What do you get when you combine the side-scrolling tactical battlefields of Worms and the resource management and squad customisation of X-Com? Oh, and throw in some cartoon physics and gory dismemberment.
That most traditional of genres, the 2D platformer continues to receive inspired treatment at the hands of indie designers. See the likes of Knytt, Cave Story, Braid, Iji, Spelunky, the upcoming Fez and Feist, to name but a few of more recent slices of reinvention. Now we can add And Yet It Moves to that list.
We’ve written about The Wonderful End of the World before, describing it as “Katamari Damacy on crack” – a turn of phrase that is as misleading as it is cringeworthy. The truth is it’s Katamari Damacy, period. But it’s worth mentioning again. Why?
I do love a good tease. And this is a good tease, indeed. Fez is one indie game I’ve had my eye on for about a year now and with good reason: its inspired 2D/3D platforming is presented with some totally charming pixel art. And now maybe – just maybe – we’re about to hear a lot more about it.
Politics and games rarely mix. But when you add biting satire, actual gameplay and loads and loads of blood, you get the genuinely entertaining Harpooned.
Now here’s one dedicated developer. Jamie Woodhouse designed Qwak for the BBC Micro some twenty years ago. Since then it was ported to the Amiga by Team 17 and then to the GBA by Woodhouse himself. He’s just recently released an updated version for the PC and you can download a demo right now.
This has been around for a while, but it’s worth mentioning here for two reasons: one, it’s awesome, and two, you can now buy the full version for a mere US$10. With its gorgeous artwork, relentless pacing and liberating controls, Noitu Love 2: Devolution is well worth that asking price.
After the roaring success of last week’s inaugural Flash Friday, I decided to launch another weekly post, this time pointing you towards an excellent downloadable indie game. And because alliteration is hard, it’s called Indie Tuesdays.
