Makers Of Halcyon 6 Announces Next Game: Star Renegades

The makers behind Halcyon 6 have announced their next game. Massive Damage announced today Star Renegades, another tactical squad based rogue RPG, which you can add to your Steam wishlist here. The game will include an Intelligent Adversary system which will generate enemies and bosses as you play, while also unlocking hundreds of characters.

Fusing a reactive, tactical turn-based battle system that emphasizes interrupts and counters, with a procedurally generated and emergent mission-based campaign and an intelligent Adversary system with enemy officers that evolve and move up in the ranks, every playthrough is unique, challenging, and never the same.

Wishlist on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/651670/Star_Renegades/ From the makers of Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander comes a new squad-based rogue-lite strategy RPG. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/massive_damage And Facebook: http://facebook.com/massivedamagegames http://starrenegades.com

According to the Steam page, Star Renegades is "coming soon."

Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition Coming August 10th

Massive Damage had teased some updates coming to Halcyon 6, and now we know that comes in the form of Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition. You can check out the details and a trailer for the new update below. 

Community feedback + our sweat = Lightspeed Edition. Out Aug 10th and free for all H6 players of course! #gamedevhttps://t.co/hSEmUAwVsG

— Halcyon 6™ ✨GAMESCOM (@Halcyon6Game) July 17, 2017

“LIGHTSPEED EDITION Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition brings together the original Halcyon 6 base game along with all of the additional content (Combat & Customization, Diplomatic Diversions, Loot’em Up, and Morale Booster updates) released since launch in Sept 2016 as well as brand new Lightspeed Edition optimizations and features as follows: ”

— http://store.steampowered.com/app/651660/Halcyon_6_Lightspeed_Edition/

• Streamlined Campaign
• Streamlined All Systems
• New Officer Progression System
• New Ship Loadout and Config Screen
• New Difficulty Mode Called Vice Admiral
• Enhanced Combat
• New UI Overhaul

Get it on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/651660/Halcyon_6_Lightspeed_Edition/ Hailing on all frequencies to strategy RPG fans! The widely praised Halcyon 6 has been reworked, enhanced, and pushed to its limits by Massive Damage Inc. to create Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition; releasing on August 10th! It'll be FREE for all H6 players.

Massive Damage Inc Teases Big Halcyon 6 Update

Local Toronto developer Massive Damage Inc releases Halcyon 6 to critical acclaim, and now it looks like they are working on a big update which we'll learn about soon. Check out the below Tweets, and pick up the game on Steam.

We've been quiet lately but we're working hard on a huge update for Halcyon 6 and starting up something new :)#gamedev #pixelart #indiedev pic.twitter.com/YJ5vxICXgO

— Halcyon 6™ (@Halcyon6Game) May 25, 2017

Exciting news is forthcoming.. here's a #screenshotsaturday teaser ;)#gamedev #indiedev #pixelart #pixel_dailies #gameart #indiegame pic.twitter.com/IJH3HqPogF

— Halcyon 6™ (@Halcyon6Game) July 8, 2017

TorontoGameDevs.com 2nd Annual Game Of The Year Voting - Results!!

Well, it was a solid 2016, and there were a lot of great games that were created in Toronto and Southern Ontario. Just like last year, supporters and fans of local content took part in the 2nd Annual Game of the Year voting, and here are the results!

10) Maize - Finish Line Games

9) Kapsul Infinite - Luke O'Connor

8) Far Cry Primal - Ubisoft Toronto

7) Alone With You -  Benjamin Rivers

6) Watch Dogs 2 - Ubisoft Toronto

5) Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander - Massive Damage Inc

Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander had a huge Kickstarter. After a successful funding thank to Square Enix Collective, the game came out in Early Access, followed by a full release later in the year. The developers are still updating the game, so make sure you head over to Steam to pick it up.

