Worth Checking Out - Toejam and Earl: Back In The Groove

I'm honestly at a loss for words for how ridiculously excited I was when I saw this pop up. Some of my fondest childhood video gaming memories were spawned from late night sessions playing ToeJam & Earl. The weirdness of the game's characters mixed with the ridiculously funky beats melded was an incredibly odd experience, but it worked and it was wonderful. The sequel, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, was an odd followup, but it still managed to capture the weirdness from the previous entry despite being a a 2D platformer.

After it's debut on the Sega Genesis, ToeJam & Earl vanished for nearly a decade, only to be revisited in the disappointing Xbox exclusive ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth which almost guaranteed the series' demise. Thankfully, we now live in a world where crowdsourcing exists giving us the chance to bring it back.

ToeJam & Earl: Back In The Groove is looking to bring back what fans loved from the original and give it a modern twist. It's hard to believe it's been over 20 years since the game originally debuted, but that cheese 90's hip hop factor is still there to remind you of it's roots.

The Kickstarted just started today and it's already sitting at a healthy $22,000. There's loads of information on the game and some awesome tiers of backer rewards to choose from. Check out the Kickstarter page over here to drop a few dollars on this 90's re-awakening. 

Worth Checking Out - Pathologic (Мор.Утопия)

I admit I sat on this Kickstarter a little longer than I would have liked. After donating to the incredible project known as Pathologic, it somehow escaped me to share it with the rest of you. Back in 2005, Pathologic was originally released with an abysmal Russian-to-English translation that greatly inhibited player experience. Despite the bad translation, the game's mechanics and ambience were what truly made the game shine, providing it with the opportunity to amass a decent sized cult following.

Pathologic tells the story of three different doctors (each with their own separate storyline), trying to piece together the correct solution to a town's dangerous plague. While the game is in a sense, a survival game, the true gem of the game is using your wits to make tough decisions in order to save the lives of the town's inhabitants.

There isn't a way to save everyone, and the decisions you make affect the game in many ways. You might make the decision to track down patient zero, alternatively, you might also find it in your best interest to exterminate the plague holders. The method to reaching the plague's end is entirely up to the player, creating many different outcomes. 

Pathologic is looking to be a very real and moving experience, portraying a realistic plague scenario that players must overcome in anyway they see fit. The game's dark tone really sets an unnerving mood, and in a lot of ways, creates a sense of horror for the player throughout their twelve days in-game. The game's abstract character design and surreal method of storytelling holds a lot of similarities to ACE Team's 2009 release, Zeno Clash, which perks my interest for the project even further.

The Kickstarter is quickly approaching it's end date, with only 13 days left as of this post. With less than $20,000 to goal, Pathologic seems to be a assured a successful Kickstart. If you want to guarantee the game's success and check out a more in-depth look at it's mechanics, take a look over at the Kickstarter page over here.

The Behemoth Teases 'Game 4' For PAX Prime

I can't even fathom the amount of hours I put into The Behemoth's Castle Crashers, everything I loved about couch co-op was nearly perfected with the indie brawler. Years later I still find myself returning to it, and while the later released Battleblock Theater may not have captured the level of replayability of Castle Crashers, god damn was it fun.

Before the release of Battleblock Theater, The Behemoth began development on Game 4, a mysterious title narrated once again by the amazing Stamper. The trailer may not give any hint as to what type of game to expect, but it seems we won't have to wait long! 

Game 4 will be playable at PAX Prime, which lucky for us, starts in just over a week. Awesome Robo will be at PAX Prime this year, meaning we'll be more than sure to get as much info on The Behemoth's new project as we can. The Behemoth has yet to disappoint so color me psyched! 

Worth Checking Out - Tetropolis

When the buzzword "Tetroidvania" was dropped, I was instantly intrigued. "How can the classic puzzle game Tetris ever find it's way into a game with Metroidvania style mechanics?", I asked myself before diving into the Kickstarter. My question was answered with a game far beyond my initial expectations, and it looks radical.

Tetropolis may be influenced by the 2-D exploration aspects of the Metroidvania genre, but it's mechanics are the true sparkle to this gem. The puzzle aspect of the game are incorporated in an awesomely unexpected way, Tetropolis focuses on platforming with a rather unique way of maneuvering. Each separate Tetris piece has it's own way of maneuvering, such as the long piece stretching in order to increase it's jump.

