Shnipers

Shnipers is a local multiplayer combat platformer that I got the chance to play at Bit Bazaar. It was originally made for TOJam #9 in 2014, and is planned to get a full release sometime in mid 2018. Shnipers is being developed by Brenden Cameron.

In Shnipers, you and up to 3 friends fight to the death in a battle arena. It features tight controls and a quirky aesthetic that really tie the experience together. You must kill your opponents and collect their cores to earn points. The player with the most points at the end of the time wins the round!

The gameplay is far more interesting than just pointing and shooting however. Bullets will bounce off the walls, platforms and other objects, so you always need to be paying attention to what's going on around you! Even your own bullets can kill you! The gameplay feels so good, with just the right amount of visual, audio and feel feedback to make firing bullets feel satisfying without being distracting.

I played several rounds with various people passing by and ended up sticking around far longer than I'd originally planned. This is definitely a game worth checking out!

Shnipers is currently available to purchase in development on itch.io, with a full release planned for later this year.

A Summer with the Shiba Inu

A Summer with the Shiba Inu is a mystery visual novel being developed by Quill Studios that I got to play at Bit Bazaar.

It's a mysterious narrative game that takes place in a world inhabited by dogs. You play as Syd the Shiba Inu as she reunites with her old friend Max and encounters a mysterious Labrador Retriever called Quei-Li.

From the short demo I played, it defies your expectations quite a bit. The game begins with a fairly traditional introduction to the characters and world, reminiscent of other "weird" visual novels such as Hatoful Boyfriend, but then it takes a mysterious turn that sets the story in motion. The demo ends as the mystery begins, and it left me craving more from the story and it's world.

While the writing is the true highlight of the game, it also features very pretty artwork from a variety of talented artists. It's a real treat for the eyes.

I look forward to seeing more of A Summer with the Shiba Inu as it continues development. For now though, a demo is available on the Quill Studios website.

My Summer with the Shiba Inu will be coming soon to Steam.

Guest Blog Post - Thoughts on Bit Bazaar from Mega Power Games

Along with Brian Yoon the other day, Antonio Miceli from Mega Power Games got to try out some games at the recent Bit Bazaar last week, as well as Gaming Garage at CNE. He was kind enough to write up some thoughts on the recent event. While reading his thoughts make sure to check out Shift from Mega Power Games.

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On the weekend of August 25-27 I had the opportunity to participate in the first edition of the
CNE Gaming Garage (CNEGG) and Bit Bazaar. Here of some of the highlights of the weekend:

PINBALL-MANIA
From the moment you walk through the doors of the CNE Gaming Garage, you are greeted with
the clacks and dings of modern and restored pinball machines. There were approximately 15-20
machines set up for free play where anyone could hop on a machine and go to town. On the
Friday and Saturday there were qualifiers for a pinball tournament (the CNEPC 2017, run by the
Toronto Pinball League). As someone who had never participated in a pinball tournament
before, my results were expected (I stunk up the joint). My favourite pinball machine was one of
the oldest: a machine called Jungle Queen where I posted my best individual result.

Tabletop
In one corner of the Garage there was an area where CNE goers could sit down, grab a board
game and play.
There were also vendors selling board games in booths nearby. I was lucky enough to have
time to play Uncaged: World Warriors, an MMA deck building game from ZeMind Games. As an
MMA fan I was pleased to see a board game encapsulate the strategy one would use in an
MMA fight.

Northern Arena
A large part of the Gaming Garage was devoted to esports and VR, all run by Northern Arena.
This was arguably one of the most popular fixtures inside the garage, as there were consistent
lineups to play VR games, as well as esports games finals being broadcast on the mainstage.

Bit Bazaar
Garage goers would have noticed a long line of tables along the side with games on display that
they may have never heard of before. The Bit Bazaar has been running since 2013, and thanks
to assistance from the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Gamma Space TO managed to
secure some table space to host their eighth edition of the event. Here are only a small subset
of games that you would have found at the event (and that I had a chance to play):

Way Of the Passive Fist - Household Games
This was one of the games that I was looking forward to playing. The artstyle evokes classic
games made in the 90s, but the strategy that you need in this tactical brawler definitely lives up to the standards of today’s modern games. HH Games built a custom arcade machine to show
off at the CNEGG on the Friday and Saturday before packing the machine up and driving across
the continent for PAX.

Tribes of Teldar - Boat Rocker Games
A free mobile turn based strategy game, Tribes of Teldar is a board capture game which is
reminiscent (at least to me) to Go...if each Go piece had a warrior on it that could directly fight
other warriors. The art style is fantastic, the gameplay is easy to pick up, and there’s a lot of
replay value.

