Tetropolis is a puzzle platformer taking elements from classical Metroidvanias and falling block puzzle games, focusing on platforming, puzzle solving, exploration and discovery. You play as a discarded falling block puzzle piece that tumbles its way through the world. Much like other metroidvanias, you will acquire abilities that will offer offensive as well as movement capabilities. Tetropolis, however, also provides different shapes you may obtain which you can morph into at any point in time.
For this year's annual round up of noteworthy indies, we've settled on 30 gems, most of which we haven’t mentioned in Ars’ pages before. These showcase games have been enjoyed on show floors, at private parties, and between bathroom entrances. These are the up-and-coming games that, once they're available for everyone, we think you'll want to play everywhere, too. (In alphabetical order...)
It’s a perfectly normal evening, and you have a quiet dinner planned with one of your friends. And so begins one of my weirder games. Save the Date is a game about a lot of things. Friendship. Stories. Hope. Destiny. And above all else, dinner. This is actually kind of hard. I know what I think the game is about, but the game is kind of weird and experimental, even by my standards, and I don’t really want to say too much in advance. Probably best for people to play it without knowing what they’re getting into.
Part open world, part puzzle game, all twisted. In Roundabout, players drive passengers in a constantly revolving limousine to their destinations. Set in 1977, Roundabout tells the rise to fame story of Georgio Manos, arguably the world's most famous revolving chauffeur. While driving around the town of Roundabout, players can pick up passengers, compete in challenges, find hidden collectables, customize their limousine, purchase property, and much, much more! Roundabout's cutting edge full motion video technology allows us to put real actors in the back seat!
Cooperative physics-based sumo-soccer. A videogame about friendship and wrestling. Push Me Pull You is a 2v2 sports game where you and your partner control the two heads of a single elongated body. Coordinate to wrestle the other sports-monster for control of the ball. Coming to home computers in 2014.
Night In The Woods is an adventure game heavily focused on story, characters and exploration, with some platforming to get around town. Mae's a cat so the roofs and ledges and powerlines are all her playground, and she's not the only one up there by a long shot. You'll also be doing various activities and interacting with the world in different ways, getting to know the townspeople, hanging out with friends, exploring Possum Springs inside and out, and venturing into the surrounding areas.
Mushroom 11 is an award winning upcoming puzzle platformer with a unique control mechanic. Guide an amorphous organism across brain-twisting obstacles, overcome swarms of bizarre mutated creatures, and understand the true nature of the devastation from which you emerged. Music by the Future Sound of London.
One player in virtual reality must defuse a bomb. Their friends in the real world have no idea what the bomb looks like, but they're the experts. Keep talking and maybe, just maybe, nobody explodes.
1/2 twisting, 1/2 caper, 3/2 madness. Twist your body. Twist the controller. Stay in the box. Find the sweet spot. Stop everyone else. In Henka Twist Caper, players must twist and turn their controller until they find the correct orientation. When they find the sweet spot, their win meter will increase until full. Once full, they win! However, other players are allowed to interfere with their opponents. Twist and turn your controller to find the sweet spot while stopping your foes from doing the same!
FRAMED IS AN AWARD WINNING NARRATIVE-PUZZLE GAME SET IN A NOIR COMIC BOOK WORLD. EACH PANEL DEPICTS AN IMPORTANT ACTION OR EVENT. PRESENTED WITH A SERIES OF PANELS, PLAYERS CAN CHANGE THE ORDER OF EVENTS, CHANGING THE OUTCOME OF THE NARRATIVE.