[A final IGF reminder is here alongside a neat Easter Egg for those who want to see prominent indies looking sheepish and/or triumphant in front of a few thousand people - the 2008 IGF Awards video is now online.]

The Independent Games Festival has debuted the full streaming video of its 2008 IGF Awards ceremony, also reminding interested possible entrants that the final deadline to enter the 2009 IGF Main Competition is Saturday, November 1st at 11.59pm PST.

The 2008 IGF Awards Ceremony was held in February 2008 during Game Developers Conference. It was presented by Venture Africa/Arctic designer Andy Schatz, alongside IGF content directors and Offroad Velociraptor Safari creators Matthew Wegner and Steve Swink.

With the ceremony accompanied by interstitials from comedic video troupe Mega64, the 2008 IGF victors included $20,000 Seamus McNally Grand Prize winner Crayon Physics Deluxe, Kloonigames' 2D physics puzzle game that allows players to experience what it would be like to transform drawings into physical objects.

Other major winners at the IGF ceremony included physics-based puzzle action game, 2D Boy's World of Goo, which won the awards for both Design Innovation and Technical Excellence, and Audiosurf. As well as the streaming video, there are also now pictures of the IGF Pavilion and Awards available on IGF.com.

The organizers are also giving a final reminder about deadlines for the 2009 Independent Games Festival, which is already seeing a very strong set of entries ahead of this weekend's initial deadline.

Games selected as finalists in the Main Competition (due November 1st) or Student Showcase competition (due November 15th) will be available in playable form on the 2009 Game Developers Conference show floor, with their creators given complementary passes to attend the event, which includes the third annual Independent Games Summit.

Entrants will compete for nearly $50,000 in prizes, including awards for Innovation, Excellence in Design, and the coveted $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the IGF Awards, held in March 2009 during GDC.

In addition, the IGF Mobile entry deadline is on November 17th, with $30,000 in total for those indie creators making games for iPhone, cellphone, and other handheld devices.

More information on the competitions are available at the official IGF webpage and the official IGF Mobile webpage.

messhof's punishing action game Flywrench was recently updated with a new level editor and some minor graphical changes. Players can now submit their level creations as text files to the developer for inclusion in the next release of Flywrench.

Treasure Hunter Man is a freeware 2D platformer created by Bernie, featuring four dungeons with different themes to explore, a variety of inventory items to find for puzzle-solving purposes, unlockable skills, a couple of secrets, and two endings to discover.

Use the cursor keys to move, press the X key to jump, and hold the Z key to sprint once you've acquired the ability to run. Weapons are not available to you at the beginning, but can be found during the course of your adventure. The boomerang is thrown upwards or downwards by using the up or down arrow key together with Z.

Hold the up arrow key to go through a doorway or converse with NPCs. Note that you can only talk to other characters when standing next to them, and not directly behind them. You will need to acquire a sword from the dark cellar back in town before searching for a weak wall in the forest to destroy and reveal a passage to the first dungeon.

An easy difficulty setting can be accessed by pressing the left or right arrow key when the intro screen is shown, where players can choose to start the game with four hearts instead of the usual two for normal mode. (TDC link)

Name: Treasure Hunter Man
Developer: Bernie
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Grey Matter is a collaborative project developed by the creators of Goo! and Gish, where players take control of a black dot which can only destroy enemies by running into them. Use the cursor keys to move, hold the shift key to reduce your movement speed, and press the space key to activate your boosts temporarily.

Points can be traded for upgrades in the pause menu, accessible at any time by pressing the P or escape key. A stand alone version is available for download as well, which should run quicker on older machines. (source: Paul Eres)

Name: Grey Matter
Developers: Edmund McMillen, Tommy Refenes, Danny Baranowsky
Category: Arcade
Type: Browser
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

[Here's a brief announcement about GDC 2009 registration starting up - look for much more information on Independent Games Summit speakers in the next couple of weeks or so.]

Game Developers Conference organizer Think Services has opened registration for next year's GDC event, to be held in San Francisco's Moscone Center from March 23 to 27, 2009.

Also announced was the addition of new summits and the continuation of existing ones -- including the Independent Games Summit, relevant to this site -- falling under the GDC umbrella. These summits, which take place on the Monday and Tuesday of GDC week, are aimed at providing specialized coverage for various crucial development categories and practices.

In addition, the traditional Wednesday to Friday main conference, including major keynotes and existing Audio, Business, Game Design, Production, Programming, and Visual Arts tracks will continue for 2009.

Newly established Monday-Tuesday summits include the AI Summit and Localization Summit, bringing the total summit count to nine, as follows:

- AI Summit
- Casual Games Summit
- Game Outsourcing Summit
- GDC Mobile
- Independent Games Summit
- IGDA Education Summit
- Localization Summit
- Serious Games Summit
- Worlds in Motion Summit

Longstanding GDC initiatives such as the GDC Career Pavilion, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and the Game Career Seminar will also continue.

"You can expect more specialized content through our new and existing summits in conjunction with compelling talks in our main conference," said event director Meggan Scavio, a 10-year veteran of the conference.

"The Game Developers Conference prides itself on continually improving the conference experience based on the needs of our attendees and the industry. With the help of feedback from the community, our advisory board, and editorial staff, we've crafted a conference this year that speaks to the changing landscape of the games industry."

More information on next year's GDC line-up, hotel details and registration specifics are available on the official Game Developers Conference 2009 website.

Daruma Game is a Flash implementation of an ancient Japanese game called Daruma Otoshi, with a couple of small changes made by the developer Naokazu Terada. The traditional hammer has been replaced with a ball on string, and pieces can be knocked away from the structure in any order, as long as the head touches the ground without being turned sideways or upside down. (source: nekogames)

Name: Daruma Game
Developer: Naokazu Terada
Category: Arcade
Type: Browser

Perhaps as an indication of how big Shockwave Japan is in the East, they've posted a couple of videos showing popular actress and internet celebrity Natsuki Kato's first exposure to Nigoro's recent releases. Someone told me she's known for a particular Nivea ad, whatever that means. (source: Nigoro)

[This v. indie-relevant story, written by Ryan Langley, is crossposted from IndieGames' sister site GamerBytes, which deals exclusively in downloadable console games, spanning Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, WiiWare, and now XNA/Xbox Live Community Games.]

