Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
Toronto-based indie studio Vertex Pop (@vertexpop) has partnered with Super Rare Games (@SuperRareGames) to release a limited 4,000 copy physical release of their 2017 shoot 'em up Graceful Explosion Machine.
Read MoreStill on the fence about Vertex Pop’s shoot em up? Well now there is a demo available on Switch you can try out. The game is also on sale for 30% making the decision even easier if you should pick it up (you should). You can head to the e-shop right now to download the demo and pick up the game.
And as a friendly reminder, Vertex Pop is still working away at Super Crush KO, which we should see on Switch and PC next year.
Skillfully pilot the advanced Graceful Explosion Machine (GEM) fighter while blasting swarms of crystalline enemies with your ludicrously overpowered quad-weapon array! Lost in deep space, you'll shoot, dash and combo your way through jewel-hued alien worlds, fighting to find a way home. Learn More About Graceful Explosion Machine!
Published by Noodlecake, and developed by FaceIT, the previous Mobile/Steam game Summer Catchers will be hitting the Nintendo Switch tomorrow (February 11th)
Reptoid Games (@reptoidgames), the developer behind 2018’s Fossil Hunters, announced their next game Fire Tonight, a narrative puzzle game “about two people trying to find their way back together in a city on fire”.
Graceful Explosion Machine launched one year ago on Nintendo Switch, and developer Vertex Pop is celebrating the anniversary with a sale. Mobeen Fikree discussed the early days of GEM:
"I began prototyping Graceful Explosion Machine in mid-2015. The initial spark was creating a shoot-em-up with multiple weapons that the player could switch between effortlessly. It started with two weapons, but pretty soon I thought “Wait, why stop at two?!” With four face buttons on a controller, wouldn’t four weapons work? It did, and everything else grew from there."
The game is currently on a 50% sale on the eshop, but if you're Switch-less the game is out on PC, PS4. In the same post, Mobeen Firkee mentioned the game sold just under 50000 copies on the Switch. We also know what's next up from the developer:
"Speaking of which! We are definitely working on a new game, and we’re excited to share it with you… but not just yet. For now, let’s state the obvious: it’s an action game, it’s colourful, and it’s coming to Nintendo Switch in 2019"
Tribes of Midgard Season 3 drops later this month which comes with a slew of free updates, including a new Saga Boss, a revamped survival mode, new weapons, enemies, armors, and more.
Nintendo is celebrating the new year with a sale, and a couple of Toronto games are involved.
It's the #NindiesNewYearSale and Severed is 33% off on Switch this week! Check out all nine indie Switch games on sale: https://t.co/JwcFiFZk6Z pic.twitter.com/5kjvx0xImu
— DrinkBox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) January 8, 2018
You can also check out an AMA where all the developers involved answered questions from the fans - including Vertex Pop saying they were thinking of a sequel or DLC on GEM, but are instead moving onto something new.
Happy New Year!
— Asteroid Base (@AsteroidBase) January 8, 2018
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is now 33% OFF ($9.99) on #NintendoSwitch along with a bunch of other cool games in the #NindiesNewYearSale
Check it out: https://t.co/5MPiKyawes pic.twitter.com/JezVMnFpvP
Cat couple owner slash game dev studio Max Inferno announced a 2nd DLC pack for their tidy puzzler.
Halifax-based devs Max Inferno have released Cupboards & Drawers DLC for their 2022 puzzler A Little to the Left.
Vancouver-based indie powerhouse Brace Yourself Games (@BYG_Vancouver) announced their upcoming rhythm game spinoff will be released on Nintendo Switch as well as Steam.
Toronto-based Drinkbox Studios’ Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack will be getting printed on a cart.
Montréal-based game dev Johan Vinet has partnered with Limited Run Games to release physical copies of his upcoming 2D cinematic platformer LUNARK for PlayStation 4, 5 and Nintendo Switch- set to release later this week.
Vancouver-based Daniel Mullin Games is working with Special Reserve Games to release a physical edition of his 2021 roguelite deck-builder Inscryption for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
Toronto-based indie powerhouse Vagabond Dog is releasing a physical copy of their cult classic 2014 RPG maker title Always Sometimes Monsters in partnership with Limited Run Games.
