Tag Archives: Indie Games

Review: Driftmoon

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driftmoon_name

driftmoon_boxshot2Platform: PC

Developer: Instant Kingdom (Ville/Anne Mönkkönen)

Publisher: Instant Kingdom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

Do you own a decent cap or hat, dear reader? If you do, go get it now, put it on and tip that cap or hat in the general direction of Finland (Jyväskylä, to be a bit more precise). If you don’t have a good cap or hat, what’s wrong with you? It’s cold outside! Anyway, what’s with all the polite haberdashery tilting? Well, dear reader, it’s a hats off to Ville and Anne Mönkkönen for the seven years of work that went into one of the best games of this year. Driftmoon is an instant classic you’ll want to dive into and explore at your own pace just to experience great game design in action. Solid writing, great visuals and the excellent hybrid adventure/RPG/puzzle gameplay make a visit to Driftmoon well worth the price. As great as the game is, the included easy to use editor gives this one endless possibilities for users to craft their own potential classics…

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NEW Driftmoon Trailer: It’s All Done (The Game and Trailer, That Is), So Go Buy It, Already!

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As in noted last week (I think – this month is a TOTAL blur!), Ville and Anne Mönkkönen indie adventure/RPG Driftmoon has been getting some final tweaking and as you can see in the new trailer above, it’s tight as a drum and all set to brighten up your hard drive. The game is fresh, funny and near perfect, now has a nifty modern camera angle adjustor 2.0 added (er, in English, the Pg Up/Pg Dn keys tilt the viewpoint), a gentle kick in the lighting’s pants by accident has boosted it a bit more and yes, the game is easy on the eyes, to boot. Did I mention the level editor? No? Oh, I did last week? Well, I’m glad someone is actually reading this site! Either that, or I’m having a conversation with myself (shhh!).

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Drfitmoon Update: February 26 Release, New Camera Angle & More Cool News…

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Hero With VelvetSlowly but surely I’ve been playing through Ville and Anne Mönkkönen’s fine and funny adventure/RPG hybrid, Driftmoon, and can safely say that it’s refreshingly retro as well as just plain fun to play. The game now has an official release date of February 26, 2013 (and it’s gog.com bound plus a few other places!) as well as a much requested adjustable camera angle which works amazingly well. I was against the idea for a while, but noticed that a few friends I showed the game to weren’t keen on the top-down POV even though they liked the visuals quite a lot. The new angle on things is adjustable down to a more Baldur’s Gate-like angle on things and looks great, which should get more people to want to try this one out.

Anyway, I also need to get a review done, so I’ve been avoiding the two mods I downloaded until that’s done. Hopefully, I’ll have that written up sometime within the next week as I’m also swamped in Toy Fair coverage and a bunch of other game previews and reviews. Of course, Driftmoon is next up on the review pile – I just need to finish the game and get to it. Unless it all falls apart past the point I’ve played (and I don’t expect it to at all), this one’s turning out to be one of my favorite indie games so far this year. Back in a bit…

Random Indie Game of the Week: Driftmoon Hands-On Update

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It’s allllmost done, folks. Ville and Anne Mönkkönen’s refreshingly fun (and funny) blend of adventure and role-playing as gotten a ton of fixes including new skills, all sorts of little and big optimizations and is shaping up to be a great blend old and new school genre fans looking for something really unique should absolutely buy. Go play the latest demo and see for yourself. I’ll wait, but while I’m waiting, a short report on what’s new:

When we last left our hero (in a previous demo build), an important item was acquired, a relative was rescued and there was a nice air of “this is really going to be even more fun!” at the expected abrupt ending. Picking up right from that save, the game gets funnier and a bit more challenging as new enemies and plenty of nice surprises awaited with further exploration. One thing new players will NEED to learn (other than adjusting to the top-down camera angle, but there’s a potential slight options tweak being considered) is the importance of moving or activating certain objects in the game world to uncover assorted secrets. I found a new room in the old dungeon I was on the way out of by extinguishing a torch (hey!), and there were a wealth of cool items under chairs, chests, wooden boards and heavy rocks (among other places)… Continue reading →

Cyberpunk 2077 CG Trailer: Bright Future For A Dark RPG…

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OK, I only vaguely recall Mike Pondsmith and his pen & paper role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020 from a few friends who raved about it back in the day (and I think an old magazine ad or two), so I was initially hoping CD Projekt RED would be changing the rather generic sounding name of their current work in progress, Cyberpunk 2077. Now that I see what’s what, they can not only keep the name and release all the cool-looking non-gameplay CG trailers they want, hell, they can go and make this back into a board game if they want and I’ll still buy it. Granted, we can expect a lot more from the folks who brought The Witcher to life in two fantastically deep mature-rated PC RPGs (yeah, go play them if you haven’t), so fasten your seat belts and expect a wild ride as more info and eventually gameplay footage starts popping up in a few…

Capcom Wishes You A Merry Mega Man Xmas (Don’t Forget To Get Your Gift)

