MiniBoss has released a free demo to coincide with the release of its charming puzzle-platformer Out There Somewhere. While I haven’t played the full version, I did enjoy my experience with the demo overall. The introductory horizontal shmup section doesn’t last long enough for me, but the bread and butter gameplay is all about platforming with a portal gun. This isn’t your standard, GLaDOS-fearing portal gun that requires exit and entry portals. Only one shot must impact a wall to make your character warp to the point of impact. The warping act also conserves your momentum, such that the jump you begin will complete after the warp. This becomes invaluable to avoid pits and enemies, circumvent or exploit different-colored laser fields, and retrieve your ship’s parts. MiniBoss’s Pedro Medeiros (a.k.a. Santo or Saint11) won Ludum Dare #22 with the clever platformer Frostbite . Their pixelated, exploratory platforming skills show again in the demo of Out There Somewhere. The developers stated on Desura the game lasts about 2-3 hours on the first playthrough, with extra time required to get all the secrets. Out There Somewhere is available for purchase on Desura or direct from the developer for $4.99. While only a PC version is available now, the studio states a Mac version is in the plans.
23 hours, 23 minutes ago by
andariels
Developers Richard Flanagan and Henk Boom have just shared a partial walkthrough of FRACT OSC , which is a major update from the title which won the IGF Student Showcase in 2011. The developers describe this upcoming PC and Mac title as “Myst meets Rez meets Tron.” The dazzling neon of Tron, the first-person puzzle adventures of Myst, and the music-generating world of Rez all seem to mesh together nicely in their creation. Everything in the world is built on sound and structures inspired by synthesizers. The puzzles included in the video walkthrough are literally musical, with the structures players rebuild being musical tools. Players will then use these tools to create their own sound and music, and those tunes will solve bigger puzzles. No chiptune artists were harmed during the making of FRACT OSC, since most of the game’s sounds are synthesized in real time. Henk Boom says that all these clever puzzles actually mask a pedagogical experience. FRACT OSC apparently teaches players how to use real music-making tools. Given that, FRACT OSC aptly uses a studio as the main hub. As the player rebuilds tools, different parts of the studio-hub come to life. Flanagan describes this as one of the two end-goals in the game which happen somewhat in parallel. In addition to fixing the broken machinery in the world by solving puzzles, players should unlock and learn all the tools in the studio. “I have other hopes for what people will do with these tools once they have them, so we’ll have to wait and see there,” Flanagan told IndieGames. With such rich music-making abilities, I asked him about song sharing. “We have discussed several approaches to song sharing and are still looking into other options. Sharing is a huge priority, we’re just trying evaluate what would be the best way to achieve it.”
1 day, 23 hours ago by
andariels
Hydorah creator Locomalito has released Verminest , a free, retro-styled homage to Namco’s classic arcade shoot-’em-up Galaga. Along with wave-based Galaga gameplay, Verminest also features vertically scrolling sequences straight out of Galaga ’88, along with boss fights that pay tribute to fellow classics like Centipede. The greyscale sci-fi motif cites inspiration from a number of films, including Them!, The Deadly Mantis, and Godzilla. There’s also a 3D mode, if you want to complete the ’50s drive-in experience. Red-and-blue glasses are not included. A bunch of fun supplemental material is also available alongside the free game download at Locomalito’s site , including promotional posters, trading cards, and a making-of featurette. [via @shmups ]
4 days, 23 hours ago by
andariels
