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.
Toronto developer Built By Snowman is still at it. After announcing Alto's Odyssey late last year, they have also announced Skate City, a game they are working on with Norway developer Agnes. You can check out the teaser trailer below.
Your perfect ride. Worldwide. A brand new skateboarding game crafted by Agens and Snowman, coming to iOS & Android. See exclusive in-game footage at http://instagram.com/skatecitygame. Sign up to get notified at launch: http://www.skatecitygame.com A big thanks to Erik Norderval (https://soundcloud.com/peersynth) for the music, and Joe Pease (https://vimeo.com/joepease) for his awesome work on the trailer!
Snowman says they are trying something a little different with Skate City, and we'll have to wait a bit longer for more info. The game is expected to hit Android and iOS.
Toronto-based developer Snowman will be releasing their currently Apple-Arcade-only Skate City to Steam, Epic Game Store, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox on May 6th.
Well, we were late on this one! With Snowman announcing Skate City coming to Consoles soon it seems like their other Apple Arcade game Where Cards Falls is also coming to PC, and Switch in “early 2021”.
Skate City, the previous Apple Arcade exclusive published by Snowman, is heading to pretty much every other platform. Snowman confirmed today the game will come to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Epic, and Steam “soon”.
Where Cards Fall wasn’t the only Snowman-developed game to launch on Apple Arcade yesterday - their 2D Skateboarding game titled Skate City also launched alongside the subscription service.
Apple has released its subscription service Apple Arcade on iOS this week and there are a few Canadian-developed games as part of the launch. First up is Where Cards Fall from Los Angeles developer The Game Band and published by Snowman, developers of Alto Adventure.
Good friend of the site Aaron McLeod let me know that he's released a new game on iOS and Android, The Snowball Effect. The free-to-play game has players moving a snowball downhill, while completing objectives. This copy of the game is also version 2, and had music done by Jake Butineau.
The objective of the game is to get as far as you can, completing challenges to unlock new abilities. As you collect coins, you can also buy items to increase your chances of survival. The game is out for both iOS & Android at the free tier. It contains in app purchases of a cosmetic nature.
Snowball Effect v2 update is a complete overhaul of the existing game. To address a number of design issues I started revitilizing the overall feel of the game. Instead of being very level & objective based game, Snowball Effect is now an infinite runner, with the feel of old racing games from the NES era. You need to move to dodge obstacles, and to collide into objects that give you resources.
Snowball Effect is a game for iOS and Android. Applying the infinite runner to the old school racing game feel, Snowball Effect challenges you to make it as far down the mountain as you can. Run over targets such as skiiers and snowpiles to gain energy.
Depending on your mobile of choice, you can download the iOS version here, or the Android version here.
In the last full moon before Shadow gets close to the land, Ilathen the Goddess of Ila, sent one of her messengers down to find the one and only savior, because she knew as Shadow steps into Ila and opens the Dark Gate, hope, life and joy would turn into a dream.
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!
Canadian indie game studio Red Meat Games have released their episodic, narrative-driven audio game Project Dark on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
As part of the Mix Showcase last month, Toronto developer Kitten Cup Studio showed off some gameplay from their 2022 game Pekoe.
Quebec developer Norsfell have announced their 10-player co-op action-RPG Tribes of Midgard will be out on PlayStation, and Steam on July 27th - the game is also available for pre-order on both platforms.
Triversal, the puzzle game from Toronto developer Phantom Compass has a release date, and thankfully we won’t have to wait that long. The game comes out on July 13th, and you can wishlist it on Steam here.
BOMBING!!: A Graffiti Sandbox, the graffiti sandbox simulation game from indie dev (and friend of the site) Devon Wiersma, is out now on Steam, and itch.io.
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”.
PixelNAUTS Games, who last released Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity on various platforms have released a new trailer for their upcoming space-racing brawler Rocket Rumble. You can wishlist the game on Steam right now which is scheduled for sometime this year.
Mad Devils, the twin-stick shooter from Itzy Interactive got a new gameplay trailer ahead of its May 10th release date. Mad Devils is an arcade co-op shooter set during World War 2 but has Allied special forces hunting down Nazi occultists resurrected as demons
Last year, N++ won the Game of the Year voting. Who will be the winner this year? Vote below, and in the new year I'll post the winners!
Only one vote per person, but you can vote for as many games as you want. If I missed any there is a Write In feature at the bottom, or let me know on Twitter.
Note: Ports didn't count (sorry Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, and N++), but DLC, and extra episodes do. Feel free to use the search on the right hand side to find out more about that game.
Indie Dev Kastriot Sulejmani has been hard working on a level editor for his game Dashy Square, you can check out a sneak peak below:
300 Likes = Beta in 2 weeks! Please Like, Comment and Share! =D It has been work-in-progress for almost 6 months! Level Editor is almost ready guys!@# HYPE HYPE! I'm hyped for my own game XD SPECIAL THANKS: Level Editor Programmer: https://twitter.com/LoGerrol COMING SOON! Thanks for playing everybody!
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.
Illumination Games, who had previous released Ace Academy: Black Flight early in the year, have released their next title: Dawn of Mars on iOS and Android.
Space Frontiers: Dawn of Mars, is the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's latest mobile app. In this strategy-based colonization game, survival depends on your ability to gather resources, expand bases, and reach new territories. As commanding officer, you must balance colony survival with mission requirements while battling hazardous and unpredictable conditions.
