Indie Games Magazine
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Indie Games Your Number One Source for Indie Game News
Welcome...
An Introduction to Indie Games The medium of video games has gone through massive change in the last decade, with the way games are made, released, and played is constantly being developed as our technology does, and with the relatively recent advent of Smartphone’s, and the resurgence in casual portable gaming, the wealth and quality of indie games is unparalleled. . An indie game, is a loose term with no precise definition, but it usually applies to games created and published independently, as opposed to being produced, financed, advertised, and released by different companies, which is mostly what happens with console games. It is now easier than ever for gamers to create and releases their own game, through the ever increasing amount of digital outlets like the app store for the iPhone, or the Steam service for computers. Though this massive change in the industry is to be applauded, one can only hope that this inspires others into the field of indie game development. This magazine is going to look at some indie games and their developers, the ways in which the video game industry is changing, as well as reviewing some indie games, and looking at the ways in which you can get involved! Consumer funding is becoming one of the newest ways in which developers are funding their projects, with websites like Kickstarter allowing people to invest in a developer or team, and receiving bonuses depending on how much the invest. The recent successes that some developers have enjoyed, such as Double Fine’s Adventure Game gathering over $3 million through crowd funding, has highlighted not only how some niche games can now have a future through crowd funding, but also how the relationship between developer and the gamer is changing. The game industry is becoming an increasingly popular career, and this new technology available means it is more possible now to develop a game and get on the career ladder of game development. Joe Weeks Editor and Chief writer joeweeks@indiesgames.co.uk
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Terraria
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Dear Esther
5 - Cogs
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Why are indie games important?
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Cogs Review
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Dear Esther Review
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TerrarioaReview
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Top Ten Indie Games
10 - Top Ten Indie Games
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Why are Indie Games Important? How Indie Games are changing the industry
Indie films preceded indie games, and in many ways it laid down some of the groundwork for the success of the indie game industry. Technology has now developed to the point where, with enough work and knowledge, one can produce films and effects of brilliant quality. The film Monsters, written and directed by Gareth Edwards, is a brilliant example of the indie scene, with a science fiction movie which was practically created by one man, effects, sound, everything. This change in the media industry was, of course, not only within the field of film. Indie game development had been going on for years, with a thriving modding community, with development kits and mod tools being used to create separate scenarios within an existing game engine. Most recently programs such as Steam, and the Xbox Live Arcade and Indie game stores, have meant unlike usual practice in which a game is published by a separate funder, with digital distribution a game can be self funded, and released digitally through these programs, meaning the developer can save the money it would usually cost to distribute the game through retail.
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Steam alone has over 1000 games available, and there are 2,449 games via the Xbox Indie game store as of publishing. As games are becoming a more recognised and accredited field of media, so is seeking a career in game development, and making an indie developed game is not a career in and of itself, but it is great experience and portfolio building for a future career in professional game development. Video games are making slow progress from the general stereotypical view of the medium, and with the release of games like Flower and Journey from thatgamecompany, games are slowly being considered as a form of art. Though an idea that is not universally accepted, with many still thinking video games are juvenile, there is some progress being made, with the technology becoming available for anyone to make a video game, because of which the subject matter being tackled is becoming increasingly diverse, some of which controversial. A game was released focusing on the Columbine school shootings, which mocked the way in which the media blamed teen culture for the shootings.
New mobile technology like the iPhone and other smart phones has meant that a whole new avenue of indie game development and distributions has become available. I haven’t got the space to cover every facet of the indie game industry, but that’s a testament to its diversity, which itself is its importance, though not all agree, games can be a form of interactive art, or can be used for practical uses. One recent story is the use of a virtual reality game based in a snowy area which helps soldiers suffering from burns, by psychologically nullifying some of the pain. It is stories like these that prove the importance of indie games, and though everything produced isn’t perfect, or even good, but being an advocate of the games industry, as much as Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft don’t want to admit it, indie development is the future, not expensive new consoles.
