The Extremities of Alpha: Pike & Shot

Alphas are, generally speaking, not particularly enjoyable bits of gaming code. Yes, they can show all the promise in the world and maybe even hint at greatness, but, unless I'm playtesting something for a close friend, I do tend to avoid them. And I rarely suggest people try them out.

Unless, that is, we are speaking of the (currently Windows only) alpha of Pike & Shot by James Edward Smith, which I frankly believe is worth everyone's time. It's still little more than a decent looking prototype mind you, but the core gameplay mechanics that have been implemented so far are way too enjoyable to ignore. You get to directly command a unit consisting of pike-men and musketeers in a tactical arcade game pitting you against all sorts of enemies, each requiring a different approach.

Moving around the battlefield and choosing when to shoot and when to protect your missile troops is both satisfying and an impressive evolution of the North & South battle mechanics; a fine reflexes/strategy balancing act. A balancing act I seem to keep repeating over and over apparently.

And as Pike & Shot already looks pretty much okay with its cute pixel-men and there are a ton of things that can be added and/or fine-tuned, I know I'll be keeping an eye out for it. Hopes are high! 

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• VVVVVV: Make and Play edition
• Workers in Progress
• The 8-bit Lawless Legends RPG
• The best Monkey Island possible

Be charitable! Grab the Indie Ordinary Gamer Bundle!

Let's keep things simple:

Buy the Indie Ordinary Gamer Bundle, grab 11 terrific games, support the Indie Dev Grant and help me and Kyttaro Games support the excellent AbleGamers Charity; 30% of the bundle's net earnings will be donated to it!

AI War, tactics and the Indie Strategy Bundle

You don't need no dice to get all strategic with the Indie Strategy Bundle, the just released indie gaming bundle by yours truly and Bundle In A Box! Oh no, all you need to do is pay-what-you-want and get yourself 11 fantastic strategy games, that will happily have you wage war on everything from rural WW2 Poland to far away star systems.

Among said 11 games you'll find AI War, Strategic War in Europe, Project Aftermath, US & Them - Cold War, The Trouble With Robots, Creeper World 2 and Mayhem Intergalactic, as well as a selection of fantastic (unlockable) extras such as the exclusive AI War Prototype.

The Indie RPG Bundle by your dear BIAB

Ah, yes, it's that time again, isn't it? Well...

The richest Bundle In A Box bundle to date, The Indie RPG Bundle, has finally gone live and is featuring 13 roleplaying games (complete with tons of lovely unlockable extras) to last you a lifetime. Or, well, for dozens of hours. At least. Dozens of glorious hours of indie RPG gaming from the trenches of World War I and those dark fantasy forests to contemporary cities and dreaded dungeons. 

Those who pay at least $1.99 will receive modern day RPG Unemployment Quest, choose-your-own-adventure gamebook The Siege of the Necromancer, indie classic Hack Slash Loot, strategic RPG Styrateg, Ultima-esque Inaria, the lovely Dungeon Fray, dungeon crawling tactical RPG Empires & Dungeons 2, and humorous 3D CRPG Frayed Knights. 

Gamers who beat the average price will also receive the brilliant and just greenlit Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land, the foreboding Wizard from Tarnath Tor, card-based Northmark, excellent rogue-like The Wizard’s Lair, and the utterly unique and philosophical Telepath RPG. 

As always gamers will also be supporting an important charity and indie developers via the Indie Dev Grant. Oh, and there's the exclusive Droidscape: Basilica content too. And the fact that putting this bundle together was beyond exhausting...

XCOM: Enemy Unknown and the tale of alienating DLC

I really, really love the new XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It's a fantastic game. It really is. I mean, it does look stunning, it is perfectly balanced, sports a huge campaign, swift and challenging multiplayer death matches, fantastic controls, some of the best turn-based mechanics ever that finally move TBS away from its boardgaming roots, and, to my obviously erring eyes, actually manages to surpass the original. To make my love for it crystal clear, let me simply admit to having already sunk 40 hours in the thing and be done. 

Now, as you may have noticed yourself reader, loving something usually makes us want more of it. It's a silly attitude, I know, and one that smothers creativity, but that's how it is and that is also the reason why I decided to install both XCOM DLC packs and replay the game. And whereas the Elite Soldier Pack was an honest if underwhelming offering, what really irritated me was the Slingshot Pack.

