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You are here: Home / Archives for indie dev

indie dev

Getting Ready for PAX Online

September 2, 2020 By ausretrogamer

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

 

Get Ready for PAX ONLINE 2020!

source: PAX Online

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Modern Gaming Tagged With: 0000ff, 339966, classic gaming, Cosplay, event, Gaming convention, Gaming Event, indie dev, IndieDev, Nintendo Switch, PAX, PAX Aus, PAX event, PAX Online, PAXAus, pinball, PS4, PS5, Retro Gaming, Steam, tabletop, Twitch, Video Games, Xbox One

VergeWorld: ICarus – A Nostalgic Blast!

August 19, 2020 By ausretrogamer

Whoa, the team at Retro Bones have been busy tinkering on VergeWorld: Icarus, a new sci-fi racer shoot’em up game (with exploration elements) for the Amiga, Atari and Mega Drive!

What is VergeWorld you ask? Far into the future, on a distant and inhospitable planet, mankind engages in one thing it knows well – war. The tyrannical corporate regime wants to enslave all inhabitants of the Kingdom – humanity’s new home. As a young smuggler, Nix, aboard the aircraft Icarus, you want to help the oppressed by joining the Revolt.

Download the Amiga demo to prove your worth by completing the infamous Death Run challenge and convince the Revolt to accept you as one of them!

image source: Retro Bones

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Amiga, Art, Atari, Bad Bones, Deat Run, gamer, Icarus, indie dev, IndieDev, Mega Drive, Nix, pixelart, Pixels, racer, Retro, Retro Bones, Retro Game, Retro Gamer, retrogaming, Revold, scifi, shmup, shoot'em up, VergeWorld, VergeWorld: Icarus, VergeWorld: Icarus Rising, voxels

Type-In Listings for your Commodore 64 – It’s So Old School!

June 12, 2020 By ausretrogamer

If you want to truly get back to the mid 80s by typing in your BASIC programs into the Commodore 64, then you are in luck!

Roman Werner (aka: King Roman) has created a couple of type-in games for the C64, so get your fingers ready. You will be kept quite busy as you peck at the keyboard, typing in the BASIC listing for Yahtzee and Black Jack.

Oh yeah, you could cheat by copy and pasting the listings from their respective PDF documents, but that would be cheating! If you really want it to be like the 80s, then type away and be very careful where you put those pokes 😉

image source: King Roman

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 1980s, 8-bit, 80s, BASIC, BASIC listings, Black Jack 2019, Black Jack C64, C64, C64 BASIC, C64 dev, C64 program listings, C64 type-ins, Commodore 64, Commodore 64 games, indie dev, IndieDev, King Roman, program listings, Retro Computers, retro computing, Retro Gaming, Roman Werner, RowWer, type in, type-in games, type-in listings, Yahtzee 2020, Yahtzee C64

2020 Reset64 4KB Craptastic Game Competition Preview

June 9, 2020 By ausretrogamer

Development for the 2020 Reset64 4kb ‘Craptastic’ game competition is in full swing!

Deadline is fast approaching (June 30th!) so we thought we’d give you all a quick look at what some of the clever devs are up to for this most awesome competition.

Best of luck to all the competitors and we can’t wait to try your craptastic creations!

Title: Rainbow Edge Run
Author: Geir Straume
Synopsis: Run along the edge of the rainbow and collect as many gold coins as you can, but look out for the exploding mines!

Title: Jumpin’ Jalopies
Credits: A Megastyle Production. Code by Chris Stanley, Graphics by Roy Widding, Music by Roy Widding & Magnar Harestad
Synopsis: This bouncy little game was inspired by my 1954 Morris Minor, affectionately known as ‘Galloping Gussie’! Driving your clapped-out old jalopy you must climb your way up the multi-storey car park/parking lot, using your hydraulics to bounce your way from floor to floor. Climb higher and higher and watch the sky grow darker as you head above the clouds and up out of the atmosphere! Make sure you don’t crash into any of the other vehicles which are all vying for space because one collision and it’s back down to the bottom to begin again. Play it over and over again to keep improving on your previous best score. Can you make it all the way to the top?