If you've been following us for the past few days, the XNA games have been a fairly big topic. Today, Microsoft have announced the winners of their Dream-Build-Play competition.

The four winners will divvy up $70,000 in prizes, and each receives an invitation to release their title on Xbox Live Arcade -- though many may now choose to stay on Xbox Live Community Games, since it's so close to release.

Below is each title that won a piece of the prize, along with a video showing them off. They all look very interesting and very different to anything else on Xbox Live Arcade. Continue reading for the full list.

1st Place: CarneyVale - Team Gambit
Prize: $40,000

"CarneyVale: Showtime is a vertical ragdoll platform game. In the game, you play as Slinky, a circus acrobat trying to rise up the ranks by performing acrobatic tricks and death-defying stunts through increasingly complex arenas. Chia even built-in a circus map editor for players to create their own obstacles to overcome, bringing user-generated content to a new a level."

Preview video for the upcoming Mondo sequel by cactus. (may contain spoilers, source)

In Zombie Baseball, you assume control of John the baseball player who must fend off twenty waves of zombie attacks using only his trusty bat and balls pitched by a fellow survivor named Sam. Press the A or S key to swing either your primary or secondary bat. You score twice as many points for decapacitating the undead.

An upgrade point is awarded for every increase in level, which can then be distributed among any of the three possible player upgrades. Start off early with the ball frequency upgrade to last longer in the game. (gameplay video)

Name: Zombie Baseball
Developer: Free Creation Games
Category: Action
Type: Browser

Physics Invader is a physics-based remake of Taito's arcade classic. Though the use of physics is a novel idea the game itself hardly strays too far from the gameplay found in the original.

Use the cursor keys to move, and press the space key to shoot. Points can also be earned by pushing debris off the platform, although that's as far as the differences go since all levels are just copies of the first area ad infinitum.

Name: Physics Invader
Developer: Yoshio Ishii
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

HDOS Databank request 01 is basically a remake of Tetris Attack's Puzzle Mode (Panel de Pon in Japan), where blocks are removed by arranging three or more matching blocks in horizontal or vertical lines. This is achieved by swapping two blocks at a time, but be mindful that the number of moves allowed per stage is always limited.

Careful planning will be required to solve some of the latter stages, especially when the only way to clear the entire screen is by chaining multiple combos from just a handful of swaps.

There is a video walkthrough here for the first twenty levels, but referring to it basically spoils all the fun (or frustration) to be had from figuring out the puzzles yourself. (Kongregate mirror)

Name: HDOS Databank request 01
Developer: GameReclaim
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Winners of the 2008 Unity Awards development contest were revealed at Unite 2008 yesterday:

Best Visual Design (€200):
Feist - Florian Faller and Adrian Stutz

Best Gameplay (€200):
Tumbledrop - Hayden-Scott Baron (Dock)

Forum Favorite (€1000):
Off-Road Velociraptor Safari - Flashbang Studios

Best Overall Game (€2000):
Feist - Florian Faller and Adrian Stutz

Unite 2008: Highlights and Award Winners (Gamasutra)
Links to all playable 2008 Unity Awards entries

rlax is a simple action game based on the concept of removing flat 2D tiles stacked on top of each other in the right order before time runs out. A tile can only be selected when it is not covered by another, and white borders will appear around a tile to indicate that it can be removed.

You can press the m key to mute music. The game consists of twenty levels only. (Kongregate mirror)

Name: rlax
Developer: Platina Games
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Crow in Hell is an action game which involves guiding a black bird from one room to another while avoiding contact with walls, ceilings, floors, and a variety of traps strategically placed to impede your progress.

Use the cursor keys to move, and press the Q key to access the retry menu. There are roughly fifty screens to explore in total. (Kongregate mirror)

Name: A Crow in Hell
Developer: Web Cypher
Category: Action
Type: Browser

Bytejacker returns this week with more reviews of indie and freeware games.

Featured in this episode: Introversion Software's Multiwinia, Rock Solid Arcade's Robokill, James Dewar's This Game is Wizard, David Miles Carter's Golden Pearl and Anna Anthropy's Mighty Jill Off: Jill Off Harder Edition.

Never a slow news week for these guys. (YouTube video)

Bytejacker episode 13

New site, new blog, and new concept art for an upcoming game called Gun (shown above).

Remote Impact is a game created by Florian Mueller and Stefan Agamanolis which encourages extreme physical exertion and brute force among participants. Stretch sensors are attached to several layers of fabric and foam to detect location and intensity of each hit to the surface (multiple impacts are also registered as valid hits).

The contraption works by projecting the shadow of both players onto the surface via a camera placed behind each participant, and players would have to hit their moving opponent and dodging their attacks at the same time as well.

POPGunner is a vertical shooter created by the developer of Thieving Racoon and Microland, featuring an infinite number of levels, configurable controls and a small screen area which wraps around on all four sides of the window.

Use the cursor keys to move, and hold the space key to launch your Polarity Orb forward. The orb also works as a protective shield when it is held by your ship. A green gauge at the bottom of the screen is knocked down by a small margin whenever an enemy ship gets past you, and the game ends immediately when this indicator hits zero. The F4 function key can be used to switch between full screen and windowed mode.

Nice as it is, there are a couple of setbacks to be found in this game. Your ship can never move diagonally, the high score table is an offline affair, and levels might be a bit too easy to hold the interest of most shmup veterans. (forum thread)

Name: POPGunner
Developer: Shoo
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB

Collapse is a third person shooter created by Creoteam, featuring a protagonist named Rodan who has to fight back against the invasion of an alien race with an assortment of ranged and melee weapons at his disposal.

