I Tweeted today. Twote? Twitting is kind of a big deal in the video game industry – it’s certainly necessary for the indie work-in-progress showcase that is Screenshot Saturday. But its wiles and warring elude and intimidate some of us. I feel like I’ve joined the modern era years behind schedule, just as I did with my first taste of a touchscreen phone. I still miss my red Motorola clam shell. I was cool once.
Anyway, check out these cool twodlings from people far more proficient in modern society than I!
The King’s Bird by Serenity Forge
“A precision-platformer inspired by Dustforce and Journey.” The former of these influences prioritized a creative flow of traversal rather than focus on exact jumps. Characters deftly slid around curves, dashed their way across ceilings, and otherwise pushed themselves forward through means other than simply leaping and running. It was a joy of movement that, when paired with the affecting and pure sense of exploration that Journey provided, could spell a unique and lovely new game. King’s Bird will be tackling the combination with an emphasis on flight, it seems – we’ll learn more when their Kickstarter campaign launches this fall.
Project Shattered (placeholder) by Tim Kaminski and company
I’ve wanted to include this for a while, but it’s been difficult. It looks wonderful, but there’s incredibly few scraps of information readily available. Here’s what we know: This game is running by the title of Project Shattered until the developers (who are they?) decide on something. It’s made in Unity3D. Kaminski is responsible for part or all of the art. Kaminski is good at what he does. Finally, his Twitter is the only place I’ve been able to find material related to the game.
The Seven Towers by Wolfbrew Games.
This land is dominated by seven towers, each containing a lost soul in need of slaying. A greymaned, death metal, greatsword-wielding barbarian would fit the bill quite nicely. Luckily, Wolfbrew Games has one on hand. Set Bathoryn to the slaughter in this mix of exaggeratedly gory action-slashing and tower high puzzles. Its gothic pixels radiate a bit of a Symphony of the Night, but with a couple extra buckets of blood thrown in. Maybe a couple dozen buckets.
Battle Chef Brigade by Trinket Studios
Apparently, kitchen knifing skills translate quite well to the dangers of a monster-ridden world. Long ago, it was the starving frontiersmen that first devised a way to create safe, if bizarre dishes out of the the previously inedible filet-o’-monster left by their ward. The process of tackling, butchering, and cooking the snarling or chitinous beasts has since become a spectator sport cum cooking show that this game’s developers describe as “Fantasy Iron Chef”. Players struggle against fellow competitors to stake claim on the tastiest of nasties in sidescrolling combat sequences, then haul their bounty to the preparation area to concoct creative meals for the judges.
Death’s Gambit by White Rabbit
This friendly fellow is from a game described as a cross between Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. Your path through the alien world will be pocked with some familiar medieval stylings and foes of a size somewhat similar to your own, yes, but others will be larger. Much larger. Platforming-challenge-to-even-reach-their-faces large, each requiring their own flavor of puzzling and climbing to topple. Dark Souls’ popular influence manifests in slower, more careful encounters with the little guys and, perhaps, a great deal of intimidation on behalf of the Bulwark you see above.