What looks to be the real meat of the game's Tetris influence is it's mini-map, which also consists of separate pieces. These pieces of the map can be rotated at any time, giving the opportunity to access room that were not originally accessible. With the mixture of movement based puzzles and the ability to reorient the map layout, I can already imagine some incredible puzzle opportunities.

As of now, Tetropolis has 30 days left to reach it's $50,000 goal. If you'd like to help Kickstart NextGen Pant's project, you can head over to their Kickstarter here.

New 'Rime' Trailer Shows Off It's Cel-Shaded Beauty

Once again, Sony has gone hard with their indie lineup at this year's Gamescom and while some may be looking for a more AAA titles out of Sony's lineup, games like Rime showcase that indie developers can stand with the "blockbusters". With more indie games than big-budget announcements, it became apparent that this generation is the time for the small guys to shine and after the newest trailer for Rime, I can safely say that I'm more excited for this than any of the offerings from Ubisoft, EA, and Activision put together. 

With visuals very reminiscent of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Rime appears to have an incredible amount of polish. With talent from Blizzard and Weta Digital, it's hard to be surprised what the team at Tequila Works has pulled off, but it still hasn't stopped my drooling.

No release date has been confirmed for Rime, but I would hope we'll see it by 2015, the last thing we need is another The Last Guardian from Sony.

Worth Checking Out - Aegis Defenders

Originally conceived as a student project at USC, the awesome looking Aegis Defenders looks to be getting a full release. Blending metroidvania mechanics with arena defense, Aegis Defenders has certainly perked my interest. I've always been a massive fan of the tower defense genre and seeing it implemented into an exploration-based platformer is certainly an awesome concept.

Along with it's interesting blend of mechanics, the team over at Studio Guts has a wonderful art direction with it's 16-bit style visuals. While no release is set, a Kickstarter campaign is set to begin tomorrow which we'll be sure to remind you of. For now, take a look at their website for a collection of concept art.

Worth Checking Out - "Gods Will Be Watching"

Seriously developers, keep the point-and-clicks coming, they're only getting better! Deconstructeam's Gods Will Be Watching is an interesting and brutal take on the point-and-click adventure formula, putting players in the midst of multiple moral dilemmas. Every choice you make has consequences, and as seen by the above trailer, some of those consequences are a bit brutal. 

The narrative based puzzles in Gods Will Be Watching aren't to be taken lightly, as each choice will directly effect you and your team. What's interesting is the game's focus on you and your teams relationship, creating tense moments that will force players to decide to save the lives of your team members or the lives of thousands more.

Gods Will Be Watching is an incredibly intriguing take on moral choice in games, and while it's difficult to judge the game's focus it's characters the in-game choices shown provide plenty of potential for experimentation for different outcomes. Gods Will Be Watching is set to release on steam July 24th. If you're interested in giving the demo a go, check out their website over here.

E3 2014 - PS4 Indie Roundup: ABZÛ, Pavillion, Hotline Miami 2, Talos Principle, Night In The Woods, Rogue Legacy, Nuclear Throne

Sony embraced the indies this year with full force, expanding on the initiative that captivated so many people last year. And this year's offerings are no exception, with a whole slew of fantastic titles being announced for release in the near future. While Microsoft seemed to opt for a quantity approach while trying to adapt their outlook to a more gaming-centric direction, Sony focused on a smaller and more manicured list of titles.

The most notable exclusives were titles like Hotline Miami 2, Broforce and the beautiful looking Abzu (Above), but there were quite a few other interesting titles announced that we hadn't seen before as well, like Croteam's intriguing looking Talos Principle. No Man's Sky is also a PS4 exclusive, but that title was so ambitious that it warranted it's own feature. Check out the lineup after the break.

ABZÛ will take players on an epic adventure into the depths of the ocean, where they will encounter majestic creatures and discover long lost secrets. The game draws inspiration from a deep, innate story that we all carry in our collective subconscious, a universal origin myth that resonates across cultures. As such, the name ABZÛ references a concept from the oldest Mesopotamian mythology: it is the combination of two ancient words Ab, meaning ocean, and Zû, meaning to know. Essentially, ABZÛ is the ocean of wisdom.

