Gish 2: Cryptic Sea's web site updated with new teaser image.

Braid: Number None's upcoming debut release has entered the certification phase. Also confirmed, work on the next game has begun and it is not a sequel to Braid.

N+: The XBLA version will be getting three new level packs (consisting of over 750 stages), and one of the packs will be free to download. Subscribers of the OXBM UK mag should also be receiving some very special bonuses soon.

World of Goo: Kyle Gabler has revealed a slightly more specific release date for 2DBoy's upcoming PC and Wiiware release.

Fren-ze: Matt Verran (Ookibloks developer) interviewed by Oddbob.

Bingo Area is a new puzzle game by the developer of Cursor10 and the Hoshi Saga series, where players must select one or more cities from the map of Japan in each level to match the required number of square pixels in the box located on the right side of the screen. You'll need to get as close as possible to the red marker to gain an additional 5000 bonus points, but the game ends immediately as well if you go over the red square block. To complicate matters, cities selected in the previous levels cannot be chosen again for consequent guesses. (hints)

Name: Bingo Area
Developer: Yoshio Ishii
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Rockman 7-FC is a project to port the gameplay of Rockman 7 from the 16-bit SNES style to the 8-bit NES-style gameplay. Tap the X key rapidly to shoot, hold the same button to charge up for a special attack, and press the Z key to jump. Hold the down cursor key and the jump button at the same time to slide.

Use the Q key to access your inventory and swap abilities, or press the R key to reset back to the introductory screen at any time. Abilities can be switched using the A and S keys as well. Players start out with Rush Coil, the robotic dog which can be called upon to launch you higher than your normal jumps.

The configuration file can be used to change window size. Press the print screen button on the keyboard to capture a screenshot at any time, which is then saved as a new bitmap file in the game folder automatically. This feature can be very useful when typing in your password to resume your progress. (source: auntie pixelante, FAQs, download zip version)

Name: Rockman7-FC
Developer: Mend (2ch)
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here (right-click to save, use 7-Zip to unzip .LZH files)

Dizzy and the Other Side is a fan made game created in the spirit of the famous Dizzy series. Keeping the graphics and gameplay true to the classic series, Dizzy and the Other Side tells an original story, full of funny dialogs and clever puzzles.

You get to control Dizzy with the arrows keys for walking and jumping around. The enter key is used for action and acquiring items. With the escape key, you can bring up the game menu from where you can save and load your progress.

During the five acts of the story, players can additionally collect hidden diamonds, which will get them a better score to post online. An interactive walkthrough can be found on the game's official website as well, for players who are stuck with a puzzle or two.

Name: Dizzy and The Other Side
Developer: Alexandru Simion
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB

Metafilter's Guide to Indie Platformers
A guide to some of the best indie platformers that everyone should have played by now - if not, then the weekend is a perfect time to do some catching up. (source: GameSetWatch)

GamesRadar's 50 Free Games
A selection of fifty free games (complete with a number of recent releases), up on GamesRadar for your perusal and download pleasure. Some of the download links are dodgy, so arm yourself with an anti-virus protection program before plunging in.

Game Tunnel's Monthly Round-Up, June Edition
No free stuff here, but definitely worth a read - especially with Everyday Shooter, Droid Assault and Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness fronting the list of indie games reviewed.

Maximum Racer is a simple, yet surprisingly fun little racing game which actually convinced me to give it a few tries.

Controls are: use the arrow keys to steer your ship, and the space key to accelerate. I still haven't managed to clear the first checkpoint, so you'll need to really ride the edge of the envelope to do well with this game.

Name: Maximum Racer
Developer: happousyu
Category: Racer
Type: Freeware
Size: 768KB
Direct download link: Click here

Nanobots is a point and click adventure game that lets you control six different robots as they race to save themselves from being turned into scrap metal by an evil professor. Players will only get to control one robot at a time, but can switch between them by clicking on the row of icons at the bottom of the screen.