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And here I am, thinking he’s all about knocking off cute but dangerous enemies and bosses with silly names and powers. Some would probably prefer a less annoying Mega man experience where ladders and bridges would replace those jumps they keep missing, while others might want a less violent Mega Man without his blasters and such. If I had to choose something with less violence, I’d make the blue bomber a sly negotiator who doesn’t fire a shot, but makes enemies fight each other. Of course, there goes that cool Rockman versus Paper Man versus Scissor Man boss battle (ha ha), but that new monocle, smoking jacket and fake pipe are nice accessories Capcom could add to the character with that new attitude and see what’s what?  Anyway, enough of my lousy attempts at humor – go download Street Fighter X Mega Man if you haven’t already. I’m a damn cheapskate, but I know where the good free gifts are and how to share them…

A Friendly Reminder From Black Pants Game Studios…

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No, not that the world is ending in a few hours (well, for some people out there)… there’s a NEW demo for Tiny & Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers available on Steam! Go get it, play it and laugh yourself silly while things go to heck in a handbasket or something. Look at it this way, if you love the demo enough and the earth doesn’t blow up, you can actually go BUY the game and play the whole thing. Even better, the game is 50% off until doomsday (I’d gather that’s later today), so get while it’s hot. Or before you burn up when Melancholia hits. Or something like that. The talented gentlemen at Black Pants will thank you kindly, and I’ll have done my good deed for the day because I’ve turned you on to a really cool (and really funny) game experience. OK, I’m off to watch some cartoons now… Good Night!

Malevolence In the Home Stretch: Six More Video Updates To Snack On…

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Winding up what’s looking to be a really productive development cycle, here are six more videos from Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox, set to hit PC’s very soon. The promise of infinite play here is quite compelling and as you can see here, the game is looking quite excellent for what’s basically a fan-made project. Well, some VERY dedicated fans of classic PC role-playing games

 

More after the jump!

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VGA 101 Update – Gallery: Pier Solar Reprint Edition (Plus!)

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pier solar backs pier solar fronts

pier solar plusWell, that was fast – A game I’ve wanted to play for ages is finally in the library here: Pier Solar and the Great Architects for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive along with the Enhanced CD for the Sega-CD/Mega CD. This isn’t the original print or the Posterity Edition, but the WM Reprint version in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Nice. I need to dig out one of my Sega-CD’s from under the TV set in the home office (oh, that will be a pain, but worth all that weightlifting), but I do have one of my Genesis systems out nearby (Actually, a Japanese Mega Drive), so I can at least start up the game (perhaps this weekend provided I have time).Yeah, yeah – I wanted to support Watermelon’s HD Kickstarter project, but I could only afford to either pick up this set now and play it or sign up for Kickstarter, donate and wait. I’m hoping the HD version of Pier Solar does well enough that it gets a reissue or even better, pops up on PSN (hell, a Vita version I’d kill for – or at least elbow someone gently in the head for)…

As for the other stuff? Well, it was cheap, so I picked them up. Sorcery (which should have been completed so that it shipped WITH the PlayStation Move as a launch title for the peripheral) was $10 and Heavy Rain was a few dollars more. Prometheus I bought to see the edited/deleted scenes and special features. I liked most of the film, but there are a few dumb lead characters and one part of the ending that should have been handled better. Otherwise, the film looks spectacular and ends up answering some questions and leaving others pinging around in the brain.

Pier Solar Goes Kickstarter Route For HD Remake – Give Them Your Money (Now!)

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Confession: I’ve yet to play Watermelon Team’s incredible Pier Solar and the Great Architects (I’ve been dying to do so, but missed the original and all the assorted reissue versions), but the folks I know who have played it can’t stop singing its praises. I was thinking about finally getting around to snapping up a copy of this unlicensed Sega Genesis /Mega Drive game online, but Watermelon Team has a HD version in the works that’s even more tempting. Can you say Kickstarter project, ladies and gents? Yup, not only are the folks at Watermelon working on an HD version, they’re going to be getting it out on PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox Live Arcade and (Eeeeeee!) Sega Dreamcast (Eeeeeeee!).  Of course, I’m a bit ticked off that PSN, Vita and Wii U versions aren’t in the pipeline (hell, those consoles NEED great indie games like this so the suits can see they’ll sell like hotcakes), but hey – this is certainly a step up to the big time for a game that’s gotten solid reviews and a VERY loyal fan base.

The campaign  has already gotten a nice chunk of pledges and that’s thanks to the game itself plus some fantastic premium versions that are well worth the money. I need to flip a coin and see where it lands so I can choose which version I want, but I may end up with the PC version (boxed, of course). I wish I could afford one of the more pricey home versions, but it is what it is. Anyway, definitely do yourself a big favor and pledge to this project. Hmmm… maybe I’ll sell a kidney and go for that deluxe Dreamcast version, as I haven’t used my DC in a few months and it’s been looking at me funny from the corner of the room… We shall see. That fancy Magical Game Factory is rocking pretty hard these days…