Block Droppin’ - Rocketship Park
I read about this game before the CNE Gaming Garage started, and the style intrigued me.
Turns out the gameplay is just as fun as the game looks. Released last week, Block Droppin’ is
a puzzle game where the board is divided into two halves. In the top half, players slide colored
blocks to create shapes by matching colors. Once created, those shapes drop into a grid below
where they’ll need to complete horizontal lines to score points. The game plays smooth, and is
something I could easily see myself playing everyday (if I had an IPhone that is).

Dungeon Crew - Clockwork Kraken
Don’t be fooled by the game’s artstyle. While gorgeous and kid friendly, this demo packs a lot of
tactical elements. The game is level based where you take four warriors out into the battlefield
to battle waves of enemies. Unlike in Final Fantasy where your warriors are stationary and
susceptible to damage, this game allows you to dynamically switch your warriors to adjust
depending what appears in the enemy lanes. The boys at Clockwork Kraken were looking for
feedback for their game all weekend, and from what I can see, the game looks absolutely
promising. Watch out for the the finished product, folks.

Breakforcist - Lucid Sheep Games x Pete Ellison
Breakforcist is the most adorable brick breaker game I have ever played. As waffles fall from the
sky, you need to bat the ball to break them and earn points before they hit the bottom of the
screen. The game made me happy, as well as hungry. If you seek out this game, give it a whirl.

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Thanks again to Antonio and Brian for writing up some things about the Gaming Garage/Bit Bazaar since I couldn't make it out!

Guest Blog Post - Thoughts on Bit Bazaar From Brian Yoon

Friend of the site Brian Yoon checked out this past weekends Bit Bazaar and was kind enough to give some thoughts on the games he played. You can check Brian's Soundcloud right here, and follow him on Twitter here.

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It was my first game event that I attended that was not a game jam. I was there to promote the game that I made music for called The Dungeon Crew by Clockwork Kraken (https://www.clockwork-kraken.com) and it was amazing! The hours are definitely gruesome, however it was fun and fulfilling.

The gaming garage inside CNE displayed array of games. Anywhere from boardgames to console games were there. Also there was a street fighter tournament happening as well. On the right side as soon as you enter, was game full of indie developers around Toronto. I was really surprised by all the different types of games that Toronto had to offer. There were games that are action driven to narrative games. I tried almost all the games that was there and I must say I was impressed and honoured to be part of such talented scene! Here are some of my favourite highlights. I will try my best to keep it nice and brief. Also they are in no particular order!

1) Quench by Axoninteractive

This is a story driven puzzle game where you play as a Shepard that controls the weather. With your weather controlling powers, you guide animals to safety. This game reminded me of Black & White except you are not a god. The game design was simple and yet had depth. Player is given a level of freedom to manipulate the weather however the player wants. I really like the concept and idea of involving something as simple as weather to project the game. 

2) Way Of The Passive Fist by Household Games

This game reminded me of the 80s game side scrolling fighting games as such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any of the games you played that sucked all the quarters out of you in the arcade. However, this game takes it a step further. This game is about parrying and doing the enemy to charge up for your attack, hence the name Passive Fist. The art work reminded me of Mad Max mixed with some samurai. The concept of the game is what sold me. We often think of button mashing and "hack and slash" games when it comes to fighting and action packed games. This game has as much action as those types of games and it takes a step further by having players' full attention to mechanics and surroundings. Not only that, these guys brought a homemade arcade machine to really give the arcade feel. Amazing. 

3) Shift by Mega Power Games

Super casual game! If you liked 2048 on your phone, then you are going to love this. This game has similar game play without math. Who likes math anyway?

4) The Dungeon Crew by Clockwork Kraken

I know I made music for this and it could be self promotion type of thing. But I really think this game has potential. Easy mechanics and visuals to satisfy all age and gamers. Also very casual because it can be played on your mobile devices.The game features different class of heroes that you can control and manipulate as the game progresses. Don't let cute animation and characters fool you, this game is more challenging than you think! Release date is likely to be next year. 

Overall, I really enjoyed discovering and exploring all the different types of games at BitBaazar. I hope this event becomes a bigger platform for indie game companies to shine and display their product in the future. 

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Thanks to Brian for putting this all together, we'll have another person's take on Bit Bazaar soon!

Bit Bazaar Summer 2017 Lineup Announced

We now have the final line up for the next Bit Bazaar and it has a great list of games, and comics for display. You can check out the full game list below, and everything else here. This years Bit Bazaar will be August 25th-27th, and free part of your CNE admission.

