Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
Well I was a little off when I thought 13AM Games would be releasing some DLC, since today they announced that Runbow will be coming to Steam later this month.
Huge news Runbow Fans! RUNBOW IS COMING TO STEAM ON NOVEMBER 18TH! Retweet & tell your friends to get ready! #Bowvember #gamedev #indiedev pic.twitter.com/CEvRAUbxgT
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) November 7, 2016
The store page doesn't appear to be up yet, but make sure to check out 13AM Games on Twitter. The game will release on Steam November 18th, but can be picked up on Wii U right now, and new 3DS later this year.
Arrow Heads, the multiplayer game from Oddbird Studio now has an audio guy. PJ Tremblay, a producer out of Oakville will be composing music for the game, as announced via Twitter.
We partnered with PJ from @audio4n6 to create the music for Arrow Heads! We have a short tease here! https://t.co/FPaIBH9lZo #indiedev
— OddBird Studio (@OddBirdStudio) November 5, 2016
I'm so pumped to #compose for #ArrowHeads! It's been a blast w/ #Oddbirdstudio. The #game kicks ass! Can't wait till it's out! #gameaudio https://t.co/oLyQW9UcWe
— Audio 4n6 🎮🎤🎬 (@audio4n6) November 5, 2016
They also released a teaser for the score, which you can check out on Youtube. Make sure to subscribe to their channel!
We have partnered with an amazing individual named PJ from Audio4n6 to compose the various songs for Arrow Heads. He has done an absolutely outstanding job, and we wanted to give a brief sneak peek of the upcoming music!
Sounds awesome! Make sure to follow Oddbird, and PJ Tremblay on Twitter.
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.
I'm a little late on this one, but Dan did discuss it on the podcast this week. Pirate Pop Plus is now out on Steam, which you can get here. A few weeks ago it was released on Wii U, and 3DS as cross-buy.
The Japan developed puzzle game was published 13AM Games, who released Runbow last year for Wii U. You can pick it up on Steam for $5.49 CAD.
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!
Additionally, it looks like we won't have to wait long for the next piece of 13AM Games news. They tweeted today to look forward to Monday (tomorrow) for something, which looks to be maybe secret characters? Perhaps some Pirate Pop Plus DLC isn't to far away. We'll find out together, tomorrow.
#gamedev #indiedev #teaser #monday pic.twitter.com/oO0RFfRD7a
— 13AM Games (@13amgames) November 6, 2016
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.
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.
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.
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:
Best Console Game:
Best Mobile/Handheld Game:
Best PC Game
Best Virtual Reality Game:
Best Animation:
Best Art Direction:
Best Audio:
Best Educational Game:
Best Game Innovation:
Best Indie Game:
Best Musical Score:
Best Narrative:
Best New Character:
Best Technology:
Fans’ Choice Award: Best Canadian-Made Game:
You can check out the full nominations at the official site.
While it is certainly fun for a while, it suffers from the same problem other mobile games on Steam do: Cube Samurai: RUN!’s price tag of $5:49 feels a little steep for the amount of time you might ultimately get from it, so I’d recommend installing the mobile version and giving it a go on the commute to work or on the toilet and see if it’s the sort of experience you’d enjoy on the PC. This aside, it certainly does seems like it would make for an equally fun mobile experience, but it doesn’t do anything exceptionally different than what most people have seen in an infinite runner before.
Overall, Kapsul Infinite’s $4.49 price point on Steam doesn’t quite feel worth it to me. There simply isn’t enough to keep me invested in the gameplay for very long, and without any integration of achievements or leaderboards of any kind it just falls a little flat. It is, however, a game that would be perfect for a mobile device where one play session consists of a few levels on the bus or while waiting out an unpleasant family reunion on the toilet. While the PC is not the platform to play it on, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try on mobile devices.
We live in an age where it’s easy to get bogged down in new features, and developers often seem to push for complex mechanic after complex mechanic. N++, however, sends itself off with a warm reminder that the series has always been created around one sole value: fun.
Despite flaws such as these, I honestly do myself blown away by the potential the game has down the road. It features a robust level editing tool that allows for the creation of scenarios and huge, complex maps. It has Steam Workshop support for user-generated content and (if the patch notes and Longbow Game's Facebook page are any indication) it's still being improved and updated tirelessly by the team at Longbow so many issues described here could very well be patched and improved in future updates.
Alone With You gives you an exceptional story about love, and loneliness, with gameplay that gives you a little more than your traditional visual novel.
There was once a girl named Cally, who was an ordinary girl who lived an ordinary life. One day she found her parents kidnapped by Herbert, a mad scientist seeking revenge for a tragic past. Cally, deciding it was in her best interests to not have her parents in distress and doing what any respectable young woman would do in this situation, grabbed her semi-automatic pistol and medieval bastard sword and made chase, filling anything that got in her way full of lead before tearing it asunder.
