In the last Indie Insider I spoke about the IGF 14th Annual Indie Game Competition. Well, the voting is now closed so it won’t be long until we find out who reigns supreme in the competition. I can’t wait!
Indie Past – Stealth Bastard
Well, with a name like Stealth Bastard Tactical Espionage Arsehole what’s not to like? The name’s like a tractor beam and after playing a couple of levels, the game is the same. Old school retro style graphics in a 2D platformer keeps the look simple and while the game looks the same, it can get quite challenging.
You play the part of a spy traversing levels that each have a neat selection of obstacles to look out for. Challenges consist of cameras that set off traps if you’re spotted and robots that are pissed off and hate you, to name a couple. Hacking terminals to open doors and drop objects in strategic areas are skills that you need to master early on to make progression.
The community around this game from Curve Studios is excellent. Not only is the game free for PC users, it includes a level editor. Once you’ve formed your masterpiece you can upload it to a huge pot of other players’ creations too which extends Stealth Bastards longevity.
One final point for anyone who instantly dismisses this game because they don’t have a power horse of a PC. The game doesn’t require much oomf at all so even the more feeble machines can have their moment of glory.
Indie Present – Vessel
I have been raving about Vessel for a while and now it’s available on the PC. It’s coming to XBLA and PSN at some point but the dates haven’t been announced yet. The sooner the better from what I’ve played already!
Since talking about it on my last indie blog I’ve managed to get my hands on a copy and so far I haven’t been disappointed. The puzzles are great and the answers aren’t as straight forward as they seem. At the very start of the game you get a quick glimpse of just how cheeky your Fluro companions can be and they just don’t change.
The first example shows you getting locked out of your house by one Fluro then you’re constantly plagued by them trying to turn out any lights you turn on. All you have to do, as M Arkwright, is manipulate each Fluro’s personality to suit your needs and get to the next room. New, puzzling mechanisms are injected into the game at strategic points and they play and excellent part of keeping your interest peaked.
Very pleasant to both look at and listen to you could be forgiven for stopping mid game just to admire your surroundings. Strange Loop Games well and truly deserved a slot in the 2010 IGF Technical awards because it’s very easy to get drawn in to the game’s beauty.
Indie Future – Gunpoint
Recently I was lucky enough to get early access to Gunpoint which is a puzzle game that really gets you thinking. Tom Francis, the man behind the game, realises that there are plenty of gamers out there who are more intelligent than him so Gunpoint has been created to allow people with flare to get carried away with solutions for each stage.
Excellent witty banter matched with thought provoking gameplay is a recipe that I hope brings Tom huge success with his first title.
As well as being a developer Tom Francis is also a games critique, which is a combination I have never encountered before. I wonder what does a critic do to a game to make it as damn near perfect as possible and what would he say about his game in a review?
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