Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
In a surprise announcement today, 13AM Games announced they are partnering with iam8bit to bring the Runbow soundtrack to vinyl. You can check out the full page right here, with preorders opening up tomorrow.
We are working with @iam8bit to bring the RUNBOW OST to VINYL! Check out this beautiful 2-colour 2XLP! Orders live TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com/1C93jNrbgU
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) February 15, 2017
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.
A few updates on everything Runbow. First, the Shantae DLC is now avaliable as a free download. Additionally, Runbow Deluxe, the retail version that comes with the main game, all DLC and soundtrack has been pushed to November 1st:
Due to an unforeseen error at the magical video game factory, Runbow Deluxe’s official ship / street date is being moved to November 1st. We’re sorry if this caused any inconvenience but some wishes not even an all powerful half-genie can grant.
With all this fun, there is also a patch for Runbow which can be downloaded on Wii U. You can check out the patch notes on their official tumblr.
While it is certainly fun for a while, it suffers from the same problem other mobile games on Steam do: Cube Samurai: RUN!’s price tag of $5:49 feels a little steep for the amount of time you might ultimately get from it, so I’d recommend installing the mobile version and giving it a go on the commute to work or on the toilet and see if it’s the sort of experience you’d enjoy on the PC. This aside, it certainly does seems like it would make for an equally fun mobile experience, but it doesn’t do anything exceptionally different than what most people have seen in an infinite runner before.
Overall, Kapsul Infinite’s $4.49 price point on Steam doesn’t quite feel worth it to me. There simply isn’t enough to keep me invested in the gameplay for very long, and without any integration of achievements or leaderboards of any kind it just falls a little flat. It is, however, a game that would be perfect for a mobile device where one play session consists of a few levels on the bus or while waiting out an unpleasant family reunion on the toilet. While the PC is not the platform to play it on, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try on mobile devices.
We live in an age where it’s easy to get bogged down in new features, and developers often seem to push for complex mechanic after complex mechanic. N++, however, sends itself off with a warm reminder that the series has always been created around one sole value: fun.
Despite flaws such as these, I honestly do myself blown away by the potential the game has down the road. It features a robust level editing tool that allows for the creation of scenarios and huge, complex maps. It has Steam Workshop support for user-generated content and (if the patch notes and Longbow Game's Facebook page are any indication) it's still being improved and updated tirelessly by the team at Longbow so many issues described here could very well be patched and improved in future updates.
Alone With You gives you an exceptional story about love, and loneliness, with gameplay that gives you a little more than your traditional visual novel.
There was once a girl named Cally, who was an ordinary girl who lived an ordinary life. One day she found her parents kidnapped by Herbert, a mad scientist seeking revenge for a tragic past. Cally, deciding it was in her best interests to not have her parents in distress and doing what any respectable young woman would do in this situation, grabbed her semi-automatic pistol and medieval bastard sword and made chase, filling anything that got in her way full of lead before tearing it asunder.
Lost Orbit is a 2D top down, action-arcade game with a focus on quick reflexes and the age-old struggle to beat a stage faster than you did two minutes ago. It features a time trial mode devoted to achieving exactly that speedy time as well as a campaign mode geared towards a more laid back experience for casual players.
Far Cry Primal has players controlling Takkar, a Wenja tribesman who is stranded in the fictitious world of Oros. The story comes down to pretty much "I hate that other tribe, so let's go kill them" but over the course of 20 or so hours players will hunt and control animals, craft and improve weapons, and gather your people to rebuild the Wenja tribe.
As previously announced, Pirate Pop Plus the game from Tokyo developer Dadako, and published by 13AM Games is out now on Wii U and 3DS. The title is cross-buy between the two platforms, which you can picked up right here.
Get ready for the bubble-popping, gravity-defying, retro-arcade action game Pirate Pop Plus! Join Pete Jr on his quest to defeat the nefarious Bubble Pirate, an evil villain who has trapped the innocent townsfolk in bubbles! Dodge and pop bubbles with your anchor while collecting power-ups and managing Bubble Pirate's constant gravity-switching mischief!
