Reporting on the games made in Canada and the creators behind them
Next month is the 7th annual LevelUp TO which is a gaming showcase for locally developed student games. Out friends at Oddbird Studios won it last year, and I'm excited to check out some of the games this year.
If you want a head start, check out some of the Tweets below - if you're a developer who will be there - tweet at my on Twitter and I'll update this story.
Valhalla Showdown is being showcased @LevelUpTO! bring your friends and be Ready to Dropkick your way to victory
— Suplex Games (@Suplex_Games) March 21, 2017
@TorontoGameDevs
DISCO IS DEAD! will be playable at @LevelUpTO! Be sure to bring a buddy! 👬 Also check out all the other awesome @sheridancollege games! 👏 https://t.co/qUmshLNs7r
— Disco is Dead! (@DiscoIsDeadGame) March 17, 2017
#DetectiveVR will be showcased @LevelUpTO!! Bring all your friends and play some awesome student-made games! #gamedev #indiedev #VR https://t.co/JNpbZvgn1r
— Sixty Forty Games (@SixtyFortyGames) March 17, 2017
Can't wait to show off the game that I've been working on with @5HorsemenGames for the last 8 months 😊 https://t.co/nDvY7WdtNJ
— Katherine Elliott (@elliottkat) March 17, 2017
Guess we're heading to Toronto in April!. #roadtrippin #indiedev #LevelUpTO pic.twitter.com/WUI4olFuce
— Paul Ungar (@PaulUngar) March 6, 2017
@TorontoGameDevs @gamedevs @LevelUpTO our @McMasterU game design class is aiming to demo our end of term team project! :)
— Daven Bigelow (@DavenBigelow) March 18, 2017
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.
We're back again! This time instead of talking about Nintendo Switch in general, we talk about Legend of Zelda while playing Disc Jam online. Remember to subscribe!
We're back and we're playing more Disc Jam! This time though, we're talking about Zelda - and how much in love with it I am. 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
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.
Cellar Door Games has announced that Full Metal Furies will be coming in 2017. They are the creators who brought us Rogue Legacy, which won the Best PlayStation Vita Game in 2014 on IGN.
Full Metal Furies is an RPG-laden action brawler for up to four players. It is not an average brawler; this game has four character classes with their own skills and attacks, and a unique approach to cooperative play where certain enemies can only be damaged by certain players, requiring teamwork and communication. Even single player mode allows for you to swap classes.
It will be available on Xbox One and Windows 10, and allows Xbox Play Anywhere and Cross Play support, meaning one purchase of the game will allow you to play both on your console and on Windows 10.
Check out the trailer here:
From the creators of Rogue Legacy comes FULL METAL FURIES, a brand new team-based brawler where cooperation is essential. Play with up to four friends in an alternate timeline where Titans still rule, and the world is on the brink of war.
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
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/
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.
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!
The debut game from a new Western Canada indie dev duo was revealed during Day of the Devs 2024.
Cat couple owner slash game dev studio Max Inferno announced a 2nd DLC pack for their tidy puzzler.
Gears of War: E-Day was announced during Xbox’s Game Showcase, marking the second prequel in the Gears of War franchise.
Vancouver-based Company of Heroes 3 developer Relic Entertainment has secured funding from UK investment firm Emona Capital after laying off almost 200 staff since May 2023.
Victoria-based indie devs Hololabs have released their mobile AR game Sky Haven: AR Merge Adventure for iOS.
NetEase Games has announced the opening of a new game studio in Canada, named Bad Brain Games, to work on an "ambitious new franchise," which will be a story-driven open-world action-adventure game.
Bloom Digital Media have released a demo for their upcoming visual novel game Long Story 2, which is a sequel to the 2017 game.