Indie Reviews
The variety of levels is one of Cogs’ best assets
Cogs Cogs is a different type of indie game, a puzzle game based on moving blocks to complete a steam punk style mechanism. Similar to a puzzle boxes, in which you move blocks on a flat plane to complete a picture, but in this game the blocks are cogs, pipes, or wheels and the aim is to complete the mechanism with some interesting results. There are fifty unique puzzles throughout the main mode which is Inventor Mode. Throughout these you will be manoeuvring cogs and gears on 3D objects, being rated on time taken, and how many moves you use, being rewarded with bronze, silver, or gold cogs. Unlocking more of these cogs, unlocks more levels acting as a means of restricting progression until you’re ready and as a rating system. The early puzzles are fairly simple, but they soon become devilishly difficult, tasking you with orchestrating different musical notes, and organising pipe systems with no leaks, the difficulty can be seen as the biggest criticism of Cogs, but for those who enjoy this particular type of puzzle game, the steep learning curve shouldn’t put you off.
For the rest of us, it can be a real struggle, and one can only procrastinate beating high scores because you just can’t finish that level. There is a challenge mode which is the Inventor Mode levels but with a choice of challenges, either a time limit or a move limit for all the levels. I am sure some people could find some enjoyment in this mode, but for those who struggle with the main Inventor Mode, the prospect of redoing the same levels only this time it’s more difficult, isn’t an attractive one. Though the soundtrack and effects can become a little repetitive, the whirring of cogs, and hissing of steam is well done. The game is aimed at casual gamers, and produced on an indie budget the graphics are nothing too straining, with low required specifications and some nice graphical effects. There are a limited number of graphical switches to flick but the game can look pretty nice with some nice lighting and
shadows on the individual cogs. I want to recommend this game but I have some misgivings in doing so, I am sure there are some gamers who would enjoy the (occasionally) hellish difficulty, but I soon grew disheartened with Cogs. If you’re really seeking a challenge then Cogs isn’t too much of a financial investment, but you have been warned!
Developed by: Lazy 8 Studios Available for £6.99 from Steam Link: http://www.cogsgame.com/
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Indie Reviews
Dear Esther
The worlds of art and video games collide
Dear Esther is now a full release, and is not only proof of the artistic potential of indie development, but also how the modding and indie scene can highlight some excellent new game developers. Originally released in 2008 as a free mod for Valve’s Source game engine, and was redeveloped from 2009 to be commercially released through Steam, using the latest iteration of the Source engine as seen in Portal 2. Not many would classify Dear Esther as a video game in the traditional sense of the word, but as a piece of interactive art its beauty is obvious. Running perfectly on my mediocre system, the art design is subdued, the game being based on an island in the Hebrides, but still picturesque. The game takes place over four distinct chapters, each in a different locale, but what remains the same is the flashing red aerial in the distance, the one constant throughout the journey, and seemingly your destination. There is no guidance in Dear Esther, and very little interactivity, it is simply a first person journey through a beautiful landscape, with sporadic poetic monologues from a disembodied voice. There are cryptic symbols painted on the walls of caves and miscellaneous objects scattered in caves, with all the evidence pointing to some sort of car accident or tragedy. The game is described as a ghost story on the Dear Esther website, and its unclear whether you are the ghost or you are seeking a ghost. The complexity in the narrative which is told in poetic and sometimes
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The environments are hauntingly beautiful
nonsensical fragments does not frustrate as you would expect, but instead compliments the pervasive creepiness of the atmosphere. Though not as scary as another recent indie classic, Frictional Game’s Amnesia, there are objects in the distance that look like people but disappear when you go to inspect, the absolute desolate nature of the landscape, make the experience a lonely one, not something that is enjoyable in the way you expect games to be, but still refreshing. This sense of isolation and loneliness is complimented by the soundtrack, with your steps through puddles echoing through caves, and the sound of the wind complimenting the quiet ominous orchestral score throughout. The voice acting is competent, some of the writing less so,
but the biggest compliment and draw one can give to this game is the fidelity of the graphics, especially on lower systems. Valve’s Source engine is the star of the show here, with the journey always being beautiful, just not always enjoyable. Dear Esther can be completed within a few hours, and the replay value really depends on what type of a player you are, and what you are willing and able to interpret from the experience. The developers have promised something of a random nature to the journey with different narrative monologues and objects within the environment. This randomized side to Dear Esther didn’t seem to be much of an influence