Use the W, A, S and D keys to move, press the space key to jump, and hold the left mouse button to shoot. The right mouse button can be used to steady your aim. Press the Q, 1, 2 or 3 key to swap weapons, and tap the E key when standing close to an item on the ground to collect it. This is only applicable if you do not carry the same item in your possession.

The Ctrl key is used to duck behind cover, and holding down the R key reloads your current weapon. This demo does take a while to complete, and ends with a boss battle which will require the player to engage in close combat for any damage to be registered on their adversary.

There is currently no English translation for the demo, but the menu options shouldn't take too much effort to figure out. (source, screenshots)

Name: Collapse
Developer: Creoteam
Category: Action
Type: Demo
Size: 350MB
Direct download link: Click here

Immortal Defense gets its first significant update, with plenty of changes made to the game since the release of version 1.0:

- new background images
- fifty new levels (at least eight of these included in the demo)
- Points updated, balanced and tweaked
- graphical changes and visibility improvements added
- visibility lines added to indicate the location of the mouse cursor on screen
- Ctrl, Shift and the space keys given hotkey functionalities
- minor bug fixes

The full list of changes can be found over at RPGC forums, and a demo is available from the same page as well. (screenshot from version 1.1 shown above)

Reflexive Entertainment Inc. has been acquired by Amazon.com, according to an announcement made by the CEO of Reflexive Lars Brubaker in a recent press release. It was also stated that Reflexive's own distribution system is set to be expanded under the deal, and an entirely new market segment of potential customers will be reached using Amazon's distribution channel.

As noted by Andy, Reflexive is one of the more indie-friendly casual game portals out there, so the acquisition could mean a lot of possibilities opening up for indie game developers if handled right. (source)

Reflexive is acquired by Amazon.com (Reflexive)

Concept art/screenshot from the new game by the developer of Chalk and the Noitu Love series. Due out sometime next year.

Nekogames Kuzushi is a Flash banner game created by the developer of Cursor*10 and the Hoshi Saga series, consisting of a single room filled with blocks for the player to destroy. Use the mouse to move the paddle up and down. Ten points are added to your multiplier whenever the ball hits another block before touching the paddle.

The game ends once all blocks have been destroyed, although this might prove a little difficult as there is only one ball to expend.

Name: Nekogames Kuzushi
Developer: Yoshio Ishii
Category: Action
Type: Browser

A new game from the Infinite Ammo team, created exclusively for the upcoming gamma3D event (to be held in Montreal).

The iPhone and iPod touch port of Kenta Cho's rRootage is now available from the App Store, courtesy of Lazrhog. All modes from the original are included, although one major drawback is that the game has no sound effects.

rRootage Shooter Now Available for Free (Touch Arcade)
Kenta Cho's rRootage Hits iPhone (Wired)
Noiz2sa iPhone Port (IndieGames)

Run For It 2 is a simple action game created by JaJ in roughly three hours for a friendly Poppenkast competition. The objective is to avoid spikes and certain floating objects while running up and down an infinite path, all the while collecting as many diamonds as you can for points.

Use the left and right cursor key to move, and press the up arrow key to jump. (download instructions, prequel, competition thread)

Name: Run For It 2
Developer: Joep Aben
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB

TinyCham is another Java-based creation from Markus Persson, featuring a window display size of forty by thirty pixel in glorious EGA colour. This early build does not contain enemy encounters yet, but it shouldn't take more than a couple of days for the author of Blast Passage, Breaking the Tower and Infinite Mario Bros to get this feature coded in.

screenshot from Boryokudan Rue

Theseus - Return of the Hero: One of Sigma Team's earlier commercial releases is now available as a free download. Remember to uncheck both boxes during setup to avoid having the toolbars installed. (source: AuthenticKaizen)

N+: The third level pack for Metanet's award-winning platformer is now available as a free download on XBLA.

Love: Video preview for Eskil Steenberg's upcoming MMO game posted on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Mighty Jill Off: The Jill Off Harder edition of dessgeega's punishing platformer is now available for download.

Iji: Daniel Remar's epic action game updated to version 1.2.

Bytejacker: World of Goo, Diver, Skullpogo and Meat Boy featured on this week's episode. (YouTube video)

Kudos 2: Cliff Harris' life-simulation strategy game is now on sale. (blog post)

[Am delighted to reveal the full judge line-up for the IGF this year - as you can see, lots of smart indie and indie-friendly folks who will be helping to judge the competition - and there's not long left to enter, developers.]

The organizers of the Independent Games Festival have revealed its full list of judges for the 11th annual version of the competition, with a host of top indie/mainstream creators and media helping to decide this year's winners -- also reminding of the imminent November 1st deadline to enter the IGF Main Competition.

Games selected as finalists in the Main Competition (due November 1st) or Student Showcase competition (due November 15th) will available in playable form on the 2009 Game Developers Conference show floor. Entrants will compete for nearly $50,000 in prizes, including awards for Innovation, Excellence in Design, and the coveted $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the IGF Awards, held in March 2009 during GDC.

Over the past few years, the Independent Games Festival has helped guide the rise of the indie game scene by honoring and popularizing the best and brightest independent developers and their games. Former IGF honorees include Braid, Everyday Shooter, Audiosurf, Castle Crashers, Darwinia, and World of Goo, to name but a few.

The full judge list for this year's IGF competition is as follows:

Download mirrors for the World of Goo demo are currently being posted in 2D Boy's forums. The trial version contains all of Chapter 1 (out of four, excluding the final epilogue) which is roughly twenty percent of the entire game.

Demo of World of Goo Available (2D Boy)
2D Boy Interview (Rock Paper Shotgun)
Interview: World of Goo Creators Talk Development (GameSetWatch)

Two more gameplay clips from the upcoming WiiWare version of Cave Story were posted on GameTrailers today. An interview with the producer of the project, Tyrone Rodriguez, can be found in the extended.

The game is scheduled for a release this coming holiday 2008, and will retail at around 500 to 1000 Nintendo Points.

