Tag Archives: indie

Game of the Week: Bunni: How We First Met

Posted by Chad Knick on

Hey there folks, so I know I just posted a Game of the Week yesterday, and I realize that this game is late notice – but today is Easter, and what kind of gamer would I be if I didn’t celebrate the holiday in some kind of style by giving you fellow gamers a joyous, heartfelt experience of gaming to go along with this occasion. Today I’m bringing you a game some of you folks may have heard of, but never have taken the time to play. Trust me, I do it a lot. It’s normal. You hear about a game, and then you’re like:

“Oh, that game sounds amazing – too bad I can’t afford to play it.” 

– and so you wait, and then you’re like the last person to experience it – and rewarding feeling of discovery is gone for you. Oh – right – enough with my ramblings and carrying-on-abouts! Time for the gaming and the naming, shall we? So tonight I’m going to be talking about an adorable little indie gem of a game:

Bunni: How We First Met

I am King and you are my foxy minions!

Now this game does a lot of things right in terms of accessibility and this is why I think it should be well noted. Here’s how it works, essentially Bunni is a game that revolves around resource management and maintenance of an island [ that is presumably haunted by other wandering soul Bunni’s ] – in order to stay alive and appease the spirits of the island you have to build a bunny civilization and maintain the delicate balance between the needs of the spirit world and the needs of your own.

Did that synopsis suck you in yet? No. Drat. I need to work harder at this! Well how about if I mention that the art direction is adorable and simple and it’s user friendly with all of the colorations being bright and distinct enough that it won’t affect colorblind gamers play? – or how about the addition of full subtitled directions? Point and Click accessibility, etc., etc. This game has so many things going for it I suppose I’ll just have to list them all:

  • Full written and subtitled directions for deaf gamers
  • Color scheme is conducive to all players visual fields
  • Point and Click makes the game easier for mobility impaired gamers.
  • Icons for items that appear to point you in the right direction on the map
  • Tracing Resource Bar at the Top of Screen

Here’s a tutorial of how it plays out [ sorry, it’s the best quality I could find ]:
There are sound cues for when things drop, but it’s not really necessary to play the game. It may make it more difficult for deaf gamers, but the game is still fully playable and fun. The game draws you in by only giving you so many options at the beginning, but as you complete tasks and build new structures – new building opportunities arise. This is where the manic gamer in me comes out – if I’m given new options to explore with, or new places to venture to I want those experiences! This game will keep you on your toes with it’s random requests from your ghost relatives, fending off deer and monsters from your trees, etc. and that’s the joy of it really.

I am your adorable King. Cuddle me and bow before my snuggles!

I have to admit I’m not often a huge fan of resource management games, but there have been quite a few that have struck me lately and Bunni is no exception – so please, feel free to spend what ever you have left of this lovely Easter evening enjoying the cute, fluffy, cuddlesome joy and become a King of the Bunni in:

Bunni: How We First Met

You can play it for FREE on Kongregate, but be warned, unless you have a user account [ which is totally free by the way I suggest getting one ] it won’t save your game progress, otherwise, it’s totally a wonderful experience and definitely a game that I endorse during this holiday season. Thanks folks, and as always, happy gaming!

Gaming With A Cause: Catalysts for Change

Posted by Chad Knick on

Well folks, once again I find myself stumbling upon a game that can actually assist the lives of many. Now I know that I’ve discussed the idea that gaming can actually help form a better world, and you know my deep appreciation for folks like Jane McGonigal. Well, the Institute for the Future has done it again. Today April 3rd they launched a game campaign called:

Catalysts for Change: A Game To Discover Paths out of Poverty.

Now I have my mixed feelings about social interaction games where it becomes a series of blog posts and social interactions between people. The sociological and psychological aspects of this though are so engrossing to me that I had to take a look. Essentially what you do is register to play the game, and then you can start playing cards which are viewable here.

With so many people in poverty today - we should share our voices to solve it.

Here’s how it works:

You are given either Positive Imagination cards, or Critical Imagination cards. Positive cards describe positive ideas and paths out of poverty. Critical Imagination cards are cards that could lead to greater vulnerability. You can play as many or as few cards as you like but the point is to use these card points to begin engaging people. Once the ideas are spread perhaps they will want to join in on spreading similar ideas and thus the motion of the game progresses into this social brainstorming activity that will last for 48 hours.

Once you play a card there are other cards that others can play off of these idea cards. Momentum, Antagonism, Adaptation, and Investigation.

You earn points based on the amount of engagement you gain during discussions.

Momentum cards are whenever you pose a question that asks:

“How can we build off this idea? What would happen next?”

Antagonism cards are whenever you disagree with an idea and wish to address what’s wrong with it:

” This idea lacks… I think we should…”

Adaptation cards are when you agree with an idea, but choose to accommodate it to your particular region or grouping:

“I love your idea, but I feel that in my country we will probably have to…”

Investigation cards are any time you have questions about an idea and wish to find out more information to gain clarity towards the discussion.

