Want to be treated like a rock star? Want to be given sage advice and nurtured through the process of releasing your video game? Well, Midnight City is here to provide the needed promotional, production, and business service and support. Midnight City, headed up by Casey Lynch, is approaching the signing and releasing of games more like a record label from the 80s than a present day publisher.
At PAX East 2014, Midnight City had five playable games on the show floor. Each different in genre, style, and playability. The first game I played was called Organic Panic from Last Limb Games. This game is an action-puzzler set in a world where fruits and veggies battle it out against the meat and cheese. With the world being completely breakable, players can use dynamic liquids and other materials to complete levels. On the show floor, attendees could play levels solo or in co-op mode. Difficulty was ramped up when playing with another buddy as it took precise timing to solve the in-level puzzles. According to their website, the game has several more modes including a robust level creator, which was used to create all levels in the game. When the game is released, it will be on Steam and maybe more options down the road.
Next up was Videoball. At first it looked more like something that would be released on say an Atari 2600 than a modern day PC. However, after watching many matches and then partaking in the fun, you realize this could change the face of eSports. It’s that good and that addictive. Using a controller, players will try and push a ball into the other team’s opposing goal. Heard of this before? Well, good, as you now need to wipe away all previous notions of how you think this game should be played. Instead, focus on how to combine elements from real sports, shooters, and strategy games. The element of the game that needs to be mastered is how to control your pointer. Players can’t touch the projectile with a pointer. Instead, pulses from the pointer will launch the ball into the other team’s goal. Master the three pulse levels and you’ll be on your way to victory. Videoball is fun but challenging and I can’t wait to play more of it.
One of the more visually appealing games from my time on the show floor at PAX East 2014 had to be Krautscape. The game is a multiplayer racer that takes places in an abstract universe. Players will race in hybrid bird-cars on a track that is created as the lead car dictates the path and pace. One section at a time, the track is built before the players eyes. Vehicles can take to the skies and perform deadly drops to take out opponents or take a shortcut. In Early Access, the game supports up to four players online, LAN, or split-screen. Krautscape currently contains three race modes which include Snake, Ping Pong and Collector. During Snake mode, players will “slither” on a race track that will disappear section by section after the last car. In Ping Pong, players will be bounced from end of the track to the other with the rounds difficulty increasing as you go. Lastly, in order to become “the collector”, players will need to gather floating cubes by building tracks close to them and returning them to the checkpoint.
Who doesn’t like marshmallows and who wouldn’t want to play as one in a video game? Beast Games thought the same thing when they developed the Super Avalanche franchise. Their latest game, Super Avalanche 2, builds off of the original game but throws in features to make it more than just a flash game. The premise is simple. As the marshmallow, you need to escape your fate of being burnt to a crisp by the rising lava. Players will climb blocks to ascend to the top. Along the way, you can use power-ups to defeat enemies and bosses. The game is currently up for voting on Steam Greenlight and when finished will ship with various modes such as single players, co-op, and a versus mode. Give this platformer a try as you’ll be enthralled by the world that transforms before your eyes the higher you climb.
Lastly, there was a game called High Strangeness, which I was immediately drawn to because of the death metal-esque font they used for their game. I bet Casey Lynch was drawn to that as well! First thing that you’ll notice about this game is that it is a nod to the 8 and 16 bit action-adventure games of the past. At it’s core, the main mechanic of the game is the ability to switch between 8 and 16 bit worlds. This ability will be the key in solving the puzzles and pushing forward in this 12 bit adventure game. Barnyard Intelligence Games will be releasing this game in 2014 on PC and other platforms to be announced.