC – and it’s wonderful.

Knytt Underground is split into three chapters, with the first two introducing the player to the various play mechanics, while the third chapter throws everything together to create yet another spellbinding adventure.

Nicklas – or Nifflas as he's better known - has taken elements from his previous Knytt games and fused them with another of his celebrated works, Within A Deep Forest, to create a brilliant and superbly thought out game where exploration takes centre stage.

What makes Nifflas’ games so memorable is the wonderful environmental sound effects, which blend with the simple visuals to create a sublime atmosphere. Knytt Underground continues this theme with a host of aural delights. From gentle acoustic guitars playing over rustling leaves in the wind, to minimalist electronica, it's all here and it sounds quite incredible through headphones.

If you want to check the game out, you can download a demo (Windows, OS x and Linux) from the Nifflas’ Games website, or grab the digital download from the PlayStation Network.

Extinct

This four-level Ludum Dare entry is a perfect coffee break game and features a few neat ideas. The aim is to try and stop a band of prehistoric tribesmen from crossing a map to claim a tasty haunch of meat. The loincloth-wearing humans follow a pre-determined path towards their lunch but by placing objects such as mammoths, ice flows and god statues along their path, you can kill them before they reach their goal.

There's a nice layer of strategy thrown into the mix as each of the items at your disposal has pros and cons. For example, placing a volcano in their path might seem as if it will lead to a fiery death for the hunters - and it often does - but in some cases they'll claim fire from the lava which they can then use to scare away the ferocious beasts you've dropped in their path.

Extinct is a smart little game, even though it's all over in a few minutes. You can play it in your web browser here.

Delver

I do love a good Roguelike and the latest to sink its claws into me and drag me off to a grisly death is Chad Cuddigan's Delver – a game which is currently in development for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android devices. Unlike the vast majority of Roguelikes - which are usually viewed from a top-down perspective - Delver is viewed in the first-person, which makes the simple task of rounding a corner a nerve-shredding experience.

The visuals in this spelunking excursion are excellent, with some nifty lighting effects used as you scuttle down corridors, while there are some cool weapons to snaffle, especially the wands which have a devastating effect on the subterranean denizens.

Chad has some big ideas for Delver and although he's constantly beavering away on making it even better, what is here already is really quite special.

For more, head on over to the official website where you can check its development, follow Chad on Twitter and vote the game up on Steam Greenlight.

Radio the Universe

I’ve been on something of a crowd funding crusade of late, throwing my hard-earned cash around as if it were Monopoly money. That said, it has been an incredibly exciting few months, with some fabulous looking projects on the way, including Sui Generis, Maia, Richard & Alice, Ouya and the cheeky little scamp that is Spud’s Quest.

As if all this wasn’t enough, I’ve was tuned into Radio the Universe just before Christmas – a dark and brooding title which, according to developer 6e6e6e, takes its inspiration from games such as Zelda, Dark Souls, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Hotline Miami.

The mere mention of Dark Souls is enough for me to part with my cash instantly, but a quick glance at Radio the Universe’s screens actually brought to mind the overlooked and quirky DS RPG Contact – albeit with a darker edge.

The game hit its Kickstarter target of $12,000 within hours and has now reached all of its stretch goals, which promise to expand the game world, add secondary weapon systems and double the amount of cut scenes.

Head on over to Radio the Universe's Kickstarter page to find out more and see the game in action.

Richard & Alice - update

Back in July, I had the pleasure of playing a small section of Richard & Alice - the forthcoming point and click adventure by Lewis Denby and Ashton Raze. Even though the small slice of action was still in Alpha, there was more than enough included to whet my appetite and make me eager to delve deeper into the intriguing story.

Now the guys are looking for a helping hand and hope to raise a bit of cash to help push Richard & Alice over the finish line. They are using Indiegogo rather than Kickstarter and thanks to the site's flexible funding, even if they don't make the target, they'll still get the cash that's been pledged.

For my thoughts on the Alpha build, click here and to visit Richard & Alice's Indiegogo page, click here. Even if you can't afford to pledge any money to the project, you can vote it up over on Steam Greenlight.

