Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
As discussed last week, Throw Away Games and Bluish Green Productions action platformer Robo's World: The Zarnok Fortress is out now. You can check out the games Steam page here where you can buy for the discounted price of $9.89. Make sure to check out the trailer below!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/436360/ Robo's World: The Zarnok Fortress is a Free Roaming Tactical Action Platformer. Take on the vast, interconnected Fortress, and battle an ever learning foe who seeks to repair each zone you sabotage. Can you master your abilities to put an end to the dark reign of the Zarnok once and for all?
Achimostawinan Games have released their Indigenous cybernoir detective narrative adventure game Hill Agency: PURITYdecay for Steam and itch.io.
Vancouver-based indie developer Red Hook Studios has announced that Darkest Dungeon II, the sequel to their crushing 2016 roguelite, will leave early access on the Epic Games Store and launch on Steam in May.
Waterloo-based Odyssey Interactive (@OdysseyStudio)’s debut game Omega Strikers (@PlayOmega) has entered open beta on Steam after being in closed beta for 2 days.
Kitchener-based indie studio Fluxscopic Ltd (@FluxscopicLtd), with American publisher Tiny Build (@tinyBuild), have released action-adventure game Mayhem in Single Valley on PC storefronts.
Mighty Fight Federation, the throwback 3D arena fighter from Ontario-based Komi Games is out now on Steam and PlayStation consoles.
Rocketship Park have announced their puzzle game Love - A Puzzle Box Filled with Stories will be launching on Steam next month on October 21st.
London, Ontario-based Tiny Titan Studios (@tinytitangames) have announced their new project Rogue Souls (@RogueSoulsGame), an action rogue-like coming soon to PC.
Action-adventure roguelike UnderMine (@undermine_game), co-developed by Vancouver-based engineer Derek Johnson (@quasim0dem), has left Early Access on Steam and launched on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One and Windows.
After almost a year of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store, Vancouver-based indie studio Klei Entertainment (@klei) has released their deck-building roguelite Griftlands into early access on Steam.
New World Interactive, a developer with roots in Hamilton, but other parts of the world, have announced Insurgency: Sandstorm coming in 2017 to PS4, Xbox One, Windows, OS X, and Linux. They made the announcement last month, partnering with publisher Focus Home Interactive.
“Considering our indie background, it was not easy finding a publisher we felt compatible with. We decided to work with Focus because they understand our game and they believe in our vision.” Jeremy Blum – Founder and Game Director of New World Interactive The decision to collaborate with a publisher is primarily for their expertise in console distribution and broader marketing reach. New World Interactive retains full ownership of the Insurgency brand and creative direction on the project.
Insurgency: Sandstorm will also have a story mode, as well as an eSports framework. "The game is being built from the ground up with competitive multiplayer, console split-screen, and singleplayer in mind. The story mode will focus on a squad of characters as they face increasingly challenging chapters, from the invasion of Iraq in 2003 through the insurrection period and leading to the present day."
You can check out the full story over on the official website, and follow the developer on Twitter. There is also GameDev Drinks happening this month where you'll get the chance to meet Creative Director Andrew Spearin.
Toronto indie developer Torn Banner Studios, who are mostly known of their Chivalry series, has announced Mirage: Arcane Warfare and revealed a small teaser video.
Watch the teaser trailer for Mirage: Arcane Warfare ahead of the full announce gameplay trailer on March 9. Mirage: Arcane Warfare is a magic and melee-focused multiplayer FPS from the creators of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, coming in 2016.
Toronto indie developer Snowman had previous announced they're working with The Game Band but didn't say on what. We now know a little bit more on the collaboration as the two announced their new game "Where Cards Fall", but didn't specify a release date, or platform.
From an article that you can read over at The Verge:
When he was still a student at the University of Southern California, [The Game Band's] Sam Rosenthal started working on a game about building a house of cards...The game let you create structures, then break them down so that you could rebuild them in different ways. Rosenthal wanted the deconstruction and reconstruction to gradually tell a coming of age story about the wistfulness of adolescence, and the way important, sometimes devastating events can impact your life.
We'll have to wait a bit longer to find out more about the game, but we do know that Snowman "is helping to refine aspects like the art, design, and marketing"
In the meantime, you can follow the game on Twitter while also following Snowman and The Game Band.
I've wondered for a while what specifically Ubisoft Toronto did for Far Cry Primal. The first person shooter was released last week, and as I mentioned on the podcast I've been enjoying it quite a bit. Thanks to the Toronto Star, we now know what our favourite Ubisoft studio contributed to the game:
"You have to hunt animals, craft together tools and find your fellow tribesman, and thanks to the addition of Beast Master abilities, you don't have to do it alone.
"The Montreal team . . . gave us a lot of stuff that was related to the Beast Master powers, so the taming, giving (your animal) orders and creating the many great beast quests later on in the game were led by the team here," said Maxime Beland, creative director, Ubisoft Toronto.