Cuphead is celebrating its initial launch on PC and Xbox One 5 years ago today, September 29, with the announcement of a physical copy of the game coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch.
Tribes of Midgard Season 3 drops later this month which comes with a slew of free updates, including a new Saga Boss, a revamped survival mode, new weapons, enemies, armors, and more.
Sea of Stars, the Sabotage Studio follow-up to The Messenger has been delayed into 2023. Originally announced in 2020 with an extremely successful Kickstarter for a 2022 release date, the team has pushed it to next year citing two main priorities: quality of life for their team, and the quality of the finished product.
Graceful Explosion Machine: https://t.co/nDFPGA678R Shwip Turbo Thumb: https://t.co/sVSX43jZEb Far Cry 5: https://t.co/l0i1JD5k1p The Game Awards: http://thegameawards.com/ Follow Jake at: https://www.youtube.com/c/jakebutineau https://twitter.com/jakebutineau http://www.torontogamedevs.com/
Solo indie dev expert and longtime friend-of-the-site Devon Wiersma joins us to talk their latest release Centauri Dark, working across AAA, mid-sized and solo indie dev and how to fix this goshdarn industry.
David B joins us from the west coast best coast to talk about the upcoming Quiver Games Incubator!
Bizdev extraordinaire Eric Beer joins us to give his Hades II impressions and chat v-bucks subsidized game preservation.
We break down Baldur Gate 3's unprecedented success & the knock-on effects it'll have on the industry and how we make games moving forward. We also speak to Ontario-based indie game devs Twinolli about their upcoming action-puzzler Highlighters which just got a (Dad Deck-verified) Steam demo!
We speak to Québécois game dev Dragon Slumber, creator of Tech Support, Aethernaut and many more!
We reveal the winners of our ‘23 Community Awards poll and discuss Drinkbox’s latest teaser for their next project- and more!
This week thousands more game developers join Stephan in the "terminated by evil, stupid people" camp as layoffs hit tons of studios all over Canada and the world. We discuss Sonic as well. Sonic supports Unionizing your Workplace!
Stephan got terminated but that’s okay he just has more time to cover Canadian games now.
Nintendo recently updated the Switch to allow video capturing, and slowly games have been patched to allow it. We can now add Vertex Pop's Graceful Explosion Machine to the list - the game has been patched to add functionality.
"We have a small (but pretty cool!) update out for Graceful Explosion Machine today which adds Video Capture support for Nintendo Switch. Now when you pull of a particularly gracefulrun, you can just hold down the capture button and share.
We’re excited to check out all the cool videos you post, so please make sure to share them with us on Twitter!"
Vertex Pop was kind enough to give me a code for Graceful Explosion Machine on Switch so I wanted to do a quick video on my thoughts - in short - I'm really digging it! There will be an actual review on www.torontogamedevs.com - so look forward to that!
The new studio founded by ex-BioWare devs Humanoid Origin is looking to fill multiple roles.
After gracing the Nintendo Switch in April as a launch window game, Vertex Pop's Graceful Explosion Machine will be making its way to PlayStation 4, and Steam next month.
“Graceful Explosion Machine (GEM, for short) goes light on story and all-in on intense action gameplay. Sure, you’ll face an overwhelming swarm of enemies, but to help you out you have access to four unique and devastatingly powerful weapons at all times.
Each weapon is mapped to a face button, so switching between them is instant and effortless. Before you know it, you’ll be chaining weapons attacks together, building stylish combos, and racking up huge scores.”
Graceful Explosion Machine is coming to Steam and PlayStation 4 on August 8th, 2017. http://vertexpop.com/gem
There was a few more tibits information in the announcement. The game will be coming to Japan thanks to Kakehashi Games, and there will be an update that speeds up the loading times, and introduces some changes to the scoring system, and sharing:
“We started by redesigning the score screen to give a clearer breakdown of your score, weapon usage, and additional stats that better reflect your play style. It’s both fun and functional.
We also wanted to make it easier to capture and share those clutch GEM moments. Once you’re in the zone, we know it’s hard to stop the game even for a few seconds to grab a screenshot, so we had to come up with a really creative solution.
