Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
Hey everyone! It's another Week In Review! Our videos which basically summarizes what happened this week for Toronto developed games. Remember to subscribe on Youtube!
N++ is out now on Steam. Check out the launch trailer here.
Read MoreValley from Blue Isle Studios, and Alone With You from Benjamin Rivers are out now. You can check out our the review for Alone With You here.
You can get Alone With You on PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. Valley is available on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
Hey there! Two Toronto developed games came out today. I've already told you my thoughts on Alone With You, so here are my thoughts on Valley from Blue Isle Studio - full review incoming.
Until then, subscribe on Youtube!
Another week, another Week In Review. Check out the main stories from this week in Toronto GameDev news.
GamesCon is going on right now, so Ubisoft took the opportunity to release a new trailer for Watch Dogs 2, showcasing the online modes.
Read MoreAnother video! With VR gaining momentum these days, I decided to do a quick video on local developers working on VR.
I was just mentioning on this weeks podcast that VR appears to just be full steam ahead right now, with Bloxiq VR shown last week, here comes Mervils, a fantasy VR game from London developer VitruviusVR.
With the Beta happening early this month, it was likely we would hear about a N++ Steam release date shortly. Thankfully it will be sooner than later as Metanet Software announced PC gamers can play the ninja platformer August 25th. Windows is the only supported platform at first, but it is coming to Mac and Linux. You can check out some footage of the level editor below:
The game will be 15 dollars when it launches, but you might as well bookmark their Steam page right now.
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.
Developer Cococucumber have announced Riverbond, an action game that's coming out 2017 for PC and consoles.
Read MoreI was just mentioning on this weeks podcast that VR appears to just be full steam ahead right now, with Bloxiq VR shown last week, here comes Mervils, a fantasy VR game from London developer VitruviusVR.
Read MoreBlue Isle Studio has released a new extended trailer for Valley, which is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Originally announced for summer - we now know the first person shooter will be coming out August 24th.
"Valley is a First-Person adventure unlike any other. Hidden deep within a remote region of the Rocky Mountains, you find yourself bewildered within a secluded valley. With the power of a recently discovered L.E.A.F. suit (Leap Effortlessly though Air Functionality), run and jump your way through beautiful forests, dangerous ruins and vast environments; all the while utilizing the power to control life and death to uncover the startling secrets of the mysterious valley"
If gamers are looking for more Toronto developed games in August, Benjamin Rivers' Alone With You launches the day before.
Similar to what they did for the PlayStation 4 release, Metanet Software's ninja platform N++ will have a Beta for users to test out the game.
Read MoreAccording to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, the open world game Watch Dogs 2 could be one of the highest selling game in Ubisoft's history.
Read MoreAlthough 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 MoreI 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.