Robo Reminder: 7 Days Remain To Kickstart OMOCAT's OMORI

It's been a little over a month since OMOCAT began her Kickstarter campaign for OMORI, and after the massive response from the internet her dream game has accrued over 4x the initial goal. OMOCAT's initial goal and a slew of other stretch goals may have been met!

Still, while the game has been fully funded seven whole days remain! That means you have no reason not to hop on board and get this game to the moon and back.

With the low stretchgoal of $180,000, we can help get OMORI onto the 3DS, something that would end up being me and many other's platform of choice for the Horror RPG. If you've been on the fence about donating now is the perfect time to give the game the final boost it needs. You can Kickstart OMORI over here.

Worth Checking Out - A Story About My Uncle

Many gamers will probably tell you that the web-slinging mechanics of Spider-Man 2 will never be matched, but I'd argue that there just aren't enough developers out there trying to bring it back. Gone North Games' A Story About My Uncle looks like an awesome attempt at bringing the swinging mechanics back into the limelight with their first-person platformer. 

I'm actually quite interested in the game's narrative, which seems to be a heavy focus along with the game's swinging mechanics. The game is also downright pretty, giving an awesome environment to swing around in, along with what looks to be some rather interesting character design.

While the newest Amazing Spider-Man entry seems to a decent job of giving that sense of speed and maneuverability that Spider-Man 2 provided, A Story About My Uncle seems to be providing a more puzzle oriented experience while maintaining that speed gamers have been missing for years, although this time in first-person.

The game will be heading Steam on May 28th, so keep a close eye on it! 

Prepare To Die In "Super Time Force" - Launching Very Soon

The fine folks at Capybara games have finally unveiled the release date for their unique side scrolling shoot 'em up/puzzler hybrid Super Time Force, along with a fresh new gameplay trailer. While it resembles a Contra-esque shooter on first glance, the title actually incorporates a unique rewinding feature that allows you to build up an army of former 'ghost' comrades to tackle the challenging levels. The expectation is that you're going to have to die, a lot in order to build up a firesquad capable of tackling the bullet hell that will be unleashed on you.

The title will be arriving May 14th for Xbox consoles, but I'm really hoping the title will eventually make it over to Steam and other consoles shortly after the exclusivity period wears out. Zackasaurus is my favorite character out of the bunch.

Enjoy A 10-Minute Preview of The Metroidvania/Dark Souls Inspired Ghost Song

Hot damn has the game got me amped. Back in August developer Matt White Kickstarted his metroidvania/Dark Souls fused action platformer and met success with funding almost 4 times the initial goal. With promises of a deep and engaging combat and an explorable world much like the games of Metroid, the game got me hooked upon first viewing (and apparently thousands of other contributors as well).

With the little snippets of gameplay first provided for the Kickstarter, it's awesome to finally get a glimpse at the work Matt White has put into the game. It may be a bit light on actual gameplay mechanics, but the atmosphere it sets is absolutely topnotch. 

The metroidvania style mechanics are noted almost immediately, starting players in front of their crashed spaceship before traversing the unknown planet (very reminiscent of nearly every Metroid entry). What surprised me the most was how quickly The Dark Souls influence made present, not only with the game's dark tones and combat but the inclusions of NPCs and their almost hopeless dialogue.

Ghost Song is definitely looking like a deep engaging experience with a lot of soul and a whole lot of ambiance. No set release date has been announced for the game, but if you'd like to offer additional help for the game's development you can pre-order it from the website here. 

"Cult of the Wind" Has Just The Right Amount Of Quirkiness For An Arena Shooter

There has been a gaping hole in my life and I wasn't really sure what it was until arena shooters started to make a sudden comeback. Growing up on the likes of Unreal Tournament, Quake and Tribes there really isn't anything quite like the adrenaline boost  you get from the fastpaced frenzy of a solid arena-FPS.

North of Earth's newest project Cult of the Wind is definitely something to keep an eye on, if only for it's awesomely unique premise. The game takes place in an unknown place and time following a cult which worships the wreckage of ancient planes, which leads them to mimic the ancient dogfights of the past. It sounds like an absolutely insane concept, but it actually draws a lot of inspiration from cargo cults, a real life group of people. 