The game includes a handy tutorial, while helpful suggestions on solving puzzles can be acquired by using Audbot to converse with other characters. (hints, Spooks)

Name: Nanobots
Developer: Erin Robinson, Vince Wesselmann
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

The results for TIGSource's indie game development competition have been announced, with Nenad Jalsovec's winning entry Rescue: The Beagles (gameplay video shown above) taking first place. Alex May and Rudolf Kremers' colonization game Dyson placed second, while Terry Cavanagh and Annabelle Kennedy's team effort Self Destruct finished third. Full list of competition entries can be found by following the links below.

Results announcement
TIGSource's Procedural Generation Competition page

Bowja the Ninja 2 (In Bigman's Compound) is a point and click adventure game in the style of The Visitor and Hapland. Your mission objective is to infiltrate the enemy's compound and switch off their satellite system, achieved by solving a couple of simple puzzles in each screen to progress.

This episode has some grating sound effects, backtracking, lacklustre puzzle designs and overall isn't quite as charming to play the second time around. (chapter 1, screenshots, video walkthrough)

Name: Bowja the Ninja 2 (Kongregate link)
Developer: Robin Vencel
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

A couple of interesting announcements posted over at 2D Boy's site, in regards to World of Goo:

- family-friendly ESRB rating confirmed
- five languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German
- Wii version supports multiplayer cooperative play for all levels

Gameplay videos from IGN in the extended. (huge spoilers)

Warning: Contains flashing images which may cause photosensitive epileptic seizures.

Virtual Silence is an action game where the player takes control of a young boy named Jason, who has to sit through a series of experimental tests in a virtual world under the watchful eye of his mother and an unnamed doctor. Use the cursor keys to move, and hold the X key to shoot. Press the Z key to change the scenery, and tap the enter key to skip dialogue. The game has multiple endings.

Name: Virtual Silence
Developer: Virtanen
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

All 34 games made during the annual Toronto Game Jam meet in Canada over a period of three days (May 9 - 11, 2008) by a group of dedicated developers, designers and artists are now available for download. Shown above, gameplay video from Jonathan Mak's (of Everyday Shooter fame) new freeware release Flowers of Error.

TOJam 2008 Games
A Game About Bouncing download page

Deep/Wing/Break is a new atmospheric arena shooter by Kvalsternacka and cactus, where players must protect the small dot being carried by a winged creature from enemy projectiles for as long as they can. Use the W, A, S and D keys to move, or hold the left mouse button to shoot. Press the enter key to start a game from the main menu. As usual, an automatic online high score submission feature is included.

Name: Deep/Wing/Break
Developer: Kvalsternacka, cactus
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Retro 4 is an arena shooter with simple polygonal shapes of different colours as enemies. Use the W, A, S and D keys to move, or hold the left mouse button to shoot. Players can also tap the left mouse button quickly for rapid fire, or press the right mouse button for a special attack. The game comes with an automatic online high score submission feature.

Name: Retro 4
Developer: cactus
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

"Life is a Race!" is a one button art game created by cactus for a GMG competition.

Name: Life is a Race
Developer: cactus
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

SEEK ver.0 is a simple matching game in which players must click on an alphabet or number that resembles the one on the conveyor. A heart is lost whenever the player takes too long to find a match or chooses the wrong tile.

Name: SEEK ver.0
Developer: ON
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Rect Winder ASCII (download, description)

Chain3 is an upcoming puzzle game for the iPhone from indie developer Shawn McGrath. It functions in the common match-3 framework, but it allows for any piece to be dragged anywhere with no restrictions. This means making a match is trivial, so the game is based on the idea of chaining matches so that one match causes another, and that causes another, etc.

After you make a match, the tiles will flash for a short time, giving you a chance to setup the pieces for the next match in the chain. Also, just before the tiles drop, there's a brief pause, allowing you to slip pieces under falling pieces to cause chains, à la Tetris Attack.

There's a YouTube video, game information, and a detailed description of the game system.

Chain3 will be available from the iTunes App Store the first day it opens.

Name: Chain3
Developer: Shawn McGrath
Category: Puzzle
Type: iPhone

Zero Point is an impressive-looking horizontal shooter developed with the Game Maker engine, but consists of only one short level in the current build. Use the cursor keys to move, and hold the left control key to shoot. Your special attack gauge automatically charges up when no shots are fired from your ship, indicated by a red bar at the bottom left of the screen.