Cococucumber have released the third and final game in their self-described “Cococucumber Voxel Trilogy.” Ravenlok is now available for Xbox, PC, Game Pass and the Epic Games Store,
Vancouver-based indie powerhouse Brace Yourself Games (@BYG_Vancouver) announced their upcoming rhythm game spinoff will be released on Nintendo Switch as well as Steam.
Open-world, dragon-flying game Ayre and the Crystal Comet is out now on consoles.
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.
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.
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.
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/
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.
Laundry Bears' narrative death-positive game where you play as mortician will be released on Steam for PC and Mac later this year according to their Twitter. You can add the game to your wishlist right here.
A Mortician's Tale is coming to Steam! Add it to your wishlist here: https://t.co/GUqSxL00Jf #DeathPositive #indiedev
— Laundry Bear Games (@laundry_bear) February 22, 2017
💜Art by @whaojackie 💜 pic.twitter.com/bDNSjkBgGm
We were also given a small teaser which shows off some of the games soundtrack (from Halina Heron), and art style (Jacquelin de Leon) and can be viewed below:
A Mortician's Tale is a narrative-driven death positive video game where you play as a mortician tasked with running a funeral home-preparing the cadavers of the deceased (via embalming or cremation), attending their funerals and consoling their loved ones, and running the business. Coming to PC/Mac for Steam, Itch.io (and others) 2017.
Finally, Laundry Bear will be at GDC next week, so if you happen to be at the conference make sure to say hi to them!
Pssst, we're going to be at @Official_GDC next week! Hit us up if you'd like to talk about A Mortician's Tale / hangout 💜💜💜 https://t.co/3qmS925s0d
— Laundry Bear Games (@laundry_bear) February 22, 2017
To celebrate the second anniversary of Alto's Adventure, Snowman was kind enough to give us a Alto's Odyssey teaser trailer which you can check out below:
But ultimately, in these last two years, nothing has been more humbling for us than to see fans connect with Alto and friends the way they have. From kind emails and social media messages telling us how the game has helped people discover play, or cope with anxiety, to gorgeous fan art beyond our wildest expectations, your reaction has been the greatest gift of all.
Today, that celebration continues. Rather than look back, though, we think it’s time to look forward to the horizon. And to the odyssey that awaits.
Discover the secrets of the endless desert. Alto's Odyssey awaits, Summer 2017. Sign up to join the adventure at altosodyssey.com. Until then, follow along at: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/altosadventure Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/altosadventure Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/altosadventure
The teaser trailer confirms what we've discussed on the podcast before, Alto's Odyssey is scheduled for release this summer. Along with Where Cards Fall coming in the Fall, players will have lots of Snowman content in the later half of the year.
Until February 28th, if you use the code DBHGAMING you can have free shipping on the TorontoGameDevs official store.
If you're looking to support the site, we also have a Patreon - which gets you access to the Patreon area, and a few other perks.
As announced earlier, the VR fantasy adventure game Mervils is now out on PlayStation 4 - which you can download right here. It's also available on Steam (Vive), and Oculus.
Mervils is an open-world RPG platformer built specifically for third-person VR. Explore the four picturesque worlds and save the Mervil Kingdom from Balazar the Evil!
You can pick it up on the PlayStation store for $26.99.
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.
More For Honor! Check out the video below. Remember to subscribe!
Chris and I are back playing For Honor on PS4 - this time, trying out the online mode (and being bad at it). Plus I give my updated impressions on it.
Ubisoft has announced that Prince of Persia is returning…sort of. The series, which hasn’t seen a console game since 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is coming as a limited-time event in For Honor. The update includes 30 pieces of Prince of Persia-inspired loot to unlock.
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 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.
Indie Dev Adam Stox reached out to me to let me know some of the games he's worked on, including Knot Fun. The free download, which is available on iOS and Android has surpassed over half a million downloads and has players untying knots. You can check out the video below, and make sure to follow Adam on Twitter.
Knot Fun! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.StoxBox.KnotFun https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/knot-fun/id1156969087?mt=8
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.