Dodge Death & Debt!
Struggling with underemployment in an uncertain world? Feeling stressed out about money and the ever-present threat of eviction? If the real world isn't stressful enough, now's your chance to enter a cubist nightmare "millennial sim" with Crap, I’m Broke: Out of Pocket from Molly Heady-Carroll and Erik van Wees -- the Dutch dynamic duo of Arcane Circus!... (read more)
|
|
Boldly Go
We were thrilled to work with Weird & Wry again this year after helping these Spanish siblings launch beloved space sim The Spatials. Sequel The Spatials: Galactology is an even deeper experience -- with mod support, active pause mechanics, and planetloads of new items and structures to build.... (read more)
|
|
|
Mixing It Up
Pour, shake and stir (literally) your way to the top in Killer Mobile‘s BarSim -- the hip mobile bartending sim that puts you mixology skills to the test. You'll even get to learn real drink recipes and bartending techniques in the process. Starting out as busser in a dive bar, you'll work your way up to become a bartender guru at a posh nightclub.... (read more)
|
|
The Silly Season
The election may be in the rear-view mirror -- but it lives on in Megalo Polis. Playing as one of the game’s presidential candidates, your must jump head first into the campaign trail and persuade one district at a time in this political strategy sim from French developer Black Sheep Studio.... (read more)
|
|
|
The Road Less Traveled
Have you ever thought about exploring what your life might be like if you made different choices along the way? A New Life from Serbian developer Bigosaur lets you explore exactly that: a life full of options and outcomes. You can be rich, poor, gay, straight, young, old, creative, analytical, shy, or outgoing. The choice is yours -- and it borders on limitless.... (read more)
|
|
Space Supremacy
Combat, strategy, and space sim rolled into one? No, You Shut Up! Games' multi-crew co-op/competitive spaceship-themed game, Atomic Space Command, mashes up combat with strategy and simulation -- producing a perfect blend of awesomeness... (read more)
|
|
|
|
|
≈ PUBLISHER SPOTLIGHT: BADLAND GAMES ≈
|
|
|
|
Where Stars are Born
Novy has been working with publisher BadLand Games on an ongoing basis this year -- beginning with the console/Steam launch of Anima: Gate of Memories. The publisher has released a number of compelling and creative titles on desktop, handheld, and console. Here's just a sampling of the some BadLand titles we've promoted:
Anima: Gate of Memories
Novy was enchanted by the stunning visuals and engaging mechanics of Anima: Gate of Memories -- a beautiful game that has been greeted warmly by the press and consumers alike. Developed by Anima Project, Anima: Gate of Memories is a third-person action RPG focused on combat and exploration..... [read more]
Heart&Slash
What do you get when you bring together 75 weapons, 68 robotic body parts, six playable characters, and the chance of love in a cold, mechanical world? You get Heart&Slash, a fast-paced 3D rogue-like brawler set in a dystopian, robotic world -- that's what! Developed by aheartfulofgames, Heart&slash leverages teleportation, time stoppages, jetpacks, wall-jumps, and much more to provide an exciting thrill ride of a game -- complete with the raddest soundtrack this side of the information superhighway.... [read more]
8DAYS
Are you ready to lay down enough 8-bit fire to bring peace to the world and end all wars? 8DAYS is a frantic, top-down retro-tastic dual-stick shooter that lets you unravel closely guarded secrets while keeping the peace throughout five intense chapters — on your own or with the help of a friend in local co-op. Developed by Santa Clara Games, 8DAYS was inspired by games such as Hotline Miami and Retro City Rampage.... [read more]
Dex
In Dex, a side-scrolling RPG from Czech developer Dreadlocks, players are taken to the futuristic city of Harbor Prime -- where they’ll help a young girl, Dex, on her quest for “the Singularity” ... when artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence.... [read more]
Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today
Developed by Fictiorama Studios, the unsettling point-and-click adventure Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today follows a man named Michael -- who must recover his identity and discover the cause of a string of natural disasters.... [read more]
Zenith
Argus, a thirtysomething wizard, is tired of young, angsty, self-centered teens who want to try to “save the world" -- but in order to settle down into a boring, predictable life of retirement, he’s going to have to show them who’s boss. Developed by Infinigon, Zenith is an action RPG that combines the feel of old-school RPGs with a splash of humor and parody.... [read more]
Ginger: Beyond the Crystal
Remember the good old days of punching, double-jumping, bouncing, and exploring your way through vibrant levels while collecting crystals and defeating enemies on a quest to restore peace? Ginger: Beyond the Crystal, developed by Drakhar Studio, will remind you of the legendary 3D platformers you played as a kid.... [read more]
Castles
Ever had an urge to help construct the eighth wonder of the world? That’s the thinking behind Castles -- a charming Match-three puzzle game developed by WhootGames and published by BadLand Games. King Harold has tasked you with the role of bringing glory to his kingdom by building the tallest tower anyone has ever seen.... [read more]
Several BadLand Games titles were recently pre-announced for 2017 -- including Do Not Feed the Monkeys (Fictiorama Studios), Vostok Inc. (Nosebleed Interactive), and BOOR (Dazlog Studio). BadLand Games is headquartered in Spain with offices in the United Kingdom.
