Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
Happy Saturday! Toronto developer Phantom Compass released a new trailer for Auto Age: Standoff which you can check out below:
First trailer of 2017! In the bright but distant future, the recovery of New America rests in the hands of wheeled warriors. Will you side with the sinister Dark Jaw or intrepid Val Vega? Customize your killer ride and go head to head in 80s-style car combat.
I also managed to find some gameplay footage from late last year, make sure to follow the team on Twitter. Auto Age is expected to hit sometime this year.
Raw multiplayer footage from 'Auto Age: Standoff' latest beta build. Free for all deathmatch on Crossroads map. Steam page- http://steamcommunity.com/games/458680 Features Roadmap- https://trello.com/b/e3TRbuBv/auto-age-standoff-features-roadmap
Toronto & St. Catharines-based developer Phantom Compass has released a LAN-supported version of their 2017-multiplayer racer Auto Age: Standoff as the game is “effectively delisted” from Steam.
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.
Phantom Compass delighted us on a Sunday evening with some more multiplayer footage, and developer commentary for their upcoming game Auto Age: Standoff.
Toronto developer Shiny Talisman let me know they've released a bundle on the iOS store. The Future Past Bundle includes the games Warp Looter, Caveman Cliff, and Gravtav: Gravity Traveler.
Future Past, it's all about time. Shiny Talisman is starting out the new year with all of its great games together in one bundle, for one low price.
A mellow physics based gravity puzzle game; an intense, futuristic, space maze; and a prehistoric caveman with biceps as big as his head. Whether jumping forward in time, or way, way back, whatever your mood, this bundle has something for you. Play them all on your own journey through time.
Caveman Cliff and Warp Looter each offer some deep gaming where you'll upgrade your caveman or ship by collecting items. Warp Looter presents an endless distance game experience as you narrowly escape increasingly difficult galaxies, while Caveman Cliff provides level based game play where you'll battle against the pterodactyls as you race against the clock. Upgrading your player and your skills is key to both games as they offer increasingly intense moments that you're sure to need some help with.
Down for a more chill experience? Gravtrav: Gravity Traveller fills that void as you travel from wormhole to wormhole in this mellow physics game. Take advantage of the gravity created by the stars and the planets to achieve the highest scores. Figure out how to use gravity to slingshot yourself back on course after travelling out to gather fuel. Fill those empty minutes in your day with relaxed physics puzzling. This bundle is all about time.
If you'd like to pick up the bundle, you can do so right here for 99 cents.. Make sure to also follow Shiny Talisman on Twitter.
Toronto developer of one, Shiny Talisman released their third game, Gravtrav, on iOS this week. The game is a physics based, space game where you move between wormholes while also taking in account the gravitational pull from planets.
Hey there! As you may (or may not know) I have a Patreon set up for TorontoGameDevs.com. Patreon is a great service to help fund passion projects you care about, similar to a Kickstarter.
In the past, Patreons would get early access to the podcast, interviews, and the occasional game. And that's all still true! But now, with me and Chris doing videos twice a week they'll now be getting that early as well in their usual spot.
This month also will see some Patreons getting a copy of Monumental Failure.
So anyways, if you want to have access to the Patroen only area, then make sure to become a Patreon!
Monumental Failure is available now on Steam, Itch and the Humble store! Monumental Failure is a comedic and historically (in)accurate physics-based monument construction simulator! The game empowers you to recreate some of the world's most impressive architectural feats using incredible, and hard-to-believe, construction techniques.
Last year, Ubisoft announced the Indie Game Series - a competition for indie game studios to get funding, help from Ubisoft amongst other things. Last week we were told of the finalists, and today we have the winner!
Toronto developer Reptoid Games have won the $50,000 dollars, Ubisoft mentorship, and more. The four person team is currently working on multiplayer game Fossil Hunters.
Proud to announce the first ever Ontario winner of the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by @nationalbank: Fossil Hunters by @ReptoidGames! pic.twitter.com/tgJUMzgHWx
— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) January 26, 2017
Get to know http://www.reptoidgames.com/, an Ontario finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by National Bank. The winner will be announced on January 25, 2017. Learn more: http://toronto.ubisoft.com/indieseries/
You can check out some Fossil Hunters footage in the demo reel below, which also includes footage from their other game (which you can download for free on itchio) Spill Tender.
A short and sweet selection of Reptoid Games. Stay tuned for release announcements at www.reptoidgames.com. "Bare Metal" Music by Ian Zamojc https://soundcloud.com/dj-en-2/bare-metal used with permission.
Congrats to Reptoid Games and all the other finalists. Ubisoft Toronto did also announce they'll be doing another Indie Series next year, so start prepping those projects now.