Title: Ewe Woz ‘Ere
Credits: Code by Chris Page, Graphics and sound by Chris, Rose and Brent Page.
Synopsis: A cyborg sheep from the future named Baaary must defend his fields from an invasion of meanies, using just his wits and a plasma spitter. It is a score chasing shoot ‘em up with a single life and an emphasis on energy management.

Title: Kugel Blitz
Credits: Code & Graphics by Haplo, Graphics by Marukpa, Music by Richard Bayliss, Fonts by TCH and CyberBrain.
Synopsis: “How long can you hang on before falling to your death?!”

Title: Orcapult
Credits: By Ant Stiller for Puddlesoft
Synopsis: The best orc is an orc flung at its enemy via a catapult. Assault the enemy tower with your green-skinned payloads and conquer its defences before your catapult is destroyed.
(Note: Screenshot is a WIP and may not represent the final version. Many, many orcs were harmed in the making of this game.)

Title: Stacks
Credits: By Derek
Synopsis: You have to repair the chimney stacks one brick at a time.

Title: Mini Danmaku 64
Credits: Everything was coded, drawn & composed by Alexander Martinelle, Cogitare Computing 2020.
Synopsis: The ever smiling alien flirbzies are attacking. It’s up to you to protect your world by figuring out how avoid the onslaught of bullets and obliterate the aliens at the portal.
Good luck with that!

Title: Hose It Out
Credits: Code & Maps by Oziphantom, Graphics by Lobo, Additional maps by Jazzcat.
Synopsis: A simple puzzle game where you have you put out all the burning fires so you can find a way forward 🙂 Make a path for the water and then Hit the water tanks to make it flow and hopefully put out the fires.

Title: Cover Fire!
Credits: By Kamil ‘Jammer’ Wolnikowski
Synopsis: If you enjoyed ‘Gun Fight’ on arcades and its C64 port entitled ‘The Duel’, you will love this two player title as well. This time we abandon wild west setting in favour of modern military operation in the jungle. Kill your opponent and don’t get yourself killed!

Title: Bintris
Credits: Code by Janne Hellsten, Graphics by Iiro Harra.
Synopsis: The game is called BINTRIS. You play Tetris but instead of tetromino pieces, you play with zeros and ones. It’s a major PITA of a game.

Title: Snout About
Credits: Code, Graphics and Sound by Nick Sherman of Crappertronic, a subsidiary of ArlaGames.
Synopsis: ‘Snout About’ is an action game of risk and reward. The quickest way to build a big score is by extending Ian’s snout far and wide, but your reactions will need to be quick to avoid falling hammers from giving your hooter an almighty and game-ending clonk….

Title: sudspccj (working title)
Author: By Goerp
Synopsis: I had the idea for this game for several years. I was thinking about finally learning Unity to realise it, but that never happened. Then the Craptastic 4K compo came along and I started wondering: maybe I can make the game for the Commodore 64, in 4K? I have a working prototype (which was a struggle at times, having never done any floating point calculations in 6502 assembly and having to to refresh my High School trigonometry), but I’m on track for finishing before the deadline. So what I couldn’t do with a modern day 3D game engine looks to be realised on a 38 year old computer in 4K. I love how restrictions sometimes can focus you to realise your ideas! I’d rather not tell too much about the game itself other than: it’s going to be craptastic!

Title: Plazzle
Author: Goerp
Synopsis: I woke up with this simple idea in my head: make a puzzle game with plasmas. And by plasmas I mean the demo effect. The plasma screen is dissected into rectangles and all rectangles are then shuffled. You have to construct the original pattern by switching two rectangles at a time. The player hasn’t seen the original pattern beforehand and because it’s a plasma it’s moving all the time. The code had to be fast but also small, so it required so called speed-code that was generated at run time. Even then I’m very close to 4K, so a few features will have to be sacrificed for a post-compo edition. The game will have a high-score mode and a random mode. Personally I like playing it and I hope others will too.

Title: Blockheads
Credits: Code and Design by Carleton Handley, Graphics by MonstersGoBoom
Synopsis: A Meat Boy style platform game where you can race against the clock in one player mode or against a friend in the split screen two player mode.

