13AM Games Announces Retail Version For Runbow - Also Coming To New 3DS

It was a busy time for 13AM Games at E3, the gang announced a bunch of news things for Runbow (and despite most of us making a prediction involving 13AM Games, we were all wrong). For starters, Shantae from the Shantae series will be added as a free downloadable character to Runbow.

In addition to that, Nighthawk Interactive will be brining Runbow Deluxe to Wii U retail, and Runbow Pocket Deluxe to retail new 3DS. A downloadable version Runbow Pocket, will also hit the new 3DS eshop.  Both versions will include the full game, all of the DLC and complete soundtrack. While the pocket version will include 4 exclusive 3DS themes, and streetpass trading cards.  You can check out the full trailer, and press release below - everything is expected to hit sometime this year.

EDISON, New Jersey - June 13, 2016 – Nighthawk Interactive has revealed it will bring independent developer 13AM Games’ party platformer Runbow Deluxe to Nintendo’s Wii U system and Runbow Pocket Deluxe to the New Nintendo 3DS hand-held system later this year. An updated release of the original Runbow, these new versions include all of the DLC launched for the game since it debuted last year on Wii U, including a new story adventure, levels, costumes, characters and more.

Runbow Deluxe on Wii U supports competitive multiplayer for up to nine players locally and online and comes with a bonus download for the game’s two-volume original soundtrack.

Runbow Pocket Deluxe takes all the fun of Runbow on the go with new StreetPass functionality for exchanging information, like favorite character and best Bowhemoth run time. It also comes with an exclusive theme download for New Nintendo 3DS.

Bursting with hundreds of stages, Runbow is a fast and frantic action game featuring multiple gameplay modes and a uniquely challenging mechanic in which platforms and obstacles in the environment appear and disappear in tune with shifts in the world’s color palette. The game is drawn with colorful art design inspired by 1960s animation and includes playable guest characters like Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight), Juan (Guacamelee!), Drifter (Hyper Light Drifter), CommanderVideo and CommandgirlVideo (BIT.TRIP RUNNER), Max (Mutant Mudds Super Challenge), Gunvolt (Azure Striker Gunvolt) and many more, including the just-announced addition of Shantae (Shantae Half-Genie Hero).

Runbow Deluxe and Runbow Pocket Deluxe are expected to arrive this fall in retail stores. Both titles are rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.

 

 

Cally's Trials Out Now On Steam

In the midst of E3, VDOGames have released Cally's Trials on Steam.  You can get the game right here, which does have a 10% discount going on.  You can also enter an art competition to win a free copy of the game.

"Set before the events of Cally's Caves 3, Cally's Trials is a roguelike action-platformer with a weapon-levelling system that lets you evolve weapons as you use them. Cally must save her parents from the maniacal Herbert, who has laid waste to the Caves and built a massive lair deep inside."

Since I posted the trailer for the game when the game was originally announced, I posted below a Let's Play for it. Make sure to follow the gang on Twitter!

Our E3 Predictions - Toronto GameDevs

Yesterday on the podcast, Bret, Dan, Shae, Brendan, and myself gave some predictions on what we think we'll see at E3.  Given that the press conferences are about to start, I thought I'd make a post about it. I'll leave out the non-Toronto predictions out, but make sure to check out the full podcast for all the predictions:

Shae:

• 13AM Games will be announcing a new game

Dan:

• We'll see a demo for Below from Capybara Games
• (from last week) 13AM Games movie (probably joking)

Brendan:

• Didn't make a specific Toronto game developer prediction, so I'm taking this chance to shame him. Shhhhhaaammmeeee.

We made a lot of predictions on Runbow/13AM Games, let's see who's right.

Bret:

• We'll see a Guacamelee 2 from DrinkBox Studios
• Single player game from 13AM Games feature Satura from Runbow 

Steve:

• Ubisoft Toronto is the lead developer behind the next Splinter Cell game
• Runbow amiibo / Nintendo costume in Runbow
• Arrowheads NX launch title (I was joking)

Time will tell, happy E3 everyone! Make sure to check out the podcast for all the predictions.

