Independent games review (various)

This article provides a brief review of five of the most interesting and progressive independent games available online. While some are sold commercially, most are not and all share the basis of a very small development team working from an independent standpoint. (click on a game title to visit the developers pages). Warning Forever Warning Forever is a simple twist on the format of video game 'boss fights'. Taking the shmup template and rendering all objects in a green neon wireframe, the game pits you against an infinite series of boss encounters. The initial opponent starts as a small, fairly harmless core (a la Gradius) but from each subsequent destruction it returns with additional firepower and new, increasingly well armoured segments. If the player can manage to survive 15 or so generations of evolution the boss' spidery form will now occupy over 50% of the play area. Luckily the player craft can direct the angle of its attack using a simple target dropping key (drop the target and move to the desired angle of attack to fix the laser direction). In the intermission between stages a diagram illustrates the current path of boss evolution (i.e. more missiles, or more lasers etc) and although fairly similar in each playthrough, the slight variations in growth pattern can dynamically alter the chance of survival. There are several tactics available to help the player progress. The player can aim directly for the core in order to destroy the enemy directly, however the increasing number of additional limbs and weapons will begin to hinder this approach at later stages. Otherwise the player can 'nibble' off pieces of the body, by aiming for key joints that will detach whole sections of the structure. However the player attempts to whittle down the boss deaths are inevitable. The duration of a game is dependent on the pace of a constantly decreasing timer, any deaths will take a substantial chunk from this counter, whereas each stage cleared adds bonus time. The premise, graphics and sound are both simple yet effective and the result is surprisingly addictive. It only requires a few minutes of downtime to become embroiled in a race to reach the highest stage possible or improve scoring technique. There are several versions of the game, but only exhibit subtle differences (customisable gameplay, recorded replays etc). The achievement of a one man development team Warning Forever is a lesson in doing more with less. N N is a minimal masterpiece of home coding. Written entirely in Flash (an achievement in itself) it is ostensibly a loderunner clone with detailed physics handling and ingenious level design. The main character is a delicately animated stick figure whose interaction with the platform based environment is delightful, even to the ragdoll physics of occasional high diving deaths. The landscape around is monotone, a series of grey slabs and angles which always provide satisfying acrobatic potential. In addition to the basic geometry the levels are peppered with trampolines, moving platforms and jump pads. All of these physics boosting elements are essential to avoiding the primitive enemy objects that inhabit the 600 or so levels. The format is straight from 8bit platforming nostalgia, collect keys to open doors to finish level, with the familiar addition of bonus stars (or squares in this case) for those looking for a further challenge. The enemies likewise follow traditional patrol routes or occupy sentry positions that require you to plan routes with a silky precision. The primitive nature of these opponents (octagons, squares or tiny tank-like nubs) enhances the robotic, alien and abstract nature of the surroundings. This in turn lends the player character even more detail and delicacy. Sound is kept at the minimum and consists mainly of 8bit bleeps and buzzes, but the game is all in the gameplay and although certain levels will cause headaches and bottlenecks in progression there are multiple level paths to try and your progress is saved. Although N may seem initially quite difficult, once the simple controls have been mastered and the player has a feel for the physics, the game becomes very intuitive, the difficulty level is consistently high but a failure is always due to the player rather than a cheap shot from the system. A map/level editor is also included in the download for intrepid contributors and in the admirable spirit of code sharing the writers also provide a few pages of demonstrations and examples of how the collision and physics systems were developed in flash. Like Warning Forever this game can fill the downtime slots quite easily, while also gluing the player down for hours. Rrootage ABA games have been producing vector based freeware shmup gems for several years now and it is difficult to pick out a single game to praise over the others. With a distinct minimal style each game works with a shared code engine to explore different aspects of the shoot-em-up game. RRootage offers an array of 40 stages, ranging in difficulty, where the player faces a series of pre-programmed boss attacks. Each attack presents a selection of beautiful geometric and increasingly complex bullet patterns to avoid, while attempting to bring the opposing ship down. Unlike Warning Forever, the screen is used as a more traditional gamespace, with motherships at the top and the player at the bottom. The graphics are both functional and beautiful, with the core of bullets