[NOTE FROM SIMONC: I very much appreciated the opportunity to participate in Sense Of Wonder Night at Tokyo Game Show this year, both as onlooker and judge - and here's a pretty complete write-up of the evening's proceedings, with lots of indie game favorites participating.]

At Tokyo Game Show on Friday evening, multiple entities, including industry association CEDEC, TGS organizers Nikkei BP and IGDA Japan combined to present the unique 'Sense Of Wonder Night', an evening showcasing 11 independent games from all over the world -- with the creators on hand to give presentations, and translation between Japanese and English making for a truly international flavor.

The showcased games were picked from a set of game submissions made earlier this year for the contest, which was co-ordinated by Nikkei BP in association with IGDA Japan head Kiyoshi Shin.

He also acted as effusive MC for the evening, which was inspired by the GDC's Experimental Gameplay Workshop in format, with just 10 minutes (including questions) for each set of creators to show and explain their games.

The loose, informal format was very much appreciated by the packed crowd of around two to three hundred, a significant majority Japanese, who packed one section of the Restaurant NOA at Makuhari Messe, adjacent to the Tokyo Game Show.

The event was co-located with the International Party on Friday evening, and the audience were given 'laughing' smiley-face toys to shake and make noise when they felt a 'sense of wonder' over the demonstrated titles.

Coming soon to a dojo near you. (Alien Assault)

First World of Goo review in video format, consisting entirely of gameplay footage and cutscenes (although the sound is barely audible).

Damsel is a short 2D adventure game created by Strange Visitor in just under four weeks, and comes in two versions, with voice acting and without. A princess has been abducted and imprisoned inside the highest room of a tower, and it is up to the player to hatch an escape plan before night falls and the evil wizard Dorkus returns to marry poor Damsel. (walkthrough)

Name: Damsel
Developer: Strange Visitor
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 60MB
Download page: Click here (mirror 1, mirror 2)

Consumer CULTure is an action game created by the developer of The Last Ace, where players assume control of a smiley avatar stuck in an enclosed arena and surrounded by objects related to consumerism.

Use the arrow keys to move, and press the Z or space key to activate one of your bombs. You can only carry a maximum of five bombs, but these are easily replenishable by grabbing symbols in white whenever they appear on screen. Enemies tend to appear from blue portals, so avoid standing near one whenever possible. Red and yellow flashing portals teleports you to a random spot, while other flashing items are usually safe to collect for points.

Additional instructions and advanced scoring methods are explained in a text file found inside the game folder. (source: Retro Remakes)

Name: Consumer CULTure
Developer: Kevin Oke
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here (right-click to save)

YouTube video

"MAKUHARI--Think Tetris, but with garbage. That's the simplest description of Gomibako, a PlayStation Network puzzle game we found in the Sony booth here on the show floor of the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. It's a bit early for proclamations--we're only halfway through day one of TGS--but we can safely say that Gomibako is one of our favorite games of the show so far.

The goal of the game--if our understanding of it is correct--is to pile as much garbage as you possibly can into a huge junkyard crate without making it overflow. Various items (such as mattresses, teddy bears, bicycles, huge plastic slides, fire extinguishers, statues, and flaming swords) drop from a garbage carrier overhead, and you have some control over where and how they are placed." (source)

TGS 2008: Gomibako Hands-On (GameSpot)
Gomibako gameplay video (starts at 10:00)
Hands On: GomiBako Not a Trashy Puzzle Game (Wired)
Sense of Wonder Night 2008 finalists

Starting October 13th, World of Goo will be available to purchase on Steam, Direct2Drive, WiiWare, Greenhouse, and on 2D Boy's site as well. A boxed version can be pre-ordered from amazon.com if you're looking for a physical copy of the game.

The good news is that keys for pre-orders can be used to activate the game on your Steam account, although no demo for World of Goo should be expected until early next year.

where to get the goo (2D Boy)

New character art redrawn by Pixel himself, also one of the many upscaled exclusive artwork to be used in the WiiWare version of Cave Story.

Cave Story Art Comparison: Toroko (Nicalis' blog)

Naumachia: Space Warfare is an upcoming multiplayer space battle simulator which allows players to pilot individual fighters using FPS controls, but once they've advanced in rank the game then turns into a RTS. Squadrons of ships can be commanded and directed as the three conflicting factions attempt to wrestle for control of limited resources in a war waged against one another. (source: Indiegamer)

Skullpogo is a score-based action game which involves stomping on vampire bats and pigs to keep your combo meter going while leveling up before time runs out.

Use the cursor keys to move and set your bounce height. Stomp on every single power orb when they appear to increase your level, indicated by the reddish gauge on the top right of the screen. Power ups will also spawn more frequently as the level count increases, although certain collectibles do more to hinder players from chaining combos instead of assisting them with it. (source: AuthenticKaizen)

Name: Skullpogo
Developer: Chevy Ray Johnston, Brittney Cloud, Marius Schneider
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Spoiler alert: video contains solutions to levels Stop 0 and The Trial.

This Game is Wizard is a one-screen platformer created by James Dewar of Square Earth Games, where players assume control of a wizard who has to find a way to reach the exit in each of the thirty-eight levels included.

Use the cursor keys to move, hold the space key to jump, and press the left control key to cast a spell. Hold the space and down arrow key to jump down through thin platforms. Exit the game by pressing the left alternate and F4 function key at the same time, or click on the close button at the top right of the window for the same effect. The R key can be used to restart a level.

Collect all trophies without getting hurt to acquire a perfect rating. The game saves your progress automatically.

Name: This Game is Wizard
Developer: James Dewar
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Building Houses with Side Views is a simple Java-based puzzler with a novel premise. Players build houses using basic square blocks as construction pieces, but the building only has to look correct from three different angles, hence block pieces can be conserved when creating a structure that fulfils only these three requirements.

