A special Kotaku feature, in which Brian Ashcraft attempts to find out how life is treating IGF winners and finalists. Big questions such as distribution deals and future plans are asked; we discover what the developers of Crayon Physics Deluxe, Synaesthete, Fez, Iron Dukes and World of Goo have in the works.

A couple of excerpts from said article:

"The first commercial game I worked on was an urban Sims game at EA, and we learned that putting 3D versions of the Black Eyed Peas into a game might not necessarily increase the funk," says World of Goo creator Kyle Gabler. "On the other hand, it has recently been discovered that putting dinosaurs into a game will increase the funk every time."

"I was a little surprised that actually winning an award didn't help us much on the business end of things," says Carmel. "But overall, the IGF really helped us get the word out. In my opinion there's nothing else out there that is doing as much good for the indie game scene as the IGF."

Kotaku Feature: You Just Won IGF! That Means?

Articles on some of the best indie games available on the net today, courtesy of bit-tech.net, GameTunnel and Thank You For Playing. (source: GameSetWatch)

bit-tech.net - Indie and Experimental Games Round-up
Game Tunnel - What's New in Indie (March Edition)
The Indie Gaming Primer

Nifflas interviewed by Thank You For Playing, Jay Barnson (of Rampant Games) talks to RPGWatch; Kim Swift and Erik Wolpaw interviewed by Brandon Sheffield for a Gamasutra article.

Interview with Nifflas - Creator of Knytt Stories
RPGWatch - Frayed Knights Interview
Gamasutra - Valve's Wolpaw, Swift Talk Portal

Lab 14 is a freeware platformer with puzzle elements, in which players have to figure out the correct method of revealing and reaching the exit with the help of cryptic clues written on the white walls.

Use the cursor keys to move, and press the up arrow key to jump. The game isn't as clever as the author seems to suggest though. Twenty stages only.

Name: Lab 14
Developer: CaseySoft
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Walkthrough: Available
Direct download link: Click here

Mekuri Master is a new flash game by Nigoro in which players have to lift schoolgirls' skirts by moving the mouse cursor in an upwards motion repeatedly. Grades will be awarded based on the placement of your cursor, and the Mekuri meter shown at the top left of the screen will rise accordingly.

The game has five normal stages and two bonus levels. (instructional video in the extended)

Name: Mekuri Master
Developer: Nigoro
Category: Action
Type: Browser

Dire Haven is a platformer created by Radnom over the period of one weekend, in which players get to control naked people as they attempt to escape from an unidentified location filled with deadly traps and obstacles.

Use the cursor keys to move. Press the Z or up arrow key to jump. The game has a proper ending.

Name: Dire Haven
Developer: Radnom
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here (mirror)

Demonstration of a stage created using Blast Works' Level Editor. Blast Works (Wii port of Kenta Cho's Tumiki Fighters) will be released on May 1st of 2008. Unlockable goodies include rRootage, Gunroar, Torus Trooper and the original Tumiki Fighters.

Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson interviewed about their latest release, Penumbra: Black Plague.

Penumbra Black Plague - Developer Interview

Note: Trial version updated with 2x and 3x video modes.

A demo for Joakim Sandberg's much-awaited 2D action game is now available for download from the official site. This pre-release version contains stage one in it's entirety, and a third of the second level. (trailer in the extended)

Name: Noitu Love 2
Developer: Joakim Sandberg
Category: Action
Type: Demo
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

"Nano is a simple arcade shmup that I made in about 7 days. I used Flex Builder 3, Photoshop 7, SFXR, and Famitracker to create it. The screen is 90x90, and the game does not use any floating point variables or trigonometry. Over the next few months I'll be adding a high score table and generally more of everything - more enemies, more weapons, more backgrounds, hopefully a boss or two. Feedback would be great. Thanks!" - Adam

Name: Nano
Developer: Adam Atomic
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

Trials 2 Second Edition is essentially a 2D arcade game with 3D graphics and simulated physics implemented. Like Elasto Mania, players use the cursor keys to handle a bike, with the objective of reaching the end of the course within the shortest time possible.

Press the backspace key to restart immediately when you've flipped over or injured your rider. Replays of other players completing each course can be watched by clicking on the small icon next to their names when the high score table is displayed.

