Space Troy is Lazrael's latest game. It's a stylish retro shoot 'em up with a short but challenging level divided into three parts.

"You are Troy the space squid, an agent of the Space Taxing Department (STD). You have received info that there is a populus that is comepletely taxfree at the moment and you must fix dat. With guns."

Use X to fire, arrow keys to move and Enter to start a new game and skip forward in the intro sequence.

Name: Space Troy
Developer: Lazrael
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 4MB
Download link: Savefile

Joshua Smyth's Attack of the Meeplings is a vertical shooter consisting of three levels, playable using Java-enabled browser. Hold the Z key to shoot, and press the space key to use a missile. Autofire can be activated with the A key.

Gather blue orbs to increase your multiplier, which is added to your score whenever an enemy ship is destroyed. The game loops infinitely, with a minor speed increase after every three stages. High scores are only recorded when playing at the normal difficulty setting.

Name: Attack of the Meeplings
Developer: Joshua Smyth
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

Hampa's turn-based fighting game Toribash was recently ported to Flash by the original author himself. Most of the features have been stripped down to its basics, but full source code for Toriflash can be downloaded from the same thread for modding and hacking purposes. (source: Toribash, Fun-Motion)

Name: Toriflash
Developer: Hampa
Category: Strategy
Type: Browser

The Sewer Goblet is a new roguelike game created by Tale of Game's Studios, the same group which produced the recent b-ball hit Barkley Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden. Your objective is to storm a dungeon, reach the bottom level, retrieve the baby, and finally returning to the top floor. Treasure and equipment can be acquired to improve your chances of survival. Once you've reached the bottom floor to retrieve the baby, you will have to travel all the way up again in order to fully complete the mission.

Your progress is saved automatically when exiting the game using the escape key. Press the R key to rest, or tap space to access your inventory. Cast spells or discard inventory items using the Q key. Press W to collect treasure from the ground when standing over it, and eat snacks to reveal their magical properties. There are roughly twenty levels in total.

Name: The Sewer Goblet
Developer: Tale of Game's Studios
Category: Roguelike
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB
Direct download link: Click here

Hello Panda is a stylish vertical shooter made by GPTouch using Game Maker, featuring three playable characters and five levels interspersed with the occasional boss encounters. Enemies drop blood when defeated, which can then be acquired and used to fuel special attacks or to upgrade your default weapon.

Press the Z key to shoot, and hold the left shift key to display your character's hit point. Use the X key to execute your secondary attack. Press the C key when you're firing to upgrade your weapon, or increase the blood pack count by one if the red gauge shows a hundred percent. Use the space key to activate a temporary invincibility mode when you have at least one blood pack.

Name: Hello Panda
Developer: GPTouch, Inc.
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB
Download link: Mediafire

Hey, folks - so if IndieGames.com readers could help us out for a second, we're conducting a v.brief anonymous survey (6 questions only, should take about 30 seconds to fill out!) to work out exactly who reads the Indie Games Blog.

Why? This site is operated by us folks at Think Services, which also runs things like Game Developers Conference and the Independent Games Festival, we're trying to work out more about the demographics and wants of the site readership.

Anyhow, the survey is completely optional, and as mentioned previously, the results will not be tied to any personal information or details you give us.

But if you do want some incentive to do it, we're giving away a set of 4 GameSetApparel T-shirts - including a neat Dan 'Alien Hominid/Castle Crashers' Paladin tee, among others - to one randomly picked survey filler-out.

[Please note that when you complete the survey, it'll just go back to the IndieGames.com homepage.]

Thanks!
Simon
(Chairman, IGF.)

In The Last Stand 2, your objective is to protect a barricade against oncoming hordes of zombies. Manage your time during the daylight to search for weapons, survivors and repair.

Move with the W, A, S and D keys. Aim with the mouse, and reload with the R key. Press space to switch weapons.

Name: The Last Stand 2
Developer: Con Artists Productions
Category: Action
Type: Browser

The Power is a freeware 2D platformer in the style of Lyle in Cube Sector, Alex Adventure and Plasma Warrior. Your character begins with limited health and no special abilities, but will quickly gain suit and weapon upgrades over the course of his adventure. Use the cursor keys to move, and tap the C key to shoot.

The game includes five different areas to explore, multiple boss encounters and two endings to discover.

Name: The Power
Developer: Alexitron
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB

Noitu Love 2: Devolution reviewed by the 1UP crew. Also mentioned in length on Destructoid's Indie Nation.

The price of Bullet Candy has been reduced to $3.95. Hopefully Charlie will consider finishing Space Dong soon... (source: the2bears)

10 Gnomes 04 is the latest chapter in a series of short hidden object games created by Mateusz Skutnik. Players are once again given ten minutes to search out the locations of each gnome. Watch out for the birds.

