The Book That Saved a Movement?
How an unassuming art book saved the ComicsGate name
Read moreCategory Archives: Uncategorized
Puzzle-Platformer “Mistcaller” Revealed; Coming to Steam in December
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
Read moreRetro Shooter “Senjyo” Joins the Arcade Archives on PS4, Nintendo Switch
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
Read moreAlterna Comics’ Winter Preorder Campaign Now Live
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
Read moreUnderwater War Sim “Nuclear Sub” Coming to Steam PC
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
Read moreEndless Arcade-Style Shooter “Void Prison” Coming to Nintendo Switch
“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
Read moreRetro-Inspired Platformer “Smilemo” Coming to Nintendo Switch on 19 January
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
Read morePoint ‘N Click Brawler “Scrap Riders” Now on Nintendo Switch, Steam PC
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
Read moreOld School RPG “Alphadia Neo” Now on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
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
Read morePuzzle Platformer “Sekisai” Now Available on Steam PC
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
Read moreHaunted Pizza’s Superhero Comic “Hurley’s Heroes” Fully Funded in First 24 Hours
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)
Read moreRetro-Inspired Indie Puzzler “Backpack Twins” Now on Nintendo Switch
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
Read moreSouth River Studios’ Horror Comic “The Mythicals” Launching in February
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
Read moreIndiegogo Campaign for Velvet Comics’ “Melvin” Issue 2 Ends Successfully (Crowdfunding Spotlight)
“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
Read moreThrowback Comic Review: “The Rogues – New Year’s Evil” (DC Comics, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, The Splintering’s celebration of forgetting auld acquaintance. Today, we’re going to take a look at The Rogues: New Year’s Evil, published by DC Comics in 1998 (or late 1997, depending on how you’re counting).
Read moreGame Review: “Big Dipper” (Nintendo Switch, Steam PC; Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, The Splintering’s celebration of all stars of royal beauty bright. Today we’re going to pick apart Big Dipper, a visual novel “game” published by Top Hat Studios and developed by Zimno Team for the Nintendo Switch and Steam PC. Why the quotation marks around “game”? Because Big Dipper isn’t a game in any sense. Zero. It is merely
Read morePsychological Horror Game “Anthology of Fear” Coming to Steam in March
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
Read more2D Shoot ‘Em Up “Space Runaway” Now Free on Steam PC
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
Read moreThrowback Comic Review: “Gen 13: A Christmas Caper” (Wildstorm, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of all pipers piping and ladies dancing. Today we’re going to take a look at “Gen 13: A Christmas Caper,” published by Wildstorm in 2000.
Read moreSilent Movie Review: “A Christmas Carol” (Edison Studios, Jolly Jinglings Special)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of all things humbug. Today we’re bringing you another Silent Film Review, this time taking a look at A Christmas Carol produced by Edison Studios and released on Christmas Day, 1910.
Read moreGame Review: “Chained Echoes” (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Steam PC)
Just a few months ago, I decided to bust out my old copy of Chrono Trigger and relive a bit of my youth. As I played I was reminded why it is considered by many one of the best games ever made. The music, the gameplay, and the innovative ideas put Chrono Trigger into a whole new category of what
Read moreIt’s Demons Vs. Kitteh in “Luna & Monsters Tower Defense” Now on Steam PC, Mobile
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
Read moreRetro-Inspired Shooter “Magma” Now Available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
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
Read moreThrowback Comic Review: “Pete the P.O.’d Postal Worker: Pete’s Very Special Christmas” (Sharkbait Press)
Welcome back to Jolly Jinglings, The Splintering’s celebration celebration of all things that shake like a bowl full of jelly. Today we’re going to take a look at Pete the P.O.’d Postal Worker: Pete’s Very Special Christmas, which was published in 1997 by Sharkbait Press. Written by Marcus P. Meleton and illustrated by Pete Garcia, the book follows the titular Pete,
Read moreFeatured Art Cards 1: The Scarlet Heart, Cyberfrog, The Spectre, Chakan, King Cryptid & Rhys Randall
I’ve been really into doing art cards lately, so today I’m showing a few cards that I’m sending off to a few folks: The Scarlet Heart (from Johnny Phantasm), Cyberfrog, The Spectre, Chakan the Forever Man, King Cryptid & Rhys Randall (from the Star Fetched video game). I’ll probably do this again moving forward with other cards, but maybe not
Read more80s Classic “Airborne Ranger” Now Available on GOG; Coming Soon to Steam PC
“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
Read moreAttack Helicopter Shoot ‘Em Up “GyroBlade” Now on Nintendo Switch
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
Read moreLynsey Leigh Paints a Petrifying Tale in “The Hollow Raven” (Crowdfunding Spotlight)
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
Read moreZombies Invade 1980s Texas in PikPok’s “Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days”
PikPok recently announced the latest entry in the Into the Dead series: Our Darkest Days, which is planned to launch on Steam early access sometime in 2024. Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days is a sidescrolling zombie survival game set in God’s blessed land of Texas in the glorious year of 1980 (yeah, editorializing a bit). Are you prepared to
Read moreGraham Nolan’s “Ghosts of Matecumbe Key” Crosses $100k Threshold
What’s the “key” to his success? (Kill me) Earlier this week, the crowdfunding campaign for Compass Comics’ horror graphic novel Ghosts of Matecumbe Key crossed the blessed six-figure threshold, raising more than $100k while available in-demand. Written by and illustrated by Graham Nolan (Detective Comics, Monster Island), Ghosts of Matecumbe Key is the third book in the loosely connected “NolanVerse”
Read more
The Splintering 