Countdown To Bit Bazaar: Pinnguaq

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Continuing with our countdown to Bit Bazaar, next up we have Pinnguaq, who are coming from Nunavut.  According to the site they'll be showing off "Indigenous Gaming Showcase", make sure to check out this blog post about bringing a game character from concept to inception.

Also check out their site for Qalupalik.

Inuit Mythology tells us about the Qalupalik (Qaluppiluik or Qallupaluit, depending on where you're from) who live under the northern sea ice. If children get too close to cracks in the ice, they risk being kidnapped and taken away to spend the rest of their days as the playthings of the Qalupalik.

Qalupalik is a stealth/suspense game to be released in 2016 that provides a modern take on an ancient Inuit myth. Players will venture out into the ice of an early Nunavut spring in an attempt to rescue a kidnapped sibling, taken by the Qalupalik. Players will use stealth, traditional Inuit weapons and just plain guts to see their way past the horrifying creatures of legend and safely to their brothers rescue... assuming such a thing is even possible.

Make sure to follow the developer on Twitter, looking forward to seeing them on Saturday.

Countdown to Bit Bazaar: GNOG, Gardenarium + Tamperdrome Collection

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Continuing with our countdown to Bit Bazaar, I learned that not all of the developers at next week's Bit Bazaar are from Toronto. Montreal developers KO-OP Mode will be at the show displaying some of their games. I grabbed some trailers below, but make sure to check out their site for all of their other games.

Introducing: The Ensemble. Gnog is a game about giant monster heads. Follow the development on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/koopmode http://www.gnoggame.com Music by Marskye: http://www.marskye.com

Gardenarium is a chill adventure taking place on a cloud in the sky. Coming to PC/Mac/Linux in March http://www.ko-opmode.com/gardenarium

Make sure to give KO-OP Mode lots of love, and follow them on Twitter and Tumblr. 

Countdown To Bit Bazaar: The Hum Beneath Us

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Continuing with our countdown to Bit Bazaar, we'll take a look at The Hum Beneath Us from Patrick Rainville & Beccy David. This is actually the first time I've heard of the game, and I'm excited to get a closer look next week at the event. Check out the chilling trailer below!

Arise, Be, Subside. The cataclysmic event that sunk Oessa, agricultural hub of the Pentach archipelago, has left the remaining islands in disarray. Tasked with meeting the needs of the Oessan refugees, prized hunting ship Dalud'maar sets its course southward towards the Levinyann, mighty sea serpents of legend. A single bountiful hunt would guarantee prolonged nourishment and sustenance to those who have lost everything. Aramala is the newest and youngest member of the Dalud'maar crew. A stranger to life at sea, she finds herself thrust in the crucial role of second musician; a job she never expected aboard a ship she had hoped to stay away from. Feel the cold wind blowing strong and listen to... THE HUM BENEATH US

Make sure to follow development of the game on the official tumblr here.

Countdown To Bit Bazaar: Severed

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With Bit Bazaar just a week away, I figured I would do a little countdown towards the big event. I'll dedicate a post to each game that will be at this years' event that is being developed in Toronto (or surrounding areas).  Starting with, Severed from DrinkBox Studios.

I've written about Severed before, but if you're not familiar with it, it's essentially a first person hack and slash game, using touch controls for slashes. Check out the trailer below:

In Severed you play as a distraught warrior, who is lost in a fantastical world. She is tasked with the challenge of knitting together pieces of her story from both the past and the future. Our heroine will embark on a journey through a surreal non-linear world using a gesture based combat mechanic to defeat enemies in this first person adventure.

The game just looks awesome, and I'm excited to play it next week. Make sure to follow DrinkBox Studios on Twitter.

 

 

Toronto GameDev: Sago Sago

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Do you have a young son or daughter? Perhaps a niece or nephew, or family friend?  You might want to check out Sago Sago, who specialize in apps designed for children (the characters are really cute).

Sago Sago creates magical mobile apps for children. We create software that builds on children's natural sense of curiosity, experimentation and self-expression. We believe young children learn best through experimentation and exploration rather than instruction and assessment. Our passion is for creating open-ended play experiences that give children a sense of mastery and ownership.

If you got young children in your life, I'd recommend checking our Sago Sago. They are also hiring for lots of different jobs as well.

Toronto GameDev: XMG Studios

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Here is another "FYI: Check out this developer" - XMG Studios! This Toronto Developer has created lots of games on mobile devices including Cows vs Aliens, and Dragonwood Academy.

Coming up, XMG Studios has Project Giants:

In a world where all emotions have been forgotten, we must brave an ever-evolving environment to reclaim what it truly means to be alive. Witness a desolate, barren world blossom into a verdant utopia of colour and life. The unique art style marries geometric forms, painterly textures, and a dash of Futurism for a truly breathtaking visual experience.