·                #BREAKFORCIST Pete Ellison x Lucid Sheep Games

·                A NEAR DAWN Far-off Daydream Games

·                ARC SYMPHONY Aether Interactive

·                BIOSCAPE Prenz Inc

·                BIT RAT bucket drum games

·                BLOCK DROPPIN' Rocketship Park

·                BRAVERY NETWORK The Gloam Collective

·                BRUISIN CRUISERS Neon Deity Games

·                CODENAME UNHOLY MONSTER KIDS altopunk

·                CUCUMBEAR Cub Cave Collective

·                DEBRIS Moonray Studios Inc.

·                DISCO IS DEAD! Third Floor Games

·                DON'T WAKE THE NIGHT Gabriela Aveiro-Ojeda

·                FIST'S ELIMINATION TOWER Impostor Cat Games

·                FOSSIL HUNTERS Reptoid Games

·                HALEN: BALLAD OF THE BLADE THIEF SkyPyre Studios

·                HOVERSHIP HAVOC Snow Day Software

·                KEEPING HOUSE & DOG GONE GOLFING Vagabond Dog

·                LONGSTORY GAME Bloom Digital Media

·                LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS SPACETIME Asteroid Base

·                LUXURYELITE.EXE Lux1337 Dev Team

·                MEGAWARRIORS OF THE GHOST APOCALYPSE Rosalind Chapman

·                MONSTER GIRLS GAYNERATIONS: GHOULFRIENDS FOR LIFE Spooklight Games

·                MORRO & JASP: UNSCRIPTED U.N.I.T. Productions

·                ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE 80'S Yoshi Creative Group

·                POWER PLANT Thousand Stars Studio

·                PROJECT ZEUS Alientrap

·                QUENCH Axon Interactive

·                RIVAL BOOKS OF ASTER Stitch Media

·                ROM'S TRUFFLE TRAIL Sodasoft

·                SHIFT Mega Power Games

·                SHNIPERS Brenden Cameron

·                SKY ROGUE Fractal Phase

·                SOLACE STATE Vivid Foundry

·                SUPER GRUMZ Picnic Game Labs

·                THE DUNGEON CREW Clockwork Kraken

·                TRIBES OF TELDAR Boat Rocker Media Inc.

·                WAY OF THE PASSIVE FIST Household Games Inc.

Bit Bazaar Applications Open Up - Event At CNE - August 25-27th

It's been a while since we've had a Bit Bazaar, the event held by out friends at Gamma Space that showcases some of the games developed in Toronto. This year, the 8th iteration of the event will be part of the CNE on August 25th to the 27th, and applications are open now.  If you want to showcase your game, make sure to apply this month!

Applications for Bit Bazaar 8, happening Aug 25-27 at the #CNEGamingGarage, are open NOW! → https://t.co/RPKdYRUvrY pic.twitter.com/mC27RwPjsa

— Bit Bazaar (@TheBitBazaar) July 2, 2017

Bit Bazaar Summer 2015 Lineup Announced

Bit Bazaar #5 was only a couple of months ago, and it was a great way to see some of the awesome game developers in Toronto.  I also came home with a lot of swag.  Bento Miso has announced the summer line up of the event, which this time will be hosted at Ontario's Celebration Zone at Harbourfront Centre.  The line up is a little bit of the same as last time, but some new ones like Quench, and Runbow.

LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS SPACETIME Asteroid Base

FATE TECTONICS Golden Gear Games

SEVERED DrinkBox Studios

PLANET OF THE EYES Cococucumber

CRYPTARK Alientrap

ARCADE SKIDADDLE Numizmatic

QUENCH Axon Interactive

SHUTSHIMI: SERIOUSLY SWOLE Neon Deity Games

OUTER EARTH Mailbox Games

RUNBOW 13AM Games

JOB LOZENGE From Smiling

ZA VAS (TO YOU) F'n Overachievers

PITFALL PLANET Bonfire Games

CHESH Damian Sommer

FEMMEPOCALYPSE altopunk

I'll be there! Be sure to say hi. Who is going? Make sure to stay tuned to www.torontogamedevs.com for the latest on all these games and more.

Blog Post: Swag At Bit Bazaar 5

Bit Bazaar 5 is over. Personally I had a great time, and it was great to meet all the developers I've been talking to over Twitter the last few months, and play all the games I've written about.

I thought I would make a post just showing all the cool swag I got at the show.

Pins! These pins are from (top to bottom): Planet Of The Eyes, WE ARE DOOMED, GastroBots, Dames Making Games.

Cards from Planet Of The Eyes, GastroBots, and Arielle Grimes

T-shirts from: DrinkBox Studios (I was fanboying the whole time I was playing Severed), and Dames Making Games.

Posters from: Loud On PlanetX, DrinkBox Studios, and Bit The Game.

I just want to thank everyone involved with putting Bit Bazaar on, it was a really fun event and I can't wait to attend Bit Bazaar 6.