And this was not for only adding a few extremely banal missions to the game and what amounted to little more than an hour of gameplay.  It was for promising so much more, a new storyline to be precise, and completely and utterly failing to deliver. All this talk about the Triads and even the in-game promises of fighting gangsters that never materialized were simply disappointing. Having the option to play the DLC missions whenever I felt like it was downright alienating too. I mean, just like UFO, XCOM is all about choices that matter and taking that away felt wrong.

As did the fact that beating the last expansion led to exactly nothing; it was treated like any other mission... Impressively anti-climatic, that.

Then again, I do not usually write about stuff I don't like. Were it nor for my intense dissatisfaction with said DLCs and the overall DLC trend I wouldn't have mentioned this, but it's getting silly and out of hand; the trend, that is. From day one DLCs to stuff that's simply pointless or, as in this case, damages the feel of the game we are plagued with extra stuff that's mainly there to simply make something extra and hopefully cover those ridiculous budgets.

On the other hand, I could have a read a review or two.

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• Fun with Wyv & Keep!
• It's the Laffer Utilities ver. 4.01.
• The beautifully swift Button Affair
• Thomas Was Alone review

Wyv and Keep: The Temple of the Lost Idol Released

I'm pretty much aware of the fact that Gnome's Lair isn't really covering many game releases these days, but a) that's something that will hopefully change (already looking into new ways of covering things) and b) I really enjoyed that Wyv and Keep preview of yore.

In case you haven't gotten the point reader, well, Wyv and Keep: The Temple of the Lost Idol by the delightfully named Jolly Corpse has been finally released and it's looking better than ever. You can grab the DRM-free version for your Windows, Mac and Linux machine from the game's site with a little help from the Humble Store and enjoy some of the best and most beautiful co-op puzzle platforming indie gaming has to offer.

Here's the launch trailer to get you all excited:

Oh, and your creative self will be delighted to know that the game is coming with a full-blown level editor, that lets you play around with everything; even the sprites themselves.

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• Dan Marshall Interview
• The Button Affair
• Thomas Was Reviewed (when alone)
• Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land

The CC-BIAB indie bundle has INDIE PIXELS in it!

This time it's not just me and Kyttaro Games. This time it's me, Kyttaro Games and Capsule Computers who put The Capsule Computers Indie Bundle together and you should be lovely and kind and nice and buy it and let everyone know about it, oh gentle reader! It has of course just gone live and is featuring 11 fantastic indie games, while -as always- supporting an important charity and the Indie Dev Grant.

Expect many DRM-free downloads, Steam and Desura codes, Windows, Linux & Mac games and an interesting selection of unlockable extras. Also something pretty special for the three people that outpay everybody else...

Anyway, on to the included games and a ton of screenshots:

Blackwell Convergence

Blackwell Deception

Hacker Evolution Untold

Blackwell Legacy

Pixelry

Super Tower Rush

Blackwell Unbound

Hacker Evolution Duality

Hacker Evolution

Hamlet

Secret of the Magic Crystals

Scrolls, Lists and Freeware Games

So, yes, it did have to happen. After years of playing through hundreds of free games and after writing about dozens of the things, well, the time has come for me to finally set up a nice and update-able list with the best of the lot or, to be precise, those I enjoyed the most. Have a look and worry not; more playable freebies will be added to it.

The Cerebral Bundle! It's Alive! It's Indie! It's CLEVER!

Yes, dear reader, the stars have been perfectly aligned and a new Bundle In A Box has been spawned. A very clever bundle. A cunning bundle. A Cerebral Bundle! Also, a bundle sporting a selection of 9 excellent indie games for the rather sensible price of “pay-what-you-want”. And it supports Windows, Mac and Linux!

Anyway, on to the games!

