A thousand apologies for dropping this one late. I had a good excuse; it involved booze and companionship. If you were to forgive my non-gaming transgressions, I would be grateful.
Once again, I delve into the indie games pool and come up with three games that twigged my curiosity. And, hey, no shoot ‘em ups this time! If you know of any great indie games that you would like me to check out, please let me know via Twitter. Also, follow us on our Steam Groups page. We’re constantly adding new indie games to our curator’s list; maybe you’ll find a new favorite there!
Asura
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Developer: Ogre Head Studio
Platform: PC, Max, Linux
Release Date: TBD
Available via: Steam Greenlight
I jumped on Greenlight earlier in the week to see what I could find, and this was the VERY FIRST GAME that popped up. Yeah, it may not seem like a big deal, but for a second, I felt Asura was hand-picked for me. It looks positively brutal…and that is AWESOME!!!
The game is a Diablo-style hack ‘n slash Rogue-like set in a world with a largely Indian mythos. The player assumes the role of Asura and is tasked with defeating the Daeva empire. To do so, Asura must cleave his way through five procedurally generated fortresses filled with enemies and other obstacles.
Asura, of course, is not going in bare-handed. He has both ranged bow attacks and melee strikes, and he can gain additional abilities via a customizable skill tree. Of course, weapon and armor pieces can be found during the course of the game.
Seeing Asura in action is like watching a more colorful Diablo III. Everything looks vibrant and fluid – and deadly. Enemies whip projectiles at you from all directions and swoop in quickly to take slashes at you. Of course, he further you go in, the more vicious the enemies are. Eventually, you will come across bosses, and they will really put the hurt on you. Oh, did I mention there is perma-death? Yup, you die, you restart from the beginning.
This game looks very exhilarating. I love Rogue-like games, and this game looks to scratch that itch really well. The thought of perma-death may seem daunting, but the enemies do telegraph attacks, so it’s just a matter of refining my skills to best it. Right?
Asura blew through Steam Greenlight without breaking a sweat. Here’s hoping that it takes the next step soon. I am highly interested in this game.
Cathedral
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Developer: Decemberborn Interactive
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Release Date: TBD
Available via: Developer Website
One of my weak points is nostalgia. Whenever I see an 8-bit platformer, I do cartwheels. And I did plenty of cartwheels with Cathedral.
The premise and visuals give off a bit of a Shovel Knight vibe, and that’s not a bad vibe to mimic. The premise, however, is much different. The hero, who is unnamed, is stuck in an unknown world with no memory. Yes, the premise is a bit cliché, but it’s not detrimental to the overall game. What matters in the end is the game itself and how it plays.
This game definitely feels like the 8-but pixelart, chiptuned side-scrolling platformers of old. Everything is very vibrant and cheerful-sounding in town, and then gets darker and more somber in tone when away from the safety of town. There seems to be an interesting block platform mechanic that can be real interesting. You also get a glimpse at one of the bosses of the area.
The game is in its early stages, but I really like what I see so far. I want to see this game progress further and hope to try it out soon.
Blackwood Crossing
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Developer: PaperSeven Studio
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: TBD 2016
Available via: Developer Website
Haunting.
That is the word that pops in my head whenever I see the trailer for Blackwood Crossing. It’s light on story (and gameplay) thus far, but what I see definitely has me noticing.
The game follows Scarlett and Finn, orphaned twins that are growing apart. Scarlett is coming of age, and Finn feels as he is being left behind. During a train ride, they encounter a mysterious being. That encounter leads them to a “magical” story of “life, love, and loss.”
Those quotes are from the game’s literature. Watching the Gamescom reveal trailer, however, I felt a sense of disappointment, betrayal, and loneliness. The feeling was, for lack of a better word, haunting.
The game promises to be a story-driven first-person adventure. The gameplay is not completely evident in the trailer. The themes, however, are omnipresent. And the visuals seem to carry the haunting theme I feel throughout. It’s filled with childish imagination that seems to manifest itself throughout the game. Lots of odd, masked humans make appearances, along with anthropomorphic “furries”. What role they have in the narrative is unclear. The visual aesthetic of Blackwood Crossing is very cartoonish, but again the theme is very adult. Whatever narrative the game weaves through it, I’m very interested.
Blackwood Crossing hopes to see a release within 2016. When it does emerge, I will be most interested in playing it.
