October 2005 
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October
2005 Indie Game Monthly Round-Up
(by
The Illustrious Panel - TIP) |
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Snowy: Fish Frenzy
(September 26)
by Alawar
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Mike Hommel: 6
 This is a case of a very well made game that just isn't very fun. There's
so little to do in this game, and what you do isn't even exciting. It's
sort of like playing Whack-a-mole, except that you have to crank the hammer
up for a couple seconds before each whack. That's tedious. It's kind of
fun just for the sake of slapping cats (not just a euphemism anymore!), but
the fun wears thin about 10 levels into the 80 offered.
Seth Robinson: 7
 This game has a very simple underlying mechanic - you need to click enemies
before they run off-screen with your fish. This could have gotten old very
quickly but a number of variants are introduced as you progress to keep
things fresh, although, the base gameplay doesn't change much. Beautiful art
and silky smooth animation. Is there anything Snowy the bear can't do?!
Mike Kasprzak: 7
 The big white bear franchise is back. In this one, you protect Snowy's
fish piles from cats, by slapping them, or with items like pumps. Yeah,
I don't really have much more to say about that. It's a neat game. Russ Carroll: 6
 Slap-Slap-Slappy!
Snowy is probably the closest thing Indie games has to Mario and seeing
Snowy in an isometric title was great! I was very enthused about playing
this game just to see the graphics and I was happy with what I saw. In
this game you slap cats as they try to steal your fish. Using the mouse
you move your hand and then left-click to slap them silly. There are a
bunch of power-ups and some interesting ideas here, but it was more of a
one-trick pony unfortunately. My kids didn't really get into it either
beyond the music and sound, both of which deserve a better game attached
to them. |
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Cute Knight (Kishi Kawaii)
(October 15)
by Hanako Games
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Mike Hommel: 8
I hear this game is a clone of Princess Maker, but having never seen that
game, what it reminds me of is Monster Rancher. And it's fun! It's also
horrifically hard (or at least, I haven't really figured it out yet, which
is more likely). It's sad to sit there in the town square being ignored by
everyone and watching your dreams die. It's not a game you solve in one
go - I'm finding new things each time I try and mercilessly get slaughtered
by my own inability to shelve books.
Seth Robinson: 7
After seeing six of the possible fifty endings of Hanako Game's latest anime
styled game I can say with some certainty that the mechanics behind this
unique dating sim/dungeon crawler hybrid are motivating enough to keep you
playing. There are a lot of interesting decisions; you sin by killing a
rat or selling your body which means no free bed at the church. However,
you can be absolved by cleaning pews - but this will make you more homely
which will hurt your social life of course. Gripes: Looks a bit NES era,
needs a way to click-skip the slowish "7 day working" sequences at will.
Cool randomly generated dungeons.
Mike Kasprzak: 8
Oh wow. I was recommended an oddly named Japanese game a few months
back called Princess Maker. If you can put your testosterone aside and
try a girl themed RPG, you'd find out it's a really good game. Cute
Knight is clearly inspired by it. The way these games work is you need
to develop/train your girl/daughter for a few years, to ultimately
influence how they grow up. As an adventurer, a chef, a nun, a *cough*
exotic dancer. They're an interesting style of game with some good
replay. Oh, and the oldskool 3D RPG dungeon thang for the adventure
stuffs, nice. I like it. Russ Carroll: 7
After playing through three years of the game I became a dressmaker? What about all those visits to the dungeon? Cute Knight is really an odd, game, an RPG for women that probably spends too much time on the job system and college aspects and not enough time in the dungeon for my tastes (but then I'm a guy). It is definitely a different take on the RPG genre (beauty
pageants and cook-offs are definitely not normal for an RPG), that has hundreds of hours of play time with many different endings and special endings. However, the game play was a little tedious for my tastes. |
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Super Cool Pool
(October 14)
by Amju Games
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Mike Hommel: 6
I am awful at pool. That's just a fact. We all have our weaknesses. But
so does this game's interface. It's kinda sloppy. Yeah, that's it - it's
the game's fault! Anyway, besides my lack of skill, this game is pretty
much average. It doesn't feel quite as nice as other pool games we've
reviewed, but it offers a great variety of play modes, including a bunch of
really wacky trick shots I could barely scratch the surface of. As far as
the style goes. well, if you like those little candy hearts on Valentine's
Day, this game is 4 U.