Title: Kung Poo Fighter
Credits: A Megastyle Production. Graphics & Code by Roy Fielding, Sound by Roy Widding.
Synopsis: It’s Kung Poo Fighting! Hit it!

Title: RodMän Jr
Credits: Code, Art and Audio by Misfit
Synopsis: The weirdest son of Rodmän & Rodwina got an own game. You must collect pills & bombs and watch out annoying twins Rod and Dave. Craptastic theme gives something different for the game play. 4k causes a few problems and I removed many good ideas. I’m sure I’ll release a bigger and bolder version later.


So there it is. We hope you enjoyed this Craptastic preview and we look forward to being able to play these amazing looking games after deadline. Of course, there are more registered entries and some real Craptastic surprises that weren’t previewed as well!

As usual, a big thank-you to our sponsors and supporters. Please visit their sites and show them your support:

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Unkle K / Reset64
Official Twitter account for Reset64 Magazine – dedicated to the world’s favourite 8-bit computer!

Follow Reset64 Magazine on Twitter

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 2020 Craptastic Preview, 2020 Reset64 4KB Craptastic Game Competition Preview, Ant Stiller, Blockheads, C64, Commodore 64, Craptastic, Craptastic Preview, Ewe Woz Ere, game dev, indie dev, IndieDev, micro computer, Orcapult, Pond Software, Rainbow Edge Run, RESET, Reset 64, Reset C64, Reset C64 magazine, Reset Magazine, Reset64, Retro Gaming, retro magazine, Snout About

Indie World – Nintendo Switch

March 18, 2020 By ausretrogamer

Hey folks, Nintendo debuted a new Indie World showcase video (see below) highlighting a wide variety of indie games coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2020! This includes original platformers like Blue Fire, action-RPGs like Baldo, the next game from No Man’s Sky creators Hello Games, The Last Campfire, and sequels like PixelJunk Eden 2 and Exit the Gungeon, the latter of which launches for Nintendo Switch today.


source: Nintendo AU

The following titles were shown in the video:

  • Exit the Gungeon from Dodge Roll & Singlecore Games: Exit the Gungeon is a bullet-hell dungeon climber immediately following the events of Enter the Gungeon. Armed with an ever-changing weapon, an insatiable need to loot and the trusty dodge roll, each of our heroes must ascend and escape via their own unique route of increasingly perilous elevators. Exit the Gungeon launches on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive today!
  • The Last Campfire from Hello Games: Discover a beautiful wilderness filled with lost folk, strange creatures and mysterious ruins as you journey to light the last campfire. Experience a truly moving tale of magic and mystery when The Last Campfire launches for Nintendo Switch this winter.
  • Blue Fire from Robi Studios: Embark on an extraordinary journey through the desolated kingdom of Penumbra and discover the hidden secrets of this long-forgotten land. Explore mystical temples, encounter survivors and take on strange quests to collect valuable items. A dark world awaits when Blue Fire launches first on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive this winter.
  • Baldo from Naps Team: Meet many weird and funny characters and become immersed in the amazing world of Baldo, an action-adventure RPG full of puzzles, intriguing gameplay mechanics and intricate dungeons to solve spread through a wide, interactive open world. Baldo launches first on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive this winter.
  • I Am Dead from Hollow Ponds: I Am Dead is a charming puzzle adventure game from the creators of Hohokum and Wilmot’s Warehouse about exploring the afterlife. I Am Dead launches first on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive later this year.
  • B.ARK from Tic Toc Games: It’s time for pugs, cats, bears and bunnies to save the solar system! Call your friends over to pilot powerful yet adorable ships, as you team up against waves of enemies in a side scrolling shooter. B.ARK blasts off first on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive in late 2020.
  • Cyanide & Happiness – Freakpocalypse: Part 1 from Explosm Games: You play as Coop “Go Away, Weirdo” McCarthy, and all you want to do is make the world a better place. The trouble is: Nobody likes you, school sucks, you can’t find a prom date, everybody bullies you (including your teachers) and your attempts to help only make things worse. Get ready for a world full of weirdness when Cyanide & Happiness – Freakpocalypse: Part 1 launches first on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive this winter.
  • Summer in Mara from Chibig: Take care of your own island and explore the ocean in this farming adventure. Discover the story of Koa in a game that combines farming, crafting and exploring in a tropical archipelago with a colourful style and strong narrative. Summer in Mara launches first on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive this autumn.
  • Quantum League from Nimble Giant Entertainment: Quantum League is a revolutionary time-paradox shooter: a competitive online* FPS in which you battle within a time loop, tactically teaming up with your past and future selves in mind-blowing 1v1 and 2v2 matches. Quantum League time warps onto Nintendo Switch in late 2020.
  • The Good Life from White Owls Inc.: Become a journalist from New York and head out to research Rainy Woods, the world’s happiest town in the English countryside. But Rainy Woods also hides a great secret. On full moon nights, the inhabitants turn into dogs and cats. Enjoy the bizarre charm of Rainy Woods when The Good Life launches on Nintendo Switch later this year.
  • PixelJunk Eden 2 from Q-Games: Jump, spin, swing and take out invading creatures to collect pollen and grow gardens back to full bloom. Along the way you’ll encounter a host of creatures and beautifully realized alien worlds to explore and liberate. Wallow in a feeling of synesthesia as the art and exquisite music from Baiyon envelops your mind and soul, as you, your Grimp and the delightful aesthetics of PixelJunk Eden 2 become one.  Enjoy this wonderland alone or with a friend via local multiplayer when PixelJunk Eden 2 launches on Nintendo Switch this winter.
  • Faeria from Abrakam: With its unique living board, Faeria will challenge you with truly strategic card battles. Craft your deck, shape the battlefield and fight for victory! The Nintendo Switch version of Faeria comes in autumn 2020!
  • Eldest Souls from Fallen Flag Studio: Set in a grim, dark fantasy world, Eldest Souls innovates boss-rush gameplay with a high level of combat customization. Be among the first to take up the challenge when Eldest Souls launches on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive this winter.
  • Moving Out from SMG Studio/DevM Games: For fans of cooperative gaming, Moving Out is an action-, puzzle-, physics-based moving simulator that brings a whole new meaning to “couch co-op.” Play alone or locally with friends in more than 50 levels across arcade, story and versus modes. Moving Out launches on Nintendo Switch on 28th April, with pre-purchase for the game available today. Anyone that wants to try Moving Out now can head to Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch to check out a free demo.
  • Sky Racket from Double Dash Studios: Flying over whimsical worlds filled with vivid colours, it’s just you, a stylish scarf, a laser tennis racket and a horde of fluffy enemies trying to blow you back to the ground. Mixing the classic genres of shoot-’em-ups and block breakers, Sky Racket is the world’s first “Shmup Breaker!”. Sky Racket launches on Nintendo Switch today!

Additional indie games highlighted in the video that are coming to Nintendo Switch this year include Blair Witch from Bloober Team, Bounty Battle from Dark Screen Games, Dicey Dungeons from Distractionware Limited, Ghost of a Tale from SeithCG, Sky: Children of the Light from thatgamecompany, Superliminal from Pillow Castle and Wingspan from Monster Couch.

Filed Under: Announcements, Modern Gaming Tagged With: Baldo, Blair Witch, Blue Fire, devs, Exit the Gungeon, gaming, Hello Games, independent developers, independent games, indie, indie dev, Indie World, Indie World 20, Indie World 2020, IndieDev, Nintendo Indie World, Nintendo Switch, PixelJunk Eden 2, RPGs, The Last Campfire, Video Games

Remothered: Tormented Fathers – Nintendo Switch Review

November 7, 2019 By Mat Panek

Uncover the dark and twisted secrets behind Remothered: Tormented Fathers from the team at Stormind Games, now on the Nintendo Switch. 

