Remember, remember the 13th of… Friday… erm, this isn’t working…. Fulqrum Publishing has officially launched the 1.0 version of Dread Templar for PC via Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. Created by the one-man developer at T19 Games, Dread Templar is a first-person shooter inspired by its classic 90s forebears – most obviously Doom. The game puts players in
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“Who likes to rock the party?” Publisher Hamster has announced that The NewZealand Story (aka The New Zealand Story) is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in arcades by Taito in 1988, The New Zealand Story is a 2D action game where players take control of Tiki, the chief
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Japan based development studio Kanipro recently announced that their first game – maiden game, if you will – Violet Wisteria will launch on 9 February via Steam PC. Inspired by the retro classics of the early 1990s, Violet Wisteria is a Valis-esque 2D action platformer featuring a color-switching attack mechanic akin to Ikaruga. Here’s the official breakdown of Violet Wisteria
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The interdimensional lizard people are upon us! On Tuesday, independent author and “the leading Hispanic voice in science fiction” Jon Del Arroz launched a crowdfunding campaign for Flying Sparks: Ultra Light Beams, a 72-page graphic novel. The project is already fully funded, having raised more than $6 thousand at the time of this writing. Written by Del Arroz and featuring
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Have gun, will legend. On Monday, Donkey Madness (Madness, I tell you!) launched a crowdfunding campaign for Shotgun Samurai Legends, a 48-page action/adventure anthology and the follow-up to the Shotgun Samurai manga that was successfully crowdfunded in 2021. The project is already fully funded, having raised roughly $2 thousand at the time of this writing. Here’s the official pitch taken
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Sunsoft has announced that their casual co-op game Ikki Unite will be coming to Steam PC on 15 February. Known outside Japan as both Farmers Rebellion and Boomerang, the original Ikki was originally released in 1985 and puts players in the midst of peasant riots in feudal Japan. That doesn’t sound very “casual” to us, but maybe these are “mostly
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“Monsters” seems a little bit strong… “Hippies” maybe… Pum Spak recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Unemployed Monsters, a 56-page comic book featuring work by artists from Rick and Morty and Bob’s Burgers. The book is fully funded, and currently in-demand, so you can still buy into the project if you missed it during the crowdfunding period (like we did).
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ININ Games recently confirmed that three compilations of Jaleco’s classic Ninja JaJaMaru games will be coming to the West in February, with two of them receiving physical editions from Strictly Limited (the other small-run physical video game publisher). These collections are being developed by City Connection for both Nintendo Switch and PS4, with preorders now available via the Strictly Limited
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Japan-based developer Drecom recently announced that their upcoming adventure game Tokyo Stories (working title) will be exhibited at the 2023 Taipei Game Show, which will be held from 2 to 5 February in the great nation of Taiwan. Wrapped in a mishmash of 3D and pixel art visual aesthetics, this generically named adventure puts players in the midst of a
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Earlier this week, Strictly Limited Games (the other small-run physical video game publisher) opened pre-orders for limited physical editions of Infinite-Beyond the Mind for both Nintendo Switch and PS4. Developed by Emelie Coyo, Infinite-Beyond the Mind is an indie platformer that has been available for Steam PC since 2020. Here’s the official breakdown of Infinite-Beyond the Mind from Strictly Limited:
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Gorillas not confirmed. On Friday, developer Onyx Wings unveiled its upcoming supernatural, mystery-based platformer Mistcaller, which is planned for a December release on Steam PC. Described as “an eerie, yet thrilling puzzle-platformer that takes place in a world covered by mist,” Mistcaller is a game where players are able to control the mist and haze that surrounds them in a
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Publisher Hamster has announced that sci-fi shoot ‘em up Senjyo is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in Japanese arcades by TEKHAN (now Koei Tecmo) in 1983, Senjyo is a vertical shoot ‘em up where players control a futuristic space tank (!) to destroy a ferocious alien menace. The
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A hazy shade of newsprint On Wednesday, Alterna Comics launched a pre-order crowdfunding campaign for their Winter lineup of books. This time around, the campaign is being run both on Indiegogo (here) and the Alterna Comics website (here). Through the campaign pages, you can pick up all six of Alterna’s Winter issues, or simply pick and choose the titles you
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Sim Submarine Publisher PlayWay has unveiled Nuclear Sub, a new submarine simulator coming soon to Steam PC. Developed by Nuclear Games, Nuclear Sub is designed with a focus on realism, where you must maintain the boat, its life support system and nuclear reactor, and manage supplies and resources for the crew. Of course, the game is set in the Cold
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“Twisting turning through the never!” Indie game developer SneakyBox recently announced that their twin-stick shooter Void Prison is set to release on 19 January for the Nintendo Switch. Described as a “fast-paced, endless arcade game” where players must survive waves of enemies in “an ever-shrinking void ring.” Fortunately, you have plenty of guns and power-ups available to defend yourself. In