Name: 10 Gnomes part 4: foggy flat
Developer: Mateusz Skutnik
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Adam Sessler speaking to Kyle and Ron of 2D Games about World of Goo, due out June 2008.

You might remember the screenshots that were posted of this project ("2D side-scrolling WIP platformer, which is heavily influenced by Metroid Prime 1 and other games in the Metroid series") sometime back.

Well now there's a gameplay video and aside from YouTube screwing up the quality, it looks pretty sweet. I'm unsure about this getting to finishing point (it's only around 8% done) but there's always hope.

Read the development blog on 64 digits.

A friendly chat with Mark Johns, developer of Space Barnacle and Standard Bits.

Hi Mark, let's begin with a little introduction of yourself.

My name is Mark Johns. I'm 24 years old, recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Math and Computer Science from a state university in Illinois.

My background is from the Macintosh, where I've released small shareware games off and on for around ten years, and only recently ventured into doing indie games for the PC, when I discovered the wealth of stuff going on in the last year through sites like TIGSource.

There used to be a decent community site called iDevGames, which would host Mac-based game development competitions, but the scene is not as active as it once was. If you're familiar with David Rosen (the Wolfire guy, who did Black Shades and Lugaru), he came out of that community as well. He's a really talented guy, but yeah the Mac scene is not as thriving as what you see on the Windows side now.

Once I discovered TIGSource and finally got a machine running XP, I went through and downloaded all the stuff on the recommended list. And it was really inspiring, and led directly into the stuff I've been doing recently.

Is there a central repository for all of your games?

Everything I've done in the last year for Windows is available on my blog, Doomlaser. A lot of my older Mac stuff is on sloppydisk.com. Those are more earlier works, and are all really clones.

Killawatt is an advergame hosted at the Samsung web site, in which players are given a total of three minutes to stack as many speakers as they could onto the back of the truck decked with Rastafarian colors. A speaker will break if it touches the ground, and you're only allowed to lose five of them in each game. The author's music is available as a free download as well.

Name: Killawatt
Category: Action
Type: Browser

After Doomsday is a new browser-based multiplayer RPG which was created by a team of two developers using a combination of PHP and MySQL. The game bears many resemblances to the popular Kingdom of Loathing and Twilight Heroes, is free to play, and requires only a simple registration process for account activation.

Stats can be increased temporarily by using item modifiers, or permanently by training and increasing your character's level. Weapons and armor can be purchased from a shop, though the game does emphasize on player versus player encounters to earn experience points. Other methods of gaining experience includes committing crime and heading downtown to defend the city. Many of these tasks can only be done a certain number of times every day, but the counter does reset once the clock strikes midnight.

The search tab can be used to find another player to attack. Most street games are relatively safe to play for additional money without being sent to the hospital, although you still run the risk of losing cash. Other cities are unlocked once you've successfully increased your character level to five or upwards. Players are advised to use the game guide as necessary for further instructions, explanation and tips on making the most out of limited resources.

Name: After Doomsday
Developer: Kenshiro and Tectec
Category: RPG
Type: Browser

The Fog Fall is a new point and click adventure from the author of the Submachine and Covert Front series, taking place in a deserted bomb shelter with only shreds of clues hinting at the chain of events which has taken place. The game consists of roughly twenty or so rooms to explore, and one can pretty much expect the same sort of inventory and code puzzles commonly found in most of Mateusz's works.

Name: The Fog Fall
Developer: Mateusz Skutnik
Category: Adventure
Type: Browser
Walkthrough: Click here

Teshla and Jurgis' new Flash game Pragaras has been in development for over two months now. It is unclear whether their latest project is a direct sequel to Menulis and Miestas, or a new story with a different main character. Reversing the recorded voice does reveal the release date though.

Pragaras trailer

[Our sister programming mag/website Dr Dobb's Journal has been running the Dr. Dobb's Challenge game competition in association with Microsoft Visual Studio, with $10,000 in prizes. There was an initial $1,000 'First Month Challenge' prize for modding the downloadable Windows game.

UPDATE: Please note that the games are much closer to 'hobbyist' mods created by Dobbs-reading programmers in their spare time than fully-fledged indie classics, so ameliorate your expectations accordingly.]

We'd like to thank everyone for entering the Dobbs First Month Challenge. We thought that even with $1,000 on the line to the best entrant with a month to develop a serviceable work-in progress, it was just going to be too much work for our regular readers who don't necessarily have a lot of time to develop indie games.

We were, happily, proven wrong and there's a fun crop of games now available up on the Dobbs Challenge Critic's Choice download section for you to check out -- including a one button fighting game from Alexkr; Badly Drawn Robots, which can be best described as "Robotron Meets Castle Wolfenstein Meets Dr. Dobbs" and Dobbs Derby, possibly the most ambitious total conversion so far, which turns Dr Dobbs Challenge into a racing game.

