Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
I saw this tweet from developer PixelNAUTS and I wanted to give a shout out to the developer and to Lost Orbit which is looking pretty sweet. Check out the videos below!
Personally I thought a PlayStation page meant a release date is incoming, but right now it is still TBD for PS4 and PC. Make sure to check out screenshots for the game here.
We have the list of Toronto Video Game developers, but I figured I would start just writing some posts as an "FYI: Check out this developer."
Well this week's FYI is Indie Developer Allied Games. You can check out their game Shadow Heroes: Chibi Fight right now on iOS and Android, while also looking at upcoming games Yummy Rainbow and Shadow Heroes: Vengeance In Flames.
Make sure to follow the Mississauga based developer on Twitter.
I've written about Alto's Adventure before, including about how much I enjoyed it. If you're not familiar with Snowman's snowboarding game, it's essentially an endless runner where you complete tasks such as grind for x amount of meters, or doing two backflips in one run. The game has incredibly smooth animations and looks really great with its changing time of day.
The game was recently written about over at mobilesyrup, where creator Ryan Cash wrote about the games beginnings:
“The idea was to make an indie game in the first place. However, it came when Jordan became addicted to Tiny Wings, in the fall of 2012. After he got me into the game, we kept discussing the idea of doing something like it ourselves – or at least trying to. We were both really blown away by the emotion and magic that [Tiny Wings] conveyed. We’d never seen anything like it in a mobile game before,” said Cash."
Check out the article if you're interested how other games inspired Alto's Adventure. The game is out now on iPad and definitely worth a look at.
Late last month I wrote about how N++ is close to coming out. It looks like promotion might be ramping up, as PlayStation posted the following video showing off the Deathball in N++. It does appear to be a ball that causes death, so the name is pretty appropriate.
I am so excited for this game, and it can't come soon enough. Make sure you follow the developer on Twitter.
Developer Digital Extremes took to the PlayStation Blog today to announce the latest Warframe update is now out on PlayStation 4. Titled 'Sanctuary', the update brings a new Warframe, game mode, quests, and game tweaks. It also includes a new area Sanctuary:
"Overseen by Cephalon Simaris, the Sanctuary is place where Tenno can work together for a common goal. Track down rare targets in missions and add them to the Sanctuary’s database using the Synthesis Scanner, unlocking new lore. Earn standing with Simaris and practice future Mastery tests or pit battle strategies against enemies in the Codex."
You can check out the full post on the PlayStation Blog.
Reboot Communications and Swaf Media announced they will create the Canadian Videogame Award FanFest which will be a "fan-centric event that is solely dedicated to videogames and interactive entertainment."
"Fans will have the opportunity to try out games that will be released prior to the holiday season and meet their creators in the new Fan Zone and Canadian Game Zone. The public will also be able to test their skills against other players in the Videogame Competition.
The event will round out with local bands and other entertainment featured on the main stage prior to the award show on Sunday December 6th, closing out a weekend celebration of the Canadian gaming industry. The objective of the CVA FanFest is to celebrate Canadian gaming and provide a great opportunity for the fans to meet their favourite Canadian developers."
The event will take place later this year December 5th-6th at the old Maple Leaf Gardens.You can check out the full press release here, and check out the main site for full details.
Last week there were two Toronto developed video games released on PlayStation consoles.
WE ARE DOOMED (which I've done a Let's Play for) from VertexPop on PS4, and Bloxiq from Blot Interactive on PlayStation Vita came out last week, and I have codes for both of them!
You can follow me on twitter for a chance to win, but if you comment on this post (include your email) you'll also enter a chance to win (so if you both Retweet, and comment you get two chances!)
In the meantime, just make sure to follow VertexPop and Blot Interactive on twitter.
The developers behind Fantasy Tales Online have officially launched their Kickstarter. If you're not familiar with Fantasy Tales Online, it is a upcoming retro style RPG. I went ahead and grabbed this description from their Steam page.
"Fantasy Tales Online is retro sandbox fantasy role playing game. You’re an adventurer thrown into a dangerous world. To be successful you will have to form guilds, complete quests, collect gear, fight through randomly generated and hand crafted dungeons, and most importantly construct your own player cities.
You will encounter thousands of magical and unique items, build your own homes and guilds using blocks obtained from questing, raiding and crafting, and take on strategic boss fights that go beyond the hack ‘n slash mechanic. Our goal is to take away the grind from hack and slash and let you enjoy the game before you reach level cap. You’ll encounter strategy, sandboxing, and housing right from the start."
