Martin Wisniowski of Digital Tools recently sat down to have a chat with prolific developer/superstar Jonathan Söderström, in which they talk about Clean Asia's development process and some of his favorite games that ended up as inspirations for his works.

Digital Tools Interviews Cactus
Gamelab Interview

In the vertical shooter Uwabami Breakers, the character you control is a female drunk who gains power by destroying alcoholic drinks or substances (I'm not kidding). You must fill your alcohol content gauge as shown on the right before closing time, which is indicated on the left side of the screen. Avoid getting hit as the colliding with enemy bullets will cause time to pass quicker.

Use the C key for rapid fire, or tap the Z key quickly for the same effect. Hold the Z or X key to activate your special attack. The left shift key can be used to reduce your character's movement speed, which can be handy when players are doing their best to dodge bullets. A boss will appear and attempt to kick you out of their establishment when you're drunk enough. Score is indicated by the food bill you're running when drying and emptying the eatery of its refreshments.

May require the installation of Windows' East Asian language pack to work properly. ZUN's well-known drinking problems may have inspired the creation of this game.

Name: Uwabami Breakers
Developer: Nonbekai
Category: Shooter
Type: Demo
Size: 160MB
Direct download link: Click here

Coil is a new abstract Flash release by the Cryptic Sea development team, featuring art by Edmund McMillen. The entire game is controlled by using mouse gestures, for example moving the cursor counterclockwise repeatedly starts a new game or skips a message shown on screen.

Essentially a collection of mini games strung together with an obscure plot, players would have to figure out the objective of each stage as they attempt to find the solution required to progress.

Name: Coil
Developer: Cryptic Sea
Category: Action
Type: Browser

Shift is a platformer with puzzle elements based on the idea of shifting dimensions, not unlike one of Nitrome's controversial release from last year. Use the cursor keys to move your character, and press the space key to jump. The left shift key can be used to switch positions.

The game is rather short, but an online high score table which tracks players with the quickest completion time has been included to increase replayability by a small measure.

Name: Shift
Developer: Antony Lavelle
Category: Platform
Type: Browser

The theme for the second YoYo Games competition was announced today, and entrants are given roughly three months to develop and submit their works for a chance to win up to USD $1,000. ($500 and $250 for runner-ups).

The challenge is to incorporate elements of Ancient Civilizations into your Game Maker creation for eligibility in participation. The competition theme is described as follows:

Ancient Civilization - Not just the Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians, but also the Mayans, Aztecs, Vikings, and Celts (to name but a few). So many lands, empires, city states, peoples, cultures, beliefs, and symbols.

Final submission date is 27th April 2008.

YoYo Games announcement
Competition details

Kermix is a decent Flash puzzler which involves shifting blocks to and fro using the cursor keys, all the while collecting coins and stars to pass each of the twenty-five levels in succession.

The objective of the game is to move all red blocks into the positions marked green, though latter stages are made much more difficult when players are required to move two or three blocks at the same time with every key press.

Name: Kermix
Developer: Cuatic Games
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Also playable at Kongregate

The countdown continues, as we reveal some of the best freeware RPGs and roguelikes to be released in 2007.

Best Freeware RPGs, Roguelikes 2007

  1. The Crypts of Despair
  2. Dwarf Fortress
  3. Twilight Heroes
  4. Last Scenario
  5. Wilfred, the Hero
  6. Homeland
  7. Exit Fate
  8. The Desolate Room
  9. Generic Slash: Dismal Depths
10. Incursion

We've delved into some of the more obscure corners of the RPG and Roguelike universe here; if you'd like to check out additional mainstream indie RPGs, why not consult GameTunnel's GOTY Awards and Rampant Games' Best Indie CRPGs articles.

Barely one day after the release of Submachine 5, Mateusz Skutnik strikes again with a new collaborative effort called The Great Kitchen Escape. The game is extremely short, and can be completed in a couple of minutes with little difficulty if any at all. Expect to do a little pixel hunting in this one.

Name: The Great Kitchen Escape (Armor Games link)
Developer: Pastel Games
Category: Adventure
Type: Browser

N+, XBLA: Metanet had posted a comprehensive FAQ for N+ and future projects on their IGN developer journal. (web site, launch party)

Free Lunch Design: Icy Tower developer acquired by Muskedunder Interactive.