Paying anything above $1.99 will get you:

• deep, retro-esque and utterly elegant RPG Phantasmaburbia (Windows/Desura)
• artful, being-stood-up-sim Dinner Date (Windows/Steam)
• undead infested puzzler Vampires! (Windows/Mac)
• illustrated interactive fiction exclusive debut Necrotic Drift Deluxe (Windows /Mac/Linux)
• beautiful puzzler exclusive debut Dédale De Luxe (Windows/Mac/Linux/Desura)

Beating the always humble (heh) average price will earn you those lovelies:

• sci-fi puzzle exploration adventure J.U.L.I.A. (Windows)
• hilarious boring-job-sim I Get This Call Every Day (Windows/Mac/Desura)
• Jane Jensen powered point-and-clicker Cognition, Episode 1: The Hangman (Windows/Mac/Desura)
• just released dystopian adventure Reversion: The Meeting (Windows/Desura)

As is the Kyttaro Games tradition, for every 100 bundles sold $15 will be added to our Indie Dev Grant and the whole sum will be awarded to a developer selected by the vote of the bundlers. Also, 5% of all revenues will be shared with the Hellenic Centre for Mental Health and Treatment of Child and Family.

What’s more, for every 1000 bundles sold new extras will be unlocked for everyone who grabbed the Cerebral Bundle. Said extras include the source code of Necrotic Drift, the Cognition soundtrack and prequel comic, Phantasmaburbia’s Deluxe Digital Box, Dédale De Luxe wallpapers and more.

Finally, and as an added bonus, all who purchase the bundle will get access to exclusive content for Droidcape: Basilica; you know, that game I've been working on for the past year or so.

PS. Uhm, helping spread the word on this new bundle would indeed be fantastic. We are, after all, at a pretty crucial turn for Bundle In A Box... Thanks a ton!

Creating the best Monkey Island games possible

Ask anyone with a passing interest in gaming and at least a modicum of taste and they will immediately let you know that both The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge are perfect games. Interestingly though, their recent deluxe versions are pretty good too and, despite a few interface hick-ups and some not always spot-on visuals, they also sport some truly excellent voice-overs.

Which leads us to the question: what are the best possible versions of the first two Monkey Island games? How should you enjoy Ron Gilbert's masterpieces?

Simple! By playing the original games with the original point-and-click interface in the talkie versions that never existed; the talkie versions using the voice-overs of the deluxe editions. All you'll be needing are the original games, their recent deluxe versions, ScummVM and the brand new, freeware, legal and utterly fantastic Monkey Island Ultimate Talkie Edition Builders.

You are most welcome! No, really, 't was a pleasure!

Ithaka of the Clouds and the future of quality gaming

People keep moaning. There aren't enough clever games, they say. Indie gaming is stuck in an idealized retro world that never really existed and keeps churning out platformer after platformer, they add. Intelligent adults need their piece of interactive entertainment too, they shout. And then, Jonas Kyratzes goes on to release the brilliant The Sea Will Claim Everything and everyone, and that's despite numerous glowing reviews, fails to notice and keeps on moaning.

Well, everyone, time to set things right and make sure that us appreciators of graceful, artful, beautiful, clever and shockingly meaningful games have a chance to redeem ourselves by helping Ithaka of the Clouds get funded over at IndieGoGo. It is the latest (and most ambitious so far) project of Jonas and Verena Kyratzes, will feature the wonderful music of Chris Christodoulou and, before I go on and ramble a bit more, here's its pitch video:

Watched it? Excellent! You are then quite aware of the fact that Ithaka, the first game to ever feature two gay trolls and the first adventure to ever be inspired by the sublime poetry of Kavafis, is bound to not only be an amazing game, but actually an important one too. Remember how I once mentioned that The Sea Will Claim Everything can make you a better person? Seems like Ithaka of the Clouds will improve on that.

Anyway, here's the illusive Joseph Kyranzes to further enlighten you:

Now, off to back the project! A mere $10$ will get you the game upon release, $15 will get you the game with either the soundtrack or The Sea Will Claim Everything, $30 will get you everything mentioned so far and the rest you'll have to find out for yourself reader. Just support the thing and spread the word!

Jonas Kyratzes stuff @ Gnome's Lair:

• The (oneiric) Interview
• Alphaland
• The Fabulous Screech
• Phenomenon 32

The Strange, Stylish & Endlessly Running Tale Of The Button Affair

Do you remember The Cat That Got The Milk and what it did with/to Kandinsky? Excellent! The Button Affair has absolutely nothing to do with it, apart from the fact that it's vaguely in the same wide genre of action games, looks absolutely stunning itself and is the work of the very same, very talented developers. As a further way to differentiate itself from its predecessor it even sports a plot that goes a bit like this:

The Button Affair is the story of Enzo Gabriel. His quest. To steal the priceless Button Jewel from the infinitely wealthy business tycoon Victor Meirelles.

