It’s Time For a New Hero: Action Puzzle-Platformer KR-17 Has a Character “To Fall in Love With” [Exclusive Images]

KR-17 is a 32-bit action puzzle-platformer developed by Wonderfling, who has recently started a Kickstarter campaign for the game. Unlike many indie titles in this genre, Wonderfling is pushing KR-17 as a highly story driven experience that is a “no gimmicks” affair with “a quirky little robot” main character “to fall in love with.”

This is a game about meaningful characters “you can relate to and love,” something lead designer Gregory McKnight tells us  he feels “modern gaming has come away from.”

So who is that quirky little robot? You will play as KR-17, “sent to defend the galaxy from a terrorist rebellion,” and more specifically “to subdue a rogue agent operating out of a military installation on the planet Valiant.”

Head below to check out some gameplay footage, a link to the free demo and  our exclusive interview for new details on KR-17. You can also check out some of the game’s soundtrack below as well. Continue reading “It’s Time For a New Hero: Action Puzzle-Platformer KR-17 Has a Character “To Fall in Love With” [Exclusive Images]” »

Co-op Fantasy Hack n’ Slash HAMMERWATCH Gets The Greenlight On Steam

Today we are taking a look at an interesting hack n’ slash adventure title called Hammerwatch. It has a very strong focus on its up to 4 player co-op as well as a streamlined and simplistic combat system.

Recently Greenlit on Steam the development team described the game to us as a “fast paced pixel art hack and slash game which should be simple to pick up but challenging to play and has a strong cooperative experience.”

You can check out some of the latest gameplay footage and our exclusive interview with developer Hipshot along with a link to the free open beta so you can try the game for yourself.

Continue reading “Co-op Fantasy Hack n’ Slash HAMMERWATCH Gets The Greenlight On Steam” »

Spider-Man 2 Swing Mechanic Inventor Jamie Fristrom Talks: ENERGY HOOK

Jamie Fristrom is the inventor and creator of the popular swing mechanics as the technical director and designer on Spider-Man 2. He has recently come to Kickstarter with a new title that implements this swing mechanic in a brand new IP. This time around we won’t be swinging around NYC as a super hero, stopping crime but rather as Delilah in a brand new take on the extreme sports genre.

Energy Hook is a new fresh take on a lot of the mechanics and gameplay Jamie has been developing for other major franchises over the years. Harkening back to his work on the Tony Hawk series, Fristrom tells us that the game “combines Spider-Man-like grappling-and-swinging-and-wall-running goodness with Tony-Hawk-like extreme sports trick-doing action.”

Scroll down to check out our exclusive interview with Jamie Fristrom, some prototype gameplay footage and the game’s cell shaded art-style in some early-development screenshots.

Continue reading “Spider-Man 2 Swing Mechanic Inventor Jamie Fristrom Talks: ENERGY HOOK” »

“A Virtually Limitless Amount of Insane Guns to Collect!” in The Shooter RPG: MOON RIFT

Moon Rift is a 2.5D platformer shooter with a “virtually limitless amount of insane guns to collect!” The game is currently in development by sole creator Sam Hutcher and will be releasing for Android and iOS later this year, followed by PC, Linux, OUYA and Mac releases.

Think a 2.5D Borderlands-like experience with random levels and procedurally generated enemies. “I wanted to focus a little more on the old school RPG feel, Hutcher tells us. “I would have to say game draws a lot of inspiration from games like Zelda or the old Final Fantasies, as well as the shoot em up games like Borderlands.”

Continue reading ““A Virtually Limitless Amount of Insane Guns to Collect!” in The Shooter RPG: MOON RIFT” »

Artistic Director Talks About The Upcoming Vampiric Stealth-Action RPG: DARK

Realmforge is in development on its vampiric stealth-action RPG, DARK. Set to be what the developer calls a “true stealth” experience like the early “Thief and Splinter Cell” games and what will be the first serious vampire RPG game in a while, DARK actually reminds us a little bit of Hitman Absolution meets the supernatural powers of something like Dishonored.

“The core gameplay of a good stealth game should be to quietly observe a given situation, plan your approach and then quickly execute without being seen…we are trying to recapture this experience while adding some new and modern gameplay elements.” – Victor Linke, Art Director, Realmforge Studios

You can check out our full interview below along with some gameplay footage in the “Skills Trailer” below.