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.
Hey there! Today is January 25th, and it's #BellLetsTalk day today. Al Donato from Hand Eye Society reached out to me and let me know their favourite mental health games developed in Toronto (plus a bonus game). In the spirit of the day, check them out below.
Make sure to also use #BellLetsTalk in your social media messages today.
Hey! While not a Toronto developed game, I love Resident Evil. Chris and I got together to play the first 15 minutes of the new one. Remember that Patreons get it early!
Okay, so not developed in Toronto, but one of the big releases this year - we decided to give Resident Evil 7 (Biohazard 7) a shot. Chris not being a fan of the series, and myself being a huge one. Remember to subscribe!
Last we heard about Monumental Failure, it was up on Steam Greenlight. Now, the physics-based construction simulator from Scary Wizard is out now on Steam for Windows and Mac. The team let me know that Scary Wizard started out with Spencer and Jessica working out of their apartment, and 8 months later we get Monumental Failure.
Monumental Failure is a historically (in)accurate physics-based monument construction simulator. The game empowers you to recreate some of the world's most impressive architectural feats using incredible, and hard-to-believe, construction techniques. From the great ring at Stonehenge, to the genius of the ancient Roman aqueduct, will you have what it takes to re-create these feats of engineering?
Monumental Failure is available now on Steam, Itch and the Humble store! Monumental Failure is a comedic and historically (in)accurate physics-based monument construction simulator! The game empowers you to recreate some of the world's most impressive architectural feats using incredible, and hard-to-believe, construction techniques.
We officially have our first Toronto-developed Nintendo Switch game! This one comes from Vertex Pop, in Gracefull Explosion Machine (GEM). A game we've talked about before.
Skillfully pilot the advanced Graceful Explosion Machine (GEM) fighter while blasting swarms of crystalline enemies with your ludicrously overpowered quad-weapon array! Lost in deep space, you'll shoot, dash and combo your way through jewel-hued alien worlds, fighting to find a way home.
You can check out the game trailer below. GEM is expected to come out this Spring during the Nintendo Switch launch window. While the game is still expected to hit other platforms, the Nintendo Switch will be the debut console for GEM.
Graceful Explosion Machine is coming soon to Nintendo Switch™ http://vertexpop.com/gem
You can also check out the full press release below.
Graceful Explosion Machine Debuts on Nintendo Switch! Action-packed shooter hits Nintendo’s new console during its launch window this Spring!
Toronto, Canada: Vertex Pop, an indie game developer specializing in focused arcade-style games, announced that they’re bringing their dazzlingly intense shoot-em-up, Graceful Explosion Machine, to Nintendo’s latest console, the Nintendo Switch™.
Graceful Explosion Machine has already made waves at the Indie MegaBooth at both PAX East and PAX West in 2016, as well as PlayStation Experience this past December.
“The Nintendo Switch’s responsive controls and beautiful display means you can play Graceful Explosion Machine anywhere”, says Vertex Pop’s founder Mobeen Fikree. “It’s perfect for short, intense sessions on the go or for long high-score runs on the big-screen.
“Graceful Explosion Machine fits perfectly as a premiere indie game in our launch window lineup,” says Nintendo of America Indie Game Manager Kirk Scott. “It reflects the diversity and breadth of the kinds of top-notch games we’re looking for on the Nintendo Switch system.”
For all media inquiries, please e-mail media@vertexpop.com.
PressKit: http://www.vertexpop.com/presskit/sheet.php?p=graceful_explosion_machine
Site: http://www.vertexpop.com/gem
Graceful Explosion Machine Nintendo Switch Announcement Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCiMciOjDC0
About Graceful Explosion Machine: Graceful Explosion Machine (GEM) is a side-scrolling arcade shooter where you blast crystalline enemies with your GEM’s ludicrously overpowered quad-weapon array. Lost in deep space, you’ll shoot, dash and combo your way through neon alien worlds, fighting to find a way home.
About Vertex Pop: Vertex Pop is an independent videogames development company run by Mobeen Fikree. Concerned with elegant design for their minimalistic videogames, they focus primarily on mechanics, game feel and responsive controls. Graceful Explosion Machine is a followup to their cult-favorite, multiplatform arena shooter, WE ARE DOOMED.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.4 billion video games and more than 696 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
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.
Remember to subscribe on Youtube!
We're still playing Guacamelee, but we wanted to talk about the Nintendo Switch - which was officially revealed with launch details the other day. In this video, we talked about the good things we liked. 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/
Tiny Rails launched late last year on mobile, and now the London studio is looking to release the game on Steam, but they need our help with Steam Greenlight. Currnetly the game is going through the Steam Greenlight campaign, where users vote for the games they wish to see on Steam. Friends of the site can vote for the game right here.