The lite version is missing plenty of background graphics and sound, and should only be downloaded as a last resort. Note that the game will only run properly on graphic adapters which are capable of supporting a resolution of 1280 by 960 or higher. (trailer in the extended)

Name: Zero Point
Developer: Rikrok
Category: Shooter
Type: Demo
Size: 30MB
Direct download link: Click here

Cubes is a multiplayer-only game inspired by Nenad's Counterclockwise, which in turn was a remake of the ZX Spectrum's Knot in 3D. Essentially Tron in 3D, this version supports up to eight players simultaneously and contains four maps to choose from in total. Any players can host a server, while other players can find a running server using the inbuilt game browser.

The basic idea is simple, you fly forward automatically while leaving a trail behind you. Playing it for the first time can be very disorientating, since it allows only six degrees of freedom and every rotation creates a new frame of reference. The world also wraps around itself, so the entire area is quickly populated with multicoloured trails within seconds.

Destroy other players by making them crash into your trail or by shooting them down. Powerups can be collected to increase your weapon's firepower or to regain lost shield. Each game is split into rounds, and the last player left alive wins the round.

Use the W, A, S and D keys to move, and hold the right mouse button to center your view. Left click to shoot, and press the shift key to accelerate faster. Tap the Y key during a game to chat with other players.

Name: Cubes
Developer: X-0ut
Category: Arcade
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB

Download Rescue: The Beagles

Rose and Camellia (Shockwave)

Noitu Love 2 fan art by Niklas Jansson, relatively NSFW. (source: TIGForums)

Game Giveaway of the Day currently has Jets’n'Guns Gold up for free download. The offer is only valid for the next twenty hours. (cheats in comments)

Game Giveaway of the Day - Jets’n'Guns Gold
Rake in Grass web site

DAN-BALL's popular web toy Powder Game was recently updated with an option to add playable stickman characters to the screen, which can then be moved around by pressing the cursor keys. Expect to see plenty of user-created obstacle courses popping up on the site soon. (requires a Java-enabled browser to run)

Name: Powder Game ver4.9
Developer: DAN-BALL
Category: Application
Type: Browser

GT had posted three new trailers for the DS version of N+. Both DS and PSP versions are scheduled for a release this August 2008. (more videos in the extended)

Kotaku: Hands on with N+

Visit is an exploration platformer in which players must solve block puzzles to acquire a set of eight keys, then return to the temple marked by a swirling symbol on the map. Use the F1 function key to review the controls, and press the S or down arrow key while standing over a save point to change colors. Tap the left or right cursor key twice to push a block.

Note that jumps may not work properly unless the gamepad or all USB devices are disconnected before starting the game. The entire adventure should take roughly two hours to complete. (additional screenshots, download instructions)

Name: Visit
Developer: Ted Lauterbach
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB

Hi Edmund, how about we begin with a little introduction of yourself?

I'm Edmund McMillen, co-creator of Gish, Triachnid, Coil and a few other indie titles.

Are you working on anything else at the moment besides Gish 2?

I'm currently working on Gish 2, Triachnid 2, a game called Grey Matter with Tommy Refenes (Goo!) and a few other Flash games that are in slight limbo.

Can you explain to us what Grey Matter is about?

Sure thing, Grey Matter is basically a Robotron shooter, but the player doesn't shoot. The game is mouse-controlled and takes place inside someone's brain. It was something small me and Tommy jumped into a little while back just so we could have something we worked on together.

[IndieGames' 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 for modding a Windows and Windows Mobile sample game. Here, contest organizer Mathew Kumar is kind enough to outline the winners - go check em out!]

It's been an intense few days of judging and we'd like to congratulate all of the entrants for their remarkable work in modding Dr. Dobbs Challenge into a variety of striking and very different games!

We'll be making our critic's choice of all the entrants available for download on the Dobbs Challenge website starting tomorrow, but we'd like to first announce the winners of the inaugural Dobbs Challenge, selected by our panel of judges.