The Yore is a short, isometric adventure, in which you wake up in a haunted house and must try to get out (by solving puzzles). You have the choice of two characters - a guy or a gal. Use the arrow keys to move and the Enter key to interact with your environment (open doors, pick up stuff, etc). Graphically, the game is rather pretty and the sound does a half decent job for creating a creepy atmosphere.

Name: The Yore
Developer: Johan Hargne (Cobrasoft)
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 16.6MB

Protoganda 2 is a new 2D arcade shooter by cactus, developed in under two hours. Use the cursor keys for movement, and hold the Z key to shoot. The X key can be held down to activate your shields. Press the enter key to start a game from the main menu.

Colliding with debris or bullets will destroy the ship. Originally conceived as an unlockable game for Shotgun Ninja.

Name: Protoganda 2
Developer: cactus
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Super Kreml Kart Super Rally is an action game in which players are required to build rails for a cart to travel on. The game is controlled entirely using the mouse. Building rails drain your points quickly, but can be replenished by collecting the hammer and sickle item.

Press the F4 function key to switch between windowed and full screen modes.

Name: Super Kreml Kart Super Rally
Developer: Perfect Run
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here (right-click to save)

Shotgun Ninja is a new platformer by cactus, in which the developer limits himself to a C64 palette for background, object and sprite colors.

Use the cursor keys for movement, and press Z key to shoot. You can only fire when your assassin's feet is touching the ground. Tap the X key to lob a grenade. Hold the down arrow key to view the floor below you.

There are numerous ways to earn points in this game, from reaching the exit in the quickest time possible to eliminating all the enemies in each level. Proficiency with the wall jump technique is a prerequisite skill.

Name: Shotgun Ninja
Developer: cactus
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Online high score table

"The fifth episode of the Submachine series. This time we go back to the very first submachine ever built - historically speaking. It was created by an unknown scientist in the early 20th century. This is the place where it all started."

Release date: Today (30th January 2008)

Play at ArcadeTown
Play at PastelGames
Walkthrough

Independent Games Festival

World of Goo: IGN previews 2D Boy's physics based puzzle game. (Wikipedia entry)

Audiosurf: There will be a third beta weekend for Invisible Handlebar's upcoming music game/crack. (Wikipedia entry)

World of Goo, Noitu Love 2: IGF entries mentioned in the latest Joystiq podcast edition.

Adventure

Adventure Game Studio 3.0: AGS 3.0 released; the editor is now .NET-based, and hardware acceleration is supported.

Resonance: Screenshots from xii games' upcoming shareware adventure game posted. (source: Gnomes' Lair)

Sydney Treads the Catwalk: Ivan Dixon's freeware adventure game is set for a release early next month.

Role-playing Games

Exit Fate: Two more screenshots from SCF's (Last Scenario) upcoming RPG game can be found in the SA forums.

The Spirit Engine 2: Trailer for Mark Pay's upcoming shareware RPG posted. (source: Total Klik)

Updates

The Endless Forest: Tales of Tales' online multiplayer game updated to version 3.2.

Cottage of Doom: Alex May's zombie survival game updated with support for Vista.

Reviews

Immortal Defense: "Portal’s story... was NOT the best story of 2007. It was NOT the best writing of the year, surprisingly." (original soundtrack)

Knytt Stories: "Since discovering Nifflas' work, my PS3 has sat idle."

Miscellaneous

Mod of the Year 2007: Results for ModDB's annual event posted.

10 Indie, Student Game Competitions: I wrote about this a while back, but was asked for the list again recently so here it is.

Armor Games Interview: CEO Daniel McNeely questioned.

Valentine's Day releases: World of Goo (delayed), Dylan Fitterer's Audiosurf, Erin Robinson's Nanobots, Lexaloffle Games' Jasper's Journeys.

Review by Arjen Voogt

What would you do if you wake up on a ship and the only sign of life are a few plants and a guy that's controlling the electronic devices throughout the ship? The smart types will probably not put their full trust into this guy. The main character in Experience 112 (named the Experiment in the US, 600 MB demo direct download link) isn't as smart and does.