You gain five points for completing a structure that matches the views, but a total of ten points can be acquired by using the least number of cubes possible when constructing the building from scratch. Use the left mouse button to add a block, or right click to remove one. Click on either the build or break down radio button to reverse mouse controls for block placement and removal. Hold the mouse button when your cursor is over the right side of the window to move the camera view around. (source: Makorz)

Name: Building Houses with Side Views
Developer: Peter Boon
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

This week on Bytejacker: Hayden Scott-Baron's Tumbledrop, Beau Blyth's Armed Generator Doom Machine and Fred Wood's Love. (YouTube video)

Bytejacker episode 11

Booty Juggler is a score-based action game where players take control of Patch the Pirate Octopus, who has six free hands to juggle items with. The objective is to protect the treasure you've hoarded from being blown away by bombs, using either the keyboard or mouse for controls. Bombs will explode five seconds after touching a hand, but no harm is caused if they explode in the air. The colour of the trail provides clues on which hand an item will land on, while fish, hooks and hearts can be collected to increase your score or replenish treasure and hands.

The game is best played with a friend, each controlling one side of the keyboard.

Name: Booty Juggler
Developers: Robin Davey, Thought Den
Category: Action
Type: Browser

Mujeo is a short puzzle game created by the developers of Beltality and Debrysis, controlled entirely using only the mouse and either buttons to interact with the objects on a floating island.

The rectangular indicator jutting out of the left side of the screen shows the current game state, and can be raised higher by completing obscure tasks around the island. Once it has reached a certain point, a short but sweet ending will be shown as a tiny reward for your accomplishment. (video walkthrough)

Name: Mujeo
Developer: OUEO factory
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB

Another game by prolific Russian developers OUEO factory, Little Machines Still Goes Deeper allows players to control the travel direction of a group of drilling vehicles, but not their speed. Hold the left or right mouse button over a driller, then drag an arrow away from it to set a new direction. Boulders and small rocks should be avoided at all costs, as there are only nine drillers available for each game.

Name: Little Machines Still Goes Deeper
Developer: OUEO factory
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB

41st Reality is a new arena shooter from the developer of Abstract Sea and Neon. Use the W, A, S, D or arrow keys to move, and press the left mouse button to activate a power-up. The P key can be used to access the pause menu at any time.

Certain power-ups are activated automatically once collected, while others can be stored in your item slot for emergency situations. The game does end once a certain point is reached, where a congratulatory is shown and you will be allowed to submit your score online.

Name: 41st Reality
Developer: Ali Maunder
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

Article written by Tom Sykes

When Braid's price was finally announced – 1200 in Microsoft Points (or about $15) – there was a bit of an uproar. "Bit of" meaning "Quite a lot", of course, in understated Britishspeak. Spoiled by years of (relatively) cheap Xbox Live Arcade games, not to mention the hundreds of free indie titles readily available online, many gamers saw this price as an insult.

Pixel spent years meticulously crafting Cave Story, before releasing it gratis. Blackeye Software's wonderful Eternal Daughter was birthed unto the formative indie community, for absolutely zero money. And there are many more examples than that.

But why would anyone dedicate substantial amounts of their free time to a project not designed to bring in the readies? Obviously, Passion and Response. Sweating over a hot stove to cook a lovely meal for your partner (only to watch them devour it in seconds and ask for more). People like creating things, and most do it for free, probably because they don't believe they should charge for a project that has arguably benefited them more than its consumer (as in emotional rewards, the joy of Achieving Something).

Chad Concelmo had posted a lengthy preview of Amanita Design's upcoming 2D adventure game Machinarium, right after spending some time with an early playable build at the IndieCade section of the E for All Expo in Los Angeles, California.

IndieCade will be held at Open Satellite next (in Bellevue, Washington) from October 10th to 17th.

Interesting tidbit from the article:

"..the game runs on a screen-to-screen basis, so every item you collect is found and used within the same screen – there is no need to carry anything with you or backtrack at all."

Machinarium: The best game you (most likely) have never heard of (Destructoid)
E for All 2008: Indiecade: Stupid Name, Cool Games (GotGame)

Waxy's Sushi Party is an action game created by the developer of Ark 22, where you assume control of the titular character as he attempts to juggle between serving orders, preparing restaurant bills and chalking up customer tips, all carried out at the same time.

Circles representing orders will pass through each coloured zone on the service plate, and players would have to press the right key when an order is inside the zone with the same colour. Orders in white can be taken in zones with any colour. Bills will also appear on the right side of the screen, and you'd have to quickly sum up the total using the numpad and enter key before time runs out. Fail at this task and their rank at the end of the day will be lowered. Waxy will be fired from his job if he acquires anything less than a C rank.

Explanations for tips, mood meters, bonus orders and presents can be found in the special section titled lessons. The game is well-presented but might come across as being too complicated, considering that there are up to twenty different buttons to use when handling the responsibilities of managing a sushi restaurant.

Name: Waxy's Sushi Party
Developer: Srehpog
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

Links to some of the recent interviews with prolific or high-profile indie game developers of today:

GWLog: Metanet (text)
Raigan and Mare on N, N+, Metanet's history, freeware games, and indie game development.

Joystiq: Jonathan Blow (text)
Jonathan Blow answering a few questions about Braid and future plans.

Fidgit: Kivi's Underworld (text)
Steven Peeler of Soldak Entertainment revealing more about their follow-up project to Depths of Peril.

Casualty Gamer: Overgrowth Developer Interview (text)
Jeff Rosen of Wolfire Games interviewed by Casualty Gamer. (Zeno Clash interview)

Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Mount & Blade Interview (text)
TaleWorld's lead developer Armagan Yavuz speaks to Kieron Gillen about their open-ended RPG.

Dev.Mag: Mark Morris (pdf)
Featuring an interview with the managing director of Introversion Software. Magazine is a free download.

SavyGamer Podcast: Introversion Software (audio)
Chris Delay and Thomas Arundel talking about Multiwinia, DRM and projects in development.