Seth Robinson: 5
True to Amju form, SCP is made up of brightly colored, unlit, low-poly
characters that are somehow cute and frightening simultaneously. Looking at
a screenshot you'd think this would be something completely crazy and zany,
but you'd be wrong. The actual gameplay is pretty much straight pool and
supports many rules yet seems to be missing free cue-ball placement after a
scratch? Wow, these are the absolutely weakest pool ball sounds I've ever
heard. Something about the cue and camera controls just doesn't feel right.
Thumbs down on unlock keys that "go stale".
Mike Kasprzak: 6
The vibrant indie franchise is back, with a pool game. I was a little
worried about this one though. At first, I thought this was only going
to be a brightly colored a pool game. Thankfully, there's more to it.
It has your standard pool games in it, but also a trick shot mode, which
is like a Monkey Ball meets pool thang. You have your standard pool
table with obstacles, pickups, and a set of balls you need to sink. The
menu layout could use some work, as I nearly missed this. I also found
it easy to get stuck/lose in this mode. It's a shame though, that
there's not more wacky takes on games you can play with a pool table. Russ
Carroll: 7
It's dangerous naming a game super cool, though with fun characters and a soundtrack that immediately put my mind on vacation Amju did a pretty decent job of pulling it off. Pool is a game that I enjoy even though I'm terrible at it, and ASCP didn't fix the problem. In fact after first getting frustrated that I had to go find a manual to figure out how to play I then found myself losing every game. However, upon revisiting the game I was really impressed with the different challenge modes and spent hours playing them. While you will likely drop the queue ball into the pocket a bit too much, this is an enjoyable game that provides a fun relief from realistic pool sims with less realistic, but no less fun play. |
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Tranceball
(October 4)
by Blue Galaxy Studio
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Mike Hommel: 3
It's Super Monkey Ball, without a monkey! Or anything super! There is a
ball, though. Thrill as falling off the level once means you get to start
it over! Chill as you discover that running out of lives means you start
the entire game over. and do so with a strangely blank status bar! This is
a classic designer vs. player game. And in the end, the designer always
wins. But you can cut him off at the pass by not playing at all!
Seth Robinson: 5
Tranceball is a gravity-ball-roller that harkens back to a time when art was
done by programmers and gamers were tough; after an intense sweat-dripping
failure on level ten they'd set their jaw and start from scratch. The rough
edges in this game had me wincing, but eventually and somewhat begrudgingly,
I had to give it some slight comeuppance for causing me to reach deep within
myself for new and colorful swear words. Really needs some kind of zone
unlock memory system. It's ugly and insanely difficult but also fair. If
you're looking for this kind of experience, it may be just the thing.
Mike Kasprzak: 6
A ball rolling game with trance music. The name couldn't be more
accurate, short of calling it "Ball Rolling Trance Music Game". It
seems to have been built with some 3D game maker, but appears to be a
good showcase of this maker, as it sports some decent physics. It's not
quite boring, or exciting either. It's the type of game you'd try,
smile and nod, then do something else. Russ Carroll: 5
With so many great ball rolling games out there the challenge to make a better ball game is something most developers are not up to. This game doesn't measure up to the better games out there, such as Marble Blast Gold, with sub-par graphics and keyboard only control. (The lack of mouse support here is really a big mistake in my book) For those who persist there are some good ideas here with
sequential pieces of each board the provide a solid challenge and a good number of gameplay hours. However, for me it was mostly frustrating game play as the arrow keys controlling the ball kept me from really enjoying the game. |
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Thomas and the Magical Words
(September 23)
by ViquaSoft Co.,Ltd.
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Mike Hommel: 9
I always like word games! But this one is especially well done in every
way. It's a really amazing word game. The gameplay nitpick here is that
the nature of the game really limits you from going nuts with great words,
but you're on such a fun and interesting journey, that you don't really
mind. One other cool surprise - first word game I've ever seen that
includes a dictionary!
Seth Robinson: 8
Scrabble-style gameplay is made fresh with interesting board designs,
optional goals, and a fun scoring system that really gets going once you
start stacking multipliers. This game makes use of a built-in dictionary so
you can find out the meanings of words you make. The dictionary also allows
the game to give interesting "clues" when playing the hangman mini-game. My
only gripe is the keyboard controls could be improved a bit to accommodate
keyboard-mouse hybrid players better. Judging by the hours logged, this one
is a winner!
