Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
Although initially announced to come out in the Spring, Benjamin Rivers romance adventure game, Alone With You, will be coming out August 23rd on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Read MoreDrinkBox Studios has announced, and released, the DrinkBox Vita Collection for download. The collection comes with the studios first three titles at a discounted price, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Guacamelee!, and the recently released Severed.
The collection is currently going for $24.99 on the Vita, which can be downloaded right here.
One of our favourite studios DrinkBox Studios released their RPG Nobody Saves the World on Xbox and PC earlier this year, and that exclusivity didn’t last long as they have now announced the game is heading to Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation later this month.
Toronto-based DrinkBox Studios have announced a release date for their upcoming action RPG, Nobody Saves the World and we won’t have to wait very long. The game will release on Steam, and Xbox One/Series X/S on January 18th. It will also be part of Xbox Gamepass.
Toronto-based Drinkbox Studios have announced their next game Nobody Saves the World during the ID@Xbox event last week.
Guacamelee! 1 and 2 Toronto-based developer Drinkbox Studios has revealed we’ll know about their next secret project this Friday during ID Xbox Gaming Showcase. All we really know about this game is that they’ve been teasing it with eyes.
A few weeks ago Jason Canam, a designer from DrinkBox Studios, announced opening his new studio Household Games. Jason was kind enough to do an email interview about his time at Drinkbox, and his plans for Household. Check it out below!
TorontoGameDevs.com: Thanks for taking some time today, congrats on the announcement regarding Household Games! Before we dive into that, can you give us a little bio? What kind of gamer are you? How long have you been a designer?
Jason Canam: Thanks for having me and for the kind words! I’m Jason Canam, I’m the Founder and Director at Household Games, and I’ve been playing games since the early 80s. My earliest memories of playing video games are playing games on an Atari 2600. The first game I was a “fan” of was Pitfall II: Lost Caverns. Most games of the era were simple “score attack” games where you simply played for as long as possible to get the highest score but Pitfall II had an ending, it could be completed -- a fact that blew my mind as a kid! That was the point that I fell in love with video games.
I like to play everything. I play a mix of current games and classic games. I speedrun a couple of games: Donkey Kong Country 2 for the SNES (102%) and Mega Man X for the SNES. I consider myself an “amateur speedrunner”. Speedrunning is a fantastic gaming sub-culture. I’m a completionist, too. I love going for Platinum Trophies! I will play a game until I 100% complete it, if I really enjoy it – I’m not one to slog through a game I hate just for trophies/achievements.
I have been a developer since 2007, and have been a designer since 2010. I got my start working in QA at Capcom Interactive (now Beeline Interactive) and spent a few years working on mobile and casual games (at studios like Gameloft) before moving on to working on core games at DrinkBox.
TorontoGameDevs.com: What was working at DrinkBox Studios like? How has working on Guacamelee, and Severed helped with launching your own studio?
Jason: Working at DrinkBox for just over 3 years was a great experience. It’s a top-notch team and I’ve greatly learned much from the wisdom and expertise of all of the team members there. Both Guacamelee! and Severed are incredible games, and I’m glad and honored to have had even a small hand in the development of those games.
I recently realized that I’m now in the enviable position that I get to experience any future DrinkBox games completely blind (just like everyone else!). So, I’m really looking forward to what’s coming next from them.
TorontoGameDevs.com: What made you decide to venture out on your own, and start your own company? Who are some of the people working with you?
Jason: Many things lined up to make it happen, that, and a lot of realizations. I realized that I have gotten to a point where I am familiar with, and more importantly comfortable with, all of the elements and facets of game development. This doesn’t mean I can do it all myself, but that I have a very comprehensive understanding of game development. I also had the realization that I know some very talented professionals that I could approach about joining me on this admittedly ambitious undertaking. I’m quite honored that they trust in me and I am very grateful to have such talented people on the team. With everything in sync, it was the right time to start Household Games, and I’m looking forward to showing the world what we’re capable of!
The team is really great, and the biggest reason that I’m so excited for the game. With a team this experienced and talented, I’m certain that the game will turn out exactly how I envision it. Everything from the code, to the visuals and to the sound are all being handled by experts who will undoubtedly deliver.
We did some brief introductions on Twitter (@HHGamesInc), and we will be doing some livestreams this summer talking with the team and discussing, while playing, their favourite games. We’ll be announcing the streams on twitter very soon.
TorontoGameDevs.com: What would you say the company vision is? Anything you can tell us about the first game?