"Set out on adventure in Tiny Titan's immersive, world-spanning train game Tiny Rails! Your grandfather has handed down his train company and it's up to you to expand your modest engine into a multi-car masterpiece! Upgrade and customize your train while unlocking new stations, delivering passengers and trading supplies all around the world! Become a railroad tycoon, or sit back and relax while you watch your train travel day and night through unique environments with weather and climate changes! Actively help your railway network grow or let your train travel at its own pace - your train will even make progress when you aren't playing!"
Tiny Titan Studios have stressed that the Steam version will have different design choices, since the mobile game is running on the free-to-play model. So make sure to check out their Greenlight page and help get this game released!
Vote for #TinyRails on #Steam Greenlight and help us bring the game to PC! #indiedev #gamedev https://t.co/I0IK4zLAVy pic.twitter.com/nLAzt0m3o6
— Tiny Titan Studios (@TinyTitanGames) January 17, 2017
Tiny Titan Studios have released a Steam demo for their upcoming multiplayer rogue-lite game Ember Knights. The demo features 3 floors of the Dark Forest, featuring the Vampiric Moth, and Corrupted Weaver boss fights, and also has local and online multiplayer.
London, Ontario-based Tiny Titan Studios (@tinytitangames) have announced their new project Rogue Souls (@RogueSoulsGame), an action rogue-like coming soon to PC.
Last year, Ubisoft Toronto announced the Ubisoft Indie Series, a competition that gave Indie studios the chance to win $50,000, and Ubisoft mentorship in releasing their games. Yesterday on Twitter, they announced the finalists. Congrats and best of luck to everyone in the final round!
Congrats to @littleguygames, an Ontario finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by @nationalbank. Good luck! https://t.co/biK3GEpCtF pic.twitter.com/9oY8tD5T4F
— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) January 16, 2017
Congrats to @rocket5studios, an Ontario finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by @nationalbank. Good luck! https://t.co/biK3GEpCtF pic.twitter.com/ofzPFQOaV5
— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) January 16, 2017
Congrats to @gripvideogame, an Ontario finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by @nationalbank. Good luck! https://t.co/biK3GE8155 pic.twitter.com/X97QMQox6l
— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) January 16, 2017
Congrats to @studiotendril, an Ontario finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by @nationalbank. Good luck! https://t.co/biK3GE8155 pic.twitter.com/kLnZPuBQXc
— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) January 16, 2017
Congrats to @ReptoidGames, an Ontario finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by @nationalbank. Good luck! https://t.co/biK3GEpCtF pic.twitter.com/HMG1X0xcnU
— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) January 16, 2017
Congrats to @LRGthunder, an Ontario finalist for the Ubisoft Indie Series presented by @nationalbank. Good luck! https://t.co/biK3GEpCtF pic.twitter.com/ylNg1XM5wo
— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) January 16, 2017
Our statement on the site’s future Ubisoft coverage and why we won’t be nominating any Ubisoft games for our game of the year voting this year.
Ubisoft announced Ubisoft Collegiate Esports, their first-ever proprietary collegiate esports league, premiering with Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, that will kick off this month as part of the new North American ecosystem.
During ongoing sexual assault and harassment investigations, Ubisoft Montréal (@UbisoftMTL) announced a new FPS battle royale Hyper Scape this week as well as a technical test which began immediately.
Ubisoft has announced that a new North American League (@R6esportsNA) League for Rainbow Six Siege (@R6esports) is rolling out this year featuring a Canadian division for the first time in Rainbow Six Siege eSports history.
Ubisoft has announced a new game aimed at teaching kids how to code their own video games. Ubisoft Montreal released Rabbids Coding, a free educational game that you can get on UPlay.
Ubisoft is having a special Halloween event for For Honor - live now until November 1st the “Fans of the Otherworld” in-game event is free for all players. It comes with a new game mode, exclusive Halloween-themed loot, and new executions
Ubisoft Montreals epic Assassin’s Creed Odyssey got the final piece of DLC earlier last month. Titled Judgement of Atlantic, the final episode The Fate of Atlantic is now out Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.
Ubisoft announced that Season 3 of their third year for For Honor on August 1st will introduce new Viking Hero ‘Jormungandr’, as well as a new Breach map, and various quality of life and balance changes. Check out the full trailer below.
Well we now know that Benjamin Rivers is a man of his word. Just like what we thought on the podcast, the sci-fi romance adventure game Alone With You will be getting a Steam release next month, just in time for Valentines Day.