Continue reading “Artistic Director Talks About The Upcoming Vampiric Stealth-Action RPG: DARK” »

Control Your Very Own Zombie Army in The Pikmin Inspired Action Puzzler: RAY’S THE DEAD

Ray’s the Dead is a new story driven action-puzzler, where players will take on the role of Ray and his army of zombies. The game will feature “a satisfying blend of action, tactics, puzzle, stealth, and adventure.” Having garnered a great reception at PAX East and in development by Chicago based Ragtag Studio, Ray’s the Dead will be releasing on PC, Mac and Linux “at the end of 2013.”

Comprised of former Stubbs the Zombie developers, Ragtag Studio is inspired by both Stubbs and Pikmin: “It has been said that Stubbs the Zombie could be Ray’s dirty old uncle,” and that Ray can control his horde similar to “how Olimar controls his army of Pikmin.”

Continue reading “Control Your Very Own Zombie Army in The Pikmin Inspired Action Puzzler: RAY’S THE DEAD” »

How “Road Rage Redemption” Plans To Bring “Road Rage” Back To Life

I have to say I was pretty excited when I heard that their was a team working on re-imagining the original Road Rash franchise. After all, Road Rash was one of the most iconic games of the late 90′s, and before the likes of sandbox games GTA, Sleeping Dogs, etc. brought vehicular combat to motorcycle games in a way that had never been seen before.

Now the team at DarkSeas Games has the ambitious task of bringing this project to life, and with merely days to go, is nearing it’s $160,000 goal.

EA (the original developer of the game) spoke in 2011 about rebooting the franchise, saying that “we can’t just put them on new tech with the same gameplay from ten years ago, we’ve got to have something new.” The original Road Rash creator also said he was “ready” to make a new Road Rash on Reddit earlier this year. While he’s not part of the DarkSeas team, he did say he want the project to “get funded” and that he “wanted to play it.”

Based on the kickstarter page, Road Redemption will offer new weapons, a combat system that includes counters and parries, and a number of multiplayer missions.

We had a moment to ask the DarkSeas team a few more in-depth questions in regards to how they plan on bringing Road Rage to life in “Road Redemption.” Continue reading “How “Road Rage Redemption” Plans To Bring “Road Rage” Back To Life” »

Meet REX ROCKET: 100+ Levels of Deep Character Development and Mega Man Style Combat (Exclusive Screenshots)

With the rise of crowd funded-indie games, we have seen a number of excellent titles heavily inspired by games like Mega Man and the Metroidvania-type experience–and we like it.

In many ways these kinds of experiences are something gamers felt was missing from the AAA eco system that has dominated our consoles and PC’s over the last several years. Today we have another exciting title in that vein. Pittsburgh, PA based developers Robert Maher and Tyler Bud have recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for their sci-fi themed, MegaMan/CaveStory inspired, action adventure game: Rex Rocket.

“Set in Earth’s distant future, Rex Rocket references the classic story of Man vs. Machine. You play as Captain Rex Rocket, a former war hero who now spends his days transporting scientists around to the far reaches of the universe in his epic Star Cruiser, the S.S. Montana.” Continue reading “Meet REX ROCKET: 100+ Levels of Deep Character Development and Mega Man Style Combat (Exclusive Screenshots)” »

Shape The Desert & Deal Out Devastating Attacks With Terraforming, Magic And Telekinesis in SON OF NOR

Currently in development, third person action/adventure game Son of Nor is set in a “dynamic desert world, which can be shaped by the player’s magic.”

Set in a world where humans are being overrun by a desert lizard-looking race called the Sarahul, with an interesting arsenal of abilities, players will take on the role of a Son of Nor: “a human blessed by the moon goddess, you possess the power of telekinesis and the ability to terraform. Your purpose is to protect what’s left of your race and to save it from almost certain extinction,” lead designer Julian Mautner tells the Jace Hall Show.

Continue reading “Shape The Desert & Deal Out Devastating Attacks With Terraforming, Magic And Telekinesis in SON OF NOR” »

RIDE TO HELL: RETRIBUTION: Senior Creative Producer Talks Brutal “Bare Knuckle” Biker Gang Action and Battletoads?!?!

The 1960′s biker gang brawler Ride To Hell: Retribution is set to release this summer for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Windows PC. It is being developed by in-house personnel at Deep Silver along with Ferrari Challenge developer Eutechnyx.

On a mission of revenge to bring down a rival biker gang called the Devil’s Hand, players will take on the role of Jake Conway in what senior creative producer Isaac Parakhen describes to us as a “bare knuckle” brawler “reminiscent of 80′s action movies.”