We've selected five mods from a rich selection to spotlight here -- four runners-up and the $1,000 winner. If your entry wasn't selected, please don't  think that we've lost, missed or ignored it!

Yes that screenshot is horrid. But it is seriously the best I could do, as Stormbaancoureur is so touchy and so insanely constructed, that even the amount of time it takes for my hand to go from the accelerator to the Print Screen button is enough to throw the car completely off its rails. There is only a single level in this game (plus a tutorial and a free roam area), but it should take the average player at least an hour to successfully navigate.

Name: Stormbaancoureur
Developer: nop
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Michaël Samyn had unveiled the Endless Forest community site to the public earlier today, though the place has been readily accessible to all players for some time now. This 3D MMO exploration game is only 54 MB in size, and costs nothing to register and play. Windows only.

Endless Forest community site
Tale of Tales

An interview with Tommy Refenes, founder of the company PillowFort which is based in Hendersonville, North Carolina. One might also recognize his name credited as the developer of Goo!, a finalist for IGF's Technical Excellence award. (download the demo)

Hi Tommy, can you introduce yourself for the benefit of our readers? And do you prefer to be addressed as Tom or Tommy?

I'm Tommy Refenes. Programmer, designer... uhh, everything-er of PillowFort, creator of Goo!. Tommy works (Tom's my dad). I'll stick with Tommy forever until I eventually change my name to a symbol.

I literally spend all my time either programming, or reading up on programming or just thinking about programming. I think I've built an immunity to sitting and staring at the computer. I've been doing it professionally since I was 18, and for fun since I was 11. I worked out of my house for this company and had like 4 servers in the house, 4 monitors looking at different computers, and terminal services all over the place. I sold that house to do games.

I had a great house in Charlotte NC. Had a bad ass sports car, living it up... and one day was like "I wanna do games", then this company offered me a job and I sold it all, put it in storage and moved out to that company. I'd say what company it was, but they were total dicks and I don't want to be associated with them in any way. So they can just be "a game company".

Since we're on the subject of interviews today, thought I'd point out two more for your listening pleasure. Dave Gilbert was recently interviewed by Yesterday's Salad, while the Orange Lounge Radio crew talks to Farbs about his game, Rom Check Fail. (chat starts at around 15:00, direct download link - right click to save)

Interview with Dave Gilbert (Yesterday's Salad)
Interview with Farbs (Orange Lounge Radio)
Interview with Russell Carroll (GameTunnel)

Zak McKracken: Between Time & Space is an unofficial sequel to Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, and has been in development for more than seven years. The game boasts over fifty locations, 3D models, high-quality backgrounds and professional voice work - but the drawbacks are that it's in German, and the download size is close to 2 GB in total. (source: ScummVM forums)

download mirrors
Zak McKracken retrospective
Zak Fan Game Team storm LucasArts

Tiny Hawk is a surprisingly fun Ludum Dare competition entry created by Pekuja in under forty-eight hours. Kickflips, grinds and walljumps are executed using only one button. Collect all gems to complete a level. Only six stages are included, but more can be created simply by adding a new text file inside the data folder.

Hold the any key to jump off a wall or grind on a rail. Additional instructions are included in the zip file.

Name: Tiny Hawk
Developer: Pekuja
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

A couple of new sites about indie games to recommend.

Lithium Leaf is perhaps the pick of the three: hardly a single mention of anything else but indie games. The blog is also ordered very neatly, well-written, and updated daily.

Hardcasual is a little less indie-centric, but still has several lengthy articles on the subject of indie games. Helmed by Sam Ryan and Chris Plante (who also writes for a new GameSetWatch column named Why We Play).

Welcome to Special Round is rather similar to Hardcasual - a mix of commercial and indie games, plus everything in-between. Browsing through the archives, one can find reviews of Rom Check Fail, Mighty Jill Off, Flail and even a special feature called "Indie Ethics".

Also not forgetting auntie pixelante and the fantastic Indie Nation.

A 1UP review of Blast Works (based on Kenta Cho's Tumiki Fighters), out now on the Wii.

Voxelstein 3D is a remake based loosely on ID's FPS classic, created by Hans Krieg using Ken Silverman's Voxlap engine. The game consists of only one short level, in which players must find a way out of the mansion they are trapped in using any means necessary. This may involve the conventional way of opening doors, or chipping away at walls or obstacles blocking your path to reveal an exit.

A text configuration file found inside the game folder can be edited for a number of amusing results. (source: MisterX)

Name: Voxelstein 3D
Developer: Hans Krieg
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB

Joakim Sandberg's much-awaited 2D action game is now available for purchase from the official site. The updated demo contains stage one in it's entirety, and two-thirds of the second level. (forums)

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

Made in Wired is a WarioWare-type game created by Isshiki, in which players are given only a few seconds to achieve the objective shown before the start of each stage. Mosts of the tasks are derived from basic and classic shooters, though there are some odd challenges included as well.