Lost Orbit is a 2D top down, action-arcade game with a focus on quick reflexes and the age-old struggle to beat a stage faster than you did two minutes ago. It features a time trial mode devoted to achieving exactly that speedy time as well as a campaign mode geared towards a more laid back experience for casual players.
Far Cry Primal has players controlling Takkar, a Wenja tribesman who is stranded in the fictitious world of Oros. The story comes down to pretty much "I hate that other tribe, so let's go kill them" but over the course of 20 or so hours players will hunt and control animals, craft and improve weapons, and gather your people to rebuild the Wenja tribe.
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.
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.
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.
While it is certainly fun for a while, it suffers from the same problem other mobile games on Steam do: Cube Samurai: RUN!’s price tag of $5:49 feels a little steep for the amount of time you might ultimately get from it, so I’d recommend installing the mobile version and giving it a go on the commute to work or on the toilet and see if it’s the sort of experience you’d enjoy on the PC. This aside, it certainly does seems like it would make for an equally fun mobile experience, but it doesn’t do anything exceptionally different than what most people have seen in an infinite runner before.
Overall, Kapsul Infinite’s $4.49 price point on Steam doesn’t quite feel worth it to me. There simply isn’t enough to keep me invested in the gameplay for very long, and without any integration of achievements or leaderboards of any kind it just falls a little flat. It is, however, a game that would be perfect for a mobile device where one play session consists of a few levels on the bus or while waiting out an unpleasant family reunion on the toilet. While the PC is not the platform to play it on, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try on mobile devices.
We live in an age where it’s easy to get bogged down in new features, and developers often seem to push for complex mechanic after complex mechanic. N++, however, sends itself off with a warm reminder that the series has always been created around one sole value: fun.
Despite flaws such as these, I honestly do myself blown away by the potential the game has down the road. It features a robust level editing tool that allows for the creation of scenarios and huge, complex maps. It has Steam Workshop support for user-generated content and (if the patch notes and Longbow Game's Facebook page are any indication) it's still being improved and updated tirelessly by the team at Longbow so many issues described here could very well be patched and improved in future updates.
Alone With You gives you an exceptional story about love, and loneliness, with gameplay that gives you a little more than your traditional visual novel.
There was once a girl named Cally, who was an ordinary girl who lived an ordinary life. One day she found her parents kidnapped by Herbert, a mad scientist seeking revenge for a tragic past. Cally, deciding it was in her best interests to not have her parents in distress and doing what any respectable young woman would do in this situation, grabbed her semi-automatic pistol and medieval bastard sword and made chase, filling anything that got in her way full of lead before tearing it asunder.
Lost Orbit is a 2D top down, action-arcade game with a focus on quick reflexes and the age-old struggle to beat a stage faster than you did two minutes ago. It features a time trial mode devoted to achieving exactly that speedy time as well as a campaign mode geared towards a more laid back experience for casual players.
Far Cry Primal has players controlling Takkar, a Wenja tribesman who is stranded in the fictitious world of Oros. The story comes down to pretty much "I hate that other tribe, so let's go kill them" but over the course of 20 or so hours players will hunt and control animals, craft and improve weapons, and gather your people to rebuild the Wenja tribe.
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, 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Montréal-based Lucid Dreams, creators of Legends of Ethernal, is launching a Kickstarter for BIOMORPH which they describe as “a dark Metroidvania that still has plenty of surprises...”
Winnipeg-based C4 Cosplay & Props has announced an upcoming Kickstarter for “Vendors of BioShock Infinite” to recreate the vending machines from the 2013 FPS BioShock Infinite.
Toronto-based Behold Studios has relaunched the Kickstarter campaign for their turn-based RPG Mahou Senshi Cosplay Club, a game “about a cosplayer that gets her powers from the costumes you make.”
Ottawa-based Hot Sauce Bread Studios (@HotSauceBread) have launched a Kickstarter campaign for their debut project Haste, a turn-based, collectable card game featuring “strategic yet action-oriented card combat played in real-time.”
As part of the Summer Gamefest, Quebec-based Sabotage Studio’s Kickstarter hit Sea of Stars gets a new trailer.
Toronto-based designer Devon Wiersma (@Devon_Wiersma) has successfully funded a materials free, rules-lite RPG entitled Runt on Kickstarter.
Québec City-based indie studio Sabotage (@SabotageQc) have officially achieved the most successful Canadian video game Kickstarter campaign ever with Sea Of Stars, hitting $1,335,111.00 CAD pledged of their initial $133,000 CAD goal with less than two days to go.
Windsor developer Chute Apps have released a kickstarter for their roguelike tower defense game - Rogue Star Rescue. The game was released on Steam in Early Access earlier this year, and they are looking to Kickstarter to finish development.
