Alec Holowka, whom I worked with on Aquaria, has written an article about the new direction of Marian, his current project, including his decision to switch from 3d models to 2d sprite art. Alec, as always, is very honest about the challenges he’s faced as a game creator, and explains in depth what has happened with Marian these past two years. It’s a heart-wrenching and inspiring read.
Just ‘cause it’s Christman/Chanukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus doesn’t mean you have to be listening to Jingle Bells and all that festive stuff (although you’re very welcome to!). Here’s some music from the indie game world to rock your stockings as we approach the new year!
The Aquaria OST – Alec put together an amazing production for the Aquaria soundtrack, which he composed. This 2-disc, 50-track beast comes with an 8-page booklet that features artwork by myself and Marian artist Katie De Sousa, as well as an 8-panel mini-poster featuring screenshots from the game and liner notes. It’s a really beautiful package that comes in 3 flavors: unsigned, signed, and digital.
Fez Demo EPs – The mysterious Polytron Corporation has released 3 demo tracks from Fez, their upcoming XBLA game. The tracks, composed by Jason “6955” DeGroot, are available as a free download, or can be ordered as a limited-edition CD (250 copies). Check it out if you like chiptunes.
Zeno Clash OST – The Zeno Clash OST was released yesterday. Composed by Patricio Meneses, the soundtrack features 18 tracks and can be downloaded via iTunes or purchased as a CD.
Machinarium Bonus EP – Amanita Design has released five free bonus tracks for their incredible adventure game Machinarium. These are available as mp3s. The full soundtrack comes with the game if you buy it directly Amanita’s website (what are you waiting for?).
Game music 1 – Finally, the legendary indie chiptune artist Phlogiston released a free compilation of music he wrote for various games, like Bisse’s I Was in the War, cactus’s Air Pirates and PING PONG, and Darthlupi’s Wonder Bounce. He invites indie game designers to contact him about releasing their soundtracks through his label Pause. You would be amongst good company.
Well, that’s a lot of great indie game music right there. Hope you all enjoy these stocking stuffers. Please be sure to post any good soundtracks I may have missed that came out recently.
Happy Holidays!
“This piece was put together by an exceptionally talented duo – James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot of ”http://www.blink-works.com/“>Blink Works media. It premiered last night with a party at IMAX as part of a showcase of Winnipeg-based New Media companies.”
This video got me all kinds of emotional. Fuckin’ love you guys, man!
I am excited about this! Aquaria co-creator Alec Holowka, now of Infinite Ammo fame, has released the first teaser for his upcoming adventure/exploration game Marian. (Which was first announced a while ago.) As he’s said before, Alec is all about crafting a deep, personal experience for the player. And I wouldn’t pick anyone else for the job. I am sure his style of holistic game design will result in something truly special.
This is quite an ambitious endeavor, and one that Alec cares more about “than any other project” he’s worked on. If you’re interested in supporting him, head over to the Infinite Ammo site. Godspeed, Alec!
Great news – Paper Moon has been released on Blurst! The game, which features lovely black and white paper cut-out graphics, began as a short demo for Gamma 3d, but has been fleshed out in a collaborative effort between IA and Flashbang Studios, and makes use of Blurst’s recently added online leaderboards. Big pimpin’ Adam Saltsman (Gravity Hook) was responsible for much of the game’s original graphics.
As much as I enjoy Flashbang’s games, variety is the spice of life and Paper Moon is a great addition to their growing arsenal of fun, Unity-based web games. I hope there are more collaborations on the way!
Alec Holowka and his Infinite Ammo team video blogged their trip to the Montreal International Games Summit, which went on like a week or so ago. Five videos long, there’s really only one word to describe the journey: EPIC. It’s probably worth it just to see Jon Blow get his boogie on to Soulja Boy, but the whole thing is just good, clean indie fun. Witness every possible method of high-fiving known to humankind.
Also, be sure to try out IA’s Paper Moon, which was featured at GAMMA 3D and is now available for download.
Videos 1, 2, 3, and 4 are after the jump.
What’s that I spy, hanging over the canvas sky? Why, it’s Paper Moon, a new game from my friend (and Aquaria partner) Alec Holowka, developed with his all-Canuck, Winnipeg-based studio Infinite Ammo. Made for Gamma 3D, this Unity-based platform game features true 3d graphics (using 3d glasses), and an interesting mechanic. The cut-out graphics are by the talented Katie De Sousa, with help from Adam Saltsman (Gravity Hook, Wurdle).
Play the demo at Gamma 3D in November!