Or, more accurately, a really technical one: We designed an AI system to pinpoint the most exciting moment of your run, which we then automagically screenshot and display on the score screen. You can fullscreen it, add it to your Album, share it, etc.”
That patch is out now on Switch, and will be available on PlayStation 4 and Steam when the game launches August 8th.
Toronto-based indie studio Vertex Pop (@vertexpop) has partnered with Super Rare Games (@SuperRareGames) to release a limited 4,000 copy physical release of their 2017 shoot 'em up Graceful Explosion Machine.
We were big fans of Vertex Pop's Graceful Explosion Machine when it launched on Nintendo Switch back in April. We talked about it on the podcast, and did a few Youtube videos playing it.
One of the biggest criticisms with the game was you couldn't uploaded scores if you weren't online, even at a later date. With the Switch being a very portable system, it was kind of a bummer.
Vertex Pop has changed that with Graceful Explosion Machine v1.0.2 which adds the ability to add a high score later, as well as reducing the screenshaking.
"We’ve heard from people playing GEM on trains, buses, at work, etc. who get really great high scores, but can’t upload them because they aren’t online. This breaks our collective developer hearts, so for v1.0.2 we’ve added Upload Score Later.
From the Score Screen, choose “Later” instead of “Submit Score” to save your score for uploading later. Then, when you’re back online, go to the main menu and select “Upload Scores” (by pressing X) to upload all the pending scores. (And don’t worry, if it fails to upload you can retry later!)
We also added the option to reduce or disable the Screenshake effect. If you have motion sickness related concerns, this should really help. It may not be perfect (our options are limited given what a fast-paced game GEM is), but it’s definitely an improvement!"
They also mentioned they snuck in some "smaller" fixes as well. You can check out Graceful Explosion Machine on Switch.
Cat couple owner slash game dev studio Max Inferno announced a 2nd DLC pack for their tidy puzzler.
Halifax-based devs Max Inferno have released Cupboards & Drawers DLC for their 2022 puzzler A Little to the Left.
Vancouver-based indie powerhouse Brace Yourself Games (@BYG_Vancouver) announced their upcoming rhythm game spinoff will be released on Nintendo Switch as well as Steam.
Kitchener-based indie studio Fluxscopic have released their 2021 puzzle-loaded action adventure game Mayhem in Single Valley on consoles.
Toronto-based indie powerhouse Vagabond Dog is releasing a physical copy of their cult classic 2014 RPG maker title Always Sometimes Monsters in partnership with Limited Run Games.
Cuphead is celebrating its initial launch on PC and Xbox One 5 years ago today, September 29, with the announcement of a physical copy of the game coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch.
Vancouver-based Next Level Games are releasing a 2nd free content update for their wacky sports game released earlier this year, published by Nintendo.
Vancouver-based live service game devs Phoenix Labs (@PhoenixLabs), best known for Dauntless, have announced their new project Fae Farm (@fae_farm) in today’s Nintendo Direct- which will launch exclusively on Switch in Spring 2023.
Halifax-based indie dev @dicey announced in today’s Nintendo Direct that TUNIC (@tunicgame), his action adventure about a tiny fox in a big world, is coming to Nintendo Switch at the end of this month.
There’s a new physical edition (including a collector’s edition version) for Toronto-based Adam Robinson-Yu (@adamgryu)’s delightful 2019 park-platformer A Short Hike.
We give a (very quick) review of Graceful Explosion Machine as well as our thoughts on the Nintendo Switch roughly 7 weeks in since launch. Remember to subscribe!
We're back playing Graceful Explosion Machine from Vertex Pop. We give a very quick general review, while also talking our thoughts on the Nintendo Switch so far. Website: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/torontogamedevs Patreon: patreon.com/torontogamedevs Store: designbyhumans.com/shop/TorontoGameDevs
Chris and I are back! Make sure to subscribe on YouTube!
Remember to subscribe and leave a comment! Graceful Explosion Machine is out on Nintendo Switch, and we sit down to play through the first few levels! Remember to subscribe! Website: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/torontogamedevs Patreon: patreon.com/torontogamedevs Store: designbyhumans.com/shop/TorontoGameDevs
Cat couple owner slash game dev studio Max Inferno announced a 2nd DLC pack for their tidy puzzler.