The Toronto team also worked on your pet owl, another new feature that almost operates as a prehistoric drone. You can call your owl and see from its perspective, which lets you survey the surrounding area, mark targets and eventually, with upgrades, attack enemies for you."
You can check out the full story over on the Toronto Star website. A big congrats again to the team over at Ubisoft Toronto. My review for the game will be up sometime this week.
Announced earlier this month, we now have a confirmed date for Cel Damage HD on Xbox One. Gamers can go to the Xbox Store to preorder the game at $8.99 and download it ahead of its March 11th release date.
"Take control of the world’s nuttiest cartoon drivers to demolish your friends with insane weapons and wacky arena hazards! Cel Damage HD is the definitive local multiplayer game, so just add a couch and have a blast with your friends and family. Master the single-player mode to get a leg up on the competition!"
The game is also available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita as a cross-buy game. You can follow the developer on Twitter while you're waiting for the game to come out.
Throw Away Games let me know that Robo's World: The Zarnok Fortress will be coming to Steam March 7th. You can check out the trailer below:
Robo's World: The Zarnok Fortress is a Free Roaming Tactical Action Platformer. Take on the vast, interconnected Fortress, and battle an ever learning foe who seeks to repair each zone you sabotage. Can you master your abilities to put an end to the dark reign of the Zarnok once and for all?
Robo's World is a collaboration with Bluish-Green Productions in which you help Robo defeat the Zarnok robots by sabotaging their ship:
Robo’s World: The Zarnok Fortress is an Open World 2D Tactical Action Platformer. Take on the massive, interconnected Zarnok Fortress, and sabotage its crucial systems to halt its advance on your world. Your foe remains ever vigilant, learning from its mistakes and actively repairing sabotaged zones. Play as Robo, who’s about the most nimble machine you’ve ever seen sporting tank treads, and the acting guardian of the planet Saphirium. Master your abilities to take the Fortress offline, dynamically affecting every other zone as you work towards your goal of dealing the finishing blow to cripple the Fortress beyond repair and put an end to the dark reign of the Zarnok.
You can add the game to your Steam wishlist here, and follow both developers on Twitter.
A little late on this one, but Ubisoft has released Far Cry Primal for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, with the PC version coming March 1st. The first person open world shooter takes players to 10000 BC to control Takkar, as he tries to rebuild his tribe in the land of Oros.
Watch the all-new 101 trailer for a gameplay overview of Far Cry Primal in 5 minutes. Discover all you need to know about Far Cry Primal's weapons, powerful Beast Master abilities, and vicious human foes. Available February 23, 2016.
Ubisoft Toronto assisted with this one, along with other Ubisoft teams. A big congrats to all of those involved. As I've mentioned on the podcast, I'll be reviewing the game for the website soon. Until, let us know in the comments what you think of the game!
A few weeks ago we wrote about Dragon of Legends launching on Kickstarter. The game got to about 20% funded before Thrive Games pulled the plug.
"During our last campaign an investment firm has stepped forward and presented an offer which would cover up to 80% of development expenses for this project, provided we can account for the other 20% in cash. As indicated in our last Kickstarter $60k would be enough money to create a functional version of the game - but now with this new offer if we can raise 20% of that goal ($12k) during this campaign, this investor has agreed to cover the remaining expenses required to make the project a reality"
Dragon of Legends is now LIVE on Kickstarter! Head on over to the campaign page here: http://kck.st/1omOwaE Here you can see our inventory and character sheet in action. Ulfgar is showing off his exclusive founder title and his new gear. Each item's stats immediately affect Ulfgar's character sheet.
The new Kickstarter was launched and as of this morning has already passed the $12,000 dollar mark, making Dragon of Legends funded. We're now onto Stretch Goals for Dragon of Legends. At $16,000 the game will have a bonus playable class, and at $20,000 it will have an expanded bestiary and new PVE arenas. You can check out the new Kickstarter here.
Barrie developer One More Story Games made the announcement last week that they are working with New York Times Bestselling Author Charlaine Harris in creating an interactive story game based on her work. Shakespeare’s Landlord will be adapted for One More Story Games' StoryStylus software, and is planned to be available for FaceBook, mobile, and web platforms next year.
Shakespeare’s Landlord is the first novel in a five-part series featuring Lily Bard, a tough and complicated woman who is determined to hide her nightmarish past from her small town neighbors. After stumbling across a body being dumped in a park late at night, Lily embarks on a journey to find the killer, as well as the reason they’re trying to frame her for the murder.
You can follow along the game by joining the mailing list on the official website, as well as sign up to be an early tester. Make sure to also follow One More Story Games on Twitter, as well as Charlaine Harris.
Indie developer Rocket 5 Studios had previously released screenshots for Kitty Disastrous, but today is the first time we can see the game in action. Check it out below!