Achievements such as having every single bone in the biker's body broken while attempting to reach the last checkpoint are included as well. The demo has three tutorial areas and six complete courses with varying challenges. Full version contains forty levels in total.

Name: Trials 2 Second Edition
Developer: RedLynx
Category: Action
Type: Demo
Size: 120MB

Rect Winder ASCII is a very simple, yet surprisingly challenging track shooter by D.K. of Alpha Secret Base. Limited to only four discrete positions, place blocks to reflect the enemy fire coming from the letters.

Name: Rect Winder ASCII
Developer: Alpha Secret Base
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 1.2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Helen Walters sums up BusinessWeek Arcade quite nicely: "...the growing world of free, creative, independent games is having a radical -- and growing -- impact on the booming games industry at large. This space is a hotbed of creativity and ingenuity, and we wanted to provide access so that you could take a look and judge for yourselves.

Given that we're writing about developments that are taking place within the online space -- and BusinessWeek.com is also online -- it seemed logical to provide this opportunity to interact with some of the games about which we were writing. I think it's a beautiful addition to a thoughtful package of serious articles."

BusinessWeek Arcade
Business Innovation and Design: The Power of Play

Introversion has confirmed that both Darwinia and Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest will be arriving on the Xbox Live Arcade service this Autumn 2008. The new package (containing both games) will simply be called Darwinia+, and the developers have promised to release Multiwinia as a separate title on the PC as well.

Darwinia+ confirmed for Xbox Live Arcade (Introversion)
Darwinia+ confirmed for Xbox Live this Fall (Joystiq)

Samurai Railroad Mansion is an action game developed by Lurk using Mark Overmars' Game Maker engine, and has more than a passing resemblance to Nintendo's light gun classic Hogan's Alley. A simple tutorial shown before the start of each level explains the type of enemies a player will encounter, though the advice on offer can be rather vague at times.

Hold the left or right cursor key before pressing the attack button to swing your blade in either directions. Your samurai's face will appear above the section in which he will strike at when the Z key is held. Press the F4 function key to switch between full screen and windowed mode.

Honor is lost when you hit a maiden or an opponent who has submitted to you, but can be restored by one rank for every ten thousand points you acquire. Timing is a crucial element in this game, as certain enemies can only be attacked after a few seconds, while others have to be sliced at the moment they appear on screen. There are only eight stages to play in total. (gameplay video in the extended)

Name: Samurai Railroad Mansion
Developer: Lurk
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB
Direct download link: Click here (rapidshare link)

A demo for Brain-Damaged Toon Underworld is now available for download, although this preview only contains a small part of the full game which will be released at a later date.

Name: Brain-Damaged Toon Underworld
Developer: cactus (Lo-Fi Minds)
Category: Platformer
Type: Demo
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Twin Hobo Rocket is a new collaborative effort by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, the development team responsible for Coil and Tri-achnid. In it, players have to collect coins attached to balloons high up in the dark sky with only the missiles attached to their backs serving as propulsion equipments.

Daring souls can attempt to guide both bums at the same time using the W, A, S, D and cursor keys. Hover closely to a UFO, and one of your characters will pester the alien for spare change. Collision with an asteroid or the alien craft will cause damage to your rockets.

Name: Twin Hobo Rocket
Developer: Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Orbital Booty Interceptor: Baltirow's VGNG competition entry updated to version 1.01. (earlier mention)

ZAP: New multiplayer arena shooter released by InstantAction.

Interviews

Penny Arcade Adventures: Joel deYoung and Ron Gilbert interviewed.

Masq: Javier Maldonado interviewed by Chris Evans. (source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

ROM CHECK FAIL is a new action game from the developer of Fishie Fishie and Polychromatic Funk Monkey. Players have to clear the screen of all enemies to complete each level, but the task is made a little more difficult by the random switching of gameplay rules where ideas are recycled and remastered as an odd mix of arcade or console classics from the past.

