LevelUP TO 2017 Winners Announced!

LevelUP TO, the student game development competition has announced the winners for the 2017 showcase, which took place last night. Our friends over at Ubisoft Toronto tweeted them our last night and here they are!

Audience Choice Award:

• 1st place: Unspokin
• 2nd place: Joustaposition
• 3rd place: Twin Switch

Best Technical Innovation:

• 1st place: Disco is Dead!
• 2nd place: Detective VR
• 3rd place: Twin Switch

Best Artistic Achievement:

• 1st place: Disco Is Dead!
• 2nd place: Unspokin
• 3rd place: Valhalla Showdown

Best Overall Game:

• 1st place:  Disco Is Dead!
• 2nd place: Shots Fired
• 3rd place: Detective VR

@5HorsemenGames took home first place for @LevelUpTO 's People's choice award tonight! Big thanks to everyone who played and voted! 🐻🌿 pic.twitter.com/8CZTNo8uoW

— 5 Horsemen Games (@5HorsemenGames) April 6, 2017

Wow, what a groovy night! Thank you @AMDGaming @UbisoftToronto @ukengames & @LevelUpTO for an amazing night! Forever @sheridancollege pride! pic.twitter.com/cFwz0qBgoH

— Disco is Dead! (@DiscoIsDeadGame) April 6, 2017

Congrats to Disco is Dead for taking home three of the four awards, including Game Of The Show, and Unspokin for grabbing the Audience Choice. Sherdian College walked away with most nominations from the games you see above. You can find out more about both of those games in our interviews we did last week:

5 Horeseman Games (Unspokin) Interview

Disco Is Dead Interview

Congrats to everyone who got to show off their games! We'll see you at LevelUP TO next year!

User Your Words Out Now On PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam

Funny party game Use Your Words is officially out now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.  Use Your Words is developed by Toronto based Smiling Buddha Games, and has players playing a variety of minigames using their smart phones, or tablets. You can check out the official trailer below, the game is also expected to hit Wii U "soon".

Coming Spring 2017, it's Use Your Words! The party game for funny people and their unfunny friends! Get more info at http://useyourwords.lol Pre-order it for Steam at https://store.useyourwordsgame.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/useyourwords And like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/useyourwordsgameSBG

Dashy Square Out Now On iOS, Android, and Steam

Dashy Square, the endless rhythm-runner from Toronto developer Kas is officially out on iOS, Android, and Steam. The full version (2.0) now includes a level editor, which lets you create, and share levels.

Dash, jump and fly your way through epic levels with rhythm-based gameplay! Create, share and play custom levels with a wide variety of music soundtracks.

Simple one click gameplay, easy to pick up but hard to master!'

You can check out the trailer below, and download the game on iOS, Android, and Steam.

After 2 years! The full version with the Level Editor is out on iOS and Android! Play iOS ➡ https://goo.gl/W5D2mh Play Android ➡ https://goo.gl/zzk4fX Play Steam (PC) ➡ https://goo.gl/8oVFKy Thank-you so much for all the support, thank-you so much for playing! Much, much to come! Only the beginning of something truly amazing!

Mirage: Arcane Warfare. Closed Beta Live Today

Mirage: Arcane Warfare by Torn Banner Studios has announced that their Closed Beta goes live today, and if you pre-order the game, you can get access to the beta testing.  There is a standard edition and a special edition: the special edition including an original game soundtrack, an HD Fan Pack, and Chivalry: Medieval Warfare Complete Edition.

Pre-order Mirage on Steam to play the Beta - on NOW! http://store.steampowered.com/app/368420 Get 10% off of all Mirage pre-orders if you own Chivalry: Medieval Warfare on Steam. Pre-orders grant Beta access for you - and a friend too! Mirage: Arcane Warfare is $29.99 USD and will release May 23, 2017.

The official release date is set for May 23, 2017.  You can check out the game's Steam page here.

Rima: The Story Begins

"Rima: The Story Begins" is a modern 2D platform game developed by UP Entertainment Ltd.  It consists of many supernatural characters including: Rima, a small mutant blue-green algae; Razgon, a giant dragon and the main antagonist; and Ilathen, the Goddess of Ila.  Rima is tasked with restoring major elements to bring life back to the land as the land has been seized by Shadow.  Check out some screenshots below.

“In this humor-filled adventure game, the player controls Rima, a small mutant blue-green algae in cyan who is on a mission to save his homeland seized by Shadow. Rima has the ability to run and jump but needs to learn a lot more as he interacts with his environment. The player helps Rima to collect new abilities, Life Plants and upgrades as he jumps from different platforms and solves various puzzles.”