“I appreciate your idea, but could you please explain…”

Now, what exactly are my feelings on all of this social gaming towards the benefit of solving poverty? I love the idea – because gaming is a social media aspect anyways. It promotes socialization and teamwork. We work better at problem solving when we’re grouped together, and honestly, solving poverty sounds like a better solution for our nation than solving a zombie horde in CoD: Black Ops.

My point is, that while I may not agree with the email/blog social interaction gameplay mechanic, I’m just not used to the mechanics of this type of game and I’m getting used to the concept. We need to find ways to allow people to make changes in this world, and not just in virtual ones. You know it astonishes me that people spend so much money on World of Warcraft gear [ REAL MONEY! Check Ebay! ] and yet we are dealing with a poverty-stricken world outside of the virtual one they inhabit.

Perhaps that’s why MMO’s were built? – to hide us away from the sad realization of our world existence. We want virtual worlds, where poverty isn’t even a word and where raiding for gold is as easy as a mouse click. Imagine though if we could devise a way to help poverty that was as easy as a mouse click? Would you join in on a game designed to aid poverty? World-wide poverty? If your ideas had the power to spread action into the lives of others would you do it? How? Would you build a game, or start a blog, or start a youth group of active innovators? The idea of Catalysts for Change is to get people playing a real-life MMO. No, not LARPing, but real people interacting with real people.

Games, if posed in this manner, can change the world. We can make a difference if we expose ideas and generate content that can benefit the world around us. You can check out and join the Catalysts for Change game and it starts as 4 pm GMT time and will run until 4 pm GMT on April 5th. Join the change and let’s see if we can’t make a difference for a better tomorrow!

Development: MolyJam 2012 Wrap Up

Posted by Chad Knick on

Well folks, the wonderful MolyJam 2012 has come and gone, and now only the games remain. This quirky, out-of-the-box, off-the-wall range of ideas from the odd mind of a green pixel named Peter Molydeux, has brought some amazing concepts and, shall we say, very unique array of indie games from all over the world. There are so many that it certainly hard to cover ALL of them in detail within this one post, but I’m going to try and cover some of my favorites throughout this post. I hope you enjoy these odd titles as much as I did.

I haven’t had a chance to play all of these an most of these are Windows run games [ I learned from experience folks ] but if you’ve got the time and energy to take a look at some of these indie gems I totally suggest it. I’m only going to present a few of them, primarily ones that have content you can view here, but there’s so many that honestly you’re just going to have to gauge for yourself. Here goes, welcome to the world of Peter Molydeux and what his oddities have created.

MolyJam Seattle:

Unbearable 

Molydeux Tweet: “You are a bear but for some reason your oxygen comes from hugging people. Problem is that hugging people breaks their bones.”

 

MolyJam Australia:

The Spandex Parable

Molydeux Tweet: “You know, what if the aim of the game was to resist actually completing it? That kept me up all night yesterday.”

 

The Miner

Molydeux Tweet: “Imagine a world where people don’t talk, physical words are hidden underground. You must travel the world hunting ‘I’, ‘love’ and ‘you’.”

 

MolyJam Netherlands:

My Last Friend

Molydeux Tweet: “You’re a scarecrow in a world with just 1 bird”

 

MolyJam Montreal:

Friends ‘Til The End

Molydeux Tweet: “You play as a small boy with a remote control helicoptor that is alive and your friend, then you discover a nuclear missle inside it”

 

MolyJam Monterrey 

Plug and Slay

Molydeux Tweet: “What if you lived in a world where all guns are required to be plugged into wall sockets? Now THAT would be a tactical shooter wouldn’t it?”

 

All of these games are very simple, and most have surprisingly accessible mechanics involved. The most interesting aspect that I find comes from game jams like this, and why I feel we need to do this more often, is because it breaks us from the mundane. It tears us away from our FPS universe of game design which we, unfortunately, live in today. The games that I’ve posed here [ and the hundreds that were submitted worldwide ] are games that evoke something in us. An emotion comes over us and we’re invested in the game. Watch. You’ll see.

You may think that playing a game with a bear who needs constant affection, or playing a scarecrow who can’t move but desires love from another living creature is a boring concept for a game. Everyone has rights to their own opinions, but what intrigues me about these games [ all of the ones submitted to MolyJam ] is that they took simple concepts and made them into meaningful and intriguing games. So, whether you’re a ‘hardcore’ gamer and wouldn’t dream of touching an indie nugget for the life of you – or you’re a light-hearted video game savant who loves games for the art of it all – I severely suggest checking out the entire listing of MolyJam games.

Many of these games can be played from your computer, but some have added accessibility by allowing for use of a controller of your choice [ PS3, XBox – anything with a USB cord ] Now these are just a small sampling of the games that were submitted over the 48 hour period of MolyJam and so if you’re curious you can go and check out ALL of the submissions and download the games for FREE here:

MolyJam Game Archive

Note: Now folks, let us remember, these games were made in 48 hours. If you’re expecting high-end quality production value I’d try and lower your expectations. Some of the games are incomplete, lack certain physics standards, etc. Don’t let that take away from the enjoyment or the experience. These games are more about the fun and the emotion they evoke than anything else.