Use the arrow keys to move. The space key acts as an action button. Press the left alt and enter key to switch between full screen and windowed mode. The game has twenty stages in total. (more screenshots in the extended)

Name: ROM CHECK FAIL
Developer: Farbs
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Paul Robertson has released his new animated film, Kings of Power 4 Billion %, as a 320 MB .avi video file for download. (trailer shown above, Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006)

Video: Kings of Power 4 Billion %

Tetroid 2012 is basically a Tetris remake packaged with twenty songs, contributing over a hundred megabytes to the download size. The game itself is decent enough but comes with an epilepsy warning for liberal use of flashing images. Hold the S and down arrow key to drop a piece instantly. When the circular indicator on the right is full, players can press the S key to activate the Breakout mode.

Name: Tetroid 2012
Developer: Carsten Waechter
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 100MB
Direct download link: Click here

"Does my bum look big in this?" is a game by Eden Bradfield. Art game? Or game that mocks art games? You decide!

The author says this: "It's about insecurity, fame, and being controlled. It's partly autobiographical, and partly a comment on games and life today."

You use the space bar to control the game, and the escape key to leave the game. There are three levels.

Name: "Does my bum look big in this?"
Category: Art Game
Type: Freeware
Size: 1.5 MB
Platform: Windows
Download link: Click here

From GameSetWatch: Jason Rohrer mulls over Rod Humble's latest release, while Reverend Anthony attempts to get the Destructoid crew all worked up over art games.

Critique: Stars Over Half Moon Bay (Arthouse Games)
Podtoid 48: Much swearing over art games (Destructoid)

Harold Thijssen's remake of Scramble essentially plays the same as Konami's horizontal shooter classic, though the author has included a couple of new surprises to go with the gamepad support and an option to continue when all ships are lost.

Tap the left control key to shoot, and press the alt key to drop a bomb. Destroy fuel tanks to increase your own supply. There are twelve stages in total, and the current loop is shown by the indicator located at the bottom right of the screen.

Name: Scramble
Developer: Harold Thijssen
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Orbital Booty Interceptor is an arcade game in which players have to capture female earthlings using grapplers to increase the ship's fuel resources. Grapplers are automatically disabled when your astrogen supply is empty, inevitably resulting in a disastrous crash and an abrupt end to your mission.

Your ship receives a vertical boost whenever a grappler collides with the ground. Press the F4 function key to switch between windowed and full screen mode at any time. Note that grapplers retract a lot slower when your ship is moving rapidly to the left or right.

Name: Orbital Booty Interceptor
Developer: Baltirow
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Snowblind Aces is a short interactive fiction adventure game from the developer of Poizoned Mind and Gun Mute, set in an alternate history where fighter planes still rule the skies. This particular effort stands out because of the author's determination to exclude all forms of puzzles from his current and future projects. A hint system is still available, but the importance of this feature is limited to simple prompts leading to outright suggestions in order to move the story along.

Name: Snowblind Aces
Developer: Pacian
Category: IF
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Direct download link: Click here

Kevin Pereira talks to Dylan Fitterer about Audiosurf and Ferraris. (RPS interview)

Flashbang Studios' Off-Road Velociraptor Safari reviewed by the 1UP crew. (note: there's a bit of swearing in this video)

From Gamasutra: As part of an in-depth Gamasutra interview published today, outspoken N+ creators Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard have questioned the state of Xbox Live Arcade, suggesting quality issues and publisher-guided games are overwhelming its innovation.

The duo, which worked with Slick Entertainment's Nick Waanders to publish ninja action game N+ for XBLA release last month, had sharp words for the games released on the Xbox 360 digital download service, with Burns explaining:

"I think the thing with Live Arcade, though, is that I remember the last year and the year before. Two years ago was when we were first talking with Microsoft about doing it, it was really exciting, because Live Arcade had just came out, and they were like, "Oh, it's new. It's not going to be like retail. There's not going to be all this crap. There's going to be all these small, great, fun things."

I guess it's because they have a lot of power that no one has pointed out that that's the primary reason. Those decisions that are ruining Live Arcade... it's like, who greenlit Word Puzzle? Who green-lit that hoverboard game that's just shit?

The full interview with the trio is available today on Gamasutra, including lots more detail into the making of N+ for Xbox Live Arcade and their thoughts on the state of the digital download market.