on my playthroughs, and though my initial journey was a refreshing experience, and I will be recommending it to friends, I don’t see myself playing it again anytime soon. The dialogue can be sometimes so metaphorical it borders on the obtuse, and though I applaude indie games as art, and would spur on anyone to purchase it, some of the artistic quality alluded me. Any traditional gamer would hate Dear Esther, though it uses traditional WASD and mouse controls, the walking
pace is horrendously slow and unchangeable, and the route through the game, through predetermined, can be confusing. I found myself circling the same rocks in a cave for half an hour, which was already irritating but was made infinitely worse due to the incredibly slow walking pace. It is times like these when the combination of art and video games can become difficult. Not many players would be willing to put up with irritating game mechanics for the sake of very little obvious
visual feedback, though I believe video games do have a future as a serious art form. This isn’t a traditional review, as this isn’t a traditional game, maybe it isn’t a game at all, whatever you classify it as, I would recommend experiencing it, only if you have the patience and are able to understand the artistic aspect of the game (or pretend to like I did). Though the audience for this sort of experience is relatively miniscule (it’s no Call of Duty), its release is a testament to the current age of digital distribution, and its importance in the future of indie game development, and how indie game developers are the ones tackling some of the most serious issues, in some of the most interesting and complex ways, perhaps too complex. Developed by: thechineseroom & Robert Briscoe Available for £6.99 from Steam or from website. Link: http://dear-esther.com/
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Indie Reviews
The construction possibilities are limitless
Terraria
Developed by: Andrew “ReDigit” Spinks & Re-Logic Available for £5.99 via Steam Link: http://www.terraria.org
Filling a similar mold to that of the massively popular Minecraft, Terraria is a fantasy, open world construction mining game. The description alone should show how hard this game is to put into any specific genre, one of the beautiful things about indie game development. Terraria randomly generates a world in retro inspired pixel graphics, not unlike many classic SNES games, and tasks you in constructing a building to house visiting characters and merchants, the more buildings and rooms available, the more people will come. I found the 2D graphics helped to simplify much of the constructing and building, something which alienated from
the crazy popular Minecraft. Not only do the graphics make it easier to construct bigger and better buildings, but also easier to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Some advice I would give to a new player is to keep the wiki page open always, Terraria is a massive game with a number of complexities which are never really explained, not only with construction, but also with mining, combat, and making progress through the bosses, and the wiki page outlines all the things new players need to know, but are never told by the game. The player starts with a minimal number of tools, but after chopping down some trees, they can construct a safe house and a bed which acts as
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the players spawn point. Then it’s up to the player to traverse the area and mine downwards, collecting precious minerals to construct better tools, weapons and armour. Which you WILL need, the game gets incredibly deadly, incredibly quickly and if you mine deep enough you end up in a hellish environment with buildings made from hellstone and demons shooting magic projectiles at you. Thankfully the game allows online play, though not as seamless as bigger budget games, requiring more manual set up, it is well worth it, as a companion takes much of the pain out of much of the game, with another person with who you can trade needed items and materials. This review is only scratching the surface of the wealth of things to do in this randomly generated world, with items from a number of classic Nintendo games, jetpacks, rocket boots, laser guns, a mythril drills, and even an Excalibur sword. As a player the more you put into the game, the more you will get out of it, and it took some time but as my character got stronger, and I read a lot of the Terraria wiki page, I was totally addicted and spent hours constructing a floating fortress with glass walls and covered in death statues. In terms of soundtrack and sound effects, they are all relatively basic and the music is nothing memorable but they in no ways detract from the experience. Matching the retro aesthetic the sound effects are 8-bit style sound effects, and I found myself so engrossed in menial tasks, like constructing a walkway so I wouldn’t fall in lava after
The randomly generated worlds in Terraria make that sure that with every new game you embark on there are new areas to explore.