Mode 1 has the additional feature of a boss encounter in every tenth stage. Use the cursor keys to move your ship, and press the Z key to shoot. The type of weapon your ship is equipped with for a particular challenge is indicated at the bottom right of the screen. (more screenshots in the extended)

Name: Made in Wired
Developer: Isshiki
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

An experimental version of Tetris created by Joseph Larson, Alleytris is perhaps the best out of the four variations posted in the same Retro Remakes forum thread. Players are expected to build horizontal lines in a well that is only four squares wide, and though the game lacks polished graphics or adequate sound effects this build is actually fun enough to warrant more than a few tries.

Name: Alleytris
Developer: Joseph Larson
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Shown above, a video demonstration of World of Goo played using the Wiimote controller. Also on GT: an interview with Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, co-foungers of 2D Boy.

Billed as a new form of video game art, The Naked Game is basically an interactive piece where two artificial intelligences play out a game of Pong. Visitors to the site can turn off various lines of codes underneath it for a variety of unexpected results, and the author of this work has kindly supplemented his creation with a statement of sorts to explain his odd experiment. (source: Retro Remakes)

Name: The Naked Game
Developer: Stewart Hogarth
Category: Art
Type: Browser

Crumble is a small action game created by Gary Penn for a recent Dundee Jam event. The objective is to collect twenty pieces of gold represented by large yellow squares to complete each level, using only the left and right cursor keys for movement. Small pieces of gold only add up to your points total, while rocks depicted as brown squares should be avoided. Press the left alternate and F4 function key to quit at any time.

Name: Crumble
Developer: Gary Penn
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

According to Jetro, the sequel to Secret Exit's popular ragdoll physics game will be released very soon.

Stair Dismount 2 announcement
Secret Exit

GameTap has a new interview with Edmund McMillen on Tri-Achnid, in which he reveals that the game is part of a series with episode two coming out later this year. Also posted on Cryptic Sea's development journal, a video demonstrating updated physics for the Gish 2 model. (shown above)

Indie Games: Tri-Achnid Interview
Cryptic Sea

Ad Nauseam 2 is a new intense shooter from the prolific Swedish developer cactus, and fans of Seizuredome or Burn the Trash will find something to like in this release. Press the Z key to shoot, and tap the X key to activate the shockwave effect. Hold both buttons to activate the alternate fire. Using either of these two specials will deplete your circular power gauge, shown discreetly in the background.

Collect four green pluses to upgrade your weapon by one level, but be sure to avoid red minuses which downgrade your ship's firepower. Use the F1 function key to switch between uncensored and safe modes. Press F2 to turn off motion blur, or F3 to disable screen shakes.

The game has three phases in total, and your fastest completion time is submitted online once you've beaten the final boss. Playing on the easiest difficulty setting doubles your time on the high score list. (forum thread)

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

Online high score table

CandyCorn Undergrowth is the second game created by Jph using Ville Krumlinde's ZGameEditor. Each of the five levels can only be completed by successfully building up all green nodes using your craft's build beam. Use the Z key to shoot, and hold the X key to activate the beam. Collect green buds to increase your beam gauge. Press the space key to pause the game at any time.

Name: CandyCorn Undergrowth
Developer: iteration games
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Second trailer for 2D Boy's upcoming debut release, World of Goo. Out soon for the Nintendo Wii, PC, Mac and Linux; hi-res versions of the video are available from the official site.

World of Goo trailer (Dailymotion)

Facewound is an abandoned 2D action game with zombies, guns, ragdoll physics and the occasional exploding barrels that'll blow everything in its proximity into pieces. The W, A, S and D keys can be used to move the protagonist around the city or climb buildings. Aim with the mouse, and left click to shoot. Press the R key to reload, and use the B key to unlock new weapons. Right click to enter focus mode, helpful when taking down airborne enemies.

A control configuration menu is included, and at least one checkpoint can be found in each level. The config.cfg file contains a number of keys which can be used to explore hidden features. Animations are done by none other than Arthur Lee, creator of The Underside. Development work on the game has been halted for more than two years. (cheats)

Name: Facewound
Developer: Facepunch Studios
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB
Direct download link: Click here

The Great Living Room Escape is the second in a series of flash game collaborations between Karol Konwerski and Mateusz Skutnik, featuring art by Kamil Kochanski. Like its prequel, the game is extremely short and can be completed in a matter of minutes.

