Indie Highlight
Mar 1, 2020
Slopecrashers is an upcoming indie eSports title that puts you in the role of a gnar-shredding lemur.
I am usually not too fond of eSports titles, as they are often not cute and tend to make me more frustrated than excited. It appears, however, that Slopecrashers will certainly be an exception to this trend. With the most adorable little critters to play as, and some pretty cool looking gameplay, I can tell that this is one sporty indie that I can’t wait to try.
What is Slopecrashers.
Slopecrashers is basically a cute snowboarding/racing game that functions a bit like a mixture of Mario Kart and SSX. You get the cool feel and smooth play style of a snowboarding game, and the exciting competitive action that comes with a power-up influenced racer.
Choose from a multitude of different animals to play as. I believe I saw a lemur, parrot, chicken and a penguin so far. You will also be able to unlock costumes, boards and many characters through gameplay. A must have for any proper competitive racing game.
Do crazy stunts and wicked tricks to gain points during the race. Flip, grab, glide and grind your way to the top position and show all your friends just how adorable you can be while kicking some butt! Collect the different power ups to gain boosts and throw obstacles at your opponents.
Speaking of opponents, Slopecrashers already offers local multiplayer, and with the way things are looking, I would expect to see online multiplayer somewhere down the line. The developers are currently working to release the game on Nintendo Switch first, then later on PC.
Slopecrashers Gameplay Montage
More info.
For more information on Slopecrashers, you can check out the official website of the developers, byteparrot. For up-to-date info on the game, be sure to follow the dives on Twitter.
For more awesome and cute indie esports action, check out my coverage of Wave Break!
- Feb 27, 2020
The developer of Hokko Life, Robert Tatnell, has been answering many fan questions on discord.
The upcoming Animal Crossing inspired life sim, Hokko Life, is sounding better and better every day. After the recent announcement of the game, it has been much easier to keep a close eye on development. The developer has been quite active on Discord, answering many fans questions about his upcoming game.
One of the most recent questions answered was in regards to the change of seasons. Robert responded with,
“This is a tough question. In the current plan there are no seasons for Early Access release. This was a really hard decision to make, as they’re extremely important in games like this, but unfortunately there’s a heck of a lot of work involved in making them.
Not only is it a lot of art work to make sure the world changes accordingly, but setting up different bugs, fish, dialog, items etc too is also a big undertaking. In order to get an Early Access release out before running out of money I made the tough call to postpone seasons.”More questions answered!
In the dev diary, Robert also answers a few other questions that he has come across so far. He mentioned wanting to add museums at a later date, but that the game currently logs all your discoveries in a collection book.
Robert also mentions that while there will be stormy days, they will not prevent you from going about your day. They will however, have an effect on the world around you, i.e. interactions with the community and the appearance of certain creatures.
Hokko Life Trailer
More info.
For more information on Hokko Life, you can follow the game on Twitter, or join the conversation on Discord. You can also currently wishlist the game on Steam. Hokko Life is set to release for PC sometime this year.
For more cute life-sim games, check out my coverage of the upcoming indie based on Japanese rural life.
- Feb 26, 2020
Stardew Valley is celebrating it’s 4 year anniversary and with it ConcernedApe announced another free content update is in the works!
The latest huge and free 1.4 content update was the end of Stardew Valley expansion was not the last update the game has seen, even four years after release.
Stardew Valley 1.5 Content Update Will be Free!
Unlike other companies who often choose to charge for DLC’s, ConcernedApe thanked fans for the four year support with a heartfelt message and announced at the same time that a new content update is currently in the works.
Currently titled update 1.5 will focus on adding even more to the game and the best is yet to come – it will be another free update for everyone!
If the latest patch was any indication it is safe to assume that the next update will also make it to all supported platform – PC, consoles and even mobile!
Happy Birthday Stardew Valley and many thanks to ConcernedApe for making such a wonderful game that formed such a wholesome community!
Like to garden?
Check out this adorable Animal Crossing themed mini garden kit! Put your green thumb to work and grow a Japanese Succulent or Bermuda grass – it comes with everything you need, just add water!
- Feb 26, 2020
The publishers of Ary have released some in-depth footage from their time at PAX East.
Ary and the Secret of Seasons is an exciting and atmospheric open world adventure game that lets you manipulate the seasons to solve puzzles and defeat your enemies. After years of development, Ary is set to release on Steam within a few months.
Recently, the development team responsible for the creation of Ary and the Secret of Seasons attended the PAX East gaming conference. While there, they discussed their game in great detail, and released some new footage which can be viewed below.
The publishers, Modus Games, recently released the new footage on their YouTube channel. You can also find many other videos there pertaining to the game itself and its creation. To follow more closely the development of Ary, be sure to follow the game on Twitter.
Ary and the Secret of Seasons New Footage
For more great open world puzzle games, check out my cover of the upcoming Rime-like game Kumo: A Boy In The Clouds.
- Feb 25, 2020
The developer of Kumo: A Boy In The Clouds just announced a release date for the game on all platforms.
After 18 months of development, the creator of Kumo: A Boy In The Clouds, has announced that his game will release for all platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, on October 20th of this year.
Kumo is an open world puzzle-solving and exploration game created by sole developer Benjamin Greg of Talesart Studio. Kumo is a beautiful and atmospheric adventure puzzler that puts you in the role of a child exploring the realm that is limbo.