Jason: My goal with Household Games is to make games that are creative and engaging, but fun above all else. Of course, “fun” is a pretty intangible and subjective term! But at the end of the day, that’s what games are all about. But let’s not forget that games are powerful things, that can have powerful messages, and they mean a lot to people (myself included), but they can be meaningful and fun.
I wish I could say more, but for now, all I can say is that our first game will be created with our core values in mind, and it’ll be something special, indeed!
TorontoGameDevs.com: What's it like being a GameDev in Toronto? Finding talent and the community as a whole?
Jason: I think it’s pretty safe to say that Toronto is one of the best places in the world for game developers. And that’s thanks to the incredible, supportive, collaborative and inclusive game dev community that exists in Toronto. “Toronto” is very much a member of the Household Games team.
The HHG team is made up of pros that I’ve worked with in the past, as well as people that I’ve always wanted the chance to work with. And to be honest, there are many more that I’d love to work with in the future!
Makes me proud when people tell me about their favourite games and they happen to be developed here. I’m in good company and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
TorontoGameDevs.com: Thanks again! Any last things you want to let our readers know?
The team is hard at work on the game to get it to the point where we can show it off. Please follow us at @HHGamesInc and stay tuned for info this summer!
Thanks for all the support! The team is super excited to show things off this summer! pic.twitter.com/IfjrBDWbRp
— Household Games (@HHGamesInc) June 30, 2016
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!
Toronto independent developer GalacticThumb have released their next game on iOS. Users can download the free to play game Cubicle, on the iOS store for iPhone and iPad. You can check out a video and some screenshots below, but make sure to download the game on iOS today, while an Android version will be coming out 'soon'. Make sure to follow GalacticThumb on Twitter as well.
Cubicle is now available on the App Store https://appsto.re/us/EsiYcb.i Android soon!
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 today (Happy Canada Day) I found out about Scary Wizard, an independent studio here in Toronto who have put their game Monumental Failure on Steam Greenlight. It's their first game and is due out later this year.
"Monumental Failure is a historically inaccurate monument construction simulator. Stonehenge, The Pyramids, The Great Wall of China. Monumental Failure empowers you to recreate the world’s most impressive architectural feats using increasingly impressive construction techniques."
Vote for us on Steam Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=712055578 Download the Demo: https://scary-wizard.itch.io/monumental-failure Visit us: https://www.MonumentalFailure.com
You can follow the developers on Twitter, and check out their site for all the details. Let's vote for the game on Steam Greenlight and help get this game released.
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
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
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!
Chivalry 2, the hotly anticipated sequel which is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S has gone gold ahead of its June 8th release date. The game, which will feature crossplay across the board, is also currently having an open Beta from May 27th to June 1st, the Beta is also cross-play enabled.
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.
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.
Having just released Mighty Fight Federation on PlayStation/Steam late last month, Komi Games is not done and have released their 3D brawler on Switch - and have included Cross-Play with all versions. you can pick up the game on Switch right here for $39.89.
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.
Sokodice is a puzzle game where you must navigate dice through mind boggling levels to match the number of the dice with the number on a designated tile.
Toronto developer MegaPhemeral announced their upcoming Japanese inspired RPG Emergent Fates will be coming to iOS on July 7th. Offered as a “free-to-start”, and then a 5.99 USD price tag to unlock the game is currently up for preorder on the App Store.
P.A.M.E.L.A the Bioshock-inspired first-person shooter from Toronto based NVYVE Studios gets a full release on PC.
Jason Canam, a designer who worked on Guacamelee and Severed has branched out and formed his own studio Household Games. They've said they are working on a original IP planned for consoles, and we should expect some details shortly, but in the meantime, I did snag some of their tweets which you can check out below. Make sure to follow them on Twitter and give them a huge congrats on coming together!
Thrilled to announce that @JasonCanam and @jefffuel (Sound programmer on @soundshapes) are partnering to make a rock-solid action title!
— Household Games (@HHGamesInc) June 29, 2016
Striving for "a crazy, ridiculously rockin' soundtrack" is quite the lofty goal... luckily we have @OFalconer on the job! Gonna sound great!
— Household Games (@HHGamesInc) June 29, 2016
Presented, w/o context (for now) one of the character designs for our upcoming unannounced game (by @benthomasaurus) pic.twitter.com/NDemF3hjWg
— Household Games (@HHGamesInc) June 29, 2016
Here's a set of environment roughs, courtesy of @benthomasaurus #gamedev #indiedev #conceptart pic.twitter.com/2TlNBFn8nn
— Household Games (@HHGamesInc) June 29, 2016
Chivalry 2, the hotly anticipated sequel which is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S has gone gold ahead of its June 8th release date. The game, which will feature crossplay across the board, is also currently having an open Beta from May 27th to June 1st, the Beta is also cross-play enabled.
