Decker's Delight Links (24.Aug.11)

Seems it's been over a year since them Decker's Delight Links last appeared on Gnome's Lair and, well, it also seems the time has come for them to return, albeit in a slightly altered way. I am after all taking a few days off computers and cities, and I sincerely believe this particular link list will cater to your every -every!- gaming need for the next 10 days or so. Feel free to click it to exhaustion. Try to ignore the fact that it's rather short; I'm short on time myself. Got to pack.

So, where to start eh? Well, the relatively new and definitely excellent Electron Dance blog seems like a lovely place, what with its excellent Rescue on Fractalus! piece and that David Fox interview follow-up. Retro gamers, adventurers and (r)ageing Lucasarts fanboys/girls should immediately apply.

The rest should instead take a virtual stroll to the newly reopened and elegantly refurbished Elderly Gamer blog. Elderly is back (having escaped the trans-dimensional cellar of this very Lair), in high spirits (despite the sad loss of a certain leprechaun) and with a brand new helper (Alf apparently). Console gaming and Tom Waits are happy.

As for aspiring (and proper) indie developers too busy to read, they could have a look at this comprehensive Indie Resources guide by Pixel Prospector. It's a treasure trove of information covering everything from inspiration to marketing. RetroDreamer's piece on Media Kits might be a handy nice thing to round things up.

Then again, if you are into reading dear reader (see what I did there?) there's something else for you to check out: Life Support. A science fiction novelette by Verena Kyratzes of The Book of Living Magic fame. This of course reminds me to remind you to actually play The Book of Living Magic if, despite following this blog, you haven't done so yet. It's an amazing game, it is.

For something less whimsical, extremely short and joyfully disturbing give Hero's Adventure a try. It will only take a minute, yet you will discover just how demented Terry Cavanagh can actually be.

Traditional point-and-clickers, on the other hand, can find out more about the adventurous re-imagining of the Count of Monte Cristo via this lovely Enter the Story review by the Hardy Developer's Journal; you know, that excellent source of indie adventuring goodness. And don't forget to check the AGS blog out too.

In case you were somehow reminded of the Atari ST you'll be elated to know that The Joy of Sticks has gone on and created an amazing online repository for classic, ST-related, gaming magazines. It's apt name is none other than The Atari ST Magazine Archive. 

More retro gaming fun can be had over at the Recycled Thoughts of a Retro Gamer blog where magisterrex has been covering a variety of subject from ancient copy protection schemes to American McGee's Alice. Oh, and while you're wondering whether American in a proper name for an American, you can also download a fantastic 1981 TSR catalog in PDF.

The analog fun oddly continues over at Rock Paper Shotgun where Robert Florence writes about the Shadows over Scotland, while explaining why everyone should be playing the excellent Call of Cthulhu RPG. It's my favourite pen and paper pass-time you know.

Now, as I really have to pack and this wouldn't be a proper Decker's Delight Links post without something by Richard Cobbett, here are two brilliant articles: A-Fforde-able Adventure and the 9:05 Crapshoot. Read them carefully; I'll be asking questions.

Eye^Game^Candy: Perihelion

Post-apocalyptic RPGs weren't particularly common on the Amiga, though I'm pretty sure that post-apocalyptic RPGs created by a team of three must have been as rare as, well, an incredibly rare thing. Perihelion, a 1993 Psygnosis release, was not only such a game, but  an incredibly polished and downright stunning RPG too, with striking 32-colour visuals, excellent atmosphere, interesting plot, unique mechanics and a lovely chiptune soundtrack. It has nowadays been sadly more or less forgotten, but one of the people behind it is kindly offering it as a free, ready-to-run download. Get it, play it.

A C64 Walkabout Book Review

As I love books, care for retro games, deeply appreciate the Commodore 64 and don't have the disposable income to entertain myself in more extravagant ways, a little $1 ebook called A Commodore 64 Walkabout was both tantalizing and within reach. I thus digitally grabbed it, was pretty amazed I had bought it in a huge variety of formats ranging from PDF to them Kindle-loving .mobi files, promptly loaded the thing on my Kindle and started reading, while simultaneously noticing it was written by Robinson Manson. Yes, the same person that happily runs the excellent C64 Walkabout retro site.