Halifax-based devs Max Inferno have released Cupboards & Drawers DLC for their 2022 puzzler A Little to the Left.
Vancouver-based indie powerhouse Brace Yourself Games (@BYG_Vancouver) announced their upcoming rhythm game spinoff will be released on Nintendo Switch as well as Steam.
Kitchener-based indie studio Fluxscopic have released their 2021 puzzle-loaded action adventure game Mayhem in Single Valley on consoles.
Toronto-based indie powerhouse Vagabond Dog is releasing a physical copy of their cult classic 2014 RPG maker title Always Sometimes Monsters in partnership with Limited Run Games.
Cuphead is celebrating its initial launch on PC and Xbox One 5 years ago today, September 29, with the announcement of a physical copy of the game coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch.
Vancouver-based Next Level Games are releasing a 2nd free content update for their wacky sports game released earlier this year, published by Nintendo.
Vancouver-based live service game devs Phoenix Labs (@PhoenixLabs), best known for Dauntless, have announced their new project Fae Farm (@fae_farm) in today’s Nintendo Direct- which will launch exclusively on Switch in Spring 2023.
Halifax-based indie dev @dicey announced in today’s Nintendo Direct that TUNIC (@tunicgame), his action adventure about a tiny fox in a big world, is coming to Nintendo Switch at the end of this month.
There’s a new physical edition (including a collector’s edition version) for Toronto-based Adam Robinson-Yu (@adamgryu)’s delightful 2019 park-platformer A Short Hike.
With Graceful Explosion Machine coming out last week on Switch - it's time to preorder the excellent soundtrack from Robby Duguay.
The original soundtrack for #GracefulExplosionMachine is coming out on Thursday April 13th! Pre-orders are up now at https://t.co/KCTtbwPpRO pic.twitter.com/4inKo5QrrD
— Robby Duguay (@RobbyDuguay) April 10, 2017
You can pick up the soundtrack for 7 dollars (US), with preordering getting you 3 tracks early. For 21 dollars (US) you get all 10 of Robby Duguay's releases. You can check out the details here, while also watching the video below on my thoughts on Graceful Explosion Machine.
Vertex Pop was kind enough to give me a code for Graceful Explosion Machine on Switch so I wanted to do a quick video on my thoughts - in short - I'm really digging it! There will be an actual review on www.torontogamedevs.com - so look forward to that!
Solo indie dev expert and longtime friend-of-the-site Devon Wiersma joins us to talk their latest release Centauri Dark, working across AAA, mid-sized and solo indie dev and how to fix this goshdarn industry.
David B joins us from the west coast best coast to talk about the upcoming Quiver Games Incubator!
Bizdev extraordinaire Eric Beer joins us to give his Hades II impressions and chat v-bucks subsidized game preservation.
We break down Baldur Gate 3's unprecedented success & the knock-on effects it'll have on the industry and how we make games moving forward. We also speak to Ontario-based indie game devs Twinolli about their upcoming action-puzzler Highlighters which just got a (Dad Deck-verified) Steam demo!
We speak to Québécois game dev Dragon Slumber, creator of Tech Support, Aethernaut and many more!
We reveal the winners of our ‘23 Community Awards poll and discuss Drinkbox’s latest teaser for their next project- and more!
This week thousands more game developers join Stephan in the "terminated by evil, stupid people" camp as layoffs hit tons of studios all over Canada and the world. We discuss Sonic as well. Sonic supports Unionizing your Workplace!
Stephan got terminated but that’s okay he just has more time to cover Canadian games now.
As previously announced, Graceful Explosion Machine is out now on Nintendo Switch. The Vertex Pop shooter was previously announced last year, and then later confirmed for a Switch launch window release later. You can pick it up on your Switch right now for $13.99 CAD.
We'll have a full review for the game sometime in the next week, but until then you can check out my general thoughts below (it's really good):
Vertex Pop was kind enough to give me a code for Graceful Explosion Machine on Switch so I wanted to do a quick video on my thoughts - in short - I'm really digging it! There will be an actual review on www.torontogamedevs.com - so look forward to that!