After announcing they'll be publishing their first game, 13AM Games have announced that the retro arcade game Pirate Pop Plus, is coming to Wii U and 3DS October 10th, and Steam November 4th. You can check out the full trailer below:
Get ready for the bubble-popping, gravity-defying, retro-arcade action game Pirate Pop Plus! Join Pete Jr on his quest to defeat the nefarious Bubble Pirate, an evil villain who has trapped the innocent townsfolk in bubbles! Dodge and pop bubbles with your anchor while collecting power-ups and managing Bubble Pirate's constant gravity-switching mischief!
Dodge and pop bubbles with your anchor while collecting power-ups and managing Bubble Pirate’s constant gravity-switching mischief! When you feel at your Piratey-est, test your skill in the ultra-challenging Hyper Mode... The game may be faster and harder, but you'll find treasures beyond your wildest dreams. Coins as far as the eye can see!
The game will be cross-buy on 3DS and Wii U, and you can add the game to your Steam wish-list by checking out the games page. Make sure to follow the Japanese developer Dadako Studios on Twitter.
Following its release on PlayStation Vita, and then iOS, Drinkbox Studios have released Severed for Nintendo Wii U today. You can pick up the game for $13.49 right here, or on Wii U.
Take control of a one-armed warrior named Sasha, wielding a living sword on her journey through a nightmare world in search of her family. Swipe-based touch controls will let you solve puzzles, find secrets, and do battle with a host of disturbing monsters. As the journey goes on, you’ll unlock new abilities, ascend an RPG-style upgrade tree, and tease apart the mysteries of the dark fantasy universe Sasha finds herself in.
#SEVERED is now officially available on #WiiU! pic.twitter.com/weh9lsnGTd
— DrinkBox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) September 22, 2016
We're still waiting on the 3DS version of the game, which is expected to hit this year.
First it was released on PlayStation Vita, then it was announced it was coming to iOS, Wii U, and 3DS. The iOS version is out for players to enjoy and now we know when the Wii U version comes out.
Nintendo announced the Nindies Summer Jam, and Severed is part of it and will be out September 22nd for Wii U, with the 3DS version coming out sometime in the Fall.
Get ready for #Nindies Summer Jam! Every Thursday in September, a new digital release for Wii U, Nintendo 3DS or both, will hit the Nintendo eShop at 10% of listing price for the first week! Check out these participating #Nindies Summer Jam titles, as well as a variety of upcoming Nindie games for the rest of 2016 and beyond!
You can check out the video below of what I thought of the iOS version against the Vita version as well:
I chat about Severed, and my thoughts on how the PlayStation Vita game plays on iOS. Check out more at www.torontogamedevs.com
Part of the same video showed Runbow Pocket coming to 3DS in Q4, so we'll have more on that and Severed 3DS as it becomes available.
So we had Alex from 13AM Games on the podcast last week, but I thought I would crop out his part on talking about Runbow leaks, the demo, and his thoughts on publishing Pirate Pop Plus. You can check it out below, but make sure to check out the podcast for the whole thing!
Earlier today, an Amazon leak was posted online that had to do with 13AM Games' 9 player multiplayer platformer Runbow. I've never really wanted this site to be about "leaks" or "inside information", that was never the purpose, so I wasn't going to post anything about it. However, 13AM Games did make an official post going over the leak (for those interested, you can read about the original story here). I copied a blurb from 13AM Games statement below:
It’s important to note however that this info and this Amazon post did not come from 13AM Games, and contains some incorrect information. We can’t elaborate yet, but all I can say is that everyone should tune into E3 where we will be making some cool new Runbow announcements. Be sure to follow us for all the latest Runbow news on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr. If you ever have any questions, shoot us an email. It needs to be reiterated: Thanks for your passion and excitement. Our fans are literally the best.
We'll just have to wait and see. It is important to note that in an interview with TorontoGameDevs.com, 13AM Games did say they working on something with Runbow.