Continue reading “RIDE TO HELL: RETRIBUTION: Senior Creative Producer Talks Brutal “Bare Knuckle” Biker Gang Action and Battletoads?!?!” »

‘Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark’ Wants To Change How You Play Stealth Video Games

Yesterday developer Curve Studio’s announced the results of the re-naming competition for Stealth Bastard:

Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark. The new name came from two of the over 3,500 suggestions, that were then put together to form the full title.

Having already been released for PC in the form of Stealth Bastard Deluxe, the game will make its way to the Playstation 3 and PS Vita this summer.

Continue reading “‘Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark’ Wants To Change How You Play Stealth Video Games” »

Prepare for “Gun porn! Mercenaries!” and “Brothels!” in The Turn Based Strategy Reset: JAGGED ALLIANCE: FLASHBACK

Flashback is the newest game in the long running Jagged Alliance series and will offer much of what long time fans of the genre will expect as well as a host of new and interesting features. Jagged Alliance began as a DOS game in 1994 and went on to crank out two sequels in 1995 and 1999 respectively. It most recently appeared on the DS in 2009 and as a downloadable game on DSIware in 2011.

What sets this turn based strategy action game apart from the rest? CEO of Full Control Thomas Lund tells us its “Gun porn! Mercenaries!” and “Brothels!” Flashback will feature a slightly b-movie like comedy to it, but that’s not to get it confused with some slapped together casual strategy game–this is as serious and hardcore as we want it to be.

Continue reading “Prepare for “Gun porn! Mercenaries!” and “Brothels!” in The Turn Based Strategy Reset: JAGGED ALLIANCE: FLASHBACK” »

Play As Young Girl & Giant Stone Golem In Gorgeous Adventure Game THE REALM

The Realm, a beautiful new adventure game, is a joint venture between award winning art studio Atomhawk Design and developer Lantern Interactive, with well-known composer Richard Jacques (Mass Effect, Jet Set Radio, LBP2) contributing the game’s score. Players will take on the role of a young girl and her new friend Toru, the giant stone golem.

Scroll down to check out the Kickstarter campaign video, some dev diary footage and our exclusive interview with technical director Tom Szirtes.

Continue reading “Play As Young Girl & Giant Stone Golem In Gorgeous Adventure Game THE REALM” »

Explore On Foot And In The Air With Dual Perspective, Space Shooter Hybrid: A.N.N.E

A.N.N.E is Metroidvania space shooter hybrid, set in a beautiful 8/16bit-like open world. The game’s focus is mainly on exploration but it also features a deep combat system that is pretty unique to this style of game. Created by lone developer Moise Breton with some help from friends and scored by well-known composer Miyamo of Conagusuri, A.N.N.E attempts to push the boundaries of exploration “by blending both on foot gameplay and in-air gameplay,” Breton tells us.

Set on the planet Gnomi the story is set in a world where robots live among humans and where the robots are forbidden by law “to love each other.” Players will take on the role of a robot called No. 25 in search of “every part of his missing loved one” while exploring the planet’s “vast” game world both on foot and in your space ship.

Continue reading “Explore On Foot And In The Air With Dual Perspective, Space Shooter Hybrid: A.N.N.E” »

SMB3 and Kirby’s Adventure Inspired Platformer SUPER UBI LAND Coming To Wii U This Summer

Super Ubi Land is a 2D platforming game that takes cues from Super Mario Bros. 3 and The Adventures of Kirby. Players will take control of an alien known as Ubi on his journey to rebuild his wrecked space ship and return to his home land. In your way will stand 35+ levels of colorful, hand drawn platforming goodness, the evil Dr. Terrestrial, as well as a number of other interesting boss battles. Having already reached its Kickstarter goal, the 2 man dev team consisting of programmer Andrew Augustin, writer Matthew Jones have tapped Two Brothers composer Calum Bowen to score the game.

You can check the game’s awesome theme song and some gameplay footage as well as our exclusive interview with Augustin below.

Continue reading “SMB3 and Kirby’s Adventure Inspired Platformer SUPER UBI LAND Coming To Wii U This Summer” »

‘CHASM’ Melds 16bit Visuals With Procedurally Generated Dungeons In Metroidvania-Style Action Platformer

Discord Games recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for its impressive upcoming ARPG, Chasm. The campaign is off to a good start having raised almost $75,000 already, about half of the team’s goal with 23 days still to go.

