Indie RPG News Roundup, March 17, 2009
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I haven't done one of these Indie RPG News roundups in too long, and it's not because there's been a lack of indie RPG news. I just suck. But here I am, trying to make up for lost time.

Aveyond 3: Lord of Twilight
The third episode of the very popular Aveyond series is now in late development, with an expected release in May. This one stars a thief (I love it already), and involves vampires. According to designer Amanda Fitch, this is the longest and the darkest game she's developed to date. The Aveyond games have never seemed particularly dark to me. I mean, okay - getting sold into slavery in the first game isn't exactly fluffy and cute material, though it was treated with a delicately light hand.

I can't tell you how excited I am to check this one out in a couple of months. Aveyond 2 was wonderful, a game I devoured inside of two weeks, and clearly a worthy sequel to the best-selling original. Hopefully Aveyond 3: Lord of Twilight will continue this trend.

Age of Decadence
Here's an interview with Vince D. Weller at Resolution Magazine.

As usual, he lays it on the line with his usual flair. An excerpt:

"Being an RPG junkie, I've experienced it all, loved it all at some point, but now I want something more than killing monsters and watching "awesome" cinematics. I want to be able to decide what to do, when to do, and why. I want to decide, not to be told, who my allies and enemies are... I'd compare it to child's development. A child starts reading kids' books, then teens' books, and then finally progresses to a more serious literature, even if it's sci-fi or fantasy. Well, the problem with the gaming industry is that it keeps producing games that are suitable for the 8-12 age group."

Eschalon: Book II
Here's Sneak Peak #2 of Eschalon: Book II at RPGVault.

Colony of Gamers has an interview which is even more revealing. The happy news for me is that the food and water requirements are now optional for your character. While it's very old-school, there have only been a couple of games where I thought it provided a good addition to the game.

Dire Desire
This one is an older, 3D RPG developed during a six-month period by a student team about two-and-a-half years ago. It was recently released as an open-source project. If you want to play it, or tear it apart and see how it was made, you can check it out on its sourceforge archive:
Download Dire Desire


3 Stars of Destiny
Ah, it's always nice to talk about indie RPGs that are actually out now and available for download!

By the prolific creator of Laxius Force, 3 Stars of Destiny is a new RPG that features dozens of hours of gameplay, 50 unique quests, and lots of secrets. The game concerns the machinations of an evil god to obtain the "3 stars" - three young people who, between them, possess an "unusual energy."

This is French RPG designer Indinera Falls' seventh RPG. You may recall the interview with him back in November after the release of Laxius Force. As usual for Aldorlea Games' latest releases, the world and cast are extensive. 3 Stars of Destiny also offers three difficulty levels and lets you select the monster encounter rate, so you can customize the experience to your skill and / or patience level.

Download 3 Stars of Destiny

Heritage
Heritage is the announced title of newly-formed Macguffin Games, formed by Scott Macmillan. According to Scott, "Heritage is a hybrid RPG / strategy game that jettisons inventory management and meaningless busy-work in order to focus on epic scale storytelling. In Heritage, you will be responsible for guiding the heroes of this noble house through several generations in their quest to finally bring an end to their foe and allow their return to the sea."

What??? No inventory management? But where will I put my potions of healing? :)

Sounds like an interesting project indeed. I'm looking forward to it!

Science Girls (Update)
This was announced in, among other places, the Rampant Games forums back in December. And I spaced it here - sorry! Spiky Caterpillar Games - in conjunction with Hanako Games by some cool indie relationship that I'm hoping will be explained to me soon - is working on this anime-style RPG entitled "Science Girls." The Caterpillar seems most knowledgeable on the theory of RPG design and classic jRPGs, so it sounds like a very cool labor of love.

Details will be forthcoming, but alpha testing has already begin. You can visit the preview page now at Hanako Games:

Science Girls Teaser Page at Hanako Games

Labels: Indie RPG News

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