Name: The Great Living Room Escape
Developer: Pastel Games
Category: Adventure
Type: Browser

Here's a summary of the competitions which developers can participate in and win some money:

Gaming World ($450, 2 weeks)
The easiest of the lot. Make a game in two weeks, and stand a chance to win USD $300. All development tools are accepted, but creation must include pandas (among other rules). Final submission date is 28th of April. First and second runner ups get USD $100 and $50 respectively. (forums)

Eegra 1st Annual Game Making Shinding (USD $2,500, 3 months)
Eegra is offering cash prizes worth a total of AUD $2,750 (roughly USD $2,500) for first to third place finishers in their 1st Annual Game Makin' Shindig Competition. Contest runs for three months, with 8th of July set as the final submission date. Entrants are advised to read the Terms and Conditions plus Guidelines for Entry before considering participation.

The Dobbs Challenge (USD $10,000, 2 months)
Microsoft is giving away USD $10,000 just for modifying games using the trial version of Visual Studio 2008. That's a lot of money for a couple of weeks' coding.

10 Indie, Student Game Competitions
A list of ten indie and student game competitions that would interest developers who are keen on getting a little attention for their projects or releases.

The rundown (unranked) points to ten events throughout the world in which indie game developers and students can show their works to compete for cash prizes, as well as that first big break in the industry.

Releases

Idealism: A new game by Jason Rohrer is available from The Escapist.

Braid: Owners of an Xbox 360 dev kit can now play Braid on Partnernet.

Metanet's N+: According to VG Chartz, this 2D platformer released on the XBLA just three weeks ago has sold over 85,000 copies.

Previews

MoonPod: Nick reveals that their next game will feature pirates. (article)

World of Goo: Kyle confirms that the WiiWare version of 2D Boy's debut release will include multiplayer support.

Miscellaneous

Mighty Jill Off: Feministe reviews dessgeega's latest game.

CoolMoose: Tom is working on a sequel to RunMan's Monster Fracas.

White Butterfly: A demo for Linley's new vertical shooter is now available for download. (registered forum members only)

ModCenter staffs had recently interviewed the developers of Flipside and Foamzilla, both nominated for IGF 2008's Student Showcase award.

IGF Student Focus: FLIPSIDE
IGF Student Focus: Foamzilla

An interview with the folks at Flashbang Studios about Off-Road Velociraptor Safari, Jetpack Brontosaurus and dinosaurs in general was recently posted on Shacknews.

An Off-Road Interview with the Raptor Safari Creators
Indie Adventures: PixelJAM and Dino Run

I don't know how many of you remember Shawn Noel. He was a Game Maker developer, probably most well known for his Jetz series of games. He was known for incorporating a good deal of violence and dark humour into his games.

In late 2005, I conducted a short interview with him, which still haunts me to this day (I won't post a link because it has errors from a server change). He seemed to be on a downward spiral. His final project was Street Bike Fury, which was released early in 2006. I felt that this was his best work, underrated and a sign of big things for Shawn. He took his own life not long after this. He was still in highschool. It has been over two years.

Recently clysm of Seiklus fame posted a Shawn64 Retrospective over on the Game Maker Games website. Since clysm knew Shawn better than most, I thought it was a nice read, since it gave some insight into the kid that he was when he was actually happy developing games and brimming with ideas. It's a nice way to remember him.

GameTap had recently started a week-long special which focuses specifically on the subject of indie games. In a series of interviews, Douglass Perry talks to the developers of Aquaria, Battleships Forever, Clean Asia, Crayon Physics, The Dishwasher and Fret Nice. The chat with Sony's John Hight also reveals new information about thatgamecompany's Flower. And of course, Mr. Robot is still available as a free download on GameTap.

Features: Indie Game Interview Round-Up
The State of Indie Games
John Hight Interview
The Dishwasher Interview (GameSpot)
The Game Community According to Derek Yu

[IndieGames.com parent Think Services also helps run Dr. Dobb's Journal, the seminal programming website/magazine - founded in 1975. We're doing the Dobbs Challenge game competition, and the First Month deadline is coming up - hence this FYI.]

GameSetWatch sister site Dr Dobb's Journal has announced that the $1,000 First Month Challenge, an initial prize for the best game produced by modding the Dr. Dobbs Challenge game within a month, is to close April 14th.

The First Month Challenge is the first prize category in the inaugural Dobbs Challenge (a special game competition brought to you in association with Dr. Dobb's Journal and Microsoft) and The Dobbs Challenge organizers have noted that “work-in-progress” games are completely eligible for the First Month Challenge prize.

All entrants are free to continue to developing their project for the final deadline (for all prizes) on June 13th -- including Best Windows Game ($4,000), Best Windows Mobile Game ($2,000), Best One Button Game ($1,000), Best Game Starring Dr Dobbs And The Defy All Challenges Crew ($1,000), and Best Total Conversion ($1,000) - for making something that's completely different in genre/style from the original Dr. Dobbs Challenge, but still keeps 'collect Visual Studio icons' as the mechanic and starts from the same codebase.

