You know what we haven’t had in a while (and by “a while,” I mean “two entire years”)? Movie night, that’s what! Settle in, folks, and let’s watch a video!
Here’s the first sneak peek at Soldak Entertainment’s up-and-coming zombie aRPG Zombasite (previously covered here):
Jack Lambermont writes in to announce the release of his new action RPG inspired by Zelda II. Its name? The Legacy of Isaelius.
The premise is pretty damned straightforward:
Take control of Dimitri, and seek revenge for the murder of your best bud, Isaelius.
Lambermont writes that The Legacy of Isaelius features towns, sidescrolling platforming / combat levels, loot, shops, bosses, and so on.
Here’s a trailer:
The game may be a bit rough in its visual presentation, but that’s pretty understandable given that Lambermont began developing this in high school. Moreover, it’s free, so you really can’t complain too much.
Get The Legacy of Isaelius for zero dollars via the game’s itch.io page; Windows and Mac.
Hey! Remember that action roguelike-like I just wrote about two days ago, Shiny Gauntlet? It’s out now!
The game’s description and feature set hasn’t changed since Tuesday, so I’ll just let you re-read that earlier post for the basic details.
The new info concerns how and where to get it: Shiny Gauntlet is available on The Humble Store and on itch.io for $7.99–Windows, Mac, and Linux. There’s a free demo available on the itch.io page so you can try before you buy.
In addition to buying the thing, if this game sounds like your cup of tea, you can also vote for it on Steam Greenlight to make it available on Steam as well.
Andrew Aversa writes in to announce the release of a free “Fightamin D” expansion for the graphical roguelike Dungeonmans.
In case you forgot, I did a first impressions bit on the game here–but for now, suffice it to say that I like this game a whole lot. This expansion doesn’t add in the particular things that I was most dearly wishing for (namely, dynamic events on the world map), but it does add a whole bunch of other new things that are pretty hard to argue with:
* Steam achievements, trading cards, backgrounds & badges
* New outdoor dungeon type: Fallen Castles
* New monster-crushing implements: bare hands, shortbows, piercing polearms and more
* A variety of new magical, cursed, and legendary items scattered throughout the land
* All-new class – the Psychomanser – with new skill trees and abilities
* Full controller support
* New postgame content: the Amaranth Pandemonium
* Updated and rebalanced abilities across the board
* New artwork, character sprites, and tiles
Dungeonmans is doing the same thing Coin Crypt is, bundling the new expansion as a free update to the core game, which is currently on sale–33% off–until October 3rd. Snag it on Steam, or without the discount via The Humble Store; Windows only.
We’ve had a couple of expansions for existing indie RPGs drop this week; first up is Greg Lobanov’s “roguelite deckbuilding adventure game” Coin Crypt with a new Sea and Sky expansion.
He writes:
A new cast of characters land on the island, including a retired air pilot and intrepid submarine captain, opening up new paths and regions to explore in the sky and the sea. Rubo, the seventh deity, returns from hiding with a new set of coins poised to prove his dominance once and for all. And the monsters on the island grow stronger as the lootmancers uncover more secrets about the origin of the magical coins and the ancient civilization that was wiped from the island centuries ago…
There’s actually a new trailer released just for this expansion, so you can take a peek at some of the new stuff:
My impressions of the original release are here; I’m not sure if this expansion addresses any of the issues I had with Coin Crypt’s mechanics, but it definitely adds more content, including (per the developer):
The expansion is $4.99 on Steam and Humble Store. Windows and Mac.
Word reaches me that the Norse mythological Zelda-alike Jotun (which we’ve covered a few times) is now out!
Developed by Montreal indies Thunder Lotus Games, Jotun borrows the explore-boss-explore-boss structure of Shadow of the Colossus, albeit with the chance to gain brand-new “god” powers through exploration.
The premise:
[Y]ou play Thora, a Norse warrior who has died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla.
