Indie RPG News Round-Up, June 2012

Posted by Rampant Coyote on June 27, 2012

I’ve been holding onto some of these so long they don’t seem much like “News” right now, but it’s been a pretty crazy few weeks. Anyway, here is a quick summary of some of the things that have been happening on the indie RPG news front of late:

Long Live the Queen!– I really want to compare this game to Cute Knight, but it’s a bit more on the “hardcore” side. Which doesn’t bother me one bit. It’s still sort of a life-sim / RPG, and still in the realm of cute, but its far easier to come to a grisly end. Borrowing from the website: “Being a Princess is not an easy job. Being a Queen is even harder. Especially when you’re only fourteen years old, and the reason you’ve inherited the throne is that your royal mother has just met an untimely end. Now power is up for grabs. You may be the official heir, but much of the country’s nobility would love to steal the throne for themselves. Aggressive neighbors will take advantage of any weakness to enlarge their borders at your expense. And that’s not even mentioning the magical dangers which are lying in wait…

“Can you survive long enough to reach your coronation?”

Dungeons of Dredmor – This goofy graphical roguelike is getting yet another expansion, entitled Conquest of the Wizardlands. It features piocket dimensions to store your stuff, an equipment “encrusting” systems, new weapons, skills, a stealth system, new monsters, and locations. If you haven’t slain enough diggles yet, you may want to check this expansion out (for only $2.99, even…)

Underrail – I’m getting more and more excited for this indie sci-fi RPG (Formerly entitled “Timelapse Vertigo“). Here is some footage from a recent alpha build. I think it’s looking pretty dang good.

Indie Fort Bundle #2 – This bundle from Gamer’s Gate is still available for five days, and includes some indie adventure & RPGs like Aztaka, Dark Scavengers, Demise: Ascension, and Mordor: The Depths of Dejanol. You can grab all of these for cheap at the preceding link.

Kitaru – just funded on Kickstarter, this is a very interesting RPG project that will feature turn-based “active-time” battles (I think Final Fantasy 7 when I hear that), available in episodic form on multiple platforms (including most mobile devices and computers).  I’m getting something of an anime / Dune vibe from this teaser, and I’m a little concern that the head of the studio has filmmaking experience but not much in the way of game-making experience. But supposedly the first episode will release in October, so we don’t have too long to wait and find out:

Avernum: Escape From the Pit – This all-new remake of the original classic indie RPG from Spiderweb Software (itself, in its time, something of a remake of Exile…) has been upgraded to version 1.01 for the Windows version, which is mainly a bug-fix and rebalancing patch. The upgrade  “highly recommended” for owners of the game.

Moonchild – In this upcoming RPG by Aldorlea Games (Millennium, Dreamscape, Laxius Force, 3 Stars of Destiny), you play Queen Calypso as you go after your daughter Moonchild, abducted from her bedroom one stormy night by a masked intruder. Is this the result of historic hatreds between two nations or has something new and evil come into the land?  Follow Calypso as she races against time to rescue her daughter before the worst happens.

Thorg – A “hidden object role-playing game” for the iPad. Billing itself as “the first game ever made that combines addicting hidden-object gameplay with lightweight, randomized roleplaying elements,” it’s a quick, casual game that incorporates RPG aspects. I doubt its designed for the hardcore RPG enthusiast (unless you are looking for a “quick fix” while waiting for the bus), but it may serve to introduce more people to the basics of RPGs.

The Real Texas – An action-RPG borrowing liberally from both Zelda: A Link to the Past and Ultima VI, this title from Calvin French of Kitty Lambda Games is bizarre, quirky, and cool-looking. As Sam, a rancher from Texas, you are tired of sitting behind a desk more than … well, ranching. So you take a holiday in England, in a castle that has been converted into a resort hotel. As the game’s intro states, if you can’t live like a cowboy, why not live like a King? But then you fall into a blue portal and find yourself in another world: The Strange Texas.

Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land – the PC version is now available on Gamer’s Gate! I was kinda holding out for a different platform, so I’ve got no excuse now.

Drox Operative – Now in beta testing, this sci-fi action-RPG seems to be sort of a Diablo meets Freelancer. Or, more appropriately, Din’s Curse meets Freelancer.  And you guys know what a fan I am of Din’s Curse. In a dynamic, evolving galaxy embroiled in conflict, you are a starship capatin and member of a secretive, ancient guild called the Drox Operatives. While your role is a mercenary, you have the skill and power to change the balance and fate of the universe.  You can pre-order it here and get access to the beta.

Dark Delve – released in February, this first-person party-based dungeon crawler from Checkmark Games is available at Indievania for… whatever price you want to pay. The campaign is supposed to be only a little over six hours of gameplay, but is supposed to offer replayability in the form of challenge modes and difficulty levels. And, of course, different party composition. It is also available on XBLIG, for those who’d rather play it on the console.

Realm of the Mad Gold – This fantasy MMO shooter (really not much of an RPG, but so what?) was recently SOLD! To social games producer Kabam. Remember what I was saying about indie IP rights? It does happen…

Dead State – Hey, I know I’ve talked about this a bit already, but its Kickstarter campaign is nearing the final stretch. And besides my interview with Brian Mitsoda yesterday, they also got an interview in Forbes, which gets somewhat more attention than my little corner of the blogosphere.

Darklight Dungeon Eternity – Zoellersoft is offering the source code for Darklight Dungeon Eternity (minus the third-party libraries) for $100, available here. It is written in VB.NET 2008 express edition.

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