Best One Button Game
Wobble Bob
(Lukasz Lesicki)

The one button category was a challenging category that entrants had to "give their all" to in the hope of winning, and although there were many amazing entries, Lukasz Lesicki's Wobble Bob came out of nowhere to win it by virtue of its unique game design. Though our judges are au fait with many different kinds of one-button game, they had never played one with a character who "wobbled" backwards and forwards allowing movement in two directions with a subtle, timing-based gameplay.

In addition, both graphics and level design offered a unified pleasant feel, and as a result Lukasz Lesicki walks away with the $1,000 prize. [Download Now!]

Dino Run: New hats added to Pixeljam's latest release. (milestone trophies)

RPGs

Eschalon Book II: The second title in Basilisk Games' RPG trilogy has been announced. (source: Rampant Games)

Depths of Peril: Mac version of Soldak Entertainment's debut RPG release now available for download.

Interviews

Audiosurf: An in-depth look at Dylan Fitterer's award-winning baby, up on Gamasutra.

Wadjet Eye Games: Dave Gilbert interviewed by a GWLog staff. (Noitu Love 2 review, Introduction to Game Maker)

Braid: An unpublished GameTap interview can be found on David's web site.

Review by D. Fai

Sauerbraten is an open source FPS which focuses less on eye candy and more on fast-paced old school-style gameplay. A "CTF Edition" of Sauerbraten was recently released, with the new CTF gametype added to the multiplayer lineup, loads of engine updates, performance improvements, updated GUI, level editor enhancements, and bug fixes. A bunch of new maps are included as well, while existing gametypes have received a number of improvements. (changelist)

Name: Sauerbraten
Developer: Wouter (original code)
Category: FPS
Type: Freeware
Size: 290MB
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

The CODEAR: Banner Games Challenge is a contest where participants are required to create a game with a restricted window size of 600 by 90 pixels, but no other limitations on either theme or platform. Entries are available to download or play online from the CODEAR: Banner Games Challenge information page.

The competition is organized by the Argentine Game Developer Association to encourage the involvement and exposure of amateur and indie developers from Spanish-speaking countries. (shown above, screenshot from winning entry Survive)

More screenshots from cactus' upcoming platformer release.

YouTube trailer (HD version)
Download preview demo
Lo-Fi Minds web site

A preview of Jetpack Brontosaurus' updated rig tuning and camera logic features. The alpha version is still available to play on the official web site.

Another month, another existential question by Jason Rohrer. In his monthly column at The Escapist, Game Design Sketchbook, Jason gives another game which acts like a door to the thoughts that haunt him. This month around, the game is centered around Immortality. Is it a good thing?

The game itself, named Immortality. Plays a bit like Block Dude. You have to create a tower of blocks to get to either Immortality or death, the choice is yours. You can pick up any blocks, even if they are under your feet. But there are some blocks you can climb and some that you can't. Basicaly, you can only climb the ones with brown stairs.

Continue reading "Freeware Game: Immortality" on Lithium Leaf »

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 8pm
55 33rd Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY
Ticket Price - $6

Mark Essen, a.k.a. Messhof, will install five playable games at Light Industry, including two new titles: Stenography Hero, a competitive text-based stenography simulator in the spirit of Guitar Hero, and Rail War, a western-themed side-scroller projected in a Cinemascope aspect ratio.

Essen will present a short talk about his work during which he will upload Stenography Hero and Rail War live to his website for free distribution. Other titles available for play will include Randy Balma: Municipal Abortionist (2008), Punishment: The Punishing (2007) and Flywrench (2007).

The evening will also include a performance by Jordan Stone, who composed music for Essen¹s games, using bent toys, dying drum machines, and circuits of his own design to create distorted soundscapes reminiscent of 80s videogaming.

Games by Mark Essen at Light Industry

According to Tarwin: Scarygirl is a Flash 9-based game which runs at 760 by 480 pixels, with a consistent rate of 30 fps, and is only around 2MB download per level. The full game will be free to play once released, and will take about one to two hours of playtime to complete for a first timer.