N+ Creators Speak Out On XBLA Quality Issues

The Graveyard is a short interactive experience by Tale of Tales, in which you assume control over an elderly person with only two choices to make. There is only one linear path to explore, and game instructions are clearly provided with a press of the escape key. (source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

Name: The Graveyard
Developer: Tale of Tales
Category: Adventure
Type: Demo
Platform: PC, Mac
Size: 20MB

Previews

Blast Works: Joystiq has a new set of screenshots taken from Budcat Creations' upcoming Wii release. (release date: May 1st, 2008)

Castle Crashers: The Behemoth's upcoming 2D arcade game will have more than twenty unlockable characters. (behind the scenes video)

De Blob: Two new gameplay videos from the upcoming Wii release can be found at GameTrailers.

Press

PC World Video: Crayon Physics Deluxe, World of Goo, Fez and Audiosurf featured in Darren Gladstone's PC World report. (source: Kloonigames)

Synaesthete: IGF's Best Student Game reviewed by Reverend Anthony on Destructoid.

GameTrailers: Amanda Mackay talks to the developers of Crayon Physics Deluxe, Fret Nice and Iron Dukes.

GDC: Audiosurf and several XNA community games briefly mentioned in GameTrailers' new series, Invisible Walls.

FLaiL is a new platformer by Matt Thorson of Helix Games Inc., author of An Untitled Story and the Jumper series. The game consists of eighty stages in total, and new zones can only be unlocked when the player has acquired a certain number of points from previous areas.

The first zone works as a basic tutorial for most of your character's skills. In addition to standard jumping abilities, players can also teleport in any of the eight directions by holding down the mapped fly button.

This release includes an automatic save feature, level editor and a configuration utility for keyboard control mapping. (preview, FAQ, GMC forum posting)

Name: FLaiL
Developer: Matt Thorson
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

Note: If you love children, or might have an adverse reaction to violence, then don't download this game.

My First Skydiving Academy is a new physics-based toddler skydiving game by Paul Greasley, made using MMF for TIGSource's VGNG competition. This build features three replayable themed levels where your baby is thrown down into a canyon from a passing plane without a parachute and it is up to you to avoid obstacles as the toddler gains momentum and begins to ignite from the sheer speed.

The goal is to reach the end of the course within the alloted time and with at least one bone remaining in your suicide jumper's body. Paul has promised to cure cancer, as well as add more levels and features if he gets enough love mail at greasley_paul (a) hotmail.com.

Name: My First Skydiving Academy
Developer: Paul Greasley
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB

Go Cat is a bite-sized puzzler recommendation by dessgeega, developed by Moochos and comes with an english manual in the zip file. The aim of the game is to collect all rice balls in quick turns, all the while avoiding contact with any adjacent areas occupied by birds on every third move you make.

Press the space key to initiate the action or restart a session. Left click to move around the screen, or select the same space occupied by your cat to pass on one of your three moves. Trees block your path, and you cannot end your turn on an area with a pool. (source: The Gamer's Quarter)

Name: Go Cat
Developer: Moochos
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Super Energy Apocalypse is a real-time strategy game with an emphasis on resource management. Zombies prowl the dark in search of waste to feed on, and it's up to the player to clean these up before the sun sets or risk having tougher enemies to defend against.

A day and night cycle is always in effect; players have to acquire resources such as energy and metal to fuel their defensive options against the zombie hordes. When dark falls, properly placed turrets, floodlights and tesla coils protect your buildings from being turned into rubbles that contribute to the amount of waste on screen.

Factories churn out garbage trucks and engineers for cleanup jobs, while farms generate food for the worker population in the area. The highest possible output is only achieved when all the basic needs have been serviced. A lab can also be built for research and upgrade purposes.

Name: Super Energy Apocalypse
Developer: Lars A. Doucet
Category: Strategy
Type: Browser, Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here (right click to save)

The Last Canopy is a new vertical shooter by the Malaysian development team Easy Only! Games, playable using either the mouse or keyboard. Much like Kairos' Varia, players can absorb enemy attacks by holding down the X key for a few seconds, although the ability gained expires rather quickly and has to be replenished regularly for firepower upgrades.

The game consists of four levels in total, accompanied by a boss encounter at the end of each.

Name: The Last Canopy
Developer: Easy Only! Games
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

All twenty-one finalists submitted for Jay is Games' 5th Casual Gameplay Design Competition are now available to play.

Jay is Games: CGDC5 Finalists