The Eyeballing Game is a series of geometric tests designed for measuring your ability to estimate the correct angles and centers of each shape or line shown. Move the blue square using the mouse to a position stated by the text at the top of the window, then release the button to find out how much you've missed the right spot from the answer displayed at the bottom of the screen. A green square will appear and point out the correct location after you've made your guess.

There are seven different tests in total, and each challenge has to be done three times over before the final score is calculated and allowed to be submitted online.

Name: The Eyeballing Game
Developer: Matthias Wandel
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

change list
Toribash download page

Surprise, surprise - the official site for Cave Story WiiWare is now up and running. There's a new arrangement of the Moonsong track to listen to, four screenshots, wallpapers, a message from Pixel, and a link to Nicalis' blog.

Wallpapers are randomized based on IP addresses, although all six are available for download from the Cave Story LJ.

Cave Story WiiWare site
Nicalis' blog
message from Shih Tzu (Cave Story LJ)

GoNintendo had posted an exclusive interview with Tyrone Rodriguez (Nicalis, producer) and Pixel, although only three questions were really answered by the developer of Cave Story himself. In regards to the topic of remixed music which has been discussed by many, here's what Mr. T has to say about it:

"The WiiWare version of Cave Story features all-new music rearranged by Yann van der Cruyssen. He’s worked with Nicklas (Nygren) in the past and we’ve really liked working with him. We’ve paid very close attention to stay as faithful as possible to the original music. Each track is passed off while in-progress state to Amaya so that he can review and approve it.

Yes, the old music and graphics will both be retained via a switch. You’ll also be able to mix-and-match audio and visuals. So, if you like the old art and new music, or vice versa, you can do it. Cave Story has a huge fanbase, we’re aware of that and want to make sure that it’s true to what they expect and Pixel-approved. If they don’t like the new art or music, we won’t be offended and they can play the game in its original state."

The Cave Story interview - Tyrone Rodriguez and Pixel

[Hey, folks, we're really pleased to be announcing this new IGF Mobile partnership with the good folks at ngmoco - so there's now almost $30,000 in prizes, including an exclusive $10k 'Best iPhone Game' prize (and free GDC 2009 tickets, of course). So if you're making iPhone games, take note - it's free to enter IGF Mobile this year, too.]

Think Services, organizers of the Game Developers Conference and the Independent Games Festival, have entered a new partnership with high-profile iPhone game publisher ngmoco. The deal will add a $10,000 'Best iPhone Game' prize to 2009's Independent Games Festival Mobile, and increase the maximum amount of prizes in the hotly contested indie mobile competition to a record $30,000.

The partnership with ngmoco, the Kleiner Perkins-funded iPhone publisher co-founded by former EA executive Neil Young, includes a Gold Sponsorship of the IGF Mobile event, which is now in its second year. The mobile-centric indie event, originally created by Think Services and Founding Sponsor Nvidia, is expanding to include iPhone games this year.With last year's Grand Prize winner Critter Crunch already a successful title on Apple's handheld, organizers are expecting a surge in iPhone game entries.

“ngmoco is proud to support the independent development community and burgeoning micro-studios who are dedicated to creating device defining “only on iPhone” games”, Alan Yu, Vice President, Artist & Repertoire, ngmoco, said. “As gamemakers, we’ve long admired the IGF for showcasing and highlighting innovation and independent thinking in games.”

iPhone developers entering their games will be eligible for all IGF Mobile categories, which also include game design, art, technical and audio awards, a Best Game award, and other major prizes. In addition, entry into IGF Mobile is free this year, meaning it's easy for 'bedroom programmers' and upwardly mobile indies alike to enter the competition.

The finalists in the 'Best iPhone Game' category will be invited to showcase their games on the expo floor at the industry-leading Game Developers Conference 2009, to be held in San Francisco from March 23th-27th, 2009. In addition, the winners of the category will be revealed onstage at the special IGF Mobile awards ceremony at GDC 2009, and also highlighted at the flagship Independent Games Festival Awards event at the show.

"We're delighted to be working with ngmoco to help discover the best iPhone games out there," commented Simon Carless, Chairman, Independent Games Festival. "We're starting to see open platforms and innovation spread indie goodness into fascinating new places, and highlighting worthy, high quality iPhone games is something that will benefit both discerning consumers and developers."

In addition to the IGF Mobile sponsorship, ngmoco has also partnered as the exclusive sponsor of Think Services' new iPhone and iPod Touch-specific weblog, FingerGaming. The site, one of the leading outlets in the rapidly expanding space, covers business announcements, gaming news, trends, and impressions regarding games for Apple's touchscreen handheld.

For more information on IGF Mobile and entering this year’s competition, for which the deadline is November 17th, please visit the IGF Mobile website.

Note: Contains nudity, strong language and graphic scenes.

Meat Boy is a challenging platformer created by the developer of Gish, Aether and Coil, where players assume control of a nimble protagonist who must scale the walls of each area and reach Bandaid Girl to complete a level. Use the cursor keys to move, and press the space key to jump. Wall jumps can also be executed by tapping the same key when hugging a wall.

Levels are grouped in sets of five, and players would only need to beat three areas out of every set to unlock the next five stages in the list.

Name: Meat Boy
Developers: Edmund McMillen, Jonathan McEntee, Danny Baranowsky
Category: Platformer
Type: Browser
Direct download link: Click here

IGN had posted three HD preview vids recorded from the upcoming WiiWare version of Cave Story. Each clip is about a minute long.

download low res video 1 (polar star)
download low res video 2 (silver locket)
download low res video 3

note: right-click on video links to save

Infinite Mario Bros is a Java-based browser game which offers unending 2D platforming action, featuring the lovable plumber in another one of his princess rescue missions. Use the arrow keys to move Mario around, press the S key to jump, and hold the A key to run faster or pick up shells.

A new random seed is set whenever the applet is loaded, then all areas and level selection maps are generated from that single seed. No secret rooms in this build, but the entire source code is made available for download by the developer. (source: Retro Remakes)

Name: Infinite Mario Bros
Developer: Markus Persson
Category: Platform
Type: Browser

Note: video contains spoilers.