“Rima: The Story Begins" will be available on the App Store and Google Play this summer, with a planned Steam, PlayStation, and Windows Store release in the Winter.  If you want to keep up to date, you can follow them on Instagram @u.p.entertainment

Castle Pixel Releasing Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King This Month

Here's one that almost snuck by us, but the developer behind Rex Rocket will be releasing their next game, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, later this month on Steam. The Zelda inspired game has players controlling Lily, Knight of the Rose:

Slash your way through monster-infested dungeons to save the Kingdom of Blossom from eternal darkness. Collect unique weapons, spells, and more during your journey to take down powerful bosses and solve clever puzzles.  Be part of a vivid, dynamic story passed down from grandfather to grandchildren by influencing the course of events yourself!

Explore a huge open game world in classic action-adventure fashion as Lily, Knight of the Rose! Slash your way through monster infested dungeons to save the Kingdom of Blossom from eternal darkness. Collect key items such as bow and boomerang on your journey to extend your fighting capabilities and solve dungeon puzzles.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King releases on Steam on March 28th. You can check out the Steam page right here.

Party Minigame 'Use Your Words' Coming Next Month

We found out about party game Use Your Words late last year, and now we won't have to wait much longer to play the game on Steam, Xbox One, and PS4. (Wii U users will have to wait a little bit longer it seems).  According to a tweet, players will be able to be funny again April 4th.

Use Your Words is a party multiplayer game which has players using their smart-phones in different minigames (listed below). Check out the trailer below, and see you April 4th!

• Sub The Title: Watch a short clip from a foreign film, then write your own subtitle! Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will love making the actors onscreen say whatever they want in a variety of monster movies, martial arts movies, and some just plain weird films from the past.
• Blank-o-Matic: Fill in the blank to complete the sentence! Instead of waiting to have the funniest card in your hand, write an answer that matches your sense of humor! We've hired some of the funniest writers around to set up the jokes perfectly so that even Grandpa can crack off a zinger or two.
• EXTRA, EXTRA!: Write a hilarious caption or clickbait headline for a ridiculous photo, in a take on the classic "caption this" game!
• Survey Says: Go with your gut in this rapid-fire game show style "lightning round"!

We're releasing April 4th on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam!
(Wii U coming soon!) pic.twitter.com/nSWGGgtgtU

— Use Your Words (@UseYourWords) March 24, 2017

Coming Spring 2017, it's Use Your Words! The party game for funny people and their unfunny friends! Get more info at http://useyourwords.lol Pre-order it for Steam at https://store.useyourwordsgame.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/useyourwords And like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/useyourwordsgameSBG

GRIP available on Steam

GRIP is available on Steam, and it looks like a pretty sweet racing game.  All the vehicles in GRIP have armour and weapons, and it looks really intense.  The creators at Caged Element are planning a console version this year (which I will be all over as soon as it's available).  Check out the screenshots and trailer below.

GRIP is now available for purchase on Steam Early Access! Visit the store page here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/396900/ We'll be updating the game frequently, so be sure to check the page for news! You can download a true HD version of this trailer here: http://www.cagedelement.com/grip/video/GripTrailer3.mp4 http://www.twitter.com/gripvideogame http://www.facebook.com/gripvideogame http://www.gripvideogame.com http://forum.cagedelement.com We appreciate the praise and support we've gotten from all of our fans so far.

Metanet Software Would "Love To Bring [N++] To Switch"

Found this while browsing Reddit, but a fan asked Metanet Software on their FaceBook page the chances on a N++ Switch port. It sounds like they want to do it, but would just need help from Nintendo with porting, and cost.

"Just to clarify, we said we would LOVE to bring it to the Switch -- we still need to get Nintendo on board and find a team to help port it, and find the money to help pay for that :)

We think N++ would be so awesome on the Switch, so we're really hoping this works out! The more support we get from fans and players, saying they want N++ on the Switch, the better -- hopefully Nintendo will see understand how many people want this to happen and we'll be able to get the ball rolling."

Start tweeting at Nintendo, or emailing their support if you want to see N++ on Switch.

IGN Interviews Devon On Riverbond - Shows New Gameplay Footage

Devon Wiersma, Game Designer at Cococucumber as well as our own reviewer here at TorontoGameDevs, was interviewed by IGN about their upcoming pixel/voxel RPG Riverbond. In the video he talks about the level design, different characters and more. Devon also confirms a Fall 2017 release for "all consoles and PC".