Kitty Disastrous is a platforming adventure game about love, calamity and being a cat. While following your accident prone ferret friend from scrape to scrape, you’ll explore a small industrial town with reckless abandon and satisfy your thirst for wanton destruction. In her search for Ferris, Kitty encounters puzzles, people, and other citizens of the animal world that she can manipulate to help achieve her goal. Whatever Kitty touches turns to disaster.
Play Kitty Disastrous at GDC 2016 booth PL211. Kitty Disastrous is a platforming adventure game about love, calamity and being a cat. While following your accident prone ferret friend from scrape to scrape, you'll explore a small industrial town with reckless abandon and satisfy your thirst for wanton destruction.
You can keep up to the game by checking out the main website, and follow them on Twitter and Tumblr.
Developer Snowman had announced earlier this month Alto's Adventure was releasing on Android, and that day has come! You can download the game for free on the Google Store here, or on the iOS right here. The game is free on Android, while costing $3.99 on iOs, and the developer spoke about why:
After playing games such as Crossy Road and Threes! Free we began to understand that free-to-play can be done in a very tasteful and respectful manner. We also heard about the crazy levels of piracy on Android (thanks in part to Ustwo Games’ incredibly insightful Monument Valley infographic), and wanted to ensure that Alto’s Adventure could be as accessible as possible for everyone, while still being good for business.
Alto's Adventure is now available for Android and Kindle Fire devices (and iOS). Google Play: http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noodlecake.altosadventure Kindle Fire: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/android?p=com.noodlecake.altosadventure App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/altos-adventure/id950812012?ls=1&mt=8&at=11lrPB&ct=web http://altosadventure.com http://www.twitter.com/altosadventure http://www.facebook.com/altosadventure
Indie developer Button Mash Games has officially released Forbidden Desert on iOS. The game, which is originally a board game, has players working together to survive:
Your mission to recover a legendary flying machine has just been thrown into chaos. An unexpected sand storm has forced your helicopter to make a crash landing. Now, stranded in the vast desert and exposed to an unrelenting storm, your only hope for survival is to quickly excavate the ancient city, find the parts to the flying machine, and rebuild it to escape.
You can download the game on iOS right here, and can also check out Forbidden Island, the first game in the series. Let us know the comments what you think!
This week was a big week for Toronto developed games being released on PlayStation consoles. First, Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime was released on PlayStation 4 and in the same store update, We Are Doomed from Vertex Pop was released on PlayStation Vita.
You can download the game here, which is Cross-Buy with the PlayStation 4 version. Let us know in the comments if you picked up the game!
Kitchener-based indie studio Fluxscopic have released their 2021 puzzle-loaded action adventure game Mayhem in Single Valley on consoles.
Toronto-based Komi Games partnered with Limited Run Games to release a physical edition of their 2021 arena fighter Mighty Fight Federation for PS4 and PS5.
Montréal-based Paper Cult Games have partnered with Limited Run Games to release a physical edition of their “one-hit kill die-retry murderballet” game for PlayStation 4 and 5.
Saskatoon-based Foolish Mortals have released their turn-based strategy game Kaiju Wars on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (playable on PS5 and Xbox Series S|X).
WB Games Montréal has announced that the last-gen (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) versions of their upcoming co-op action game Gotham Knights have been cancelled.
Massive Damages Star Renegades, the rogue-lite RPG that is available on Xbox, and Steam, is out now on PlayStation. Currently going for $24.74 CAD with a PlayStation Plus discount, you can pick it up here.
Mighty Fight Federation, the throwback 3D arena fighter from Ontario-based Komi Games is out now on Steam and PlayStation consoles.
Canadian indie dev Dylan Meville (@DMeville) and Everglow Interactive have released their multiplayer party game @PartyPanicGame on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Oakville and Regina-based game developers Studio MDHR (@StudioMDHR) have released the originally Xbox console exclusive Cuphead for PlayStation 4 today, the last major gaming platform it was absent from (besides Ouya).
During today’s PlayStation 5 stream Montréal-based indie studio KO_OP Mode (@KOOPMode) announced Goodbye Volcano High for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Steam.
Indie developer Asteroid Base announced last month that Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime was headed to PlayStation 4, and that day has finally arrived! Players can download the game on the PlayStation Store right now, which is currently on a 30% sale. Let us know in the comments if you've picked up the game!
Coming to PS4 on February 9, 2016 http://LoversInADangerousSpacetime.com Explore a neon galaxy in your very own battleship in Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, a thrilling 1- or 2-player couch co-op adventure. Use turrets, shields, engines and super-lasers to triumph over the evil forces of Anti-Love, rescue kidnapped space-bunnies, and avoid a vacuumy demise.
Halifax-based devs Max Inferno have released Cupboards & Drawers DLC for their 2022 puzzler A Little to the Left.