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.
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.
Having just released Mighty Fight Federation on PlayStation/Steam late last month, Komi Games is not done and have released their 3D brawler on Switch - and have included Cross-Play with all versions. you can pick up the game on Switch right here for $39.89.
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.
Sokodice is a puzzle game where you must navigate dice through mind boggling levels to match the number of the dice with the number on a designated tile.
Toronto developer MegaPhemeral announced their upcoming Japanese inspired RPG Emergent Fates will be coming to iOS on July 7th. Offered as a “free-to-start”, and then a 5.99 USD price tag to unlock the game is currently up for preorder on the App Store.
P.A.M.E.L.A the Bioshock-inspired first-person shooter from Toronto based NVYVE Studios gets a full release on PC.
Well, it looks like 13AM Games is now entering the publishing world. The developers of Runbow have announced they've created '13AM Shipping Solutions' - a publishing company that hopes to "help bring indie games to console and PC." Their first game, 'Dadako’s Pirate Pop Plus!' is an arcade game coming to Wii U, new 3DS, and Steam and is being developed by Dadako Studios out in Tokyo. Check out the trailer below!
Pirate Pop Plus Coming soon for WiiU, New 3DS and Steam. Developed by Dadako & published by 13AM games, all rights reserved.
Not all things are quiet on the Runbow front either. With the retail version set to hit sometime this year, you will be able to download a free Runbow demo from the eshop starting tomorrow.
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.
We've talked about Dwarrows before, when it was greenlite to be on Steam. I wanted to post some extra screenshots of the game since I'm in love with the art style. You can check out the developers on their site, and they are pretty active on Twitter. Check out the screenshots below, but keep this one on your radar:
Halifax-based devs Max Inferno have released Cupboards & Drawers DLC for their 2022 puzzler A Little to the Left.
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.
Hey everyone! So as I've been tweeting, I got to go to E3, and got to play a lot of great games. Some of those great games were developed in our own back yard. Here are some general thoughts I've had on them:
Cuphead from Studio MDHR
We've discussed this a few times on the podcast, but this game is beautiful. It's fluid and smooth, and it was great to confirm this in person. Platforming sections have just been announced and I got to play the section from the video we posted earlier. The game is certainly difficult, but the controls are easy to grasp and similar to Megaman games of the past. I think once you get the level design down, and the placement of enemies you'll be flying - it will be interesting to see how long this takes. Sadly I didn't get a chance to try out a boss, but the 10 minutes I played left a great impression.
Below from Capybara Games
E3 probably isn't the best place to play test a game like Below, especially if it's the first time you've ever played it. It deserves to be played in a dark room, with nothing else to get in the way with headphones on. You start the demo on a beach with your boat and before long you're going "below" in a mountain, fighting creatures and collecting items. The atmospheric and creepy music matched my actions perfectly, and there appears to be some sort of crafting system, but I didn't get a chance to try it out. Battling was similar to Legend of Zelda games of old, having a sword, shield, bow and arrow at your disposal, but with other weapons to pick up like a spear. Below is planned for this summer, and I would turn off the lights when you play.
Arrowheads from OddBird Studio
You don't have to travel to Los Angles to play OddBird Studios multiplayer shooter. You can download Arrowheads from their site right here, and when you do I recommend getting some friends to play along with. Think of it as a 3D Towerfall. The gang has added some extra levels since the last time I played it, and it's just as fun as ever. The art and animations are colourful, the gameplay is solid, and the game is just straight up a lot of fun to play. If you want to hear some further discussion on it, make sure to listen to Episode 22 of our podcast, but keep this one on your radar.
Remember that this article was a Patreon early exclusive, which means they got to read it first. Become a Patreon today.
Indie developer Benjamin Rivers has been tweeting quite a bit about his upcoming game Alone With You, and it looks like we're going to get a release date soon. Check out some of the tweets below (I promise I didn't stalk anyone...)
Well, hey. Guess what?
— Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) June 3, 2016
Alone With You is done.*
(*Pretty much. 😕)#gamedev #indiegame #AWYgame @PlayStation pic.twitter.com/R26IypMjIo
You ever get the feeling it's going to be a long day? #AWYgame #gamedev #indiegame #pixelart pic.twitter.com/jZccoJkTFf
— Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) June 8, 2016
Well, doesn't that look nice. #AWYgame #indiegame @PlayStation #PSVita pic.twitter.com/uE0NMo3pEh
— Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) June 15, 2016
@Brambmas05 @PlayStation I'll be able to talk after E3 madness dies down!
— Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) June 15, 2016
Alone With You is planned for PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, and from the sounds of it, once E3 has died down a bit, we'll find out more about the sci-fi adventure game. Stay tuned for updates, but in the meantime, maybe check out 9 minutes of the game from late last year.
Torn Banner Studios have been busy showing off footage for Mirage: Arcane Warfare, and this one comes courtesy of the PC Gaming Show at E3. You can check out the trailer below which shows more footage of the FPS multiplayer shooter.
Watch an exclusive new Mirage: Arcane Warfare gameplay trailer from the PC Gaming Show at E3 2016. Mirage: Arcane Warfare arrives Fall 2016. Sign up for the Summer Beta: http://miragearcanewarfare.com Obliterate your enemies with powerful magic or silence them with a sword in Mirage: Arcane Warfare, a multiplayer FPS from the creators of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare.
Mirage: Arcane Warfare is planned for Fall 2016, but you can sign up for the Summer Beta on the official site.
So Severed didn't stay on Vita Island very long, understandably DrinkBox Studios has announced that Severed will be making its way to 3DS and Wii U as cross-buy title, as well as iOS. You can check out the announcement trailer below for Nintendo consoles:
Take control of a one-armed heroine 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.
Meanwhile DrinkBox Studios tweeted confirming the game is coming to iOS.
Extra E3 news! Severed is coming to iOS this summer! https://t.co/u52ZoEpwV9
— DrinkBox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) June 14, 2016
Fans of DrinkBox won't have to wait long, all three versions are expected to come out this Summer.
It was a busy time for 13AM Games at E3, the gang announced a bunch of news things for Runbow (and despite most of us making a prediction involving 13AM Games, we were all wrong). For starters, Shantae from the Shantae series will be added as a free downloadable character to Runbow.
In addition to that, Nighthawk Interactive will be brining Runbow Deluxe to Wii U retail, and Runbow Pocket Deluxe to retail new 3DS. A downloadable version Runbow Pocket, will also hit the new 3DS eshop. Both versions will include the full game, all of the DLC and complete soundtrack. While the pocket version will include 4 exclusive 3DS themes, and streetpass trading cards. You can check out the full trailer, and press release below - everything is expected to hit sometime this year.
The critically acclaimed Wii U game Runbow goes portable on New Nintendo 3DS! official site: http://www.13amgames.com/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13AMGAMES twitter: https://twitter.com/13amgames MiiVerse: https://miiverse.nintendo.net/titles/...
EDISON, New Jersey - June 13, 2016 – Nighthawk Interactive has revealed it will bring independent developer 13AM Games’ party platformer Runbow Deluxe to Nintendo’s Wii U system and Runbow Pocket Deluxe to the New Nintendo 3DS hand-held system later this year. An updated release of the original Runbow, these new versions include all of the DLC launched for the game since it debuted last year on Wii U, including a new story adventure, levels, costumes, characters and more.
Runbow Deluxe on Wii U supports competitive multiplayer for up to nine players locally and online and comes with a bonus download for the game’s two-volume original soundtrack.
Runbow Pocket Deluxe takes all the fun of Runbow on the go with new StreetPass functionality for exchanging information, like favorite character and best Bowhemoth run time. It also comes with an exclusive theme download for New Nintendo 3DS.
Bursting with hundreds of stages, Runbow is a fast and frantic action game featuring multiple gameplay modes and a uniquely challenging mechanic in which platforms and obstacles in the environment appear and disappear in tune with shifts in the world’s color palette. The game is drawn with colorful art design inspired by 1960s animation and includes playable guest characters like Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight), Juan (Guacamelee!), Drifter (Hyper Light Drifter), CommanderVideo and CommandgirlVideo (BIT.TRIP RUNNER), Max (Mutant Mudds Super Challenge), Gunvolt (Azure Striker Gunvolt) and many more, including the just-announced addition of Shantae (Shantae Half-Genie Hero).
Runbow Deluxe and Runbow Pocket Deluxe are expected to arrive this fall in retail stores. Both titles are rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.
Toronto-based Drinkbox Studios (@DrinkboxStudios) has announced DLC for their action-RPG Nobody Saves the World entitled The Frozen Hearth.