Now, the book might generally and rather oddly be aimed at people that aren't so much into retro gaming and collecting (especially of the Commodore variety) just yet, what with its extended introduction on the joys of classic hardware and gaming, but there's quite a bit more to it than that. Mind you, as a beginner's guide to emulating and enjoying the hundreds of classic C64 and VIC-20 games the C64 Walkabout is pretty much excellent. It lets readers in on a bit of history, what emulators to grab, where to find the games, utilities and demos they'll need, how to run them via emulation and even suggest some rather lovely titles.

It's also pretty good when it comes to collecting hardware, though it rather infuriatingly chooses to focus on the VIC-20 and actually for the most part ignore the Commodore 64 itself. Now, you might call me an idiosyncratically grumpy person, but when I do read a C64 book, I do expect C64 content to outweigh VIC-20 one. Not that this isn't the case throughout the book, mind, but I would really love to read an equally detailed piece on collecting C64 hardware.

Said minor annoyance aside, the book is pretty lovely and actually unique as, unlike most retro publications, it does go for a more personal feel, which is frankly brilliant; Mr. Mason, you see, does have a thing for CRPGs and text-adventures and isn't afraid to even walk readers through the more obscure ones like Castle of Spirits. Actually, many of the included games are presented with all the info you'd ever need to get them running on a modern PCs, as well as a short play-guide and -in selected cases- are impressively accompanied by a creator's interview.

As an added bonus the Commodore 64 Walkabout doesn't limit itself to games either. A whole section of the book details the productive and creative aspects of the machine, with SID music being of course the most prominent. The modern remix scene is briefly presented, the needed programs are examined and some lovely tunes are suggested, though what I particularly enjoyed, what really convinced me to take the time and suggest this book, was the look at the Micro Illustrator art package. Why? Well, why not?

Verdict: A lovely, personal book for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 micros that keeps in mind that some people might have only recently been retro-intrigued.   

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• The 8-bit Book 1981-199X
• 250 Indie Games You Must Play - a book review
• A book for Graphic Adventures
• The Mark Jones Spectrum-loving interview

The lovable Atom Zombie Smasher

Killing zombies is part of a gamer's daily routine, which is all fine and apparently dandy, but I simply can't stomach another undead infested FPS. Bombing thousands of undead along with some unfortunate not-quite-dead-yet citizens, on the other hand, is another matter entirely and as Atom Zombie Smasher emphatically showed me, a most refreshing and enjoyable, if not downright noble, pass-time. Oh, and it's a novel way to battle stuff too, though you probably know all about it already, what with Atom Zombie Smasher being a part of the biggest and least humble of Humble Indie Bundles so far.

Anyway, as simply reminding you of its existence wouldn't do anyone any good, let me just point out that in Atom Zombie Smasher you get to evacuate yellow and blue dots (civilians and scientists apparently) while destroying pink dots (those would be the zombies), in what can only be described as an unholy fusion of RTS, action, orbital bombing and tower defense mechanics in one impressively coherent whole.  Add the between levels strategic and slightly reminiscent of RISK portions and you have a deep, satisfyingly difficult and unique game; yes, with zombies. In a nutshell, it is thus an engaging, addictive and downright fun affair that had me using my upgraded artillery throughout more than a few nights.

Admittedly though, dots of varying colors and, after a certain point, bigger dots don't sound like much when it comes to visuals, but this lovely indie game manages to look good in a way vaguely reminiscent of the original GTA, only with some added pyrotechnics. Besides, it does feature an utterly brilliant soundtrack, that puts much grander productions to shame. 

What's more, the dozens of extra game modes, unlockable, brilliantly illustrated vignettes and a multitude of little touches add a polished feel to Atom Zombie Smasher, which more than makes up for its minor shortcomings. Only a couple of different enemies and a handful of playable units would have made a lesser game feel pretty poor indeed... And the difficulty curve is far from perfect too, which does admittedly make for a more rewarding first, uhm, dozen of hours.

