Release Date For Maize Announced

Finish Line Games had announced Maize earlier in the year, and now we know when the first person adventure game that may or may not contain talking corn will be out December 1st.

They announced this via Youtube, where they released a trailer introducing Vladdy who apparently is never happy:

Maize is a first-person adventure game involving sentient corn. But, you may not know that it also includes a talking Russian robot bear that just happens to be your sidekick. Introducing Vladdy. He's not happy. Ever. Maize will be released December 1, 2016 on PC via Steam.

You can check out the official Steam page here, while also adding it to your wishlist. If you're in the San Francisco area, they'll also be showing the game at the Day of the Devs event.

Toronto Developers Highlight the 7th Annual Canadian Video Game Award Nominations

The nominations for the 7th Annual Canadian VideoGame Awards have been announced, and there are quite a few Toronto developers being nominated for various awards. I tooked at the local games being developed, which you can check out below.

Nominations (Local Developers Only)

Game of the Year:

• Severed
• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Console Game:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Mobile/Handheld Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
• Loud on Planet X (Pop Sandbox Inc)

Best PC Game

• Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander (Massive Damage)

Best Virtual Reality Game:

• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Steel Crate Games)
• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Animation:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Art Direction:

• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Audio:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Educational Game:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Game Innovation:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Indie Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Musical Score:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Narrative:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best New Character:

• Sasha - Severed (Drinkbox Studios)

Best Technology:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Fans’ Choice Award: Best Canadian-Made Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

You can check out the full nominations at the official site.

One More Story Presents: Attack Of The Killer Zombie Cats

Barrie developer One More Story Games is helping us get into Halloween mood with releasing 'Attack of the Killer Zombie Cats' as part of their Story Stylus, a program that helps authors bring their creations to digital life.

Battle to save Earth from the Killer Zombie Cats. Everyone has disappeared except you, Donald Trump aka Trumpy Cat, and his evil horde of zombie cats who have been poisoned! Can you save the world by defeating evil?

The game is actually written by 11 year old Keira Palmer, but make sure to follow One More Story Game on Twitter, and check out the rest of their catalog on their main website.

Runbow Shantae DLC Out - Retail Deluxe Slightly Delayed

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.

Pirate Pop Plus Out Now On 3DS And Wii U

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!

Illumination Games Releases Dawn Of Mars On iOS And Android

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.

Alto's Adventure, and Sword & Sworcery Part Of Apple’s “Indie Gems” Sale

Quick heads up, but a couple of Toronto games currently have some massive discounts on the iOS store with Apple throwing a "Indie Gems" Sale.

You can check out the full details here since there are lot of great games on sale, but the games Toronto gamers should be focused on are Alto's Adventure from Snowman, and Sword & Sorcery from Capybara Games.

Severed Out Now On 3DS

First it was out on PlayStation Vita, then iOS, then Wii U. Finally after all this time, 3DS owners get their chance at DrinkBox Studios First Person Hack n' Slash RPG. Severed was released on 3DS today.

#SEVERED is now available on Nintendo 3DS In North America! pic.twitter.com/4yaLtg25li

— DrinkBox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) October 13, 2016

You can pick up Severed directly on 3DS, or on Nintendo's website. We'll probably have to wait a little bit to see what DrinkBox Studios is working on next, but we'll have it on TorontoGameDevs.com when its official.

Cuphead Delayed Again - Coming Mid-2017

Sad news coming out of Studio MDHR today. The must anticipated game Cuphead, which has been at E3 a few times now, has officially been delayed until mid-2017. Writing on their official blog:

"Hey everyone, we wanted to finish our game 80 years after 1936 but it will now be 81.

Throughout this year we discussed reducing the scope to make a 2016 release, but we made the difficult decision to delay the launch in order to ship with our vision intact. We are happy to announce that Cuphead will be coming to Xbox One, Windows 10 and Steam in Mid-2017.

We are constantly humbled by your continued support. Love you all and can’t wait to get this to you. Without further ado, we will get back to work!"

