Indie Game Roundup: Enterprise

Thursday Triple is a weekly roundup of Indie Games from around the Net.

Happy Steam sale! How’s everyone’s wallet doing? I’ve managed to save mine this year, thus far anyway, thanks mostly to the Kickstarter campaigns sent my way. I’ve got such a long list of games to look forward to, and combined with the hubbub of the World Cup I’ve been plenty distracted. Here are a few of these up and coming titles that landed in my inbox for your browsing pleasure.

We Are the Dwarves!

By Whale Rock Games

Usually when you hear about dwarves, the first thing that comes to mind are merry, yet hard-working rotund cave-dwellers more interested in ore and precious gemstones than adventuring far beyond their forges. With two feet planted firmly on the ground, they’re a hearty bunch as tough as the mountains they live in.

Which is why the thought of them being astronauts blew my mind. I couldn’t shake the image of a very short man stuffing a great red beard into a space suit. The absurdity was enough to keep me going, though I found out a bit later that my initial interpretation of “astronaut” was rather incorrect. In the world of We Are the Dwarves!, space is replaced by stone and the stars are brilliant crystals littered about the underground universe. Their “spaceship” is a ginormous drill. There’s something deeply symmetrical about this.

It’s an action-adventure that aims to bring tactical combat for the game’s party of three dwarves. If the devs get the gameplay down, they’ll have quite the title to release. Their newly set up Kickstarter page already has a convincing array of pictures showcasing their art direction.

[youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDEOnpDXiCw” width=”590″ height=”315″]

Karma. Incarnation 1

By AuraLab

Inspired by the likes of Botanicula and Machinarium, here’s a 2-D point-n-click following the life of Pip the worm in his new reincarnation. The landscapes are wild and utterly bizarre, with every creature equally as foreign. No one speaks with words in this game, so you get to decide how to interpret the crazy shape drawings.

By completing quests and travelling through the world, you learn more about yourself while simultaneously changing your future. It’s all about karma after all – some actions deemed good will keep you looking like a lovable little pest, while other more malicious actions lead you to grow spikes and horns to match your evil self. Feeling mean enough to eat an NPC? Go ahead, though I can’t guarantee what will happen to you afterwards.

I encourage you to check out some of the other videos on their Indiegogo page. It’s weird stuff, but also oddly charming.

[youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGw4sGVju4U” width=”590″ height=”315″]

Solar Storm

By Solar Storm Team

The slogan for Solar Storm says it all: this is FTL meets Lego. The biggest draw here is the ability to build your own ships. Everything is modular from the engines to the weapons, and you’ll need to adapt your ship’s design as new challenges arise over your travels. But fear not about running out of parts! Just like real Legos, when you destroy an enemy vessel you can scavenge and salvage the bits you’ve blown off, slapping them together to suit your own needs.

There’s a demo available now on their Kickstarter if this sounds like something you’d fancy. I’d give it a go just for the concept.

[youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVRkQrUQwbA” width=”590″ height=”315″]