Good luck, guys. Looking forward to seeing the finished product in all its glory.

Kickstarter - Back a winner

Trying to keep up with the plethora of games looking for funding online is an almost impossible task. Every day, some new treasure pops up eager for your cash and saying no can be incredibly difficult, especially when some are only looking for £1 of your hard-earned.

When the big boys muscle their way to the front of the queue, attention inevitably falls on them, while the smaller games who are desperate for just a small slice of the action can be shoved to the side and fall out of favour with an audience always looking for the next big thing. Over the last week or so, a handful of titles have caught my eye on Kickstarter, but they are unfortunately struggling to meet their targets, with deadlines fast approaching. So, here are three of the games I'm currently backing - each covers a different genre, but all deserve a chance of being made.

Maia
Simon Roth describes his latest game as "Dungeon Keeper meets Dwarf Fortress on a primordial alien world". Still not convinced? Well, how about a return to the good old days of the god game, with a heavy 70s sci-fi vibe and atmospheric soundtrack?

There's plenty of reasons to love what Simon Roth has planned for this ambitious game and he's been doing 40+ hour shifts over the last few days to keep Maia's Kickstarter page fresh by answering questions and adding new content to the site. It would be a real shame if Maia didn't reach its Kickstarter target as it is definitely one of the most interesting projects currently looking for funding.

You can visit the Kickstarter page here but be quick - Maia only has five days left and the clock is ticking.

Edit: Maia has now been funded and Simon is now laying out the game's stretch goals. Well done to everyone who contributed.

Spud's Quest
A homage to games such as Dizzy, Metroid and the evergreen Zelda, Spud's Quest is packed with old school charm and, judging by the demo, plays beautifully. Developer Chris D is looking to raise £5000 to finish the game and polish it to retro perfection.

However, as things stand, old Spud is only half-way to his goal with seven days remaining. Download the demo, rediscover the golden age of gaming and then throw a couple of quid in Spud's direction if you can.

Visit the Spud's Quest's Kickstarter page to download the demo and back the project.

Edit: More good news: Spud's Quest has also passed its target with a few days to go. Phew!

Sui Generis
An open-world romp described as Grand Theft Auto meets Morrowind was an offer I couldn't refuse and after seeing what the team at Bare Mettle have up their sleeves, I'm really, really excited about Sui Generis.

It already looks pretty spectacular, with beautiful landscapes and stunning weather and lighting effects, but it is the robust physics engine which is the real star of the show. Not only does this have an effect on objects and items in the world, but it also means epic one-one-one battles are possible.

Combat packs a real punch, with meaty blows sending characters sprawling with well timed swings. With the groundwork in place, Bare Mettle are looking for funding to go full-time on the project to deliver the best game they possibly can.

With seven days to go, Sui Generis is half-way to its target. Find out more on the game's Kickstarter page.

Edit: Sui Generis hit its target with only six hours to go. I'm absolutely thrilled that all three of these games have been funded and can't wait to see how they progress as the months rolls on.

Pioneers

Pioneers is another game of survival, but Eigen Lenk's work in progress is slightly different from other such titles and is showing a great deal of promise.

It's a turn-based exploration game which initially tasks the player with building a ship, garnering a worthy crew, loading the hold with essential supplies, before taking to the high seas in search of fame and fortune.

Quests are dished out from your homeland's cheery citizens but even a simple quest to gather spice from a nearby island is a perilous undertaking. Bears and other wild creatures roam the forested lands and if that wasn't enough to contend with, you need to forage for food, chop trees, set up camp, make sure your band of hardy adventurers don't starve, and interact with local tribes.

Visually, Pioneers is rather smart and uses only four colours - although these change depending on the seasons. It's also packed with character: smoke rises from chimneys, ships bob merrily on the waves, rain pelts down on the explorers as they snuffle about, while a delightful musical score plinks and plonks away in the background.

If you want to try out the latest build, you can find it here, on Eigen's website.

Have fun!