🚀🚀🚀 WE HAVE LIFT-OFF#GracefulExplosionMachine is OUT NOW on #NintendoSwitch
— vertex pop (@vertexpop) April 6, 2017
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/yPOuktv2Zo
Solo indie dev expert and longtime friend-of-the-site Devon Wiersma joins us to talk their latest release Centauri Dark, working across AAA, mid-sized and solo indie dev and how to fix this goshdarn industry.
David B joins us from the west coast best coast to talk about the upcoming Quiver Games Incubator!
Bizdev extraordinaire Eric Beer joins us to give his Hades II impressions and chat v-bucks subsidized game preservation.
We break down Baldur Gate 3's unprecedented success & the knock-on effects it'll have on the industry and how we make games moving forward. We also speak to Ontario-based indie game devs Twinolli about their upcoming action-puzzler Highlighters which just got a (Dad Deck-verified) Steam demo!
We speak to Québécois game dev Dragon Slumber, creator of Tech Support, Aethernaut and many more!
We reveal the winners of our ‘23 Community Awards poll and discuss Drinkbox’s latest teaser for their next project- and more!
This week thousands more game developers join Stephan in the "terminated by evil, stupid people" camp as layoffs hit tons of studios all over Canada and the world. We discuss Sonic as well. Sonic supports Unionizing your Workplace!
Stephan got terminated but that’s okay he just has more time to cover Canadian games now.
Local developer Vertex Pop were kind enough to give me a code for Graceful Explosion Machine. I've been playing it, and enjoying it quite a bit. Check out my thoughts below, and remember to subscribe!
Vertex Pop was kind enough to give me a code for Graceful Explosion Machine on Switch so I wanted to do a quick video on my thoughts - in short - I'm really digging it! There will be an actual review on www.torontogamedevs.com - so look forward to that!
Hot off the heels of releasing Super Crush KO earliest this year, Toronto developer Vertex Pop will be releasing their first game WE ARE DOOMED on the Nintendo Switch on August 13th.
Vertex Pop announced on their Twitter page today that Graceful Explosion Machine will be available on Nintendo Switch on April 6, 2017 for $12.99. Last week we posted about how this game was doing at PAX East, so it's great to have an official date!
The new studio founded by ex-BioWare devs Humanoid Origin is looking to fill multiple roles.
Nintendo had an indie game showcase for upcoming indie games coming to Switch, and Toronto's own Graceful Explosion Machine was shown.. It was also confirmed that the game, while previous just noted as "launch window" has been given an April timeframe. It was also confirmed that the game will support HD Rumble. Once we have the final date, we'll let you know!
Discover some of the unique and innovative experiences world-class indie developers have in store for Nintendo Switch during the Nindies Showcase. 00:10 - SteamWorld Dig 2 02:05 - What the Nindies Are All About 02:52 - Yooka-Laylee 04:09 - Overcooked!
The debut game from a new Western Canada indie dev duo was revealed during Day of the Devs 2024.
Cat couple owner slash game dev studio Max Inferno announced a 2nd DLC pack for their tidy puzzler.
Gears of War: E-Day was announced during Xbox’s Game Showcase, marking the second prequel in the Gears of War franchise.
Vancouver-based Company of Heroes 3 developer Relic Entertainment has secured funding from UK investment firm Emona Capital after laying off almost 200 staff since May 2023.
Victoria-based indie devs Hololabs have released their mobile AR game Sky Haven: AR Merge Adventure for iOS.
NetEase Games has announced the opening of a new game studio in Canada, named Bad Brain Games, to work on an "ambitious new franchise," which will be a story-driven open-world action-adventure game.
Bloom Digital Media have released a demo for their upcoming visual novel game Long Story 2, which is a sequel to the 2017 game.
Cococucumber have released the third and final game in their self-described “Cococucumber Voxel Trilogy.” Ravenlok is now available for Xbox, PC, Game Pass and the Epic Games Store,
Vancouver-based indie powerhouse Brace Yourself Games (@BYG_Vancouver) announced their upcoming rhythm game spinoff will be released on Nintendo Switch as well as Steam.
Open-world, dragon-flying game Ayre and the Crystal Comet is out now on consoles.
After launching on Steam last year, St Catharines based Rocketship Park will be porting their puzzle story-driven adventure game LOVE to Nintendo Switch “soon”.