4) Runbow: Satura's Space Adventure - 13AM Games

Back-to-back Years of placing 4th in voting, 13AM Games released a healthy chunk of DLC for its party platformer. Satura's Space Adventure gives players more single, and multiplayer content - while also releasing the game on Steam, and 3DS.

3) Severed - DrinkBox Studios

The first-person hack-n-slash found eventual homes on 3DS, iOS, and Wii U, but it was made from the ground up for the little Sony portable that could. Probably one of the last "exclusive" Vita games, Severed has you playing as a daughter trying to find out what happened to her family. Now I'll be praying for a Guacamelee 2.

2) Hard Vacuum Lullaby - One More Story Games

Friends of the site, One More Story Games claims our top two spots in this years Game of the Year voting, first with Hard Vacuum Lullaby. "After a savage battle in deep space, the 2nd Yagoshan Expeditionary Fleet Battlecruiser #6 retreats to the orbit of a gas giant with other damaged vessels to undergo repairs by the fleets logistics and repair corvettes."

1) Mandatory Upgrade X Marks The Spot - One More Story Games

Joining the ranks of N++, this years winner is Mandatory Upgrade: X Marks The Spot from One More Story Games. The story based game was written by Chris Tihor from Ironic Iconic Studios, and tells the tale of Special Agent Rachel Varley who has to investigate the death of a runaway cybernetic exosuit on her first day back to work. You can pick it up here for $3.99, which includes a demo as well.

Thanks to everyone for voting, and congratulations to everyone who released a game in 2016. Onwards to 2017!

Toronto Developers Highlight the 7th Annual Canadian Video Game Award Nominations

The nominations for the 7th Annual Canadian VideoGame Awards have been announced, and there are quite a few Toronto developers being nominated for various awards. I tooked at the local games being developed, which you can check out below.

Nominations (Local Developers Only)

Game of the Year:

• Severed
• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Console Game:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Mobile/Handheld Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
• Loud on Planet X (Pop Sandbox Inc)

Best PC Game

• Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander (Massive Damage)

Best Virtual Reality Game:

• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Steel Crate Games)
• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Animation:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Art Direction:

• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Audio:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Educational Game:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Game Innovation:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Indie Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Musical Score:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Narrative:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best New Character:

• Sasha - Severed (Drinkbox Studios)

Best Technology:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Fans’ Choice Award: Best Canadian-Made Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

You can check out the full nominations at the official site.

Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander Officially Out On Steam

It's been a long wild ride for Massive Damage with Halcyon 6. After it killed its Kickstarter, it released on Steam Early Access earlier this year. Today however the game is officially out, and can be picked up on Steam with a 15% discount. You can also check out the trailer below for the game:

Available on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/371200 Explore. Exploit. Exterminate. SURVIVE. Retro sci-fi strategy meets base building, exploration, and a deep tactical JRPG combat system in Halcyon 6. Take control of an idiosyncratic group of officers as they fight for the survival of Earth against an unknown alien threat.

Congrats to the whole team at Massive Damage! According to a blog post on their Steam page, they'll be working on bug squishing, and the Kickstarter Stretch Goals.

Happy Canada Day! Toronto Games Released This Year

I figured I would take this Canada Day (and half-way point of the year) to celebrate the Toronto developed games that have been released so far. They are in no particular order and I've tried to link to a page to buy them. If I'm missing one, make sure to let me know on Twitter.

Runbow: Satura's Space Adventure! from 13AM Games

Cally’s Caves 3 from VDOGames

Kapsul Infinite from Luke O'Connor

Hard Vacuum Lullaby from One More Story Games

Robo’s World: The Zarnok Fortress from Bluish-Green Productions and Throw Away Games

Robo's World: The Darnok Fortress came out on steam earlier this year and was available to patreon's

Severed from DrinkBox Studios

Far Cry Primal from Ubisoft

Fortified from Clapfoot Games

Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander from Massive Damage Inc