Torn Banner Studios Shows Off Mirage: Arcane Warfare Footage Ahead Of E3

PCGamer wrote a great article on Mirage: Arcane Warfare, in which some new footage was also show. I thought I would post it since coming up to E3, it's a solid read: 

"Physics are a vital part of the game as well, both for the way in which it gives melee combat “a sense of weight,” and also because it's funny. “When you hit someone, it's not like their body just limply falls down. You'll know the strength of that hit you just knocked them with, and their body will go flying across the room,” Senior Brand Manager Alex Hayter says in the video. And that, according to Torn Banner President Steve Piggott, “really adds a lot of humor to the game.”"

Mirage is looking great, and is scheduled for release on this year on PC. You can read the full article here and follow along on Twitter to stay up to date.

Patreon Changes

Hey Everyone! As many know, I use Patreon to help fund the site. It's a great way to give to creators that you want to support, and solid program that I've seen improve over the last 1.5 years.

One of the rewards I've had is "free" games. Developers from Toronto and beyond would donate codes to their games, and in return I'd tweet about it, post it, and would as Patreon's to leave reviews.  It was a great system, and practically every developer I've ever asked gave games. This includes, but is not limited to, Alientrap, Allied Games, Clapfoot Games, Cococucumber, DrinkBox Studios, Phantom Compass, Vertex Pop, Will O'Neill, VDOGames, Giganaut Games, and Neptune Interactive (there are lots more, I'm going off memory, reach out to me if you want to be added :)

Starting next month, I've dropped this tier. Honestly, I've just ran out of developers to ask, or games to give. Truth be told, I think I overdid it, but you live and learn. It could be a reward that comes back in the future, but for now there will be two reward tiers:

• For $1.00 you'll become my best friend, and get a shout out on the podcast. I can also put your site on the right hand side for SEO help.
• For $4.00 dollars you get access to early access found here (as well as the shout out on the podcast). This includes the podcast, interviews, previews, reviews, any sort of exclusive feature will be found here.

If I happen to get free codes, then they will be go to a Patreon (at any level). If I have more than that, then it will go on Twitter, or given away on the podcast. If you're interested in becoming a Patreon, and help support TorontoGameDevs.com - which looks to help promote Toronto developed games - then click here.  Happy E3 everyone!

Blue Isle Entertainment Releases New Footage For Valley - Coming This Summer

Valley, the first person adventure game from Blue Isle Entertainment was announced last April, and some new footage has surfaced.  Garrett Marks took the PlayStation Blog to talk about the game, which is coming this Summer to PlayStation 4, and PC.

"As you’ll see in the video, intrepid players can do some truly incredible things as they seek to further uncover the mysteries of the valley: give life to dying trees and animals; leap the distance of an entire football field; swing through a Pathfinder training forest of ginormous trees; and even defend oneself against some mysterious enemies. These are just some of the many awesome things you’ll be able to do as you explore the ancient depths of the valley, all the while keeping both it and yourself alive."

Hopefully we'll see more of the game at E3, but until then make sure to follow the studio on Twitter.

CupHead Gameplay Shows Off Platforming Level

Up until now, it was thought that Cuphead would be just a boss-rush type of game. That would of still been cool, but now Studio MDHR has shown off some platforming sections. You can check out the video below:

Cuphead is scheduled to release for Xbox One and PC this year. Last year they announced at E3 the delay, so hopefully we'll get the full scoop on the platforming shooter this year. Until then, follow the gang on Twitter, and listen to our podcast where we gush over the art.

OddBird Studios Wins ESAC’s Student Video Game Competition - Going To E3

Good friends of the site, Oddbird Studio has won the annual Student Video Game Competition from The Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC), which means they'll be at E3 next week.  You can check out the quote from Cody below:

"We are beyond excited to have the opportunity to showcase our game Arrow Heads at E3 this year” said Cody Romphf. “Everyone on our team has their own expertise, whether that’s gameplay programming, stylizing characters, animation, or level design. We can’t wait to show the talent and skills that come from Canada”, he added."

To celebrate, Oddbird Studio also released a teaser trailer for their multiplayer game, which we throughly enjoyed when we talked about it on the podcast a few weeks back.

Huge congrats to everyone at Oddbird Studio, and Sheridan College. You can read the full press release here. Make sure to give everyone lots of love on Twitter and FaceBook.

