Indie RPG News Round-Up, 2 Dec 2009
More indie RPG news than you can... uh.... well, just more indie RPG news... We've got some free games to talk about this time, the end of one series, the beginning of another, and a nice mix of some western (or really unique) RPGs with some ever-popular jRPG-style indie games.

Avernum 6
It's now out, for the Mac. Windows gamers will have to wait until March. The graphics have been greatly improved from previous games (no doubt Jeff Vogel has been receiving pressure from the Eschalon: Book 1 fans...). While we Windows gamers are waiting, Vogel has some thoughts on the final game of his long-running series here.

Din's Curse
Steven Peeler has an update on the Ranger class for this upcoming RPG. Each class in Din's Curse has a number of specialties within the class - three for the core classes, and two for the hybrids. The ranger class has three specialties: Druid, Archer, and Hunter. You can read more about them here: Din's Curse Classes. There's also a fun blog post on earthquakes in the game.

Telepath RPG: Servants of God
The maker of Telepath Psy Arena 2 is working on a full-bore RPG set in the same world, using the same style of tactics-heavy combat. Those who crave something other than plain ol' Medieval European Fantasy, take note. You can play the constantly-in-development demo version here. And here's the trailer:



PARG: A Post-Apocalyptic Roleplaying Game
PARG is just what it stands for - a Post-Apocalyptic Roleplaying Game. It's a single-player only RPG using an isometric 2D perspective, and using turn-based tactical combat. Man - have I ever heard of a game like this before? It is also intended as a non-profit, open-source (Python / FIFE) project. Normally I wouldn't give something like this a high chance of completion, but they are targeting their first tech-demo release in a few weeks. So hopefully this one will be a pleasant surprise.

Scars of War
Gareth has an article up about Banes. Banes are not typical monsters in RPGs. Actually, a lot about Scars of War sounds non-typical. But these entities cannot be defeated directly through any kind of combat. It sounds like banes are kind of like hauntings - you can't just deal with the physical(ish) manifestation, but actually hunt down and resolve the root cause of the bane's existence. It looks interesting, and I'll be fascinated to see how it resolves in actual gameplay.

Cyclopean
It has an engine! And an update! With less than a year from the last update! It might actually become weekly! While it's still much, much earlier in development than I usually pay attention to, I'm putting some faith into Iron Tower Studios to crack the whip here. And I'm just thrilled to see an indie game (someday!) appear embracing the old Call of Cthulhu feel. I hope.

Asguaard
The most prolific indie jRPG studio around has released their latest title, Asguaard. I've not played it yet, but it seems to be a stand-alone title as opposed to a part of a series. From the website:

Welcome to the magical world of Asguaard where Fairies, Dwarves and legendary creatures live together in relative peace.

Yet their future is about to be torn apart.

Somewhere, somehow, the Pandora Box has been opened. A series of devestating plagues each worse than the previous are on their way tearing apart the lands and creatures before them. The magical inhabitants are powerless to prevent the tragedy yet there is just one chance.

A committee of Fairies gather at Asguaard's highest village - their immense task is to summon a creature able to achieve miracles, a creature read about in the oldest of books, a creature that is in posession of something that the Asguaard kind can only dream of and hold in awe. The possession is a soul and the creature - a human.

Come join the fight for Asguaard, a tale of friendship, passion and heroism.

* 100+ hours of gameplay
* 100+ skills to learn
* 500+ locations to explore
* 150+ secret rooms to find

Yeesh, that's a big game!

Download Asguaard

Awakening and Myth Xaran
Awakening and Myth Xaran are RPG Maker / jRPG-style games from Florida-based Exodus Studio. Started by Rebecca Long in 2007, Exodus Studio focuses on faith-based and family-friendly games set in fantasy settings.

Awakening is an RPG Maker / jRPG style "faith-based RPG with a compelling story that draws upon the themes and concepts of the book of Galatians in the Holy Bible." It's a free game, and promises to be first of a series entitled, "The Guardian's Wing Chronicles."

According to the website, Myth Xaran is set within the world of Exodus, which is "a place of mystery and intrigue. Similarly, the will of the gods hold no limits beyond a mortal's understanding. Within a darkened sect of the world, a new light shines upon an effigy of paradise through the eyes of an unknowing tortured soul. With this promised new creation given to him, life also begins -- and a chapter is ready to be written." It is also free, which is

Both games, using RPG Maker, are unfortunately Windows-only. But they are both free, so there's no complaining about the price. I haven't played either one yet, so feel free to chime in.

Cute Knight / Cute Knight Kingdom
Cute Knight Kingdom is out. It's good. I'm once again getting in touch with my inner independently-minded eighteen-year-old girl. Or something. And managing sin, dream, and my massively awesome fighting skills. Being able to spook enemies instead of killing (or taming) them is awesome, and saves on sin. It's basically everything that was cool about the original game, writ larger.

Speaking of the original game, Cute Knight Deluxe is now available for a reduced price. Which is likewise awesome.

Cute Knight Deluxe is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Cute Knight Kingdom is currently Windows-only (I believe this is only a temporary limitation).


Aaand - that's all I have for now. I'm sure RPG fans and creators will be quick to let me know what I've missed... so have at it!

Labels: Indie RPG News

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