Yes, that definitely does sounds like something taken straight from a '70s action movie and is perfectly complemented by the game's beautifully stylized visuals that can't help but remind me of the elegant aesthetics of Another World. Just have a look at this trailer and you'll see for yourself dearest reader:

Oh, and if you simply have to know, The Button Affair is one of those fashionable runners that seem to be cropping up everywhere. Only not boring. And actually enjoyable. And very well done too. Also, innovative. Helps charity too and will happily run on both Mac and Windows PCs.

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• Thomas Was Alone But Got Reviewed
• The 2011 AGS Awards
• Let a Thousand Free Games Bloom
• A Size Five Games Interview

Asylum: The Kickstartering

Not many know this, but I'm more than proud of the fact that Agustin Cordes first announced the forthcoming Asylum via an interview on this very blog back in 2010. Admittedly, it was called the Unnameable Project back then, but it was still the very same horror adventure game everyone seems to be waiting for and the same game that has already released an incredibly promising interactive teaser (a.k.a. a small demo) for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Also, the very same game that has launched a fantastic Kickstarter campaign to ensure it becomes everything it should be. Here's the pitch video:

The Asylum, which I urge you to wholeheartedly support, is bound to be a huge, detailed, beautiful and downright creepy point-and-click adventure, that will build upon the experience its team has gathered from working on the rather brilliant Scratches, while simultaneously being the first adventure game I know of that will be open to modding! It will after all ship with the powerful and open-source Dagon engine Senscape has been busy developing. 

Oh, and if you want my advice, when selecting your perk do go for that boxed version of the game. I know it will be sublime.

Eclectic Mayans in a Box in a Bundle

Well, though I'd let you know... We've gone all silly and doom-spirited and have given the Eclectic Delights bundle a 3-day Mayan End of the World Extension. We've come up with the above lovely picture too, hoping that this will make our 11 excellent indie games look even tastier to your eclectic, err, tastes. Knock yourself out reader before it's too late!

Shadows on the Vatican, Act 2 (pre-order) and Skylight added to the Eclectic Delights bundle!

Bundle In A Box: Eclectic Delights is proving rather popular and, well, reader, that really makes both my and the Kyttaro Games team happy. Then again, 9 excellent indie games including strategy-‘em-up Delve Deeper, horror masterpieces The 4th Wall, Eversion and Fibrillation, point-and-click adventure The Shadows on the Vatican, Act: I, tactical wonder War of the Human Tanks, FMV fighting game Stay Dead, incredibly varied platformer The Adventures of Shuggy and Atari 2600 inspired Flibble!

Happily, the Eclectic Delights bundle has now ADDED 2 MORE GAMES for a total of 11; 2 games that will be yours if you beat the average price:

Shadows on the Vatican, Act: II Greed (pre-order). Yes, the still unreleased second installment in the point-and-click mystery thriller series can be grabbed for an incredibly low price in the world’s first bundle pre-order offer. The game will be made available to play and download as soon as it gets officially released. 

Skylight. An almost soothing 3D platform jumping journey with randomly generated levels and music for Windows and Mac. A unique arcade offering and the very first game of Moment Studio.

Gnomes bundling boxes: BIAB Eclectic Delights launched!

Hooray (I guess)! The third and biggest Bundle In A Box, the deeply indie, wildly varied, thoroughly researched, much loved and rather fabulous Eclectic Delights bundle, is now live!