Mike Kasprzak: 7
A fantasy scrabble adventure. I really dig the art. You play by
placing words on a scrabble like grid, and connecting islands with
them. Yet another great variation of a word game. Production quality
overall is excellent. It's a well made little game. Russ Carroll: 8
For anyone who has a niece or nephew between the ages of 7-14 you should definitely get them this game for them for Christmas. Trust me their parents will love it. Thomas is definitely a game geared for younger kids, but I had a lot of fun with it anyway. It's nice to play a
relaxing word game instead of a frantic one. The visuals and music are all top notch, I definitely recommend it! |
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Atomixer
(October 14)
by Sharkbait Games Ltd
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Mike Hommel: 5
I always rag on color-matching games, because really, what else is there to
do with them? But the reality is that when I try them out, I get zoned out
and hooked. Not for long, mind you, but for a little while, they feel
compelling because they are brain candy. Sadly, this is not the case with
Atomixer. The biggest problem is how awkward and annoying it is to select
the section of the board you want. Beyond that, it just wasn't any fun for
me. I never really like matching games, but I like them even less when they
refuse to even addict me for a couple of minutes!
Seth Robinson: 4
It's not that I don't like the tri-rotation piece movement in this casual
puzzler; it's that the implementation just isn't fun. Auto dropping balls
as you play and using that as a timer doesn't work well; it's more fun and
intuitive to rotate balls in a full field than empty. The total lack of
emphasis on combos or multipliers is also a deal breaker. I'm still not
sure if I got a bonus of any kind for larger chains. Levels don't end so
much as the next one just suddenly starts. It's not that this is such a bad
game; it's just that the bar on color-matchers is extraordinarily high these
days.
Mike Kasprzak: 6
Well, it's a spinner match 3. You make matches as lines, instead of
groups of 3+ sets or "flowers". Arcade mode is active, with pieces
dropping from the top, while puzzle mode is passive a fixed arrangement
of pieces. Pretty standard stuff, produced well. Russ Carroll: 5
A decent idea and all, and the visual presentation is certainly alright...but the game seems to be missing any real hook. The sound is quite annoying between music that is
both repetitive and mind-numbing to go along with voice overs that pushed me over the edge and made me turn the sound off. If I hear 'Hurry Up' one more time I think I'll lose it. When the game gets intense it also becomes nearly unplayable as the screen flashes making it nearly impossible to tell the colors apart. It's an ok puzzle game with a good foundation but some serious issues to work out. |
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Kosumi
(October 17)
by Kosumi, Inc.
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Mike Hommel: 5
And here is turn-based strategy back to the overwhelming complexity that we're
all used to. This game makes things much more difficult than it needs to.
The orders you can give all have numbers, the factions all have
abbreviations, you need to look up tables to see statistics... it's just as
arcane as the real military, and equally efficient. In case I'm unclear,
this game is very confusing, and has you juggling an insane amount of
information (while wearing oven mitts and blindfolded, on a unicycle). I
like the idea of a play-by-email long-term war, but I'd like a much smoother
interface to control it with. And, though this is just personal preference,
a lot less stuff to think about while doing it!
Seth Robinson: 5
Kosumi is multiplayer turn-based map strategy war game with a Java client
set in medieval Japan. In my game, the speed was two turns a week and I got
email reminders if I forgot to play. I love the concept and theme - but -
tweaking is needed to make this game more approachable and run smoother.
It's ridiculously complicated (for the beginner, at least) and it's a shame,
because underneath it doesn't have to be. The rules of war felt nebulous
and foggy, better feedback and contextual information is sorely needed.
Felt very beta. Ninjas are cool.
Mike Kasprzak: 6
This was a tough game to review. Biggest problem is this game takes
months to play, similar to an e-mail chess game. The other problem is
the game is hardcore, very detailed. It's actually quite an impressive
little technical feat, with it's client game executable and integration
with e-mail. The game works without e-mail, but part of the experience
is e-mail correspondence with other players, through e-mail aliases on
the game server. It was quite entertaining to see one of the players
declare war on Mike Hommel. It's a perfect example of a niche game. The
problem with our experience seems to be that 4 of us (Mike, Mike, Seth
and Russell) took on 6 others that appear to know what they're doing.
