Indiepocalypse Roundup: Zine ‘sclusies
Since the start of year 2 of Indiepocalypse I have been commissioning one new game per issue. The games are lightly exclusive (1-3 months, but usually 1 month) but in some occasions (and for no particular reason I know) games remain exclusive until this moment.
SKELLYGUN by baku – Indiepocalypse #21
Caves, skeletons, an gun, all the things one could possibly crave in a video game. SKELLYGUN is a game in the Metroid and Castlevania style within the span of about an hour. In that time it showcases the strength and appeal of the genre as movement evolves to more freeing movement, the map expands, and secrets are uncovered. I’m no stranger to longer, more traditional games, but I also don’t think the inherent appeal of these games comes from their length. (nor do i think that about any art!) And SKELLYGUN makes a compelling argument for that case.
Catacomb Creeper: Re-Vined Edition by @BreoganHackett – Indiepocalypse #27
Conversely, Catacomb Creeper: Re-Vined Edition is a game all about length and minimizing it. Or using it to your maximum potential? With a pool of energy limiting your movement, every choice is essential as you give yourself a crash course in efficient pathfinding. Like the best puzzle games Catacomb Creeper: Re-Vined Edition has both it’s main victory (hey, you beat the game!) and true mastery. It’s the mark of a well-executed puzzle ruleset when on completion (or even mid-way) through I find myself seeing how I could have done better.
formula 999 by Colorfiction – Indiepocalypse #19
Stepping away from the concrete world of action and puzzle games, we step into the world of formula 999. “Game” is a broad term, and one I use especially broadly. Thought primarily a package of lightly interactive visualizers, that interactivity is crucial. Even the most linear of games are uniquely shaped by our own personal approaches to them and with the inclusion of an FOV and volume slider, formula 999 brings that unique lens of interactivity to the visualizer.
The Dead Migraine Army by Samplerman & Kultisti – Indiepocalypse x kuš!
ENTER THE SKULL and reassemble The Dead Migraine Army! Made in collaboration with kuš comics, The Dead Migraine Army is an abstract hidden object game spread across six engrossing illustrations. Though themed, the spaces are unfamiliar, and the army you are reconstructing is made up of bizarre assemblages of machinery, animal parts, and words, making your journey through the illustrations more intimate as you scour the bizarre landscapes for potential body parts. In the course of your assembling you are also rearranging the space, becoming an active participant in the creation of the illustration itself. Though I tend not to seek out hidden object games, I find myself drawn into the best the best of them as they are this exploration of gives a space its identity.
Our Jubilee by Colestia – Indiepocalypse #17
In the world of Our Jubilee the year is 2072, the earth is communist, and you are in The Bowfront waiting for a space launch. You are not the only one, others are sitting around, grilling, or staring across the water in anticipation of the space launch. There are boomboxes playing a gentle loop, event flyers, and deposit boxes reminding you of the date of the next workers council congress. Once the rocket launches and vanishes in the sky you can remain to talk to people and explore The Bowfront because while the space launch may be the centerpiece, Our Jubilee finds its greatest strength in creating A Place.