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He doesn’t look like he’s smiling to me… Game publisher CFK recently announced that the new side-scrolling action game, Smilemo, is available for pre-order now on the Nintendo Switch eShop. It is already available on Steam PC. Developed by REXECHO STUDIO, Smilemo is a retro-inspired platformer featuring a throwback pixelated art style and a challenging difficulty that old school gamers
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Sounds like the story of my first car. On Monday, Microids Indie released the retro-inspired Scrap Riders on the Nintendo eShop and Steam (both PC and Mac). Developed by Games for Tutti, Scrap Riders is a truly unique spin on the beat ‘em up formula, adding point and click mechanics into the mix, complete with a throwback 16-bit soundtrack and
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On Friday, KEMCO released Alphadia Neo for the PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. The game was released last year for Steam PC and Xbox platforms. Developed by Exe Create, Alphadia Neo is a fantasy RPG that prides itself on its retro-inspired presentation. Here’s the official breakdown of Alphadia Neo from KEMCO, followed by a recent trailer: Alphadia Neo for PS5/PS4
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Feeling horny? …like a rhino, ya’ dirty bird. On Friday, Sewohayami released its puzzle platformer Sekisai for Steam PC. Sekisai (maybe “Coughing Rhinoceros” in Japanese? I’m still learning) features 2D gameplay with retro-inspired aesthetics. Here’s the official breakdown of Sekisai from Sewohayami, followed by a recent trailer: What’s game Sekisai? This is an action game where you control a rhino
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On Wednesday, Haunted Pizza launched a crowdfunding campaign for Hurley’s Heroes issue 1, a 40-page “flipbook” that includes not just the main story, but also a 12-page preview of HP’s upcoming sci-fi action series, Universals Initiative. The project is already fully funded, having raised more than $3 thousand at the time of this writing. Written by Mark Poulton (Graveyard Shift)
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Today, game publisher Amata K.K. has released Backpack Twins on the Nintendo Switch eShop. The game is already available on Xbone, PS4 and Steam PC, Developed by Ima Bryn, Backpack Twins is described as a “hard but fair single-player puzzle platformer.” Players swap between both of the twins as they work in tandem to solve puzzles. Here’s the official breakdown
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The fellas at South River Studios are currently hard at work prepping a crowdfunding campaign for The Mythicals issue 1, a horror adventure comic that is intended as the first of a 13-issue series. The book is described as being a mashup of the “best elements of Buffy and WildCATS and layers in X-Files type conspiracy,” and the campaign itself
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“I can’t believe we just melvined Death!” The Indiegogo campaign for Velvet Comics’ Melvin issue 2 recently ended, successfully raising more than $750 during the crowdfunding period. Written and created by Timothy Olson and featuring illustrations by both Sid Teles and Andy A., issue 2 is a 24-page follow-up to the first Melvin book, this time promising “more action, more
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Why did it have to be mannequins? 100 GAMES has announced that their upcoming horror game, Anthology of Fear is coming to Steam PC on 17 March 2023. Co-developed by 100 GAMES and OhDeer Studio, Anthology of Fear is a psychological horror mystery “that will focus on human subconsciousness.” Plus, there appears to be more than an adequate amount of
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Publisher 110 Industries and developer Soleil have released a side-scrolling shoot ‘em up Space Runaway on Steam PC… and it’s completely free. Yep. Free. Frei. مجانيًا Why free, though? Because it’s only part of the upcoming third-person action/adventure game Wanted: Dead, which is due out in February. According to 110 Industries, Space Runaway is more than just a mini-game turned
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On Wednesday (or Tuesday, depending on where you fall on the date line), the developers at Luna’s Tail Creative released the elaborately titled Luna & Monsters Tower Defense: The Deprived Magical Kingdom on Steam PC and mobile. As the name implies, Luna & Monsters Tower Defense is a tower defense strategy game starring a demon-battling black cat named Luna. Here’s
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PLASMAAAAAAA! I mean, MAGMAAAAAA! Nellyvision has announced that their 2D action game Magma is now available for both PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Magma is a procedurally generated bullet-hell shooter that is heavily inspired by retro arcade-style games of the 90s. Good stock, there. Here’s the official breakdown of Magma from Nellyvision: Frantic action and challenging foe all the way in
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“I want to be an airborne ranger!” Atari has released Airborne Ranger for modern PCs via GOG, with a Steam version coming on 22 December. Originally created by MicroProse in 1987, Airborne Ranger is a war game known for its realism and the inclusion of stealth elements. Here’s the official breakdown of Airborne Ranger from Atari, followed by a handful
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It may be a bit early for Attack Helicopter Week, but indie game publisher Tendokore is already getting into the festive spirit by officially releasing 2D shoot ‘em up GyroBlade for the Nintendo Switch. Developed by H.T. Project Games, GyroBlade is a vertical scrolling shooter inspired by the classic games of the 8-bit era (Tiger Heli comes to mind), complete
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Because “Crow” was taken. Independent comic book creator Lynsey Leigh recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Compendium of the Unmasked: The Hollow Raven, a project that spans six issues (0-5) and is intended as the first volume of a seven volume story. Ambitious, no? The project is already fully funded, having raised nearly $1 thousand at the time of this
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The Splintering 