Under the Ocean

Back in 2010, I wrote a little piece about Paul Greasley's brilliant survival game Under the Garden. Since its release, the survival genre has really taken off and now Paul is back with a new game - Under the Ocean, which builds on many of his previous game's features.

Paul has been joined on this project by Michael Reitzenstein, Chris Geehan and Philippe Martins and although still in Alpha, Under the Ocean is already looking polished and plays extremely well.

The game has moved away from the rugged mountain terrain of Under the Garden and takes place on an island, complete with tropical storms and a cave network. By using and combining items washed up on the beach and scavenging the island, your shipwrecked character attempts to survive for as long as he can. That means making a spear to harpoon fish, finding flint and dry leaves to make a warming campfire, sawing planks to create wooden structures and filling buckets with fresh rainwater to keep thirst at bay.

Visuals in this early build are wonderful, with fluid animation and spectacular lighting and weather effects already in place, while Chris Geehan's gentle music is reminiscent of bands such as Hammock and fits the game perfectly.

On top of the main game, there's a sandbox construction mode, where you can futz about and build a whole heap of stuff, including a house, complete with fireplace and windows.

To access the Alpha, two packages are available. For $7, you can download the Pretty Cool Silver Bear Edition, or the Super Golden Bear Edition for $25, which comes - as you would expect - with a raft of added extras.

I've really enjoyed the few hours I've spent with Under the Ocean and I can't wait to see what the team add in future updates. For more details, visit the official website here.

This week's indie round-up

Flug GB
Flug GB is a super cool retro style platformer which reminds me of Sonic the Hedgehog and Amiga classic Super Frog. Only one level is available to play at the moment, but gameplay is exactly what you would expect, with blocks to smash, gems to collect, platforms to negotiate and lots of enemies to stomp. With its neat 8-bit soundtrack and sound effects and GameBoy-style visuals, Flug the Slug's adventure if definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Anodyne
Another game influenced by the GameBoy is Anodyne - specifically Link's adventures on Nintendo's much-loved hand-held. It's beautifully presented and gameplay will be instantly familiar to those who have spent time with classic Zelda games of the 8 and 16-bit eras, with the lead character, Young, stepping on switches, collecting keys from battered old chests and defeating enemies to open gates and doorways.
Special mention goes to the soundtrack, which flits between eerie and unsettling, to beautiful and uplifting and gives the game a rather wonderful atmosphere.
Anodyne is due to be released before the turn of the year on Windows, Mac and Linux and it is also eligible for Steam's Greenlight, so pop on over and give this the thumbs up.

Ghost Racer
Due for release any day now is this latest game from Physmo. It's a far cry from their brilliant platformer Mos Speedrun - another game you should vote up on Greenlight - but early indications reveal it has the same 'one more go' factor. It's obviously a racer, but while a casual glance at the screenshot might indicate a frantic arcade racer in the style of Super Sprint, the cars in Ghost Racer have a much more weighty feel, ensuring essential use of the brake to get the best times. While Mos Speedrun featured multiple ghosts of your previous attempts to beat the level - here, ghosts of people's best laps from around the world are shown snaking their way across the tarmac. Trying to keep up and even better these ghost times is utterly addictive and when you add your Game Center friends to the list, the challenge becomes an obsession. I was given early access by the Physmo team and trying to match their times has given me hours of fun already.

Foam - PC

Over the last few days, I've ploughed around five frustrating hours into Assassin's Creed III. I'm not sure why I bothered. At this stage, it just feels like a re-skinned version of what has gone before and although my Twitter chums tell me it takes anywhere between 6-10 hours for things to open up, I'm really not sure I have the time, patience or inclination to bother going any further.

The antithesis to Ubisoft's big budget trudge is Foam - a quirky little indie game by Stwelin, which has more fun wrapped up in its first 30 minutes than those five wasted hours with Assassin's Creed III.

While Ubisoft's blockbuster has revealed worryingly familiar tasks such as leaping from the top of high places into tiny bales of hay, Foam's colourful world has seen me turn into a one-eyed spiky purple mushroom, interact with strange looking characters, crawl through a tree's interior and receive a telling off for not being able to swim.