The game seems overwhelming, especially for a non hardcore tabletop
strategy gamer like myself. The mechanics seem simple enough, but it's
the amount of stuff I'd have to learn to play the game effectively
that's the problem. If it was just the 4 of us playing, with a shorter
schedule (the norm was twice a week), I'd expect it wouldn't have been
as depressing. Kosumi is a really interesting game, but needs work to
mesh with a broader audience. Russ Carroll: 8
This strategy game is certainly not for everyone. The strategy is certainly deep and complicated to the point of being overwhelming for casual fans. The interface could also use some simplification, but the game is solid. Kosumi is built to be played in turns over the internet, with two turns each week in our game. (Tuesday and Friday nights) I at first thought the game would be something like Diplomacy with all of the turns taking place at the same time, but that is the only trait this game shares with that one. Armies, ninjas, mages, shogun, and a host of other characters await you in the game if you have the time to figure out how to play it! |
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Weird Worlds: Return To Infinite Space
(October 15)
by Digital Eel
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Mike Hommel: 9
Not an easy game. But a fun one! It's a real lunchbreak game, with
playtimes from 15 minutes to half an hour for an entire game. The style is
really nice. My only real complaint is that about 90% of the time, the only
good strategy for battle is to run away. I imagine that on a Large map, you
might eventually become strong enough to change that, but it's frustrating
to have the cool looking combat, but to have to choose not to engage in it,
if you want to survive (and then waste months retreating.).
Seth Robinson: 9
Digital Eel has taken
SAIS and reworked every single part of it to be
prettier and more intuitive. It's kind of a card game based in space but
with cool real-time fight scenes. There is something truly addictive about
trying to score a warp unit, weapons, allies, and exploring/beating the hell
out of everything. I've played it a ton and I'm still seeing new things,
for instance, there is a ship thief who can actually be captured if you hold
the correct item. Must play one more game.
Mike Kasprzak: 9
That creepy Cthulhu alien thing has been mocking me for years. Now,
after enduring it's stare and backwards recordings, I understand what
he's been trying to tell me. This game is great. It's some sort of
space exploration, strategy, collection, trade, and battle game. It was
my time killer this month. It has a great pick up and play. A round
could be as short as a few minutes, or an hour, as long as you don't do
something silly like fly into a black hole without the anti-black hole
item. Heck, even that's fun. My only beef with the game, is ... well,
I want more! Oh, I just read something somewhere about mods. Please
excuse me. Russ Carroll: 9
First the flaws. Music, where is it? With all the great music we've heard in the past from Digital Eel it seems a crime not to have it here. Second flaw, the battles are just too difficult. It is frustrating to feel like no matter what weapons you have or how many mercenaries you've hired you are doomed to be destroyed if you take on anyone. However, if you are looking for an amazing little game that lets you explore the galaxy and have your own adventure in a matter of seconds with great graphics (especially on the lasers, which you'll only see as they destroy you) then you should definitely pick this one up! Playing longer games and working in the battle
simulator may help your fighting woes, but the game is really about a wonderfully quick adventure that is different every time. Great game! |
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Battle Carry
(October 12)
by A Few Screws Loose
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Mike Hommel: 4
Hmm. what to say about this game that hasn't already been said about poking
yourself in the eye with a stick? Seriously though, it would be generous to
call this a beta version. It's more like an early alpha, or a tech demo.
Now, it's a tech demo of a good game, though. If the innumerable rough
edges were polished up, and I had broadband (or the game had decent
netcode), this game's vision of adorably stubby tanks blowing each other
away would be anywhere from good to amazing. But the way it currently is,
it should be played only by people paid to test it. I have high hopes, but
it's not there yet.
Seth Robinson: NA
I can't really give this a fair review so I'm taking the easy way out and
going NA. I had problems finding the correct version to download (not sure
if I did), problems getting the unlock key to work (it involved needing to
put it inside of a zip, but it never worked for me), problems joining a
server (finally did), problems finding anyone to play (never did). Well, I
guess that is a review, in a way.