Explore the ethereal environment around you to discover all the hidden secrets in a world beyond our own. With aesthetically pleasing graphics and an expansive area to uncover, Kumo is sure to be one relaxing and worthwhile indie puzzle game.
Reveal Trailer
For more information on Kumo as it is being developed, be sure to follow the developer on Twitter. You can also join the conversation on Discord. For more great indie puzzle games, check out my coverage of Tilt Pack.
- Feb 22, 2020
The massive multiplayer online creature collection game, Temtem, has reached 500,000 copies sold.
Since its release on Steam last month, Temtem has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Players are raving about how much this game has to offer by way of features that improve upon the creature collection genre. Certain things that the Pokemon franchise was never quite able to perfect, like smooth running and in-depth multiplayer.
After only one month of being able to be purchased in Early Access, Temtem has already surpassed half a million copies sold. Given that the game is still technically in development, that is quite an amazing number indeed.
On top of that, Temtem has already received more than 16,000 reviews on Steam, with an overall tone of very positive. Not surprising, considering just how well made this indie game truly is. Fans of the genre agree that Temtem has certainly carved out a spot for itself in the creature collection world.
Temtem Anime Style Trailer
For more information on Temtem, as well as the chance to try it for yourself, you can check out the game on Steam. The game currently costs $34.99, is available only on PC.
For more great creature collection action, check out my coverage of Coromon.
- Feb 22, 2020
Seablip is a Stardew Valley inspired game about living the pirate live and exploring a vast open world.
Stardew Valley is an extremely popular indie game and created by only one single person, you may know him as ConcernedApe. Jardar is the developer behind Seablip an upcoming indie game that already met its funding goal on Kickstarter today.
Jardar openly says that “It is not a secret that I (Jardar) love Stardew, and I love the mood and feeling it creates. My music is finding a lot of inspiration from Stardew.” He aims to capture the spirit of the beloved farming game for Seablip.
The Seablip Island
Every pirate needs something to call home, while your ship is most likely the place you will spend most of your time, you can also call the island Seablip your sanctuary – you gotta stash those treasures somewhere!
You start out with just a few inhabitants and as you continue to play the game, you will grow the island and attract more people who want to live on your island. You will be able to build homes, dig for treasure chests and live the best pirate life you can possibly imagine!
Going on a Journey
Pirate life is all about going to sea and exploring the vast ocean and huge open world. Your ship is your pride and precious, you can upgrade it and make it become the best version of itself.
Add and enhance your ship as you gather resources to make it more powerful and withstand any encounter with other maybe not so friendly pirates.
It is your job as the captain to recruit crew-mates and make sure they are happy and safe. Your crew-mates may slip off the deck when its raining so perhaps keep them safe inside the boat at times.
Choose to be good or Evil
Jardar mentioned that in Stardew Valley players have choices over how they like to approach the game, go with evil and big cooperations like JoJo-Mart or choose to buy from local traders instead.
He tries to capture this feeling by giving choices to the players.
In Seablip you live on an island that in the old days was a powerful and glorious trading center for merchants, but has for a long time ago been abandoned. Now it is only you, your grandma, a grumpy lord/owner of the island, and a small trade outpost from the good guys “Whale Trading Company“.
Seablip Release and Platforms
If you are excited about giving Seablip a try don’t be shy to check out the Seablip Kickstarter page, there is still time to participate!
Seablip is currently slated for a release on Steam for PC and Mac in early 2021. You can follow Jarad and the progress on Seablip on Twitter!
Life Simulation Games!
Check out this life simulation game about Japanese Rural Life! There is also Hokko Life – a game inspired by Animal Crossing is also set to release this year!
- Feb 18, 2020
Roots of Pacha is an upcoming farming/life sim that takes place at the dawn of mankind.
I can’t help but get super excited at the prospect of a new farming or life simulation game. No matter what, there is always something new and unique to experience as we enjoy this genre from the eyes of many different developers and artists.
Roots of Pacha certainly has an all new adventure for us to partake, as we explore, discover and create all the things that make the world what it is today. Build the world from the ground up, quite literally.
From discovering irrigation techniques for more sustainable farming, to domesticating wild plants to create an array of healthy vegetation; Roots of Pacha is sure to give the feel of living life at the beginning of our race.
Some great features to expect in Roots of Pacha
The developers mention taking inspiration from our classic favorite farming/life sim game like Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons, but with a hint of Civilization and Age of Empires. So we can expect to see some of the classic features that we have grown to love over the years.
Do some cave exploring to harvest materials for higher grade tools and simple machines, after inventing them of course. How about fishing to help add variety to your diet and help you stay fit for all your community building endeavors.
After helping to build your community, get to know those who have come to inhabit it. Develop lasting relationships, and maybe even fall in love. There will be much to do by way of social life when not tending the crops or deep sea fishing.
Multiplayer Focus
The developers have also mentioned having built the game from the ground up with multiplayer in mind. Play with a friend from the start, and share everything. Live in the same home, go fishing together, frolic at festivals and even participate in cutscenes all in local co-op.
More info
Roots of Pacha is currently in development by a small indie studio comprised of just three people, two brothers and their good friend. The game is being developed for PC, but there is mention of brining the it to all major platforms somewhere down the line. There is no set release date.
For more information on this charmingly pixelated title, you can check out the official website. For up to date information on the game as it develops, be sure to follow the official Twitter page.
More Life Simulation games!
This life simulation game about Japanese Rural Life is one of the most anticipated upcoming indie games, check it out here!
For more cool upcoming indie games, check out my coverage of Wildspeakers.