While the concept in itself sounds goofy enough, the true quirkiness comes from the game's pretend fights. Players will compete in ritualistic multi-player human dogfights, complete with imaginary weapons, pretend explosions, and airplane noises made with their mouths" implying that all weaponry in the game is sound based rather than visual. It sounds incredibly ridiculous, but I'm all for it.

Along with the game's multi-player, the game also sports a fancy level editor, allowing players to easily manipulate the world by dragging, dropping, and stretching objects as they see fit. The level-editor looks solid enough, and will really lend a hand in keeping the game's content flowing (something Tribes failed to accomplish). In the end though, any game that lists one of it's selling points as "weird noises" deserves my money, I'm incredibly excited to see how this game pans out. 

To vote for this game on Greenlight head over here and keep an eye out for it to drop!

Mega64 Tackles "The Stanley Parable" In Real Life

This is the story of a man named Stanley. In celebration of the critically acclaimed interactive fiction title, which offered players the chance to make their own decisions against a narrative trying to drive their own choices. It's one of the most unique gameplay experiences I've had in a while. I think it's the unique narrative aspect that attracted the folks at Mega64 to attempt the experience in real life, with some very surprising results. Using the same British narrator who lent his voice to The Stanley Parable, this is probably one of my favorite Mega64 shorts since their excellent Hotline Miami skit. Only one iPhone was smashed into oblivion during the filming of this fine short.

The Saga Of Goat Simulator Continues - Dead Island Style

In the last few years we've seen the simulation genre gain an entirely new wave of appreciation thanks to the ironic efforts of many Youtube let's players, who always found a way to give these cheaply made, overly complex titles a humorous spin. Then came Goat Simulator, which started off as a complete joke to help the developers at Coffee Stain Studios practice some programming. The problem is, the internet found out about it after a silly alpha trailer was posted online, and as Bossa Studios learned with last year's Surgeon Simulator, comedy sims have a powerful grip on the current gaming scene.



Coffee Stain took the hint and are currently set to launch the title on...April 1st. Yep! I think the devs themselves are in disbelief at the response and millions of viewers the video garnered, so they've embraced it and are having fun with it at this point (Including the Dead Island parody trailer they probably cranked out in a few hours). The website even comes with a disclaimer in case gamers have any expectations as to what they might be getting themselves into when they drop $10 on it. Either way, moments like this really make me feel like we're in some sort of indie gaming golden age. The fact that the folks at a little startup can get this much attention for a joke game and laugh their way to the bank is a magical thing to witness. Take note, AAA developers.

Worth Checking Out - Chroma Squad! The Giant Mecha Management Simulator

Chroma Squad got funded last year thanks to a successful Kickstarter, and we couldn't be happier to see it near release. Dubbed as a part Sentai management sim and part turn based brawler, the title seems set to give players the chance to take their own Power Rangers-esque group to the top. The title draws heavily from Japan's Super Sentai (Japanese for 'Squadron') genre and tropes, and the trailer was even presented in Japanese with subtitles as a tongue in cheek nod to where their inspiration came from.

The title seems to also go a little meta in terms of your role as the producer of a Super Sentai TV show, which makes it all the more fun. Avoid bankrupting your studio while saving the world? Sounds like it'll be a fun game to take for a spin, especially being a large fan of Kairosoft's similarly themed sim titles like Game Dev Story. The title will be available to play at PAX and GDC, with a Steam release planned for sometime later this year.

SOMA Gets New PS4 Trailer

SOMA is one of the few titles that continues to leave me scratching my head at the end of each trailer. The concept seems absolutely brilliant, and Frictional Games (the team behind Amnesia) tackling  sci-fi horror looks like a match made in heaven but I can't seem to grasp what direction the game's story is truly headed in.

The game's visuals are quite blatantly inspired by the surrealist master H.R. Giger, and that most certainly isn't a bad thing although I would like to see a bit more in-terms of exploration rather than long hallway shots the trailers seem to frequently cut to. Unlike previous trailers, this newest entry titled Theta has a little bit more in store than a simple rundown of the game's environment, this time we're getting some story action.