Watch Dogs 2 Announced - Ubisoft Toronto Involved

With E3 right around the corner, developers are working on revealing their games in preparation for the big event. Ubisoft has announced Watch Dogs 2, the sequel to the open world game from two years ago and Ubisoft Toronto announced they're helping with the title.

We are so proud to join the @watchdogsgame development team and help build the beautiful game world of SF! https://t.co/Jk0x8e3GmP

— Ubisoft Toronto (@UbisoftToronto) June 8, 2016

Watch Dogs 2 comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC November 15th. You can check out the full Ubisoft Blog for all the details.

13AM Games Tells Fans To Wait For E3 For "cool new Runbow announcements"

Earlier today, an Amazon leak was posted online that had to do with 13AM Games' 9 player multiplayer platformer Runbow.  I've never really wanted this site to be about "leaks" or "inside information", that was never the purpose, so I wasn't going to post anything about it. However, 13AM Games did make an official post going over the leak (for those interested, you can read about the original story here).  I copied a blurb from 13AM Games statement below:

It’s important to note however that this info and this Amazon post did not come from 13AM Games, and contains some incorrect information. We can’t elaborate yet, but all I can say is that everyone should tune into E3 where we will be making some cool new Runbow announcements. Be sure to follow us for all the latest Runbow news on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr. If you ever have any questions, shoot us an email. It needs to be reiterated: Thanks for your passion and excitement. Our fans are literally the best.

We'll just have to wait and see. It is important to note that in an interview with TorontoGameDevs.com, 13AM Games did say they working on something with Runbow.

Alto's Adventure Getting Free Update - "Zen Mode"

Alto's Adventure, the infinite skier on iOS and Android is getting a free update that includes a Zen mode. Zen Mode, which hits iOS tomorrow on June 2nd, will "remove scores and let you continue from wherever you crashed -- all you have to do is enjoy the experience."  It will also include a more relaxing soundtrack, and a photo mode.

The free update hits iOS tomorrow with an Android port coming "soon". You can download Alto's Adventure on iOS and Android. 

Cally's Trials Announced - Coming To Steam June 14th

The developer behind Cally's Caves 2, and 3 have announced a new game in the Cally's Cave's series, this time with rogue-like RPG Cally's Trials:

"It's time for Cally to do what she does best: rescuing her kidnapped parents! Set before the events of Cally's Caves 3, Cally's Trials is a roguelike action-platformer with a weapon-levelling system that lets you evolve weapons as you use them. Cally must save her parents from the maniacal Herbert, who has laid waste to the Caves and built a massive lair deep inside."

You can check out the Steam page here, and make sure to get the game later in June. In the meantime you can always pick up Cally's Caves 3 on Steam.

iOS Puzzle Game 'Frank The Spider' Out Now On iOS

Indie developer Yah Man Games let me know that they've released their puzzle game 'Frank The Spider' on iOS devices, which you cam download for free right here.  The swipe control puzzle game features 64 levels as you help Frank reunite with his girlfriend. You can check out screenshots below, while also following the developer on Twitter.  Make sure to check out the developers other game, Feed Bat Boy.

Starseed: Origin Developer Releases 'AlphaPit' Next Month

Shane McCafferty, the game developer behind last years Starseed: Origin is at it again, this time with a sequel to his puzzle game Word Forward.  According to toucharcade, AlphaPit is a "a word game...where you must clear a 5x5 grid of all the letter tiles, spelling out at least 3-letter words with each move. The levels are fixed, so you have to figure out the best tactic to clear the square as best as possible."  You can check out the trailer below:

The game will be out June 9th as a free download, but make sure to follow Shane on Twitter (especially if you're a Jays fan).

Shadow Heroes: Vengeance In Flames Out Now On Early Access

Last we heard of Allied Games they were going through their Steam Greenlight campaign to get Shadow Heroes on Steam.  They've passed that, and now the game is on Steam Early Access, you can check out the full site here for all the details, as well as the Steam Early Access trailer:

Shadow Heroes is an online game where players from around the world compete in epic battles with hundreds of units using weapons, magic and tactics. Hire new units and customize their load-outs with items you have collected. Combine items together to make them stronger and give yourself an edge in combat. Can you find the enemy's weak spot and exploit it? Are you able to react accordingly to counter your opponent's strategy?

Make sure to follow the game on Twitter, and pick up the game on Steam, which is currently enjoying a 10% discount.