Verdict: Orbital terror at its best and least terrifying. Also, a zombie murder simulator to cheer you up while perfecting those tactical skills.

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• Gnome's Lair wants YOU to join Project Zomboid
• Enter the Sweatshop
• 250 Indie Games You Must Play
• Gemini Rue - a noir review

Sympathy for the Squid

Arenas! Shooters! Indies! Laughs! Naughty notions! Psychedelic pyrotechnics! Twats of war! Pixelated buses! Squids! Octopi (not so much)! All this and more can be yours to digitally frolic with, oh reader, and -should you hurry and visit the Bagful of Wrong today- for no charge whatsoever. Yes, it is Sympathy for the Indie time and the excellent Bundle of Wrong, the same collection of indie arena shooters (and assorted games) I recently grabbed and loved, can be downloaded for free. Hurry and thank me later. Just don't forget to also thank Mr. BagfullOfWrongMan. He's so nice and cuddly.

The Book of Living Magic (Reviewed?)

I know I can be overly enthusiastic when it comes to certain games, but, if I were you, I'd really trust me. Believe me, I do know; it's me I'm talking about. Now, I don't usually write about many games, but those I do choose to spend my time with are -for the most part at least- absolutely worth it. Fantasy, indie point-and-click offerings starring girls named Raven Locks Smith who live in the city of Dull, on the other hand, are a particular favourite of mine, so please do expect me to rampantly praise any such offering. Especially considering that Raven Locks Smith is a particularly unfortunate name only a shoe industry motivational speaker would choose for his or her offspring.

Oddly, The Book of Living Magic, the latest game by Jonas and Verena Kyratzes, does indeed star a Raven Locks Smith from the city of Dull, a major urban centre in the Holy Corporate Beaurocratocracy of Yawn west of scenic Borington. Then again, it also sports an interesting menagerie of bottled gnomes, human-taming cats, demonic eyeballs, evil doctors, and, yes, depressed robots. Oh, and as you wouldn't really find such wonders in good ol' Dull, the game takes place in and around the village of Oddness Standing; a wonderful and pretty hilarious place, but also, handily, a perfect setting for a surreal fantasy point-and-click adventure.

So, yes, the game is indeed an almost traditional graphic adventure when it comes to its interface and generally easy puzzles. Very much less so should its plot, quality of writing, setting, visuals, characters and music enter the equation, for The Book of Living Magic is a truly unique -nay, magical- beast comparable only to its equally excellent predecessor: The Strange and Somewhat Sinister Tale of the House at Desert Bridge. It's a piece of fine art and just like all proper art (according to "Gnomic Definitions", page 57, paragraph 57) it also is a thing of unique allure. Oh, and it's incredibly rich too as anyone willing to click on dozens of different little things will soon discover.  

The beautiful hand-painted graphics by Verena Kyratzes and the joyfully eerie music by Helen Trevillion fit the world and story that Jonas has crafted brilliantly, and make this one adventure you simply have to play. Even if you don't care much for point-and-click entertainments. It wont take too long mind and I'd rather not spoil it anymore. It's better to enjoy the wonders on offer by yourself reader. Remember: you don't need no stinking guides; never did, never will.

If there is one criticism one could direct against The Book of Living Magic is its length or, to put it better, its lack thereof, though nobody really thought less of, say, The Great Gatsby due to it being a few pages short of a proper novel. It's just that I would absolutely love more of this game. Much more. Something truly epic would be really nice actually.

You can and indeed shall play The Book of Living Magic by following a certain not-so-well hidden link. It is happily free to play, kindly hosted by Jay is Games and can be enjoyed in the comfort of your browser, preferably while wearing nothing but an obscenely silly hat. 

Verdict: A game I would love to have in my bookcase and hang on my wall. Also a beautiful, unique and quite excellent indie adventure game.

Related @ Gnome's Lair:

• Alphaland: the prequel of a BETA
• The evils of Phenomenon 32
• King's Quest III Redux
• The sci-fi fiction of Fragile Shells