Cuphead joins 'Below' as the other Xbox One Exclusive from Toronto that has been hit with a delay this year.

13AM Games Published Game 'Pirate Pop Plus' Releases This Month On Wii U/3DS

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.

Alto's Adventure Updated On iOS - Now Includes Haptic Feedback

Developer Snowman let me know that Alto's Adventure, the game that keeps on giving, has been updated to take advantage of iPhone 7's Haptic Feedback.

Thanks to the expanded Taptic Engine, we’ve been able to pinpoint exciting moments in a run and tie them to more precise vibrational feedback. Now, you’ll feel a nice jolt of satisfaction upon collecting a wayward llama or sliding over an ice boost. The golden burst of a super coin or powdery landing of a huge combo will hopefully be a little more thrilling.

We’ve even tried to give some consideration to calmer moments: reaching minumum & maximum zoom or snapping the perfect shot in Photo Mode will vibrate like a real camera, immersing you in the joys of being your own mountain photographer. The list goes on, but rather than spoil it all, we’re excited for players to stumble onto each new interaction and find their favourite ones.

You can pick up Alto's Adventure on iOS, if you already own the game the update is a free patch. While players enjoy the free content, we're still waiting to see more on Where Cards Fall from Snowman, and The Game Band.

Adventure Town-Building Game 'Dwarrows' Now On Kickstarter

I've been a big fan of Dwarrows from Lithic Entertainment since coming across it earlier last year.  They have now officially launched their Kickstarter to help out with the final stretch of completing the game, which is a 3d town building adventure game.

The peaceful Wood-Elves have fled their homelands to escape a great flood. The Elf Queen Solatia, aware of their plight, has secured some lands in a far away country and an old Keep where they can rebuild.

Assigned to help these woodland folk rebuild is The Royal Company of Colonizers, an elite group of expert gatherers and builders. Three of the most storied of these colonizers have been chosen for this mission, The Dwarf: Dwilben the Gatherer, The Gnome: Gloia the Builder, and The Halfling: Horbir the Explorer.

Uploaded by Lithic Entertainment on 2016-09-07.

NOW on Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=642051488 Official Sites: http://www.dwarrows.com http://www.lithicentertainment.com https://www.facebook.com/LithicEntertainment https://twitter.com/LithicEnt Dwarrows is a peaceful town-building game that borrows from the Action Adventure genre. Take control of three uniquely skilled characters to leave the confines of the town, explore the lush forest surrounding it, and work together to solve puzzles.

You can check out the full Kickstarter here, where you can get a copy of the game for as low as $15 dollars (which will be lower than the launch price).  Make sure to also follow the developer on Twitter and FaceBook and keep an eye on this colourful, charming adventure game.

Sago Mini Planes Announced - Releases September 29th

Sago Mini has announced their next iOS game geared towards preschoolers, 'Sago Mini Planes' will be available September 29th.  In an Open Letter to Parents, an animator on the team said "This airplane adventure has plenty of room for your Sago Mini friends – bring along Jinja, Harvey, Jack, Robin or Rosie. You’re already cleared for security - just choose a plane and hop on board! Tap the arrow to take off and fly. Have fun zipping through the sky or gently gliding through the clouds."

Available September 29, 2016!

We'll have to wait until September 29th to download the newest game, but Sago Mini has a whole prethala of games for young kids.

Severed Out Now On Wii U

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.

Jazzpunk: Director's Cut Out Now On PlayStation 4

As previously announced, Jazzpunk: Director's Cut is out now on PlayStation 4 and can be downloaded from the store for $19.99 (currently on sale for $15.99).

Jazzpunk is a comedy adventure set in an alternate reality Cold War World, plagued with corporate espionage, CyberCrime, and sentient martinis. Gameplay is inspired by spoof comedy films and cartoons of yesteryear, with a focus on weird gadgets, exotic locales, and open-world style exploration.

Jazzpunk: Director's Cut is coming to PS4 September 20th 2016. Suppository and Eye Drop forms delayed until 2045. http://jazzpunk.net Blast off to the year 1959B! Set your video terminals to AMAZEMENT!