You can check out the interview below:

Check out GDC 2017 'best in play' winner, Riverbond! Watch the best from IGN here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p_wFVfDxJQ&list=PLE196726F02565118&index=1 Catch the latest game and movie trailers here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMN0IeR7qyg&list=PLraFbwCoisJAvwhU-EjfZNFqj5jlAk8hk&index=1 ------------------------------­---- Follow IGN for more! ------------------------------­---- IGN OFFICIAL APP: http://www.ign.com/mobile FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ign TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ign INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/igndotcom/?hl=en WEBSITE: http://www.ign.com/ GOOGLE+: https://plus.google.com/+IGN

Let's Play Starwhal

Chris and I are back! We're taking a break from For Honor to play some Starwahl which was developed in Ottawa from Breakfall. Check it out below and subscribe!

Were' back, a nd taking a break from For Honor to play some Starwhal on PS4. Check out the video, and let us know what you think. Remember to subscribe and leave a comment! Website: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/torontogamedevs Patreon: patreon.com/torontogamedevs Store: designbyhumans.com/shop/TorontoGameDevs/

Graceful Explosion Machine Coming To Nintendo Switch This April

Nintendo had an indie game showcase for upcoming indie games coming to Switch, and Toronto's own Graceful Explosion Machine was shown.. It was also confirmed that the game, while previous just noted as "launch window" has been given an April timeframe. It was also confirmed that the game will support HD Rumble. Once we have the final date, we'll let you know!

Discover some of the unique and innovative experiences world-class indie developers have in store for Nintendo Switch during the Nindies Showcase. 00:10 - SteamWorld Dig 2 02:05 - What the Nindies Are All About 02:52 - Yooka-Laylee 04:09 - Overcooked!

NVYVE Studios Release New Trailer For P.A.M.E.L.A Announces Steam Early Access Release Date

P.A.M.E.L.A will be releasing on Steam Early Access March 9th. The first person survival horror game has been getting comparisons to Bioshock - partly because P.A.M.E.L.A takes place it a fallen Utopian city of its own - Eden. Nvyve Studios made the announcement earlier this month.

PAMELA is coming to Steam Early Access on March 9th! And a brand new trailer: https://t.co/h9E6DHQeH5 https://t.co/24o88qESMJ #madewithunity

— NVYVE Studios (@NVYVEStudios) February 23, 2017

Play as a Sleeper, awoken from cryosleep in Eden, a fallen utopia wrought with death and danger. Utilize a wide range of hi-tech weapons, equipment, and build-able items that can be upgraded to suit your needs. Meet PAMELA, an omnipresent AI overseer who is left alone watching over the once-vibrant city, now reduced to a silent monolith gliding across the ocean.

You can check out the full trailer below, while also checking out the Steam page for the game here. According to the Steam page, NVYVE Studios is expecting P.A.M.E.L.A to be in early access for 6-9 months.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/427880/ P.A.M.E.L.A. is an open-world, utopian survival horror game coming to PC on March 9th 2017. Get more info at http://www.pamelagame.com. Explore and survive in a Utopian future, ravaged by humanity's misguided pursuit of perfection. With the help of an enigmatic ally, scavenge, discover and fight for your life on Eden, a floating monolith of a dead civilization.

Ubisoft Canada Recaps ‘For Honor: Live Billboard Battle’

On February 11th, Ubisoft Canada hosted the Battle for Canada to celebrate the launch of For Honor. The also released a video recapping the days events:

On February 11, 2017, a war between Samurai, Knights and Vikings erupted across Canada. Canadians across the land battled each other in a bid to conquer Canada’s most coveted billboard. Their exploits were then transformed into this animated tale.

On February 11, 2017, a war between Samurai, Knights and Vikings erupted across Canada. Canadians across the land battled each other in a bid to conquer Canada's most coveted billboard. Their exploits were then transformed into this animated tale.

When it was all said and done, the Knight faction walked away taking over Canada. For Honor is out now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. I've been playing it, and putting up some videos on YouTube which you can check out.

Let's Play For Honor - Still Bad At Online

Chris and I are still playing For Honor, so here's another video!

We're playing more For Honor, so check it out here. Remember to subscribe and leave a comment! Website: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/torontogamedevs Patreon: patreon.com/torontogamedevs Store: designbyhumans.com/shop/TorontoGameDevs/