clearly visible inside their aesthetic coatings. One aspect of Rrootage that makes it unique is the ability to play the game in 4 distinct modes, each based on a gameplay model taken from an influential contemporary shmup. Ikaruga mode offers the polarity switching and duotone introduced by Treasure in their DC/GC masterpiece. GW mode allows the player to reflect bullets based on a timed shield trigger (as in takumis games). Psyvariar mode offers limited invulnerability won from grazing/buzzing nearby projectiles. In addition to a standard/normal mode these variations stack to around 160 distinct levels of challenge and pattern recognition. Rrootage is a beautiful game to watch, with its cascading neon firework displays and pulsing abstract opponents and again is perfectly divided into downtime sized chunks. If another ABA game was to make this list it would probably be Tukimi fighters. A pastel shaded lego block vision of sidescrolling shmups. The twist in this version is that any enemy craft, knocked from the sky, can be stuck onto the players craft. Once attached they will continue to fire their own patterns, adding firepower to the players arsenal. Both funny and challenging Tukumi fighters is another unique take on the genre. Mutant Storm Pompom have been making high quality games for some time. Space Tripper was their previous (defender themed) offering and proved how much polish an independent team (2 people) could work into a home coded game. Mutant Storm follows this template. With no apologies for story line ('if it shoots kill it, if it doesn't shoot kill it anyway') the action is immediate. Based roughly on the Robotron genre of arcade games Mutant Storm provides 89 arenas of frantic squirming abstraction to negotiate. The graphics are detailed and intricate, with personality and character. Mutant Storm uses modern graphics cards effects to full potential, with glowing, undulating planes of colour and texture. Organic forms and Tron-like invaders co-exist in a very 'cyber'-looking space which often looks better than any commercially produced counterpart. The sound design is also excellent, with highly synthetic samples providing the basis for a rhythmical and often intense soundscape. The game has no music and benefits from this as the sounds seem more urgently connected to the players actions and warning sirens threaten more closely. The player can move in any direction and fire in any direction, providing a challenging yet responsive interface. Bonus scoring systems are also provided, allowing skilled players a more advanced challenge. The longer you play successfully the harder the enemies become, introducing a rank system that further enhances the intense, frantic nature of the game. Rumoured to be due a port to X-box live and sold commercially across the web Mutant Storm is an independent developer success. Although Pompom may not receive a huge income, neither do they have to pay the same costs as a mainstream developer, hopefully this will ensure they can produce further quality titles like Mutant Storm. Darwinia Like Pompom, Introversion are an established independent developer. After having commercially released Uplink, an intricate hacker sim (and also a candidate for this list), they switched direction to focus on Darwinia, a project based on an 3D environment and a more abstract/iconic aesthetic. Darwinia follows the RTS genre path, with each level comprising a landscape to negotiate that is strategically laden with resources, obstacles and opponents. Although this format may not be new it is accompanied by a distinct visual identity. Again reminiscent of Tron and other wireframe nostalgia references Darwinias landscapes are simple but elegant polygon meshes, with flat planar clouds and undulating grid seas. The landscape is populated with indigenous vector spiders and coiling worms, gossamer leafed trees and trundling rail carts. There is a deliberate simplicity of object design that creates the sense of an active and uniform world, painted in primary colours and reflective plastic. Only the darkness behind these glowing contours suggests a more menacing environment. Control of units and placement of the appropriate buildings etc is performed in more or less the usual RTS manner. A few quirks, such as the guidance of darwinians (the main workers of your force) via way point markers or the ability to directly control you troops fire (with targeting reticules etc) deviate from the norm, but not enough to make the gameplay either unfamiliar or really progressive. It is the visual design of the environments and the combination of old and new school graphic techniques that gives this game its unique appeal. Pixilated sprites spawn across finely defined reflective surfaces and 2D objects are slotted unapologetically into a 3D space. As with many of the projects in this list, Darwinia attempts to work within the limits of a small development team, being realistic in it ambitions but making each simple element of the game as effective as possible. Although the game will not break any boundaries for the RTS genre, it is visually compelling, willfully different from the mainstream and more proof that independent development is worth supporting. This is by no means an exhaustive look at the best artistic/independent games available. Many other examples such as 'Every Extend', 'BreakQuest' and 'Bontago' merit closer examination. In due time additional reviews will be added to cover these games and more.