I have to imagine there’s at least slightly more to it than that, but that’s all the developers have on their site. The main selling point here, though, is the game’s lovely 2D cel-shaded art and animation, on full display in the release trailer:
Jotun features 5 jotun (read: bosses) to defeat. You can fight them in any order, but there aren’t any fights other than the jotun. The devs describe Jotun as short, though they do say there’s a New Game+ if you want to try it on a harder difficulty.
Jotun is $14.99. You can snag it on Steam exclusively; Windows, Mac and Linux.
Glen Henry writes in to announce Shiny Gauntlet, an action roguelike-like in the Binding of Isaac vein.
In development by Jamaican indie studio SpriteWrench, Shiny Gauntlet features a pretty straightforward plot premise:
Select your champion and explore the Gauntlet. Collect weapons, enchanted rings, bottle and/or consume the mysterious remains of defeated foes, all the while chasing the Wily Cultist who has stolen your Shiny Shard!
Here’s the reveal trailer:
Among the game’s planned features:
Shiny Gauntlet is planned for release on October 1 (yes, that’s 2 days from today) for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Milo Han writes in to announce Sunday Dreams, an “action platformer roguelike” set in the protagonist’s subconscious.
The premise:
To help Sunday cope with her debilitating insomnia, players must guide her safely through her dangerous, fantastical dreams and avoid an abrupt awakening. The story is non-linear; players will piece together Sunday’s backstory by exploring her dreams and interacting with quirky NPCs.
As with all roguelike-likes, the game will feature procedurally generated environments and permadeath, but as with recent roguelikes, this one will also feature some persistent progress in the form of unlockable abilities.
Here’s a teaser trailer:
Planned features include:
Sunday Dreams is being developed solely for Windows; there is no estimated release date as of now.
Eric Bonholtzer writes in to announce the release of It’s Killing Time. (It was released in mid-June. What can I say? I’m late on this one.)
A new text-based hybrid RPG / Choose-Your-Own-Adventure that weighs in at 140,000 words, It’s Killing Time puts you in the shoes of a killer for hire.
The premise:
Ever dream of what it’s like to be an assassin, travel the world driving an exotic car with outlandish weapons in the trunk and live a life of high-intrigue, action, and suspense? Well, now you have the chance to fulfill that fantasy.
…
Select your characteristics and set off on a tense thrill-ride where you won’t know who to trust or just who wants to put a target on your back.
IKT features character creation with “a multitude of options,” and multiple styles of play. Bonholtzer writes: “Build a career as a ruthless assassin or be a spiritual hitman or hitwoman who avoids collateral damage and everything in between.”
Sound like a way you’d kill time? It’s Killing Time is available for Android on Google Play or iOS on the Apple App Store for $3.99. It’s also available for Kindle and on the Chrome Store. As with all Choice of Games titles, there’s also a free web demo available here.
Piotr Dziki writes in to announce that Fantasy Dimension (first mentioned in Back to Back here) has been released, unsuccessful crowdfunding campaign notwithstanding.
Fantasy Dimension is a tactical RPG with turn-based combat and a rather evocative ink-and-paper visual style. The premise is a bit light on story specifics:
Fantasy Dimension is an alternate world, created by dreams of humankind. Unfortunately, within human nature exists a duality – a good side and a dark side. This brings neverending warfare.
This description of the game’s overarching structure, likewise, makes things seem pretty open-ended: “Complete tasks for town residents, take part in arena tournaments, play mini games, increase your fame rank, and discover the many ways of acquiring coins.”
Luckily, the developer has provided a gameplay video giving the gist of how combat works, so we do have that:
(Note that this is a pre-alpha video; the developer informs me that the game’s sound and interface have been improved since this video was made.)
Fantasy Dimension’s features include character creation “allowing any combination of traits, skills and spells to create your own classes”; customizable difficulty; and experience point-based character development with customized traits, skills and spells.
Fantasy Dimension is a completely free game, playable in-browser. If you like what you’ve seen so far, you can give it a go right here and right now.