The game starts with a woman waking up on a deserted ship. A nice variety of plantlife has infested the ship and there's a green fog. The woman finds a letter near the bed and doesn't seem to remember a thing. At first she thinks she's alone, but soon notices you are watching her through a camera. And this is where the innovative part of the game shows up. She asks you to log on into the system – the system you are using. You aren't controlling anything else but a computer, which gives you new features when you progress in the game. At first you can only move cameras around, but after a while you can turn on electronic devices, open doors and even read mails that were sent to various staff members. It's nice not to be in control of the main character for once.

The Almighty Paintbrush is a level editor for Insignificant Studio's notorious adventure platformer The Underside.

Included in the zip file are two example mods (Buddy's Nightmare, by Mr. Podunkian, and The Story, by Tommy361, a 12 year old!), as well as all the tools required to make your own The Underside mod.

Also included is a slighty updated version of the first preview of The Underside that was released awhile ago.

Name: The Almighty Paintbrush
Developer: Insignificant Studios
Category: Adventure Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 6MB

The fourth of the 2007 Best Of Features here on the IndieGames.com.blog, we're proud to present twenty of the best freeware platformers released in 2007.

Best Freeware Platformers 2007

  1. Knytt Stories
  2. The Underside
  3. Plasma Warrior
  4. Paroxysm
  5. Valdis Story
  6. Hurrican
  7. Kaipuu
  8. Deo Dorant
  9. Muon
10. Streambolt Desero
11. GoldenEye 2D
12. Once in Space
13. A Mini Falafel Adventure
14. Alex Adventure
15. Polarity
16. Punishment: The Punishing
17. Ninjah
18. Joe Gunn
19. Polychromatic Funk Monkey
20. Lost in the Static

A recording of the lecture Jonathan Blow gave at the Game Focus Germany conference (24 - 25th January 2008), titled "Programming is Easy; Production is Harder; Design is Hardest."

download the lecture in mp3 format

Ethereal Dreams is a short RPG game with original artwork, sprites, backgrounds and an air of professionalism unseen in most amateur RMXP creations. Turn-based battles, spells, quests, a multitude of equipments and items can all be found in this effort.

Random battles are determined by an indicator called the encounter orb. This round object shown at the bottom left of the screen turns from green to red at a quicker rate when you're traveling on certain terrains which are likely to cause noise. An example of this is when your party is walking on puddles of water. A journal is used to record notes and details, with comprehensive bestiary information written by the characters themselves.

The main development team consists of female artists and programmers. This is an early build, and players will be notified when they've reached the end of the demo.

Name: Ethereal Dreams
Developer: Dragonfly Studios
Category: RPG
Type: Freeware
Size: 50MB
Direct download link: Click here

An informal chat with Mark Sheinkman, the developer of Areas.

Let's begin with a little introduction of yourself, where you're from, what you do, and what games you have released.

Well, my name is Mark, I live in Israel, and currently I don't really do anything for a living. Just waiting for my recruitment date. Other then Areas I haven't released anything, yet. Recruitment date, enlistment date... I dont hear a lot of english army-talk, so I'm not sure how to call it.

Do you mean mandatory army service, like in South Korea and Singapore?

Yea. I'm not too thrilled about it.

How long is that?

3 years, in most cases. Could be more, if one chooses to.

Hell is a short horizontal shooter made in under four days, featuring five playable levels and an equal number of difficulty settings to choose from. Your ship is on autofire from start to end, and pressing the Z key allows you to switch weapons. Dodging bullets might possibly be a little easier when the X key is held.

Name: Hell
Developer: JaJ
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Basho Kioku is a simple memory game in which players have to click on all squares in thirty-six moves. Clicking on the same tile twice counts as a mistake, and you're only allowed a maximum of three errors for each session. A rather lacklustre effort, only because the developer did not take into account the minor cheat which can be used to solve this puzzler with ease.

In Planet Cruncher, players have to draw shapes around planets to earn points. Hold the left mouse button to begin drawing, and collect gems by touching them with the mouse pointer. Mismatching planets will cause a black hole to appear, but can be erased by drawing a circle around it.

Crimson Star is a 2D side-scrolling WIP platformer, which is heavily influenced by Metroid Prime 1 and other games in the Metroid series. Hopefully it's nearly done. It does look rather spiffy, doesn't it?