Indies Did This: Scammers and 3D Gemini Rue
In this week's Indies Did This, we have procedurally generated murder mysteries, a hilarious e-mail exchange and more.
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Tweets aren't news.
You know this. I know this. Most major news networks know this. But, it's still too much of a treat to see a publisher address a would-be scammer with such cheekiness to not make a mention of it. Several hours ago, Fork Parker, Devolver Digital's fictional Chief Financial Officer, had put up a tweet: someone by the name of Ivan had e-mailed the publisher, declaring themselves, amidst a profusion of typos and grammatical errors, CEO of Polygon and deeply interested in free copies of Shadow Warrior.
Instead of simply dismissing the e-mail, Parker reciprocated with equal amounts of absurdity. Mention of a CD key-manufacturing plant in Hong Kong emerged, along with demands for a 9.25 score as a perfect 10 would seem a little too suspicious. Ivan, of course, wrote back. And Twitter was brought along for the ride into the rabbit hole. If you're curious, here's Parker's Twitter. Enjoy. I cannot think of a better way to end a Monday.
Unless you're a fan of Wadjet Eye Games's Gemini Rue, in which case I recommend you take two minutes out of your schedule to check out Denis Cliofas's 3D mod of the game. According to the description on Youtube, Cliofas made it in Unity during his 'studies of the universal game engine.' Before you get overtly concerned about the manifestation of a cease-and-desist letter, Dave Gilbert from Wadjet Eye Games seemed positively enchanted by the gesture. Joshua Nuernberger, the actual creator, however, has yet to respond but let's hope he will be equally delighted by Cliofas's deed.
Moving on, we've got Glass Knuckle Games' so-freshly-announced-it-only-has-screenshots Noir Syndrome, a procedurally generated murder mystery game that sounds a bit too ambitious to be viable. I hope it's just me being curmudgeon because Noir Syndrome could potentially be a lot of fun. Persistent choices? In-depth investigations? Time limits? A focus on non-combat solutions? I'm onboard with that. I'm also equally game to see You Are Not A Hero become a real thing. Blame Recettear. That one taught me that the most fun that can be had in an RPG is behind the item shop's counter.
In You Are Not The Hero, you'll be playing as Petula, a village girl who is supremely content with the notion of a pastoral life within the quaint borders of Hearth Village. Unfortunately, fate has different ideas. Both heroes and villains show up. Pots get smashed. Somewhere amidst the chaos, you lose your pendant and must now go after the leading lads (and lasses) to get your precious ornament. You Are Not The Hero will apparently be overflowing with video game references, broken fourth walls and familiar tropes. If the Public Service Announcement video that the developers released is any indication of things, the team definitely has the right sense of humor to make this work.
And now, on a tangentially related note, meet Dog Mind. It's an RPG. About a dog. In a science-fiction setting. How awesome is that? Very, if its developer keep this from simply being a species swap. The art's rather lovely but information on the game is still somewhat spartan. Here's hoping the developer will be taking this to great places.
The Scorpion Box is another work-in-progress, a point & click puzzle game that requires players to figure out how to remove a turtle from containment without incurring the ire of a man-hating, venomous scorpion. Again, the art's kind of delectable but what has me charmed is the level of detail embedded in this one. Mock Wikipedia entries? Mini-games? Poetry? This is okay with me. Almost as okay as this low-fi, Terraria-like title named Out of the Caves. The back story is simple: there are eight gods, none of which are particularly nice to the mortals they lord over. You, as the chosen one, are required to introduce them to the business end of a sword crafted by oppressed people. There will purportedly be a Megaman-like vibe to Out of the Caves; each of the deities' elements will enhance your sword in a different way. It looks like it may be rather fun and also a joy for anyone who misses the ZX Spectrum era. I'm hoping the developer's last update is merely inductive of a momentary slump rather than a precursor to a premature end. My heart has already been broken by Caelus: The Descent.
(I won't go into too much detail as there is no real point in dissecting the diseased. Caelus: The Descent was a 2nd year project that never quite make it. Here's an eulogy in the shape of its trailer.)
Oh, and just for good measure, have a Text-Based Multiplayer RTS.