Mike Kasprzak: 6
Whoa, a TCL/TK front end for a 3D shooter. I never expected to see
that. The first day I tried the game, there were no servers I could
connect to. There were servers there, just none of them were compatible
with the version of the game I had. A few days later though, a
compatible server did show up. The only down side, no players! Oh the
horror! So, through some skillful use of chat software, I managed to
arrange a little battle with Mike Homel. Ping/Lag was good for me (even
on wireless), but nasty according to the other Mike. So we drove around
and flipped our little tanks over for an hour or so, blowing each other
up for good measure. The highlight of the match was probably our visit
from "the one" himself, Neo. With Mike lagged all to heck, and with my
significant ping advantage over everyone, Neo didn't seem a fan of my
team killing. I wonder why? Russ Carroll: 5
Battle Carry has the makings of a good game, though I enjoyed the similar
Tanks 3D Reign
of Steel more. There isn't any single player mode and unfortunately the online servers seem to all be deserted for the demo version. Add that to the most difficult registration system I've dealt with this year (I never managed to get my reviewer's copy running instead settling for the demo) and you get a VERY frustrated player. In-game graphics are good, effects are passable, but overall the game didn't really thrill me. |
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Magic Match
(September 23)
by Codeminion
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Mike Hommel: 7
It's another fine match-3. But wait a second, this one IS pretty fine!
Firstly, there is *singing*. The game sings to you. With handy
karaoke-able text. Secondly, there's Giggles the Imp (okay, that one's a
minus). Thirdly, though the gameplay is just your usual blah matching of
things, there are about 3 billion upgrade/trophy/goal thingies to shoot for.
I kept on playing - not because I like matching things, but because I wanted
more upgrades! It's also, though this is not really a plus or a minus, a
much more ruthless match-3 - this game will slather you in ice blocks and
wooden shields for days without letting up. Not so much that it's hard, it
just feels MEAN.
Seth Robinson: 8
Magic Match is a beautifully produced match-three where you click and drag
to highlight matching tiles. All the extras are here, cut scenes, trophies,
persistent upgrades, clear sense of goals, and an interesting multiplayer
mode. One generous design decision was to always award a "wild" tile on any
five-or-larger matches - this is a clever dynamic because you get tools to
make more combos as opposed to only a score bonus. This is the first time a
game character has asked me "Is my screeching voice so annoying I should
stop talking?" excellent timing on that, well done.
Mike Kasprzak: 6
I dub thee, the match 3 with the squawking Ewok game. Yes, you get to
endure this frightening character whilst playing. But what's really
suspicious is the developer seemed aware that the character was
annoying, and gives you the option to shut him up after the first
round. I think there's a conspiracy here. Anyways, the game's a path
drawing match 3, so you draw/trace the mouse over the tiles you want to
count in your match. Replacement tiles are then pushed in from the
sides along your path. There's some magic themed stuff, like spells you
can use randomize the tiles or do a swap. It's alright. Russ Carroll: 7
My game is singing! One of the few games where I've heard actually voice singing through songs to progress the story. Magic Match combines some great thematic elements into what in the end is really just a match three clone. Still it is a good one because of the elements even if the music is pretty corny. However, Mouse Party was a real mistake to use in the game. Why you would need two mice plugged into a single computer so that you can play turns (not real-time or at the same time) is really beyond me. |
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The
Illustrious Panel:
Mike Hommel -
Hamumu
Mike Hommel is known for his hilarious and bizarre games. Though
his site claims that all his games are just 'dumb fun' you'll find that
they are some of the more interesting games around, and will eat hours
away from your life without you realizing where they all went.
Seth Robinson -
Robinson Technologies
Seth has spent the last fourteen years making odd games, including
designing and programming many independent titles such as the BBS hit
Legend Of The Red Dragon, the multiplayer Flash based web game Funeral
Quest, IGF finalists Teenage Lawnmower and Dungeon Scroll and the cult
classic RPG Dink Smallwood.
Mike Kasprzak - Sykhronics
Coming from a game console background, Mike's responsible for bringing
to the market such oddities as Secret Agent Barbie for Gameboy Advance,
The Emperor's New Groove for Gameboy Color, and several other top girl
branded games (not that he's bragging). In indie land, he seeks
redemption. Mike's best known for his "cute but not girly" hamster
blasting game, PuffBOMB.
Russ Carroll - Game Tunnel
Russell's first taste of action in the Independent Games industry came doing
visuals and some audio work on several independent games for BCSoft games. While
so doing he became aware of the need for a Game News and Review website
dedicated to Indie games and launched Game Tunnel in 2002 to fill the
void. |
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