Toronto-based 13AM Games have announced a new paid expansion for their 2022 co-operative kaiju beat ‘em up Dawn of Monsters releasing in 2023.
Toronto-based 13AM Games have announced their side-scrolling, kaiju beat-'em-up game will be releasing on pretty much every platformer later this month on March 15th. Limited Run Games also has a physical edition for all platforms you can check out here.
Hey everyone! You may remember that before the launch of the Runbow, Tom over at 13AM Games was kind enough to do an interview. Now that the Runbow DLC has been released, we decided to chat again! We talked about the DLC, what didn't make the cut, and what the future holds for Runbow and 13AM Games.
TorontoGameDevs: Congrats on the DLC launch! What was the motivation to do DLC instead of moving onto a new project? Was it something you knew would always be in store for Runbow?
Tom: From the get go we knew we wanted to release some form of additional content for Runbow, whether it be new guest characters, levels, or costumes. One of the main reasons was to create something that fans of Runbow would appreciate and bring people back to the game after some time had passed. It also allowed us, as game makers, to take all the experience and lessons we learned from creating the original game, and use them to create something even better within the same universe.
TorontoGameDevs: The DLC introduces some new concepts, like with portals, anti gravity spots, and floaty sections. Was there anything left on the chopping block?
Tom: To complement the ridiculous size of space, we came up with a ridiculous amount of concepts for new mechanics we could introduce with the DLC. We had to chop this list down to a more manageable size, here are some examples of things that got the axe:
TorontoGameDevs: There are also some new mutliplayer maps, costumes, and a new character. How did you go about getting Lilac in the game? Was there anything (like other costumes) that didn't make the cut?
Tom: We met Stevie from GalaxyTrail at Pax Prime and approached him about the idea. He really liked it and after doing the same song and dance we did for the other characters, had Lilac ready to go. As for the other content, we did have some other ideas for costumes and even potential adventure themes, like Old West for example, but they never really made it beyond the concept phase. When it came to the DLC we wanted to be laser focused and adhere to some pretty tight scope constraints.
TorontoGameDevs: What's next for Runbow? Have you looked at porting it to other consoles? Amiibo? Or some new DLC?
Tom: All I can say is that we’re not done with Runbow yet. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, we hope to have some exciting announcements soon.
TorontoGameDevs: What's next for 13AM Games? Anything you can say about the next project, or what you have down the pipeline that's not Runbow related?
Tom: What do you mean not Runbow related? That’s a thing?
(No it's not). Thanks to Tom and 13AM Games for taking the time to do the interview. Remember to check out Runbow on Wii U.
13AMGames have been sending some cryptic tweets lately, promising an exciting month for Runbow fans and that we probably know what it is. They have mentioned some DLC for Runbow in the past, but we'll have to wait to see what's going on in 13AM Games land to know the whole scoop.
Cryptic Tweet #1: April is going to be a very cool month for #Runbow fans. . .
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 5, 2016
Cryptic Tweet #2: Everyone thinks they know what we are up to. YOU'RE probably right.
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 6, 2016
Cryptic Tweet #3: A Demonstration could be in order...
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 7, 2016
Cryptic Tweet #4: You need to Find OuR hints, and look cloSely AT the clUes.
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 7, 2016
Cryptic Tweet #5: i don't want to harRASS anyone with these tweets.
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 8, 2016
Cryptic Tweet #6: but you've got to keep up the PACE.
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 8, 2016
Cryptic Tweet #7: A little Detective work neVEr hurt aNyone.
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 9, 2016
Cryptic Tweet #8: To be fair, some detectives... maybe. sURE.
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) April 9, 2016
What do you think it is? Let us know in the comments, or tweet to 13AM Games.
Toronto-based 13AM Games have announced a new paid expansion for their 2022 co-operative kaiju beat ‘em up Dawn of Monsters releasing in 2023.
Toronto-based 13AM Games have announced their side-scrolling, kaiju beat-'em-up game will be releasing on pretty much every platformer later this month on March 15th. Limited Run Games also has a physical edition for all platforms you can check out here.
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.