To participate, interested parties can firstly download the specially created 'Dr. Dobb's Challenge' games for either Windows and Windows Mobile. Then they can win from a prize pool of $10,000 by modifying the games using a trial version of Visual Studio 2008, in association with competition sponsor Microsoft.

Full source code and art for the games are freely provided for programmers and artists to 'mod' the results and win prizes, and all you need to know to participate is available on the official website.

The Dobbs Challenge organizers have also unveiled their first “Editor’s Choice” mod (the submitted mods that have most impressed the judges so far) with Georg Rottensteiner’s expansion to Dr. Dobbs Challenge, which features a level editor, new art, sound and scrolling levels.

Georg explained his choice to include a level editor as “a needed add-on: while text based levels are nice for casual editing, in the long run an in-game editor is better; you see exactly what you're doing and what's it going to look like. And it lets me create new stages faster!”

He also included tips for people wanting to create graphics in the style of the original game (“I cheated a bit; painted new tiles in twice the resolution and simply scaled them down”) and creating sound effects:

“I've been using DrPetter's sfxr sound tool for additional sound effects. It's an awesome tool that lets you create random 8-bit style sound effects and play with the parameters. Highly recommended.”

Noitu Love 2 now has a firm release date: April 18th, 2008, which is next Friday. The forums are also reopened for business. (source: anonymous)

konjak.org

Karoshi 2 is the sequel to the similarly titled platformer released by Jesse Venbrux last month. The game consists of over fifty short levels in which you have to figure out the correct method to help the main character commit suicide. Use the cursor keys to move your character. Press the Z key to jump. R key restarts, and the escape key quits.

The developer had also included a level editor and Karoshi 1 speed run mode, where players would have to complete close to thirty stages from the original in under seven minutes.

Name: Karoshi 2
Developer: Jesse Venbrux
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

The Toronto Independent Game Development Jam (TOJam) is an annual gathering of like-minded programmers and designers - there's no entry fee or dress codes to adhere to. Coders, artists and musicians are all invited to attend the event, mingle around with the crowd and perhaps even make a couple of games during the three day meet. The place is Innovation Toronto, and the date is 9th - 11th of May 2008.

The Toronto Independent Game Development Jam

An interview with Kian Bashiri (Mazapán), developer of the Flash game You Have To Burn The Rope.

Hi Kian, kindly tell us a little about yourself and your newly-gained internet fame.

Well, I'm 21. I'm half-Persian, half-Finnish/Swede, but I was born and raised here in Sweden. I'm currently studying computer game development, and I love playing indie games. Yeah... I don't really know what else is interesting.

Oh, about my newly gained-internet fame... it's crazy. I'm so in the middle of it all, I'm still not sure how big it is. Some people have called You Have To Burn The Rope (YHTBTR) their game of the year, but I'm still not sure whether it's something that will be forgotten next week.

I'm googling "You Have to Burn the Rope" all the time, checking my referrals on my web statistics and wading through the mail.

Can you explain YHTBTR in your own words?

Well, it is a joke. And I don't want to say too much about it, because dissecting a joke always makes it unfunny. Part of it is this really silly idea, and part of it is this statement about how games are too hard and complicated. It's also a subtle reference to how some games are kind of patronizing toward the player, like too easy.

But I never set out to make it this way, it kind of turned into this with time. It started out as an attempt to make a game that spoiled the whole experience for you before you played it. Funnily enough, people really don't read instructions...

A lot of people that I saw playing the game live actually went through the tunnel without reading the instructions or thinking about the name of the game and realized that you have to burn the rope first when they saw it themselves. I think this is what has happened when I read comments like "it wuz so easy.", these people went right through it and didn't realize that the joke was on them.

Eegra is offering cash prizes worth a total of AUD $2,750 (roughly USD $2,500) for first to third place finishers in their 1st Annual Game Makin' Shindig Competition. Contest runs for three months, with July 8th 2008 set as the final submission date. Entrants are advised to read the Terms and Conditions plus Guidelines for Entry before considering participation.

Eegra: 1st Annual Game Makin' Shindig (GMS)

Michaël Samyn had recently posted an interview with Jenova Chen on their development journal. In it, they discuss about Jenova's past projects, game design and thatgamecompany's future endeavors. No details about Flower were revealed though. Understandable because they are under a publishing deal, but still - BUMMER.

The words "sister studio" used by Kellee Santiago to describe Tale of Tales is intriguing. The Path on the PSN? D:

Tale of Tales - Interview with Jenova Chen

In Yume Nikki (Dream Diary), you're cast as a young girl living in a small apartment. There is very little to do in your room, but fall asleep and an entire dream world is yours to explore. The Z key can be used to interact or gain new effects. Certain locations beyond each door may yield more than one effect for the player to discover. Press 9 to wake yourself up. Use the desk in the room to save your progress, and hold the escape key for more than two seconds to exit the NASU console game.