Let's help them get funded. Make sure to check out their Kickstarter here, and follow them on Twitter here. Best of luck guys!
Indie Developer Jake Deichert has posted a video for his Oculus Rift island survival game Instincts. I was fortunate to play the game at this years LevelUp TO which showcased a lot of great student developed games. It was a lot of fun and was a crazy experience to actually look around in realtime and have that mapped to the game. Check out the video below!
Make sure to follow Jake on twitter for all his updates.
Earlier today I found out about The Thirsty Gamer which is promoting itself as a Bar/Arcade fusion, which just sounds amazing. Who doesn't want to drink and play some arcade games?
"The Thirsty Gamer will be Toronto’s only dedicated Arcade Bar. We believe in having awesome drinks with friends, enjoying fresh local food, and playing new & retro games. We're bringing back the arcade scene to Toronto, and creating a social gaming experience that can’t be replicated at home."
You can keep up to date on the progress for Thirsty Gamer on Twitter, and on Facebook.
Developer Capybara Games have announced there will be more Sony-centric characters coming to Super Time Force Ultra. It's already been confirmed you can play as Shuhei Yoshida, but now you'll always be able to play as the character from Journey (does he have a name?), and Sir Galahad from The Order: 1886.
Super Time Force Ultra is coming soon to PS4 & VITA... and Capy has added a couple more PlayStation exclusive team members to the mix! Capy already revealed that Shuhei Yoshida himself will be a playable character... But Shu didn't come alone.
"But Shu didn’t come alone – in fact, he brought a couple very close friends.
Everyone’s favourite nameless, berobed figure from the PlayStation hit Journey is coming along for the ride! Using grace, agility, and of course, scarves the Journey traveler offers an entirely unique way to encounter the carnage-fuelled levels of STFU.
Having rid London of beastly ghouls in the Order: 1886, Knight of the Round Table, Sir Galahad will also be suiting up with the Super Time Force. Wielding a Luger pistol and a chaotic arc rifle, Sir Galahad provides players with an electrifying jolt of action."
No release date for the game yet, but the game will be cross-buy with PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. Check out the full PlayStation Blog post here.
Developer Alientrap has announced their 2D Greek platformer Apotheon now has an Online Multiplayer component on Steam with five maps, and three modes (deathmatch, team deathmatch, elimination).
"While developing Apotheon's combat system we wanted to fight each other to really make sure it had a lot of depth - since we didn't live in the same city we added online support early on. The online game modes were one of our favorite parts of the game throughout development - but we decided to not release it with the main game because we didn't want to distract from the large single player adventure.
We've are now planning to release the online modes as a free standalone game - Apotheon Arena, on Steam in the coming months (though this plan depends on how well the beta goes). We want to release it for free so we can have the largest user base possible - and help promote the main single player game. When we release it and with how much content will depend on how this beta goes. "
You can check out the full post on their Steam page here. I asked if this sort of feature might make its way onto the PS4 version.
@TorontoGameDevs Dont know yet. Entirely depends on how well multiplayer works - if there is a lot of player interest then hopefully
— Lee Vermeulen (@Alientrap) April 15, 2015
So if you're interested, let them know! One more thing! Alientrap has been kind enough to provide some Steam codes for Autocraft. If you want a chance at a code you just need to comment on this article below. I'll dish them out later this week.
Not many studios can last longer than a few years, which is why I just wanted to wish DrinkBox Studios a happy 7th birthday!
7 yrs ago today, we launched a game studio that would redefne the word Guacamelee. Thanks for all the love y'all! <3 pic.twitter.com/rWuK41P6rs
— DrinkBox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) April 15, 2015
DrinkBox Studios is the developer behind Mutant Blobs Attack, Guacamelee, and the upcoming Severed. Happy Birthday guys!!
Congrats to developer Vertext Pop who will be releasing WE ARE DOOMED on PlayStation 4 today, and Xbox One on Friday.
"WE ARE DOOMED is a twin-stick shooter where you zap polygon baddies with an absurdly overpowered laserbeam. Dive head-first into the action with reckless ambition, charge the SUPERBEAM, and zap everything out of existence in an instant. Chase high scores or just enjoy the beautiful explosion of geometry, colour and light."
Make sure to give lots of love to developer on Twitter, and be sure to pick up the game (I will be and will probably be doing a Let's Play)