Judging from the small snippets of dialogue it doesn't seem like Frictional Games is tackling a rogue AI as some have suspected, instead it seems to focus more on human interaction between technology (although we could all be completely wrong with this). Being a giant Harlan Ellison fan I'm ecstatic to see SOMA travel down a much more sinister sci-fi path, it definitely adds to the overall sense of fear.

The game won't be out until 2015 though, giving plenty of time for us to speculate as to just what the hell SOMA will end up being.

Keep An Eye Out On Adventure Game 'Traverser'

For a game with absolutely zero gameplay, Traverser  has managed to capture my complete attention. The first game by Gatling Goat Studios is jumping on board the adventure game train, and it's full speed ahead with some sexy art and animation. Telling the tale of the female protagonist, Valerie, players will find themselves switching between to worlds to avoid guards. Gravity will apparently play a large role in the game's mechanics, giving each world a different feel.

I'm very rarely a fan of trailers that involve zero gameplay, but for a game early in development with Traverser this trailer has got me hyped. A quick glimpse at the game's art style had me hooked and I'm excited to see how this game progresses. For more information on Gatling Goat Studios, you can click over here to jump over to their website.

Worth Checking Out- Project Rain World

There hasn't been a huge slew of new Kickstarters to hit the new year yet, but Rain World is definitely off to a great start for 2014. On it's surface, Rain World has an aesthetic quite similar to Team Meat's Super Meat Boy, and while I'd love another precision platformer, Rain World is an entirely different beast (or should I say slug?).

In Rain World, players take the role of a slugcat, an adorable cross between (you guessed it) a slug and a cat as the result of a failed ecosystem. Developers Joar Jakobsson and James Primate place a heavy emphasis on survival, forcing players to keep on their toes while they hunt for survival while avoiding the constant threat of rain and other creatures. As stated in their Kickstarter, a large focus has been put into the game's AI, providing creatures that will continue to track you down.

Rain World focuses heavily on it's sneaking mechanics which work both as a method of combat while on the hunt, as well as a form of defense to avoid larger creatures. Along with the game's 16-bit style, the animation adds a level of polish that looks to provide an amazingly fresh experience.

The game is set to launch by the end of this year, and while development is already in effect the two-man development team is in looks of a little support. To help out with the game's development you can donate to their Kickstarter over here and get a peak at a bit more of the game's stellar animation.

Worth Checking Out - Continue?9876543210

Over the weekend I noticed the peculiar title Continue?9876543210 hit the front page of Steam, and while I had heard little to nothing about the title I decide to give it a purchase and see what it was all about. Upon my initial reaction, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the game's seemingly complex narrative and gameplay decisions. The game wasn't overwhelmingly difficult or overbearing in complexity, instead I was initially jaded by my experience of games similar in style.

There has been a recent trend of indie games that push an emphasis on pseudo-intellectualism, deceiving players into believing there's a layer of thought not initially seen on the surface, and while I was initially put off by Continue?9876543210's method of story telling I was quickly taken aback by how interesting of an experience it truly provided.  

Telling the story of a dead video game character, Continue?9876543210 begins as fourth-wall breaking experience and ends up reflecting back on the players own outlook on life. It's an experience I wasn't necessarily wanting or expecting, but by the end of my playthrough I felt an interesting sense of self-reflection that few games have provided me with. 

Of course, many would argue a game isn't truly a game without some form of gameplay and I'll be first to admit that Continue?9876543210 was a tad lacking in this department. The game is split into multiple stages, in each stage you are given a different amount of days to escape before your character faces complete deletion. During each day you are given the opportunity to complete different tasks for NPCs which will evoke a 'prayer' and open a path to the stage's exit. 

While I've only gotten to run through the game once, each stage provides multiple paths to escape the stage provided a different experience each time. The game mixes an interesting flavor of time management and puzzle solving to progress through it's narrative, but I found myself often times choosing the shortest path in order to continue forward (perhaps that says something about the game's design decisions). Developer Jason Oda has provided a truly moving title that questions the value of life, something that I felt we can all focus a little more on. If you're interested in Continue?9876543210 you can pick it up now on Steam for $9.99.