In closing folks, this past few days of playing these 48 hour nuggets of awesome has inspired me to truly start working on my own concepts as well and taking them from paper to actual production level. I’ll be using GameSalad, and or GameMaker, and so I’ll keep you folks posted as to when I begin that lush journey into the sea of indie building. I hope you all enjoy these games and get something out of their messages:

Games can be simple, evoke emotion, and have more meaning to a player than mere achievements and trophies. The days of old are gone. It’s time to open up a new slate and share ideas, meaningful ones, with the world.

 

Game of the Week: Super Smash Land!

Posted by Chad Knick on

Hello there folks! Now are you among the vast many people in this world, like myself, who hunger for another Super Smash Bros. game? The type of people who would have ridden their N64’s to the last pixel just to smash a Falcon Punch into Kirby’s face one last time? – Well, then you’re in luck! Today I’ve found a game that provides the love of Super Smash Bros. – with the glory that is Game Boy. Yep. That’s right – Super Smash Land!

Super Smash Land is a wonderful little indie ‘de-make’ of the classic Super Smash Bros. franchise. Now, I’m just going to give you my brief first impressions here, because Super Smash Land is really in almost a beta form at the moment, and it’s available for download via PC only [ Sorry Mac fans – but here’s hoping he’ll make a version for Mac soon! ] The creator, Dan Fornace, really put a ton of love into this title and it’s evident in the design.

8-Bit Super Smash Bros? PINCH ME I'M DREAMING!

The controls are simple [ Arrow Keys for movement, and Z and X are your A and B buttons respectively – while Enter serves as your Start button. ] but I will be the first to say that this control scheme is counter productive for mobility challenged gamers or one handed gamers. You have to be able to move with the arrow keys and hit the attack buttons if you want the same seamless experience like the N64 gave you. I also, unfortunately, found out that some of the signature moves you’re accustomed to don’t work due to design constraints.

Update: I just went to Dan’s forums, and it states that in the file download there’s a Joy2Key in the zip file. This file allows you to use any USB plug controller that you’d like – so I suppose that jumps the accessibility up just slightly. You’re still dealing with complex move sets in a fighting game though and it would still require two hands to play.

So folks who were hoping that Kirby would be able to own everyone by swallowing their powers? Unfortunately it’s not to be – the function only causes Kirby to spit throw you, which isn’t a bad thing at all, just saying if you’re a purist you might be saddened by that fact. I’m sure there are other missing character moves, but come on, the man built this homage to one of the greatest fighting games ever invented. I think we can cut him some slack don’t you?

Let the Battle COMMENCE!

The graphics are ALL 8-bit, and while I love the nostalgia of seeing Super Smash in Gameboy fashion, I’m sure that my colorblind gamers will probably be roaring in agony. The game is the soft green pixelated coloration of a Gameboy and without different color schemes to diversify the tones it can cause problems for colorblind gamers. The music is a joy, and you can even download the full soundtrack if you want to separately from the game download. Sound isn’t really a factor to the accessibility of the game, but it does add to the enjoyment factor – so deaf gamers may be slightly disappointed by the game without sound to accompany the lush retro graphics.

The game includes four playable characters at the start: Mario, Kirby, Link and Pikachu. Now while I have to admit the controls are kind of clunky, and I would love to see a revised version some day, the joy that I get from the fact that there’s an 8-Bit Smash Bros. emulator out there in this world makes me weak in the knees with joy. So – how can you get this game? Well, you can go to:

Super Smash Land!

Here you can download the Windows 1.1 Version. Fornace has talked about making a Mac version though as he continues to develop updates for the game. One vital note here is that it is a ZIP file, so you’ll need to make sure to UNZIP the file in order to access the game properly. If you don’t you’ll end up getting an error message after the Game Boy emulator screen shows up. Other than that the game includes a LOT for a free to play version of a classic game made even more classic:

  • Arcade Mode
  • Versus Mode
  • Team Battles
  • Endless Mode
  • Online High Scores
  • Tower of Heaven

The game looks awesome and feels nostalgic, and while I would definitely like better controls and perhaps a color version to break up the green blob of pixelated goodness, it’s definitely one of those games you have to try at least once. If you have any trouble with the download, let me know and I’ll try and figure out why it’s going wonky. I know I personally got the Error messages the first time, until I checked Fornace’s forums for advice. So – NO this is not an April Fool’s joke. This game is real. Please go check it out, because it’s something that I would love to see promoted to a mass stage.

Who knows? Perhaps he’ll make a mobile Android and iOS version and then we’ll be able to play it from our phones and tablets. Here’s looking at you Dan Fornace! I wish you the best of luck and success in future gaming endeavors and I look forward to seeing what you have to offer in future installments of Super Smash Land! I also want to give a shout to fellow game bloggers over at Power Cords for introducing the game to me. You guys are awesome. Thank you for keeping me in the loop on a really cool indie discovery.

Oh and one more thing: If you’re still in the mood for Smash Bros. nostalgia when you leave here I suggest taking a look over at my fellow blogger Sam Whelan’s blog. He’s got a really cool segment called Timelapse Tuesday over there and currently he’s been running a poll for which Super Smash Bros. character he should draw. Check out his version of Pikachu!

So, yes, go forth my minions! Play as you will! The Smash is calling you!