All you have to do wise reader is to simply hop over to Bundle In A Box, pay what you want and grab 5 brilliant and properly indie games:

• Lovecraftian yet cute platformer Eversion (Windows/Mac/Steam) 
• elegant RTS War of the Human Tanks (Windows/Desura)
• gloriously pixelated adventure/strategy Delve Deeper (Windows/Steam) 
• Russian horror offering Fibrillation (Windows /Desura) 
• point-and-click mystery Shadows of the Vatican, Act: I (Windows/Desura) 

Beat the average price, further help your favourite gnome and also get:

• award winning platformer Adventures of Shuggy (Windows/Steam/Desura) 
• surreal horror game The 4th Wall (Windows) 
• FMV rhythm-action-fighter Stay Dead (Windows/Mac/Desura) r
• etro-tastique, hilarious maze-‘em-up Flibble (Windows) 

Oh, and do keep in mind that the more bundles we manage to sell, the more money will go to the Indie Dev Grant and that most crucial charity helping autistic children in poverty-stricken Greece. Also, more extras will be unlocked, meaning that everyone who grabbed a bundle (in a box) will also be getting such goodies as soundtracks and digital comic-books.

PS. Did you know that bundlers will also be getting access to exclusive Droidscape: Basilica content? Well, now you do.

PS 2. Helping spread the word via blogs, twitter, facebook, reddit and all sorts of web thingies would be deeply appreciated. Also, needed I'm afraid :)

Kicking it off again with Agent Trinity - The Ultimatum

The Ultimatum, Agent Trinity - Episode 0 - The Ultimatum to give it its full name, is an AGS game crafted for the experimental gameplay project. Now, as this month's experimental competition was all about the manipulation of time, Agent Trinity has you literally manipulating a clock; the ultimate time measuring device. By turning its hour hand two hours back into the PAST no less!

Yes, this is a funny little game indeed and LostTrainDude definitely knows his humour. Apparently, he knows his point-and-click/stealth hybrids too, which is definitely a good thing.

But is it dead yet? NO! The Deep Space bundle adds the complete Bagful of Wrong!

Gotta love them long blog-post titles.

The way Bundle In A Box: Deep Space is doing? Well, not so much really.

Despite trying to be different, properly indie, supportive of things that matter, nice and proponents of quality, we didn't apparently manage to attract the gaze of the greatest part of the gaming press. As for the wonderful people that covered the Deep Space let me just say thank you! You've been wonderful! Really, really, wonderful!

Anyway. Enough with that. Just wanted to let you know that our bundle has become even better (yes, it was actually possible) with the addition of Rob Fearon's amazing Bagfull of Wrong as a bundle-within-a-bundle! 

That's another ten games to accompany Death Ray Manta (already got a lovely review over on the illustrious EDGE), Space Giraffe, Dark Scavenger, Armalyte and, surely, you know the rest. As for them new games, please do allow me to copy&paste from our press release:  

Bagfull of Wrong, the winner of 2 Eurogamer Expo Stars, first and foremost contains arena shooter War Twat (for both PC and Mac and in all its varied guises); the same game that had Kieron Gillen admit: “This is a Minter shooter with the finesse removed and the volume turned to Bruce Forsyth screaming with the force of a nuclear explosion”.

 -Critically acclaimed shooter Squid Yes Not So Octopus (widely known as SYNSO). A sweet 1-4 minute arena shooter, offering psychedelic mayhem and neon chaos from the future that never was. SYNSO is playfully accompanied by SYNSO:CE and even more, weirder SYNSO editions.

-SYNSO: Squid Harder. The noisy follow-up to SYNSO. A sequel if you will, sporting even more squids with guns! Pink Robots! Devils from the 4th dimension! Shopping Trolleys and Lasers. Visual and aural overload! The star of the Eurogamer Expo 2009 Indie Games Arcade and an arena shooter like no other.

-Squid and Let Die: A diversion via Transversion. Solar like a fox. Collect the dots, the board is a deathtrap. Do not die. Hard and scary with a side order of Digitiser and Pac-Man tribute.

-FISHFISHBANGBANG: The one-button, fish-spinning, fish vs fish shoot-‘em-up that pays tribute to the almost forgotten Vectrex console.

-Ambiomat: The colorful one-switch digital toy.

-More.

Oh, and the original PlaySF issue and the exclusive Dark Scavenger Soundtrack have already been unlocked for everyone who has grabbed (or will do so) the bundle to enjoy.

If you could help us spread the word reader, that would be rather brilliant. Blog-post, reviews, facebookings, tweeterings, reddits, anything really will do. I even prepared a handy web-presskit to make things easier for you...