Having been inspired by games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Diablo and the Legend of Zelda, Chasm’s stand out features are the impressive and extremely authentic 16-bit pixel art along with its procedurally-generated dungeon style gameplay set across six diverse areas. The team at Discord knew early on that they wanted the experience to be as authentic as possible deciding to create the game’s native resolution quite low (320×180). This is something Discord Founder James Petruzzi was a little concerned about at first, “but after the first art tests came out and we saw it had that classic, chunky SNES look to it, it was just irresistible for us,” he said.

Continue reading “‘CHASM’ Melds 16bit Visuals With Procedurally Generated Dungeons In Metroidvania-Style Action Platformer” »

We Haven’t Seen a 2D Action Platformer, Soup Making Management Sim…Until Now

Pixel Junk Inc. is an interesting new “2D platforming soup empire” sim coming from a three man team including lead designer Rowan Parker. The game is the newest in the long line of Pixel Junk games but will be the first time the team is developing for PC and launching on Steam.

Players will be exploring for resources in a brightly colored sandbox world in order to manufacture soup to sell for revenue. The game features a unique hybrid of tower defense/RTS and full on action adventure gameplay as well as having a strong focus on player creativity and co-op. Lead designer Rowan Parker tells us, “Players are dropped into a sandbox world where they can explore, mine and cultivate the land for resources, build a base, manufacture soup for export and spend the revenue on research & upgrades for their base. All whilst defending against invading monsters together with their friends.”

Continue reading “We Haven’t Seen a 2D Action Platformer, Soup Making Management Sim…Until Now” »

Preview: Fight Tooth and Nail in ‘Blood of the Werewolf’, a Brutal, Oldschool Side Scroller

“Remember that video game you played as a kid?  The one you were always on the edge of beating, but always fell just short?  You probably talked about it for years. Even as you played other games, it was always in the back of your head, gnawing away at you, taunting the gamer in you.  You knew you were good enough to beat it, but it was always the one that got away. Until one day you couldn’t take it anymore and you shut off your phone, locked your door, and through sheer force of WILL, finally beat it.  We all have that game.  It is your White Whale.  Everyone’s is different, but we all know the overwhelming satisfaction that comes from finally conquering that challenge.  This was our goal for Blood.”

This is how Scientifically Proven Entertainment’s Chief Executive Officer, Nathaniel ‘Than’ McClure, describes his studio’s upcoming title, Blood of the Werewolf and its focus on meaningful challenge.  The game is a throwback to the brutal glory days of 2D side scrollers and a celebration of classic horror icons. Continue reading “Preview: Fight Tooth and Nail in ‘Blood of the Werewolf’, a Brutal, Oldschool Side Scroller” »

Exclusive Interview: Why Competitive Action Shooter, Secret Ponchos, Could Be The Fastest Gun In The West

Canadian indie studio Switchblade Monkeys is ready to give gamers a taste of something new, but familiar with Secret Ponchos, a game unique enough to defy typical genre classification.  Essentially it is a top-down, competitive action-shooter, combining a variety of influences from the isometric camera of MOBA games, the competitive tit-for-tat of fighting games and the matchmaking of shooters, to the stylistic elements of the spaghetti western genre.  The game will let players become notorious outlaws in the visually striking Wild West town of Lonetree, that is if they have the skills to make their name known.

Ponchos is competitive at its core and allows players to fight for reputation in one on one duels, free for all shoot-outs, or cooperative team matches. Higher reputation lets players customize the unique skill set of their chosen outlaw, allowing players to tailor their outlaw to their own play style.  The game will be out sometime this year on PSN and XBLA.

Continue reading “Exclusive Interview: Why Competitive Action Shooter, Secret Ponchos, Could Be The Fastest Gun In The West” »

Exclusive Interview: What Fans Can Expect From METRO: LAST LIGHT

“Getting through a station in the metro is a test of survival, not just a test of your combat skills…Humanity is too blind to see where salvation lies.”

It is the year 2013 — if we were living in the world of Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, we would be in the heart of a nuclear holocaust. Glukhovsky’s international bestselling novel, Metro 2033, takes place 20 years after a nucelur explosion nearly wipes out humanity, and became the foundation for THQ’s FPS, Metro 2033.

Metro 2033′s atmosphere will remind some of Bioshock (and for the Ukrainian gamers) S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl and the horror will draw parallels to what Dead Space consistently delivers. With this, Metro 2033 still stood out on its own, (albeit with a few bugs). Its “karma based system” was the foundation for a game where every action, be it moral or physical, had consequences — looking at your compass meant putting your weapon down, which made you exposed to possible attack, and not cleaning the filter on your gas mask resulted in game over.  Continue reading “Exclusive Interview: What Fans Can Expect From METRO: LAST LIGHT” »