There are floating islands and underground jungles, with more areas and materials becoming available after you defeat certain
bosses. How to make theses bosses appear is a whole other mystery.
summoning a boss, that the soundtrack went completely unnoticed. I would have preferred some interesting tunes, as retro games like the Mega Man series have proved that chip tune soundtracks can be enjoyable and memorable. Released in 2011 there were regular updates until this year, and now sadly there is no new content to be released but this shouldn’t put you off investing the £5.99, if you’re a fan of Minecraft, of found the 3D construction intimidating, then Terraria is brilliant alternative, allowing deceptively simple construction, within a fantasy infused randomly generated world. But be prepared to spend the initial few hours being frustrated by the lack of direction, this example not being the only example of frustration. There is nothing worse than to build a fortress to house your minions, only for them to be massacred by a goblin army. But there are unicorns!
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Ten Indie Games that you must play
Terraria
Here are ten different indie games all available from a number of different sources so I’m sure you can get one of them. This isn’t a top ten with number one being the best, instead I have tried to find a number of great experiences that all offer something different, or is a milestone in the indie game development scene. So here is ten indie games you should all play!
Available for PC through Steam
As you could probably tell from my review, I am a massive fan of Terraria, and I cannot recommend it enough. Though initially frustrating, with much of the game complexities having to be discovered by the player, but after some
Bastion
Available for PC through Steam or Google Chrome, or for the Xbox through the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace.
research and a little effort the game can be a joy. The online capabilities make it brilliant to build an impenetrable fortress with a friend, or in my case, have your fortress destroyed by your friend. There is a wealth of content to
be discovered here, and though much of it is unexplained, the constant sense of exploration and that one more go phenomena will keep you coming back.
Bastion was released in 2011 and was developed by SuperGiant Games, and combines a number of familiar gameplay mechanics within a brand new world with its own distinct style. The world of Bastion has been destroyed by an unknown calamity, and you play ‘the kid’ who wakes up to find the world reforms around his feet, with his every action being narrated by a disembodied voice.
The titular Bastion is soon found and is used as a hub of operations allowing you to buy new skills, and potions, as you level up. With a massive number of utilisable weapons and skills, all with upgrades, within a beautiful hand drawn world that appears around you, Bastion is proof that indie games can look as good, if not better than their commercial counterparts.
Braid
to save a princess from a monster. You journey through a number of levels, with the ability to rewind time at any point. Though it begins easily enough, it soon becomes an incredibly devious puzzle game, requiring excellent timing, and fast reflexes. With a beautiful graphical style, and a story that becomes surprisingly deep, Braid is an indie classic.
Available for Xbox through XBLA, for PC through Steam, or for PS3 through PSN
Braid is one of the early successes for the indie development scene, developed by Jonathon Blow, Braid is a puzzle platformer, which focuses on the manipulation of time. You play as a character named Tim and your aim is
World of Goo Available for PC through Steam, or for
Smartphones and Tablets through their relevant marketplace.
World of Goo, along with Braid, is one the first indie titles to have moderate financial success. Beginning as a WiiWare game,
Breath of DeathVII Available for PC through Steam, or for Xbox through Xbox Indie Game Marketplace
Breath of Death VII tells the tale of Dem the Skeleton Knight, Sara the Ghost Historian, Lita the Vampire Techie, and Erik the Zombie Prince within the
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its popularity soon saw its release on PC’s and the iPad. World of Goo tasks you with building constructions with small globs of goo that connect to each other. The game becomes increasingly difficult, with the introduction of weather, and different types of goo with different qualities, which gives it something of a steep learning curve.
trappings of a comedy retro RPG. BODVII is similar to the Final Fantasy’s of old, using an 8-bit graphical style, but the enjoyment comes from how the game mocks the stereotypical characters and game mechanics of old school RPG’s. Alleviating some of the difficulty found in retro games with characters being healed after every battle, and battles being alot quicker than you would find in
However with perseverance the game can be incredibly rewarding, with great graphics, and impressive physics, with balloons and wind becoming a factor, World of Goo is another indie success story.
the old Final Fantasy’s. This makes the enjoyment of the satirical nature of the game the number one priority, and any fan of old school role playing games will find much to enjoy here.