Acquiring the bicycle, lamp and knife should be at the top of your list, as these items will double your character's speed, light up dark areas and allow basic attack moves to be executed. Nearly all locations are wrapped around, hence walking in one direction endlessly will always bring you back to the starting point.

Installation instructions are provided in the zip file. Yume Nikki does have a proper ending. (source: Sekhem, Starmen.Net)

Name: Yume Nikki
Developer: Kikiyama
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 40MB
Download link: Rapidshare, WHFF, mirror (unzip .rar files using 7-Zip)

As posted by Random Passersby (thanks!):

This isn't exactly new news, but since I just got back today and found out about it mere minutes ago, let's pretend it is and start praising the great god of indie gaming who somehow was able to restore faith in one of his most trustful servants. For you see, some random chap who goes by the name of ikiki on the interweb put together a nice 'n shiny website intended for showcasing all of his precious work here:

http://ikiki.sokushinbutsu.com/himoji/

It's a whole lot more sophisticated than his old "place where I'll dump all my games" kind of site over at Vector and additionally features several sweet artworks and even handmade gif animations, mostly starring the obligatory naked guy(s). Some of them are equally weird and disturbing, but others would make for excellent avatars I'd say.

Major point of interest though probably the fact that he's gone and finished two new games in the meantime:

-Curry Ki
Put curry in the best possible position in order to create the ultimate curry onigiri. (placement of curries must be a mirror image of their respective rice plates on the left side of the screen)

-Tobioriya
Save the lives of suicidal naked guys jumping off of the top of a building ikiki-style by using bow & arrow to hit them in midair and pin them to the wall. Yes. (The calculation of your final score is based on the number of hits, misses and accuracy percentage. Press the F2 function key to restart at any time.)

A short action game created by cactus for one of Poppenkast's quick development competitions. This shooter was made in the space of a few hours, and can easily be completed in a matter of minutes. Use the cursor keys to move, tap the Z key rapidly to shoot, and speak to the elder to reveal additional game instructions. Press the F1 or F2 function keys to change graphic modes.

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

cannonML is a shmup pattern generator made by Kei Mesuda, the developer of Nomltest FS, Invisible Vision and Arcanacra Black Label. This handy tool uses a simple text copy and paste method for the purposes of saving or sharing shooter creations.

Gymnast is a new acrobatics simulation game created by the developer of XBLA's JellyCar and Trampoline. A controller with two analog thumbsticks is required to play. Replays are supported, and a level editor is included to accomodate user creations. The game has two playable modes, eight language packs and a lively community site for the purpose of sharing replays and levels.

Name: Gymnast
Developer: Walaber
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 20MB
Direct download link: Click here

This is a Cry for Help: Edmund McMillen (Gish, Triachnid, Twin Hobo Rocket) has redesigned one of his old sites to include nearly every single game he has a hand in creating in the last few years.

Echoes: fog reveals the secret code to unlock Crack, a hidden game in Binary Zoo's arena shooter.

auntie pixelante: dessgeega has a new site up. She reviews all sorts of indie games on it.

Four Elements VI: GameDev.Net's 4E6 competition entries are now available for download.

Possibly inspired by Valve's Portal, You Have to Burn the Rope is an extremely short game that features good pixel art and sound production using DrPetter's sfxr tool. There is only one solution to the problem, though the credits will be remembered long after you've managed to beat the final boss.

Name: You Have to Burn the Rope
Developer: Kian Bashiri
Category: Action
Type: Browser
Soundtrack: Available

Super Smashed Bros is essentially a remake of at least ten arcade and console classics from Nintendo's impressive back catalogue. The game sports amateur art but the humour is spot on, conveyed by the cutscenes which preludes every new level.

Press the T key, then click on the cross to configure your preferred control settings. Use the left alt and enter key to switch between full screen and windowed mode. Press the F2 key to restart at any time. Previously sold as shareware on the author's web site. (more gorgeous screenshots in the extended)

Name: Super Smashed Bros
Developer: Tatsusoft (Tim Winsky)
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 20MB
Direct download link: Click here

FIG (Floating Islands -Game) is a new puzzle game by Arvi Teikari, also known as Hempuli in Nifflas' forums. Described as Lemmings crossed with Hapland, players are given two sets of objectives to achieve in each level. The first one is a prerequisite, that is to collect all yellow stars before arriving at the goal flag. The second task is a tad more difficult, in which players have to find the blue star carefully hidden by the author, revealed only when you've found out the exact method to uncover these rarities.

