Little Indie Games Worth Knowing About (Probably)

I only spent about fifteen minutes with it before deciding I didn’t really feel like playing an adventure game. That said, the opening was pretty intriguing. For an adventure game. It felt adult, gritty. Very un-Double Fine, if you know what I mean.

-Tom

Still looking good.

Early still and could amount to nothing but…

who knows it looks kind of cool. the narrator’s voice was a little unfortunate though.

Kickstarter game For the King is up on Steam, its Early Access FYI.

I’ve put an hour or two into it. I wouldn’t really call it an adventure game. There’s a strategy layer and some elements are adventure-like, but it’s more of an interactive narrative than an adventure game. The cut scenes (which are interactive, at times) are long and frequent at the beginning of the game. The strategic layer seems interesting, but features are rolled out slowly. That’s ok, for learning the game, but when coupled with the narrative, it makes you wonder how much control you really have over events. That said, I made an early decision that led to a bunch of people being brutally murdered, so I suspect that I cut off a branch of the narrative later in the game.

Been watching this one played on YouTube. It looks like a lot of fun. Sort of a pseudo-roguelike-board-adventure game. Heavily luck-based, so avoid if lots of dice rolling isn’t your thing.

Now that actually makes me want to go back to it. It also reminds me that I’m curious about this one:

Anyone tried it?

-Tom

@tomchick - I’ve been tempted to grab it based on a couple of Let’s Plays I’ve watched. I really like the idea that you can download and play the game on real maps of just about anywhere. The main thing holding me back is that from what I’ve read, the number of different events is relatively small, and it’s not long before you start seeing situations repeat.

That might explain why there’s already a $4 DLC for extra stuff available. Pretty much the same day as the release, they’re charging for an add-on packs that includes tasers, shotguns, ladders, and bicycle cops.

-Tom

I spent 4 hours playing this today, and I’m ready to declare that its gameplay is awesome. And this is from playing only the Solo Adventure (a sandbox-type mode is coming).

It’s a great combination of overworld exploration (with the occasional surprises to keep one guessing!), tactical combat, stat manipulation (I guess this is what they’re touting as the RPG aspect, but leveling increases only a character’s HPs, and adds +1 to damage), and looting. It really forces one to make the most of the items and equipment each character possesses. Plus, one has to manage the placement of each character on the overworld, because whichever character initiates combat determines which of the other characters (and monsters!) join the battle based on proximity to the initiator.

It took me a couple of hours to come up to speed on the mechanics and structure of the game. But once it clicked, everything made sense. Sure, the UI needs some work, but for an EA title, it’s extremely playable in its current state.[quote=“Misguided, post:518, topic:73462”]
Sort of a pseudo-roguelike-board-adventure game. Heavily luck-based, so avoid if lots of dice rolling isn’t your thing.
[/quote]

I have to disagree. Each character has more than one skill he can use with varying degrees of success, skills that are based on what the character has equipped. Plus, the Focus mechanic (and its management) is a huge part of the game in alleviating bad luck. But, IMO, this isn’t apparent until one’s spent some time playing the game.

I’ve been playing For the King as well and pretty much like it, although I’ll probably enjoy the sandbox variant more, once it becomes available. My biggest issue is with the limited color palette. I find it tough sometimes to see objects and encounters against the background of the board.

I agree and forgot to mention this. There needs to be sharper contrast between the elements.

It was an observation, not a complaint. I don’t mind games with a lot of randomness. I can see people that don’t like lots of die rolls/randomness not being happy with that particular aspect, despite the focus mechanic. That’s all.

This is yet another indie pixel 2D Soulslike/Metroidvania, but I thought it was funny because they specifically advertise that there’s no jumping.

I guess that’s good news for people that hate platforming!

Accurate article regarding the game’s current state. He speculated that Chaos increased by one when one of his characters died, which is correct and explained in the Help section. So it sounds like he didn’t read the entire thing. Also, he wasn’t aware of the sandbox mode that will be added later in development.

My main beef with the game is its UI, which needs some work so the player doesn’t feel like he’s, at times, fighting it. But it’s an EA title, so I expect it to mature with player feedback. However, I love its brutal nature and hope they don’t buckle to the pressure to make it easier, just as the Darkest Dungeon devs didn’t.

Not sure if they are trolling with “rougelike”.

Would like to think they are trolling, but let’s not forget the best writer on that site is the news editor.

They called it that themselves during the Kickstarter campaign. It seems natural for anyone reporting on it to do the same.

That word lost all meaning long ago, IMO. I think it just means a game is difficult at this point. For me, it easily the most over used word in gaming.

I haven’t played any rougelikes, have you? Maybe we could make a Steel Magnolia rougelike starring Blush and Bashful.