Join the first-ever colony on Mars. Your survival will depend on your ability to gather resources, expand your bases, and conquer new territories.
Control a fleet of rovers and extract precious resources from the Martian soil. As commanding officer, you will need to balance colony survival with mission requirements, while battling hazardous and unpredictable conditions on the Red Planet.
You can follow the gang on Twitter, and much like Ace Academy before it, the game is in partnership with the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. The game can be download for free on iOS and Android.
Omar Chehab from University of Toronto reached out to me over email (Steve@torontogamedevs.com!) to let me know about his "infinite puzzle game" IO Reboot is out on Android phones.
"Easy to learn, hard to master... IO is an infinite puzzle game that progressively challenges the brain to train Focus, Attention, Multitasking, Visualization, and Balance. Compete worldwide and view your ranking against everyone else."
You can get the game for free on Android phones right here.
Hamilton developer Moonray Studios have released George of the Jungle Owie Owie on mobile phones. The free to play game is in partnership with Teletoon and can be downloaded on Android and iOS, but can also check out the main site here.
"George of the Jungle is back and he needs your help! Owie Owie fever has turned once friendly and collectible light bugs into a bloodthirsty army. Climb as high as you can, making sure that you watch out for that tree – and that rock, and those thorns, and that bat! How high can you get?"
George of the Jungle is back and he needs your help! Owie Owie fever has turned once friendly and collectible light bugs into a bloodthirsty army. Climb as high as you can, making sure that you watch out for that tree (and that rock, and those thorns, and that bat).
Canadian indie game studio Red Meat Games have released their episodic, narrative-driven audio game Project Dark on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Kitfox will be publishing the sequel to 2018’s well-received strategy sim Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind.
Montréal-based indie studio KO_OP (@KOOPMode) has released Winding Worlds today on Apple Arcade, a “finger-wiggling puzzle-adventure about a girl, a worm, and goodbyes.”
M5 Games’ 16-bit mash-em-up platformer is coming to a mobile device near you next month.
So I mentioned on the last podcast how we got an Xbox One after playing Alto's Adventure on our Window's 10 tablet and getting a few Xbox Achievements. Little did I know, the game was "silently" released on Windows 10 which has now been made public:
"For particularly sleuthy Xbox fans, this might not come as a shock. We quietly launched the game last month, and have been listening to early fan feedback ever since, to tweak and perfect the experience for Windows users. Now, we’re ready to tell the world. Alto will even be featured at the top of the Windows Games section of the Microsoft Store today and tomorrow – big thanks to the team at Microsoft for helping us spread the word."
Make sure to follow along on Twitter. Next up Snowman is partnering up with Slingshot & Satchel for their next project, though nothing is none about the game at the moment. We'll have all the details once they are available, until then make sure to pick up Alto's Adventure on your platform of choice.
Indie developer Snowman have been killing it lately, with all the work they're doing. They haven't stopped working on Alto's Adventure either, which was updated to 1.4 this week to coincide with iOS 10.
Red Meat Games is bringing Bloxiq, the puzzle game from Blot Interactive, to HTC Vive and PSVR
Read MoreHamilton developer Hard Circle have released Billions of Cats on Android devices.
Read MoreAlto's Adventure, the infinite skier on iOS and Android is getting a free update that includes a Zen mode. Zen Mode, which hits iOS tomorrow on June 2nd, will "remove scores and let you continue from wherever you crashed -- all you have to do is enjoy the experience." It will also include a more relaxing soundtrack, and a photo mode.
The free update hits iOS tomorrow with an Android port coming "soon". You can download Alto's Adventure on iOS and Android.
Canadian indie game studio Red Meat Games have released their episodic, narrative-driven audio game Project Dark on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Kitfox will be publishing the sequel to 2018’s well-received strategy sim Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind.
Montréal-based indie studio KO_OP (@KOOPMode) has released Winding Worlds today on Apple Arcade, a “finger-wiggling puzzle-adventure about a girl, a worm, and goodbyes.”
M5 Games’ 16-bit mash-em-up platformer is coming to a mobile device near you next month.
Toronto indie game developer Luke O'Connor reached out to me over email and let me know he released Kapsul Infinite on iOS and Android. Described as a "minimalist game celebrating space exploration" players will have to master physics-based controls to pilot your capsule through the spartan world. I've played the game for the last half hour and it draws inspiration from the classic Lunar Lander game, it's a little hard to master but fun to play.
Get it on the App Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kapsul-infinite/id1096955231?ls=1&mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kapsul-infinite-free/id1097859637?ls=1&mt=8 Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lukeoc.kapsulinfinite&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lukeoc.kapsulinfinitefree&hl=en Play Kapsul Infinite, a challenging action game with unique controls and an endless supply of randomly generated levels. How far will you go?
London based developer VDO Games have announced a big free update has arrived to their mobile platform Cally's Cave 2. The update brings the engine for Cally's Caves 3 to Cally's Caves 2 in addition to "a ton of improvements will come with it". If you don't want to play the game on your Android, or iOS device, you're in luck - the indie developer also announced Cally's Cave 2 will be coming to Steam.
The developer is still busy away working on another title as well, which they've promised to have an update for us shortly. Until then, follow the developer on Twitter!
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.