The Indie Insider – Bastion, Frozen Synapse and Krater

The Humble Bundle have only gone and done it again. In my opinion they consistently release bundles that offer the best value for money. In The Humble Bundle V you get to see some brilliant titles such as Limbo, Sword and Sworcery, and if you pay more than the average you get Bastion, which I think is a game that will animate developers and audio engineers for generations to come.

Indie Past – Bastion

Bastion was, and still is, a massive Indie title. It opened up the Microsoft Summer of Arcade in 2011 with a memorable explosion and personally I still think it was the best game in what was and excellent selection. Supergiant Games created a game that has inspired developers, gamers and audio technicians around the world. Galvanizing all sorts of unbalanced reactions including Dan getting a tattoo on his wrist of a cog from the game!

Bastion is an action RPG where you find yourself stuck in an isometric broken world and it’s your job to piece it back together. Throughout the game you will encounter all sort of unusual monsters, a selection of upgradable weapons, artwork that will stand the test of time and audio that responds very well to your every move.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of playing Bastion yet then it’s something that you really should get your hands on. It’s available as a Chrome web browser app, through the Supergiant Games website, on the Humble Bundle V and on consoles.

Indie Present – Frozen Synapse Red

So, what do you do to make an award winning Indie title even better? I’m sure it’s a question that goes through every developers mind but Mode7 seem to have come up with the answer. If you’ve got a single player game and a player vs player option all you need is a co-op multiplayer game and they’ve delivered it.

Not only that, but they have also decided it’s time to unleash a new unit: the riot shield. You will also get a new multiplayer mode called Upload, modifiers, and a new 15 mission single player campaign plus other single player missions. Also, if you’re sick of blue then you can switch to red mode. The generosity doesn’t end there because there is a load of music too.

If you haven’t played Frozen Synapse then it’s a top down tactical shooter where you plan out your moves then submit them. Once both players are ready the game plays out. You have a selection of options in your tool bag including aiming directions, ducking, ignoring opponents or shooting on sight. Different units carry different weapons and like any tactical game each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Frozen Synapse: Red is only $9.99 and in my opinion, from what I have played so far, it’s worth every penny.

Indie Future – Krater

I’ve been playing quite a lot of Diablo 3 recently so when I saw Krater come along it looked pretty interesting. Combining everything I love about games, such as isometric views, a Borderlands RPG and graphic style and an introductory chapter called The Hangover. Krater is one of those games that you probably wouldn’t instantly brand with an Indie iron.

There’s a great combination of aspects to Krater. You’re not just one guy wondering a post-apocalyptic wasteland. You’re a team of three. You don’t have to use the three characters that are given to you because as you progress more characters become available with different skills so you have to build a composition of effective abilities.

There’s loads of loot, schematics, main storyline missions and sideline missions. Currently it’s only in beta and whilst it’s polished there are a lack of in game instructions. There could be some more hotkeys for actions to make gameplay a little smoother and hopefully that will appear soon.

For £11.99 you can grab it on Steam and get instant access to the beta and as far as I know there aren’t any plans for console versions but I will let you know once I get a hold of Fatshark.