Deep Space Bundle: Pay What You Want for 8 Space Themed Games

In space no one can hear you bundle. A silly slogan, I know, but it was one I simply had to use when trying to let the world know about Bundle In A Box: Deep Space; the fantastic, if I may say so myself, pay-what-you-want bundle I and Kyttaro Games had been working on for quite some time and has finally been released.

The bundle is still of course thematic, remains dedicated to DRM-free downloads despite introducing the amazing DRM: The Game (a.k.a. Death Ray Manta) and keeps on supporting both a charity that's actually important and the Indie Dev Grant that, well, is also pretty important.

Right. Let's talk games then and avoid discussing the subtleties (or lack thereof) of the pay-what-you-want model. GAMES. Well, here they are then:

Rob Fearon’s Death Ray Manta (PC/Mac); a psychedelic and fully customizable arena shooter specifically created for Bundle In A Box.

Llamasoft’s demented Space Giraffe (PC/Steam) arcade thingy.

Frenetic space-combat sim The Wreckless (PC/Mac/Desura), that does feel quite a bit like Wing Commander.

Surreal RPG/adventure Dark Scavenger (PC/ Mac/Desura); the game that has the best weapons ever!

Official remake of the Commodore 64 classic Armalyte (PC) along some impressively interactive extras.

Stunning space-shooter Sol: Exodus (PC/Steam/Desura).

Just released 2.5D arcade offering Miner Wars Arena (PC/Mac/Desura)

Humorous retro-esque platformer RobotRiot (PC/Mac/Desura).

What’s more, for each 1000 bundles sold a hand-picked (by me no less) selection of extras will be unlocked for everyone, including the premier issue of the PlaySF sci-fi gaming magazine, the brand new Dark Scavenger soundtrack, the soundtracks of Sol: Exodus and Miner Wars, and an eclectic selection of books, artbooks and storyboards.

As a further bonus, all who purchase the bundle will get access to exclusive content for Droidcape: Basilica; Kyttaro Games’ own upcoming game for iOS and Android and something I have been working on for bloody ages. The top 10 contributors will also get a free copy of the game itself upon release, whereas the Droidscape: Into the Basilica book will be made available as an unlockable extra.

Bravely Navigating Greenlight (also 10 games that have to be on Steam if the world is to ever be a better place)

In its first day Greenlight, the cunning Steam scheme that lets mainstream gamers vote on indie games and saves Valve the trouble of promoting its service, has gathered over 500 submissions. It is of course quite the mess, though a mess that will ensure that only well-known games with built-in communities make it to Steam, thus bringing Valve even more money. Hoorah!

Or, well, not.

Anyway. I too did spend a few hours navigating the Greenlight entries and here are the 10 games I would like to see make it on the service. They are of course games I was already aware of, but that's how things work, isn't it?

The Sea Will Claim Everything; it's the only game that will make you a better person. Also, it looks and sounds wonderful and sports thousands of lovely words that are lovely.

Death Ray Manta; it's by Rob Fearon and it's the most psychedelic, colourful, enjoyable and modifiable arena shooter we'll ever play. Besides, DRM eh?

Dark Scavenger; because everyone should love excellent, verbose adventure/RPG hybrids with a demented sense of humour.

Project Zomboid; yes, zombies can still be fun, interesting and actually innovative. Here is where I confess my love for the thing.

Neocolonialism; seems to have involved since I first covered it for the IndieGames Blog. Besides Steam could easily use a couple more political games.

Wyv and Keep; I do love co-op games played on one PC. Even more so when they are weird and pixel-artsy. Mind you, I did preview this particular game some time ago.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller; crafted with a little help from Jane Jensen AND using the power of post-cognition: the most useless sounding super-power of late, that does though make perfect sense from a gameplay point-of-view.

Fibrillation; from Russia. With horror.

Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land; WWI turn-based strategy and Cthulhu. Better yet, Call of Cthulhu of the Chaosium variety. Did review it some time ago.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch; the trailer, the TRAILER.

And if you feel I haven't posted enough links, well, here's another one. It will take you to my Greenlight Collection thingy, which, provided I don't get bored, will generally include some pretty intriguing games.

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• Thomas Was Alone; a review
• The 2011 AGS Awards
• Roar and Rampage in Roar Rampage
• J.U.L.I.A. review