Super Meat Boy Available for PC through Steam, or for Xbox through Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace
Super Meat Boy is an exercise in self torture, never before has game made me want to destroy a controller with
my teeth but still carry on playing for hours. A student of the old school game design, Super Meat Boy prides itself on its difficulty, with current technology allowing for precise control and pixel perfect jumps, but Team Meat, the developers, opt for a retro inspired world map and world progression. I cannot stress enough how difficult this game is, towards
the end of the campaign the levels so difficult I thought my brain would explode, I didn’t even attempt many of the bonus levels. Any gamer who grew up on the original Mario games, some of the classic SNES platformer’s should definitely give this a try. With unlockable characters and worlds, there is a lot of content here for anyone with the patience to unlock it.
sounds silly, Flower is another beautiful creation from thatgamecompany, who have released a number of artistic indie
releases on the Playstation Network store. Flower is a fairly short game to complete, but with some great replay value, and the simple act of flying around the levels, watching the grass sway as you guide your mammoth trail of multicoloured petals is just pure joy. One of the finest indie games, and one of the best games available for the PS3, Flower is easy to recommend.
Flower
Available for the PS3 through Playstation Store.
Flower is a difficult game to describe; you play as a petal on the wind, and using the motion controller for the PS3, to guide the petal into other flowers to create a trail of petals. Though it
Minecraft
Available from the Minecraft website, and soon to be released on Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace
Minecraft is the biggest indie success story to date. Released initially in its Alpha form, it is now available from the
Limbo
Available for PC through Steam, or for Xbox through Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace
Limbo utilises simple black and white graphics, to create a haunting and lonely atmosphere within a strange world. There is little narrative to Limbo, the player, a
Gamini Rue Available for PC through Steam
website for £16.95, and has sold more than 5 million units since its release in may 2009. Using simple 3D graphics, the player starts in randomly generated world and it is left to to them to mine for materials and build a shelter before monsters come out at night. The online capability has left to thousands of players joining together to build massive constructions based on popular
television shows or other games. Players have already recreated Westeros from Game of Thrones, as well as Hyrule from the Legend of Zelda series. The complex construction and crafting mechanics may alienate some players, but the interesting and unique gameplay has garnered millions of Minecraft fans worldwide, there is even a festival; MineCon!
young boy, wakes up in the woods, with the only direction given is that you are to find your sister. The game at its most basic is a 2D platformer, but after an encounter with the deadly natives, and an even more deadly spider, it becomes as much a puzzle game, requiring you to manipulate boxes and levers, to make it through the different areas of the game. Death is a common occurrence in Limbo,
but with some memorisation it isn’t too difficult to complete, and though the ending is slightly abrupt, Limbo is an indie experience I will never forget, and potentially my most memorable ever.
Gemini Rue is a science fiction game set within the traditional adventure game format. Using a similar graphical style to that of the, now classic, Broken Sword games, you play as 2 characters on different sides of the galaxy, Azriel Odin and Delta Six, with their individual narratives threads eventually coinciding. For fans of classic adventure games,
the story told here is both interesting and poignant, exploring themes such as identity, faith, and morality, with many of the big revelations left for the last few moments. Though not one for the Call of Duty crowd, if you are fan of adventure games, or old school gaming, Gemini Rue is a must play.
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Terraria
Dear Esther
Top Ten Indie Games
Indie Games Your Number One Source for Indie Game News References for: “Why indie games are impotant� http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Games/XboxIndieGames http://store.steampowered.com/ http://thatgamecompany.com/http://www.columbinegame.com/ http://www.army.mil/article/34030/virtual-reality-helps-soldiers-deal-with-real-world-burn-pain/
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