Just in time for #ValentinesDay — Alone With You launches Feb. 9 on @steam_games! #romance #indiegame #pixelart https://t.co/WcnsYHiB19 pic.twitter.com/bakx7bcUQe
— Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) January 17, 2017
Available February 9th - just in time for Valentine's Day! From the creator of Home - A Unique Horror Adventure comes ALONE WITH YOU, the critically-acclaimed sci-fi-romance adventure game - now on Steam! + OFFICIAL Website: http://www.alonewithyougame.com + Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/benjaminrivers + Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alonewithyougame http://www.alonewithyougame.com
If you can't wait until Valentines Day, you can always pick up the game on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Toronto-based game designer and teacher Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) (and co-founder of indie studio Bancy Co (@bancyco)) is partnering with the newly acquired Limited Run Games to release their games Being Home, Alone with You and Worse Than Death as part of one physical collection on Nintendo Switch.
Toronto-based game developer Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) has released Home: Postmortem Edition for Nintendo Switch.
2019 action-adventure horror game Worse Than Death is getting a sequel in the form of a comic book written and drawn by Benjamin Rivers (@benjaminrivers) with chapter one available now.
Worse Than Death, Benjamin Rivers latest, was already released on iOS earlier this year and now we have a release date for the console and PC release. On October 8th, the game will come out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Humble Store.
I've mentioned on the podcast numerous times my love for Guacamelee and DrinkBox Studios. Chris and I decided to play a bit of the coop and discuss my love for it. Check it out below, and subscribe on Youtube!
Chris and I are back! This time talking about Guacamelee and the impact it had on TorontoGameDevs.com - check out the coop gameplay from the first 15 or so minutes from the game. 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/
Alone With You came out last year on PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation 4. It hit Number 7 on our Game of the Year voting, and was a personal favourite of mine as well. As hinted by Benjamin Rivers on Twitter, it looks like we'll be getting some news next week on the sci-fi adventure:
Stay tuned for some fun Alone With You news next week! This romance ain't over yet... #indiegame #gamedev #pixelart #AWYgame pic.twitter.com/3gk2ERJSpj
— Benjamin Rivers (@BenjaminRivers) January 11, 2017
Could we be in for a rerelease on a new platform? Some DLC? Something else? We'll have to wait and see, but make sure to follow Ben on Twitter in the meantime.
For Honor, the action hack-n-slash from Ubisoft, is going to be one of the first big releases of 2017, and now Ubisoft has opened up registration for the Beta.
Watch the new For Honor™ trailer and learn more about the single-player or co-op experience in the story campaign. Three legendary warrior factions - The noble Knights of the Iron Legion, the deadly Samurai of the Dawn Empire, and ferocious Vikings of the Warborn clans - are under threat from a mysterious and bloodthirsty warlord named Apollyon.
The Beta is set to take place January 26th-29th, and players can register for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC right here. For Honor will be out for everyone February 14th for those platforms. Our good friends at Ubisoft Toronto is assistant developer on the game.
Our statement on the site’s future Ubisoft coverage and why we won’t be nominating any Ubisoft games for our game of the year voting this year.
Ubisoft announced Ubisoft Collegiate Esports, their first-ever proprietary collegiate esports league, premiering with Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, that will kick off this month as part of the new North American ecosystem.
During ongoing sexual assault and harassment investigations, Ubisoft Montréal (@UbisoftMTL) announced a new FPS battle royale Hyper Scape this week as well as a technical test which began immediately.
Ubisoft has announced that a new North American League (@R6esportsNA) League for Rainbow Six Siege (@R6esports) is rolling out this year featuring a Canadian division for the first time in Rainbow Six Siege eSports history.
Ubisoft has announced a new game aimed at teaching kids how to code their own video games. Ubisoft Montreal released Rabbids Coding, a free educational game that you can get on UPlay.
Ubisoft is having a special Halloween event for For Honor - live now until November 1st the “Fans of the Otherworld” in-game event is free for all players. It comes with a new game mode, exclusive Halloween-themed loot, and new executions
Ubisoft Montreals epic Assassin’s Creed Odyssey got the final piece of DLC earlier last month. Titled Judgement of Atlantic, the final episode The Fate of Atlantic is now out Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.
Ubisoft announced that Season 3 of their third year for For Honor on August 1st will introduce new Viking Hero ‘Jormungandr’, as well as a new Breach map, and various quality of life and balance changes. Check out the full trailer below.
![Limited Run Games Releases Home On PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita [Updated]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5516beafe4b0c6d76a97bb4d/1518223639420-3H6GLTNE9AU4FPD6B4FR/home.png)
St. Catharines-based Phantom Compass has teased their next project, an untitled Lovecraftian roguelite with few other details available.