Make sure to follow the developer on Twitter and check out their games on mobile devices!

Math Behind iPad Game Noodles

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I've spoke about Noodles before. It's a fun relaxing puzzle game on iPad that I think is worth checking out.  The developer Lummox Labs has posted some interesting blog posts that detail some of the mathematics behind Noodles, as well as the code. Really useful for other developers out there that want to learn.

I'll start off with this link. That is pretty much amazing, and I wish I had known about it when I started building the hex games. The trickiest things with hexagons (ignoring design challenges) is the math in placing them because columns are offset, and the hexes don't have equal height and width. Read up there on how to do that math. Or do high school trig again. Okay, so what is a Noodles puzzle, as a data structure? Well, if you think of the pieces as nodes and the connections between them as edges, it's a graph. Let's say an edge exists between two nodes (x, y) and (a, b) only if they both connect to each other.

It's a great read for anyone interested in game design. Make sure to check out the full post here.

Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition Free For PlayStation Plus Users In May

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I written before about my love for Guacamelee, so it's awesome that starting May it will be free for PlayStation 4 users.

If you haven't had a chance to check out this very excellent Metroidvania game then May will be a great chance. Make sure to also follow DrinkBox Studios on Twitter.

Check Out Lost Orbit From PixelNAUTS

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I saw this tweet from developer PixelNAUTS and I wanted to give a shout out to the developer and to Lost Orbit which is looking pretty sweet. Check out the videos below!

Personally I thought a PlayStation page meant a release date is incoming, but right now it is still TBD for PS4 and PC.  Make sure to check out screenshots for the game here.

Toronto GameDev: Allied Games

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We have the list of Toronto Video Game developers, but I figured I would start just writing some posts as an "FYI: Check out this developer."

Well this week's FYI is Indie Developer Allied Games. You can check out their game Shadow Heroes: Chibi Fight right now on iOS and Android, while also looking at upcoming games Yummy Rainbow and Shadow Heroes: Vengeance In Flames.

Make sure to follow the Mississauga based developer on Twitter.

Article: "How Canadian indie hit Alto’s Adventure was inspired by Tiny Wings, Ico and Journey"

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I've written about Alto's Adventure before, including about how much I enjoyed it. If you're not familiar with Snowman's snowboarding game, it's essentially an endless runner where you complete tasks such as grind for x amount of meters, or doing two backflips in one run.  The game has incredibly smooth animations and looks really great with its changing time of day.

The game was recently written about over at mobilesyrup, where creator Ryan Cash wrote about the games beginnings:

“The idea was to make an indie game in the first place. However, it came when Jordan became addicted to Tiny Wings, in the fall of 2012. After he got me into the game, we kept discussing the idea of doing something like it ourselves – or at least trying to. We were both really blown away by the emotion and magic that [Tiny Wings] conveyed. We’d never seen anything like it in a mobile game before,” said Cash."

Check out the article if you're interested how other games inspired Alto's Adventure. The game is out now on iPad and definitely worth a look at.

Personal Plug: Patreon

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Hey everyone,

I thought I would take this moment to ask a favour. I've been doing @TorontoGameDevs since around Early February. Since then it has grown into a tumblr account, and then this website. A place to find out Toronto Gaming Events, a page to find studios in Toronto, and a Let's Play. Aside from a few iPad games, PS4 games and this website, the actual cost has been low.

That being said, it has required a lot of time, hard work and love to bring everything together, and there is a lot to improve on.  

Everything about TorontoGameDevs will always be free. However, if you like what I'm doing and want to help, I have set up a Patreon, which can be viewed here.  

Every bit helps, and if you contribute just a little bit then it goes a long way for me on my end.  Every dollar made from it will go towards improving the site. Even telling people about this site is just as important and appreciated.  If you ever have any questions, you can always reach me at stephenlcrane8@gmail.com.

Thanks!

N++ Video - Enemy Spotlight: Deathball

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Late last month I wrote about how N++ is close to coming out. It looks like promotion might be ramping up, as PlayStation posted the following video showing off the Deathball in N++. It does appear to be a ball that causes death, so the name is pretty appropriate.

I am so excited for this game, and it can't come soon enough. Make sure you follow the developer on Twitter.

 

Warframe: Sanctuary Update On PlayStation 4 Today

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Developer Digital Extremes took to the PlayStation Blog today to announce the latest Warframe update is now out on PlayStation 4.  Titled 'Sanctuary', the update brings a new Warframe, game mode, quests, and game tweaks.  It also includes a new area Sanctuary:

"Overseen by Cephalon Simaris, the Sanctuary is place where Tenno can work together for a common goal. Track down rare targets in missions and add them to the Sanctuary’s database using the Synthesis Scanner, unlocking new lore. Earn standing with Simaris and practice future Mastery tests or pit battle strategies against enemies in the Codex."

You can check out the full post on the PlayStation Blog.