Interaction is only possible with certain objects on screen, usually indicated when the cursor turns into a pointing hand. Your challenge is to figure out the order in which to click on each object, and clear the path for the protagonist to reach his destination. The basics of gameplay is explained in a short tutorial accessible from the main menu.

FIG has been in production for over half a year now, and is scheduled for a release this summer. The full version will feature thirty-five stages in total. (this demo has five)

Name: FIG
Developer: Arvi Teikari
Category: Puzzle
Type: Demo
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

What sets OECake apart from other physics simulation tool is that it can load any sort of image from your computer into the application as the surface for an object or fluid of your choice, then watching them interact with the surroundings based on the law of physics that you've selected. Drag and drop a file on to the application window to experiment with this feature. Also available for the Mac.

Name: OECake
Developer: Prometech Software, Inc.
Category: Application
Type: Demo
Size: 5MB

Welcome to the new IndieGames.com Game of the Month pick! Every month, we will highlight a special pay-to-download indie game worthy of your attention. Selections are based on the quality of each game and the fun factor they offer.

More importantly, these games are the ones that stand out in the crowded space of commercial indie releases - the crème de la crème, so to speak.

Our inaugural pick is Data Realms' title Cortex Command - the indie team-based PC combat game with neat pixel graphics and physics used to simulate every character, particle, and explosion in extreme detail.

Although still a work in progress, Cortex Command features two main gameplay modes and support for up to four players in splitscreen mode. It is sure not to disappoint fans of action-packed battles in the style of Soldat and Worms! Click through for more info on key game features.

[NOTE: If you buy Cortex Command from the IndieGames.com Game Of The Month page, you are supporting both its developer Data Realms, and also supporting IndieGames.com, allowing us to continue bringing you the latest news on independent games. This is at no higher price to you!]

Here is the Feature Page, take a look!

NES Quest - The 8BIT Journey is a 2D adventure game developed by Yolt and Mr. T using Chris Jones' AGS engine. Making the mistake of lending your 8-bit console to your cousins, you find that the NES was returned in a sorry state and hence set out on a journey to get it fixed.

The game is of decent length and has good art for characters and backgrounds. There are roughly nine rooms to explore in total, but be prepared to do some pixel hunt exercise to find one or two items in this quest. (more screenshots in the extended)

Name: NES Quest
Developer: KCD Games
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Walkthrough: Available
Direct download link: Click here

Jonatan Söderström was recently interviewed by IGN for their Independent View feature, but an IGN Insider account is required to access the article. Also, Complete Indie Gamers talks to cactus and Ville Krumlinde about their upcoming releases. Finally, Jonatan had posted some advice on development using the Game Maker engine in his forums. (last thread)

Independent View: Clean Asia's Jonatan Söderström
Complete Indie Gamers - A word from Cactus and Ville

The Unity engine, used for games such as Flashbang Studios' Off-Road Velociraptor Safari and the upcoming Jetpack Brontosaurus (due out later this month), will soon include support for the iPhone platform. From the press release:

"Unity Technologies, a 3D game development tool provider for creating console-quality games for the desktop and Web, today announced that the company will support game development for the popular iPhone platform."

"The Unity engine is the core technology that facilitates visually rich, engaging 3D game play, whether it's on a traditional desktop, or on the Web at major gaming sites like shockwave.com, or now on the world's leading mobile device - the iPhone."

"With iPhone support, Unity is poised to become the single source for game developers who want to create best-of-breed, 3D-quality games that can be easily and quickly ported to all platforms, including consoles, devices, PC/Mac, and now, the iPhone," said David Helgason, CEO of Unity Technologies. "Specifically, Unity's support of iPhone addresses the developer's need to create more and better mobile/portable games that support the consumers 'on-the-go' lifestyle."

Unity is Coming to iPhone

MoonPod's isometric action game Mr. Robot is now available as a free download from GameTap. Those who are not keen on installing the GameTap client can still purchase the full game from Moonpod's web site.

Name: Mr. Robot
Developer: MoonPod
Category: Action

X-Out is working on a 3D version of Gravitron. (forum thread)

According to the sidebar on GameTap's Free Games page, it seems that MoonPod's Mr. Robot (no. 1 in GameTunnel's Top 100 Independent Games feature) will be added to the GameTap service as a free download in the near future (usually within one week).

The GameTap Free service requires no registration for free games which aren't rated mature. A 32 MB download is all that's needed to access free stuff like Sam and Max Season One: Episode 4, Blast Miner and Psychonauts.

MoonPod's Mr. Robot: Free on GameTap

Loose Pixels POW is Jph's interpretation of an arcade classic, developed with the same ZGameEditor cactus plans to use for some of his releases in the near future. Use the cursor keys to move, and hold the Z key to shoot. Destroy red objects to produce collectible green items.

Name: Loose Pixels POW
Developer: Jph Wacheski
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here