I Wish I were the Moon is a short puzzle game designed by Daniel Benmergui, where players must figure out the correct solution to achieve any of the five possible endings in this story.

Use the camera frame to take pictures and relocate objects onscreen, or press the R key to reset the scene for another attempt. (original post, complete walkthrough)

Name: I Wish I were the Moon
Developer: Daniel Benmergui
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser

Note: video contains spoilers.

Snakoban Dash is a puzzler designed by Tom Beaumont as an amalgamation of Boulder Dash, Snake and Sokoban. The objective of the game is to push blocks onto their designated areas, all the while trying to avoid getting trapped in an inescapable position or blowing yourself to smithereens.

Use the cursor keys to move the snake, hold the space or Z key to activate your unlimited undos, and press the escape key to bring up a pause menu. The left alternate and enter key can be used to switch between full screen and windowed mode. Alternate keys for each action and retro display emulation controls are explained further inside the text manual which is included with the game.

Snakoban Dash features roughly forty levels in total, although the save feature isn't implemented yet and all progress is lost when a player quits back to the desktop. Click on the attached file at the end of the first post to download. (gameplay video)

Name: Snakoban Dash
Developer: Tom Beaumont
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB

A small escape the room game by the developer of Cursor*10 and the Hoshi Saga series, where objects are rendered in a 3D wireframe format and a text user interface is implemented to accept commands from the player.

Type L, R, F or B to move around the room. Use the LOOK command to examine an object, or input ITEM to review your inventory. Japanese text only. (walkthrough)

Name: Escape the Room Game (prototype)
Developer: Yoshio Ishii
Category: Adventure
Type: Browser

A selection of the best five indie games the Casualty Gamer review crew had played during the month of September 2008. (video link)

download links here

Fans of adventure games in the 21st century should at least understand German - it's the original language of every other game in the genre nowadays. And not all of them get translated as quickly as today's pick. Baphomet's Fluch 2.5 known to the non-German world as Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars is a faithful fan-made addition to the Broken Sword series that attempts to link the second and the third episodes.

George Stobbart finds himself in trouble again: a mysterious telegram saying that Nicole Collard is dead summons him to Paris from the USA. On arrival George sees Nico alive and well but acting odd. She's not at all happy to see the old friend, and soon George learns that Nico's been hanging out with the Neo-Templars, who are up to something evil again.

As George you get to visit lots of locations - both new and a number of redrawn oldies. Also expect tons of references to the previous games of the series. Voices are German (and sound surprisingly good) but English subs are included.

The humour is mostly funny. "Mostly", because offering a "pick up" icon as the only way of interacting with a building and then making jokes at the player who tries to do so (as if one has any choice) isn't really fair.

Haven't finished the game yet but the puzzles seem rather clear and logical. Just don't forget that right-clicking items in the inventory is sometimes necessary. To make things easier the few hotspots on each screen are highlighted when you press Space.

Name: Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars
Developer: Mindfactory
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 700MB

In other news:
There has been some movement on the Day of The Tentacle 2 website (German). Now the ticker system displays development progress.

The Heist is an action game where players take on ten missions to steal from the rich and make a name for themselves by puliing the biggest crime spree in the country. Your task is to drive the getaway vehicle, navigate heavy traffic, and lose the cops who are hot on your tail before tallying your loot for the day back at the hideout.

Talk to your female colleague to hire new operatives. Choices are limited to the amount of street cred you gain from missions successfully completed. Operatives also contribute indirectly to your haul at the start of a getaway chase. The mechanic will fix your van with better engines or new weapons at the cost of some credits. Additional armour can also be installed to reduce the amount of credit you lose whenever your escape van collides with another vehicle on the highway. The same heists can be attempted numerous times to increase your resources before embarking on a difficult job.

Use the cursor keys to move, press the space key to mobilize or deploy your weapons, and hold the shift key to activate the slow motion mode. Press the escape key to bring up a pause menu during gameplay.

The Heist does have a couple of glaring flaws. Window size is rather small, and players are often penalized instead of rewarded for stopping cop cars as well. Repetition is also a problem, as latter missions cannot be unlocked without first acquiring the right personnels for the job.

Name: The Heist
Developer: JohnnyTwoShoes
Category: Action
Type: Browser

By now you’ve undoubtedly heard the news that is shaking the independent community at its core. Our holy scripture; our veritable Indie Manifesto as it were, as writ by one of the greatest (if not the greatest) gamesmiths of our time. I speak, of course, of Daisuke Amaya (real name: Studio Pixel). His masterwork, Doukutsu Monogatari (Which when untangled from the shackles of the Nihongo tongue, translates roughly as Cave Story), is the single document that liberated our lost souls from the tyranny of consumerist culture. Cave Story is, for all intents and purposes, our Declaration of Indiependence; the inciting force behind our rejection of ’British East India Gameplay’ for statements of ‘Haughty Artistic Merit.’ Amaya, the benevolent host of our Nintendo Tea Party.

State of the Indie: Cave Story on WiiWare

A fact sheet for the WiiWare version of Cave Story was posted on the Kombo.com web site today. The summary is as follows:

- offers standard definition and Wii-exclusive progressive (480p) graphics
- 4:3 and 16:9 resolution support
- new character designs by creator/designer, Daisuke Amaya (Pixel)
- 10 unique weapons to find and upgrade
- Over 20 boss battles through Mimiga Island
- 15 levels to explore in the vast world
- Classic Controller support
- Three unique endings
- WiiWare version developed by Nicalis

Cave Story Wii official site

Shown above, an updated trailer for the upcoming PC and WiiWare release from 2D Boy. World of Goo will be launched on WiiWare this coming Monday, October 13th. Customers who pre-ordered the PC version will be getting the game in three days' time. (6th of October).