Real Army Simulator from The Really Serious Game Company

Dashy Square from Kastriot Sulejmani

Forbidden Dessert from Button Mash Games

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime from Asteroid Base

Maximum Override from AlienTrap

Cryptark from Alientrap

We Are Doomed (Vita) from Vertex Pop

We Are Doomed was a perfect fit on PlayStation Vita

Ace Academy: Black Flight from Illumination Games

Alto’s Adventure (Android) from Snowman

Cel Damage HD (Xbox) from Finish Line Games

Planktos from Blot Interactive

Sago Mini Trucks and Diggers from Sago Mini

Grumz from Picnic Game Labs

Block Swop from Wooly Walrus Games

Quick Drop from Wooly Walrus Games

Loud on Planet X from Pop Sandbox

Pitfall Planet from Bonfire Games

pitfall planet won level up in 2015

Fantasy Tales Online from Cold Tea Studio

Shadow Heroes: Vengeance In Flames from Allied Games

AlphaPit from Shane McCafferty

Frank The Spider from Yahman Games

Congrats to all the developers on releasing their games, here's to a great back half of 2016. Happy Canada Day!

Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander Releases On Steam Early Access April 21st

It's a busy week for Toronto game developers this week, Massive Damage Inc has announced their space strategy RPG Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander will be hitting Steam Early Access later this month.  Halcyon 6 was a successful Kickstarter from last year that recently showed off some of the ground combat.  Check out the launch trailer below!

Halcyon 6 on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/371200 It's official! Halcyon 6 will launch on April 21st on STEAM Early Access.

You can download the game right here on April 21st, and follow the developer on Twitter.

Halcyon 6 Shows Off Alpha Ground Combat Footage

Indie developer Massive Damage Inc has released some new footage of their upcoming game Halcyon 6 which features some ground combat. You can check it out below, but make sure to also follow the developer on Twitter and check out their Devblog where they are posting more details on the game.

Halcyon 6 on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/371200 Wishlist us! Early Access release date is April 21st, 2016!

Halcyon 6 was on Kickstarter last year where it crushed its fundraising goal. There is no release date yet for the game.

Early Access Preorder For Halcyon 6 - Buy Now To Get Early Access

Indie Toronto developer Massive Damage Inc announced that if you pre-order Halcyon 6, you can play it "weeks" before it hits Steam Early Access.

You will get to play Halcyon 6 weeks BEFORE it appears on Steam Early Access. Act One are available at launch, Acts Two and Three will be included as FREE updates during Early Access. - Access to the Backer Beta (est. delivery: Late February) - A digital download copy of Halcyon 6 (Steam Key at Early Access launch)

Pre-order #Halcyon6 & you can play before the Early Access launch! https://t.co/NCinSxpJds #pixelart #indiegame pic.twitter.com/xA4ZTTB3f9

— Massive Damage, Inc. (@Massive_Damage) January 15, 2016

You can preorder the game right here for $19.99, while also checking out there Steam page here.   Halcyon 6 hit Kickstarter last year and crushed a lot of their goals, thanks to the help of the Square Enix Collective.  It's expected to hit sometime this year, with the Backer Beta being late February.  

Edit: Thanks to reader @Coboney for pointing out a mistake that originally say "6 weeks" before release...it's just "weeks" in general.

Progress Update For Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander

Indie developer Massive Damage took to their Kickstarter to give some updates on Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander, as well as providing some new gameplay footage.

First, they do mention there has been a delay:

"I guess what we're saying is: "uh... we're not going to have a public build ready this week." Now, things aren’t bad, by any means! The work is, fingers crossed, pretty much done, and it’s not as though it’s held up much of the design team, but it did hold up some of the implementation of ground combat."

http://playhalcyon6.com Our lead designer and game producer, Peter, dives deeper into the new Halcyon 6 combat mechanics including combos!

They also go into written detail about some of the different ship types, which you can check out here.  Make sure to follow the developer on Twitter.