Thursday Triple is a weekly roundup of Indie Games from around the Net.
Oh Youtube. How many hours have I lost this past week learning everything I can from these Dark Souls 2 videos? Nevermind spoilers – I’ve long given up the hope of going into a game without knowing something I shouldn’t, especially with the frequency and volume of information that gets thrown at me via the interwebs these days. There’s something to be said about a good story-driven title, but after perusing a half-dozen playthroughs, it occurred to me that, because of my busy schedule, the games I have the most fun with right now are ones built upon snappy systems and can be digested in hour long chunks.
Whether it’s work that has you bogged down, exams (it’s that season again), or other IRL woes, these three games are ideal for letting loose, if only for a short while.
New Release – WizardWizard
By Crateboy
I think this is one game where the tagline both paradoxically explains what the game is about and leaves you questioning what you just read. Here, take a look:
[quote_center]”You’re a Wizard, you can’t do magic, but you can jump pretty good!”[/quote_center]
Isn’t a wizard that can’t do magic just a muggle in a bathrobe? Nevertheless! WizardWizard plays out exactly as the statement suggests. It’s a 2D platformer with an incredibly charming character who, despite being only a few pixels tall, has his own distinct swagger. Personally, I’m fond of the red fellow with the cape, but then again I’ve always been partial towards itty-bitty villains.
Official WizardWizard Trailer – Desura
And it’s free! Find WizardWizard available now on Desura.
Steam Early Access – Krautscape
By Mario von Rickenbach, Playables LLC
If you’re looking for a racing game that’s a little bit out there, you have to check out the strange, bird-like cars in Krautscape. Usually the idea in these types of competitive, multiplayer environments is to commit the tracks to memory and race until your trigger fingers know exactly when to boost or brake. Not so in this title.
But wait! How does this blasphemy work? The lead car in a race builds the track in front of him as he drives. In order for the chasing players to overtake him, they’ll have to think ahead, outsmarting and/or outmanoeuvring the leader by making shortcuts. Krautscape, unlike any other I’ve seen of similar genre, actually encourages you to leave the track. Of course, you’ll still want to keep your tires on the ground for as long as possible since your boosts only work for wheels.
It’s a cool concept with a design aesthetic to match. The vehicles may look bizarre on land, but man are they slick in the air.
[vimeo link=”http://vimeo.com/52419083″ width=”590″ height=”332″]
Krautscape is available on Steam Early Access for $7.99
Up and Coming – Chaos Reborn
By Julian Gollop
The pre-90s people in the audience might remember Chaos as a title that Games Workshop put out in 1985. Made by the same guy that gave us the X-COM series, Gollop has returned to develop the sequel to one of his earliest works. If you’re looking for wizards that do truly wizardly things (sorry WizardWizard), this is where you can test your tactical, magic-juggling skills against other players.
Between summoning and managing your minions and casting powerful spells, it’s a fast-paced strategy that has a great foundation to build upon.
Chaos Reborn is on Kickstarter for thirteen more days. Hop on over for a look!
Chaos Reborn looks very, very interesting. I also heard some XCOM (the original) bleeps (sound assets) in the trailer which made me all nostalgic. Definitely following that one with keen interest.
Not so sure on the platformer. It doesn’t really seem to bring anything new at all? I guess the fact it’s free is a redeeming feature but beyond serving as a flash or even a mobile game I don’t see any redeeming features whatsoever.
Krautscape looks a tad gimmicky, rather than truly innovative and fun. I can’t see it work or be fun to play for a prolonged period of time and I’m quite keen on racers. It’s one of these games where you’ve seen it all after half an hour (if that) and never get back to it, at least that’s my feeling. Unless they really polish it – it needs a LOT of work graphically and in sound to convince me.
Normally I’m very forgiving on both aspects but in this genre you simply can’t be. It has to look and feel fast, colourful and awesome for people to really get stuck in.