Remothered: Tormented Fathers is an intriguing and thrilling survival horror game where players take control of Rosemary as she tries to uncover the mystery of the Felton’s missing daughter. After confronting Mr.Felton, players will find themselves trapped in the Felton mansion seeking answers in an attempt to unravel the mystery. Using nothing except what you can find around you, players must navigate the dark mansion and solve puzzles while remaining unseen. Light is limited and this means that sound is a vital factor in Remothered, be it your own footsteps alerting enemies or telling the player exactly where the stalker is located. A good set of headphones is definitely recommended to help make player’s play throughs and general experience more enjoyable and atmospheric.

Using mechanics that should feel familiar to those that have played other survival horror games, Remothered is full of the usual puzzles that require multiple steps to complete. What creates the extra tension is that there is a single stalker, that is easily alerted to your presence, roaming the mansion constantly that cannot be eliminated. There are a few occasions though when it is possible to explore freely but these are few and far between. Some objects in the mansion can be thrown as a distraction and one time use defence weapons will break players out of a capture scenario but these are a limited resource.

Unfortunately on the switch, especially in handheld mode, Remothered does look a little muddy and resolution seems fairly low. This is obviously due to the limitations of the hardware but even in docked mode, some textures and objects are just rendered too low and this really breaks the immersion. We also ran across a few glitches where enemies got stuck in a short loop which really slowed our progress. Without headphones, even on a dedicated surround sound setup, we also found it very difficult to tell exactly where the stalker was located. Since there are multiple floors, a stalker above you sounds very similar to one in the next room. Once spotted it is often very difficult to break line of sight and escape, while this should add to the tension it often left us feeling frustrated in the unforgiving nature of the game.

While other platforms may display higher resolutions, having only played the Nintendo Switch version, it is a hard game to recommend. Remothered is full of superb ideas, fantastic tension and suspense that unfortunately starts to outstay its welcome in some places. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Remothered: Tormented Fathers [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Homerun PR for this review.

 

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Reviews Tagged With: game review, indie dev, KapinKong, Mat Panek, Nintendo Switch, Remothered, Remothered NS review, Remothered review, Remothered Switch, Remothered Switch review, Remothered: Tormented Fathers, Remothered: Tormented Fathers Nintendo Switch, Remothered: Tormented Fathers review, Stormind Games, Tired Parents

Reventure – Nintendo Switch Review

October 31, 2019 By Mat Panek

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take Reventure, now available on the Nintendo Switch from the team at Pixelatto.

Reventure is a unique, non-linear adventure game that has players taking the role of the mighty hero in the age old quest of saving the princess. Players begin each run by waking up and starting out on their quest, grabbing whatever essentials they require as they go. What makes Reventure so unique is the fact that there are 100 different endings to the story, each one requiring different processes and giving a different outcome. Trip over and make a fool of yourself? Maybe tomorrow is a better day to adventure. Murder a guard? Go to jail for a few years! Each day it is up to the player to try and discover a new and possibly true ending to the quest. Every time the player discovers a new ending, time is added to the total time count that is displayed before the day begins. Equipment can be collected each run but it is best to only gather what supplies you need, each additional piece of equipment will restrict character movement a bit more.

Reventure has a very simple pixel art style and a soundtrack that evokes memories of retro JRPGs, tying together the games old school aesthetic perfectly. There are even a number of unlockable palettes that varies style or minimises it even more, depending on personal preference. The “tongue in cheek” attitude nods to other game series with references scattered evenly throughout the game but doesn’t rely solely upon nostalgia to achieve its goals.

Trial and error is the cornerstone of the Reventure experience, so get ready for plenty of repetition. Apart from a few unique events, the world is reset each day meaning you must collect any items over and over. Endings will also carry over onto your character visually each time, from losing your hat to being turned into another creature altogether. There are plenty of unique and funny outcomes but giving examples would spoil the satisfaction of finding them for yourself. Every time the player does discover a new ending a matching picture, unique to that conclusion, is added to the “Adventure Gallery”. There are also ending hints that will appear throughout the world as you play since some of the solutions are not as obvious or significant than others.

There is certainly a lot of charm and humour in Reventure but its repetitive nature can start to dull the games impact at times. Nevertheless it is a fun and rewarding game with plenty of satisfying “Ah ha!” moments to keep players coming back for more.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Reventure [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Pixelatto for this review.