Interview: Kyle Gabler (Casualty Gamer)

Hot on the heels of Paul's 100 Game Maker games in 10 minutes is a new video by chutup entitled "50 MMF Games in 10 Minutes", where each game is shown for about twelve seconds instead of the usual six. (full list and download links in the extended)

download 50 MMF Games in 10 Minutes video
VLC media player
download Noitu Love 2 soundtrack

Temporal is a time-bending platformer in the style of Braid and The Adventures of P.B. Winterbottom, consisting of thirty episodes to play in total. The game involves guiding a confused robot from one room to another, with subtle instructions on solving puzzles provided by a talking technological processing unit.

Use the cursor keys to move, and press the R key to resume from your last checkpoint save. Hold the space key to fast forward dialog text, or press the enter key to skip entire conversations completely. Switch between three gameplay speeds by pressing the F key.

Name: Temporal
Developer: Oren Bartal
Category: Puzzle, Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 20MB

Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman is the third sequel to Jesse Venbrux's platformer series, where players must once again find unorthodox methods to assist the suit-wearing main character commit suicide.

Use the cursor keys to move or jump, and press the space key to shoot once a gun is acquired. The R key can be used to restart a level at any time. Progress is saved automatically, and there are fifty levels to play in total.

Name: Karoshi Suicide Salaryman
Developer: Jesse Venbrux, Peter Groeneweg, Ferry Spaans
Category: Platformer
Type: Browser

In a new press release issued today, Nintendo of America has confirmed that Pixel's popular platformer will be arriving on the WiiWare platform this coming holiday. No specific date or price revealed yet, although it's stated that the game will feature new and exclusive content not found in the freeware version. (source: Joystiq)

Nintendo's Press Release
Rumor: Cave Story on WiiWare (July 2008)
Cave Story Wii official site

According to a comment posted by the developer, Crayon Physics Deluxe is to be sold at USD $20 on the Kloonigames web site at when released. A Windows version will be made available first, with ports to perhaps Linux or Mac to follow shortly thereafter.

No confirmation yet on whether Crayon Physics Deluxe is coming to Steam or any other digital delivery service, but the game itself will have no DRM software whatsoever. (old video of Crayon Physics Deluxe shown above)

All thirty-fve playable entries submitted for the Interactive Fiction Competition 2008 are now available as separate downloads and in a nifty little 65 MB zip file collection (with a link to all required interpreters posted on the same page as well).

Emily Short had begun reviewing the IF entries today, and will continue to post her thoughts about each game as she sifts through each of the submissions. (source: Grand Text Auto)

The Mac beta of the InstantAction gaming platform is now open to the public, with four games currently available to play:

Marble Blast Online
Fallen Empire: Legions
Rokkitball
ThinkTanks

As always, the InstantAction plug-in has to be installed in order to play any of these releases.

InstantAction: Mac Beta Now Live

Dominino is a community-based domino toppling creation kit which allows users to design and upload their creations to an online database for others to view. A search function can be used to filter results based on creation name and author, while submissions can be sorted by date and popularity.

Click on the red banner at the top of the page to start arranging your own set of domino pieces. Tiles can be moved around by left clicking on one when the hand cursor is displayed. Scroll around the area by holding the left mouse button over the white scroll bar at the bottom and right side of the window, or zoom in and out by using the slider located at the top left of the screen. There are also four different camera views to choose from when pressing the play button.

A tutorial can be accessed by clicking on the last option presented in the main menu, then selecting the last choice in the configuration menu which is marked by a green domino piece. Choose the first option after testing out your creation to upload your masterpiece online.

Name: Dominino
Developer: SKT
Type: Browser

Winners of the third YoYo Games competition were announced today, with Erik Leppen, Ted Lauterbach and Matt Thorson claiming the first three finishes with their entries respectively. The winning submissions are:

Byteality Tower Defense, by Erik Leppen ($1,000)

Jumper 3, by Matt Thorson ($250)

The fourth competition (themed "Save the Planet") is currently underway, and will end on the 4th of January 2009. (download instructions)

Co-operation Competition Winners

This week on Bytejacker: Adam Atomic/Danny Baranowsky's Gravity Hook, Deadheat Interactive's Mission Extreme and YSK's Bootfighter Windom XP SP-2. (YouTube video)

Bytejacker episode 10

Circle infotech had recently released an omake version of Blocksum, although it was unclear what the differences are (besides minor modifications to gameplay rules, removal of replay mode and exclusion of online high scores). The installation of DirectX9.0c and .Net Framework 2.0 are still required in order to play either versions.

The development group also confirmed that they are hard at work on a new game which is scheduled for a release sometime in late summer of 2009. (Blocksum gameplay video)

dock's physics-based puzzler Tumbledrop was recently updated with nineteen new levels, sound effects and a level selection menu. The goal of the game remains the same - get the pink star down to the ground in each stage without dropping it into the sea. (original article)

play Tumbledrop

Note: The Unity plugin has to be installed to play. No support for the Chrome web browser yet.

Not to be confused with Eskil Steenberg's similarly-titled MMO, Fred Wood's twenty-level platformer is now available as a free 30 MB download - no strings attached. If you love (no pun intended) frustrating platformers in the style of messhof's Punishment series then this is the right game for you, else avoid and grab something else to play instead. (Destructoid's article, earlier mention)

download Love

Dark Castle Software's Gravitron 2 is now available for purchase from Steam (Windows only). Linux users can download a copy of the game that works under Wine from the developer's web site. (original article)

While on the subject of GameTunnel, the latest edition of their monthly Indie Game Round-up went live about a week ago. Another ten games get picked apart by Russell and co. - the review crew doesn't pull any punches with this month's submissions.

September Monthly Round-Up (GameTunnel)

Mode 7's multiplayer swordfight game Determinance recently had a price cut from $20.00 to $10.00 - good time to grab GameTunnel's choice for Game of the Year (2007 edition) in the innovation category.

A 145 MB demo can be downloaded from Determinance's information page.

A game not unlike Sony's Echochrome, but with a slightly different twist. Optical illusions are used to create levels with rails that are always going down, so your cart will be able to travel to any part of the map eventually. (gameplay video)

Mystic Mine web site