It's initially unclear what your objectives are but it only takes a couple of minutes to discover the game is all about exploration and experimenting with objects and items squirreled away in Foam's eerie isometric world.

Objects stumbled upon change the lead character into a range of new guises, which allows the player to explore previously inaccessible areas of the world. It's this gameplay quirk which makes playing Foam so interesting - despite some rather fiddly controls.

I'll say no more for fear of spoilers, but it really is a magical and thoroughly absorbing little game and it's also free, so why not give it a try? Download it here

I Remember The Rain

I Remember the Rain by Jordan Browne is a rather splendid interactive story which deals with pain, loss and despair - which is all neatly wrapped up in the space of a few minutes.

Interaction with other characters is limited but Browne has given the tale a tremendous amount of atmosphere thanks to its mournful score, blocky pixel art and moving narrative.

You can download I Remember The Rain here

Pock's Friend - PC

Japanese indie game website Playism launched their English language site last Friday and along with a bunch of titles which can already be found on Steam, Gamersgate and Desura, there are several games which make their debut on the site.

Free-to-play adventure Pock's Friend was released back in 2008 but it's taken until now for me to discover it. It immediately grabbed my attention thanks to its beautiful hand-drawn visuals by artist and programmer Akira Noyama and although it only takes around 30 minutes to complete, it is packed with more than enough charm to melt even the iciest of hearts.

Pock is a lonely lad who lives in the middle of a forest. He has no friends and can't experience emotions as he doesn't have a heart. But while moping around the forest one day, Pock has an Alice in Wonderland moment and finds himself in another world. Here, he meets Tam, a horned demon and the pair tramp off together on a journey in which Pock finds the true meaning of friendship.

Pock's Friend is a point and click adventure, but the format has been stripped back so there's no inventory system. Instead, clicking on objects and the environment moves the adventure forward. Sometimes a click will have a purely cosmetic effect and part of the fun is poking around and seeing what will happen.

There are even a few puzzles thrown in for good measure, including spot the difference teasers and rotating jigsaw conundrums.

The art style is beautiful and reminds me slightly of Lovedelic's off-the-wall PS1 game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, while the short soundtrack gives the game a lovely atmosphere.

Pock's Friend may be short, but it's a genuinely touching experience and as it's browser-based, the journey is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon coffee break.

You can play the game here

Richard & Alice - PC

Earlier this week, Lewis Denby and Ashton Raze very kindly sent me an alpha build of their debut game, Richard & Alice.

The guys, along with Kyra Hills (character art) and Yonatan Luria (music) have been working on this project in their spare time, and although this is early code, their debut offering is looking very promising.

In the 30 or so minutes it takes to explore this point and click adventure, a genuinely interesting plot begins to unfold.

Set in a world which has been devastated by intolerably harsh weather conditions, Richard is a grizzled war veteran who has been imprisoned since he disobeyed orders in the madness of a bloody civil war. While in his cell, he unexpectedly meets Alice, who has recently been jailed for murder and via a series of well-told flashbacks, we get a glimpse into her background story.

The point and click interface could well change in further updates, but what's here at the moment works well. There's no stuffy inventory system to wade through, with everything clearly mapped out on the right-hand side of the screen. Every item's relevance in the environment is logical and by eschewing overly complicated item combos, Lewis and Ashton allow the player to make quick progress and concentrate on the intriguing story.

The team have peppered the alpha build with wonderful teasers which draw the player into Richard and Alice's weather-ravaged world. Who scribbled the mysterious notes found in a long-abandoned house? Who is the oppressive figure trying to keep Alice and her son under lock and key? And whose blood is it that's splattered over the walls of a family bathroom?

Richard & Alice is penciled in for release later this year and thanks to its well-written dialogue and compelling storyline, I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of this extremely promising game.

To keep up to date with Richard & Alice's development, head over to the game's website where the team will keep you updated. Definitely one to watch.