 

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Reviews Tagged With: game review, indie dev, KapinKong, Mat Panek, Nintendo Switch, pixelatto, Reventure, Reventure Nintendo Switch, Reventure NS review, Reventure review, Reventure Switch, Reventure Switch review, Tired Parents

PAX Aus 2019 Highlights

October 18, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Judging by our PAX Aus Classic Gaming highlights feature, you would have been forgiven in thinking that there was nothing else to see at this year’s PAX Aus.

Well, we are here to tell you that there was stacks to see and experience, from great panels, awesome cosplay, pin and badge hunts to booth raids to check out the latest games and wares from indie devs and the big AAA studios and gaming companies.

There was so much to see, so we hope this Rest of PAX Aus 2019 Highlights photo package can make you feel like you were there!

The calm before the storm! The crowds waits patiently for the start of PAX AUS 2019!

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, Badge, Bethesda, Booth Raid, classic gaming, Classic Gaming Area, Classic Gaming at PAX, Classic Gaming at PAXAus, coin, comics, Console Freeplay, Cosplay, darth vader, Doom, Doom Eternal, DOOM pin, Fortnite, indie dev, IndieDev, nintendo, PAX, PAX Aus, PAX Aus 2019, PAX Aus Classic Gaming, PAX Australia, PAX Australia 2019, PAX Panels, PAX Rising, PAXAus, PAXAus Classic Gaming, pinball, Playstation, podcast, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Star Wars, tabletop, Ubisoft, Zelda pin

GAME MASTERS: THE EXHIBITION OPENS 27 SEPTEMBER 2019

July 5, 2019 By ausretrogamer

NFSA turns into Australia’s biggest video game arcade, featuring world’s greatest designers, characters & 100+ playable games!

Following a 6-year international tour and more than 1 million visitors, Game Masters: The Exhibition will return to Australia and make its Canberra debut at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) from 27 September 2019 – 9 March 2020. The ultimate experience for gamers and families alike, Game Masters has been updated to include the latest gaming blockbusters as well as Australian creations.

Game Masters is an interactive journey through five decades of video game history, offering both a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind the world’s most popular characters and franchises, and a chance to play them. Featuring interviews, never-before-seen concept artwork, an amazing display of vintage consoles and collectable items, and more than 100 playable games, visitors won’t want to leave!

No matter whether you played Pong at the local milk bar in the 70s, or spent last night playing Fortnite on your phone, Game Masters has something for everyone: from the arcade era through to today’s eighth generation consoles and mobile game technology, and from the most popular video games on the planet to independent games with a cult-like following.

image source: Game Masters: The Exhibition Melbourne 2012

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED IN GAME MASTERS: THE EXHIBITION

The first section, Arcade Heroes spotlights pioneering designers from the trailblazing and revolutionary arcade era, including Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, 1981), Ed Logg (Asteroids, 1979), Masanobu Endo (Xevious, 1982), Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man, 1980), Eugene Jarvis (Defender, 1980) and Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders, 1978). During this period designers were not always recorded for posterity, as was the case for the featured games Scramble, 1981 developed by Konami and Elevator Action, 1983 developed by Taito.

Leading contemporary designers who have had a major impact on shaping the medium as we know it feature in the second section, Game Changers, including Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo III, 2012), Paulina Bozek (SingStar, 2004), Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Sega Rally Championship, 1995), Peter Molyneux OBE (Fable III, 2010), Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team (Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991), Sega (Alex Kidd in Miracle World, 1986), Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy (Rock Band 4, 2015), Tim Schafer (Broken Age, 2014), Yu Suzuki (Hang On, 1983), TT Games (LEGO Batman 3: beyond Gotham, 2014) and Will Wright (SimCity, 1989).

The third chapter of the exhibition, Indies explores the pioneering and future-focussed world of independent game designers. Artists such as Jonathan Blow (Braid, 2008), Capy (Critter Crunch, 2008), Ken Wong (Florence, 2018), Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja Kinect, 2011), Masaya Matsuura (PaRappa the Rapper, 1996), Markus ‘Notch’ Persson (Minecraft, 2014), Rovio (Angry Birds, 2009), Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It, 2017), thatgamecompany (Journey, 2012), and The Behemoth (Castle Crashers, 2008) are profiled in this section.

Game Masters also features unique experiences such as a spectacular multiplayer dance stage for Dance Central 3 (2012), hands-on experiential music booths and a selection of original classic arcade machines from the 1970s and ’80s acquired especially for the exhibition, all playable in their original form.

Game Masters: The Exhibition will be open to the public from 27 September 2019 to 9 March 2020 at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) in Canberra. A program of special events and screenings will complement the exhibition for the duration of the season. Tickets will be available from 9 August 2019; audiences can sign up for Game Masters updates and special VIP ticket offers here.

  • Where: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT
  • When: 27 September 2019 to 9 March 2020; 10am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday (except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
  • Tickets: $19/$15/$12 (adult/concession/junior 5-17). Kids up to age 4 free. Family passes available.
  • For more information/bookings: NFSA.gov.au/gamemasters

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: !Arcade!, Arcade Heroes, Atari, Canberra, classic gamer, classic gaming, Donkey Kong, event, Game Changers, game masters, Game Masters 2019, Game Masters Canberra, Game Masters The Exhibition, gamers, indie dev, IndieDev, Indies, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, NFSA, nintendo, Old School, Retro Gamer, Retro Gamers, Retro Gaming, retrogamers, retrogaming, Tempest

Weedcraft Inc. – PC Game Review

May 16, 2019 By Mat Panek

Time to trade green for green in Weedcraft Inc., the latest title from Vile Monarch.

A game about growing and selling weed? I know what you are thinking but Weedcraft Inc. manages to turn a touchy subject for some, into a seriously fun business management game. You start off in one of two scenarios, the default scenario being that you are a pair of brothers that just lost their father. One brother has experience with business, the other with growing plants in their father’s basement. In the other scenario you are an ex-con that is fresh out from jail, this is labelled as the harder of the two. From here you grow product, harvest and sell at a local market, sounds pretty simple but there is a lot of depth to Weedcraft Inc. that is very enjoyable.

Growing the product itself acts a lot like a clicker style game, you choose your weed strain, soil type and begin to grow your plant. Soil type, soil chemical composition and growing conditions will affect your harvests yields and quality of the final product. As the plant grows you need to water and trim it to promote best growth, this allows the plant to grow faster. Time can also be sped up or slowed down to suit your playing style and helpers can be hired as the game progresses to help tend the crop. Expanding your operations will start to draw attention from not only rival dealers but also from the local police, who kindly hint you at first to make things a little less obvious. Rival dealers can be strong armed out of a spot or just dealt with by delivering higher quality product at a better price. As for the Authorities, multiple fronts can be purchased such as tea rooms and pizza shops to hide your activities.

Weedcraft Inc. manages to address the serious social and political sides of growing Cannabis. Apart from the illegal and humble beginnings of your venture, it’s possible to move onto medical production and eventually push for legalisation by befriending senators and pushing for reform. Dialogue is well written and avoids any real cheesy characters you would expect to find in a game on this subject. It is obvious that a lot of care and dedication has been put into striking a balance between serious business sim and weed subculture. Weedcraft Inc. has a very nice hand drawn artistic style and a mellow soundtrack, both of which create a nice aesthetic that suits the overall feel of the game perfectly. Menus are easy to navigate and it’s always simple to tell exactly what is going on.

No matter how you feel on the subject it is a well made and interesting business sim with lots of hidden depth. From illegal dealing to thriving business empire, Weedcraft Inc. is a game that will certainly end up growing on you.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Weedcraft Inc. [Steam] was kindly provided by Power Up PR for this review.

 

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Reviews Tagged With: game dev, game review, GameDev, indie dev, IndieDev, Kapin Kong, KapinKong, Mat Panek, PC game review, PC gaming, Review, Steam game, Steam game review, Tired Parents, Weedcraft Inc, Weedcraft Inc. review, Weedcraft review

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