|
|
≈ PUZZLE ROUNDUP: FROM CASUAL TO COMPETITIVE
|
|
|
|
Beat Golems into Submission!
Novy enjoyed working with Russian developer Alexander Samarin of Exaltrix, who has a knack for creating compelling, deceptively simple gameplay. In addition to helping Alexander polish Totem Forge — an atmospheric puzzle game with high-end music and art — we were also fortunate to work directly on the sounds of in-game golems and totems (featuring the voice of beatbox vocalist and game developer Heatbox) and create a few trailers (with the help of Novy friend M. Joshua Cauller). In Totem Forge, players combine gems while preventing the game board from filling up completely. To add even more difficulty, golems will interfere with your matches -- and gold pieces will block your way. But sneaky rock beasts and ancient nuggets are no match for a good fireball... (read more)
|
|
It's Good to Be King!
Fancy controlling a powerful wizard keen on facing heavily armed enemies while an ancient evil lurks in the shadows? This is the premise behind Tower Rumble -- a mobile puzzle game with MOBA, tower defense, and Match-3 elements. Developed by Neo-Realms Entertainment, Tower Rumble lets you customize your army from the ground up in solo Arcade and Campaign modes — or face off in a wizard’s duel with a friend in the local PvP mode. The land of Artyficia was once guarded by the Wizard King, but due to the Great Calamity, he was forced to the Dream Realm. Stewards acting as false kings have decided to build towers in their honor and mounting attacks on their rivals. Will they be able to set aside their pride and join forces to defeat a common enemy? ... (read more)
|
|
|
The Perfect Fit!
The arresting visual style of Mandie Manzano’s work caught our attention long before we partnered with Octo Mini to launch Mandie Manzano Jigsaw Puzzle Art. Featuring 40 striking Mandie Manzano paintings lovingly converted into Ultra HD puzzles ranging from 12 to 2,000 pieces, Mandie Manzano Jigsaw Puzzle Art expertly delivers a streamlined, high-end jigsaw puzzle challenge for players of all ages....
(read more)
|
|
The Hunt for Red Panda
From Ukrainian studio Zagrava Games comes The Hunt for Red Panda -- a hidden object puzzle game that will test your art detective skills. Your job is to restore beautiful real-life paintings that have been defaced by the infamous Red Panda -- prepping them for repair (using a knife, sewing needle, paintbrush, and eraser to fix the blemishes) --and investigate clues, visit famous museums, and play fun mini-games along the way.... (read more)
|
|
|
Skirmish Lines
Your village has come under attack by a monster invasion in Puzzle Monster Quest -- an addictive new mobile game from Kick9. You’ll dive into a tile-matching adventure that leads you through treacherous dungeons filled with monsters who want to end your quest. You're in a bid to save the world, one monster match at a time.... (read more)
|
|
Primed for Combat
Developed by French studio Kobojo, Primal Legends blends classic Match-3 mechanics, deck building, and turn-based strategy combat elements -- allowing players to battle their way across 150 levels and 8 game modes; discover more than 50 heroes; and fight online opponents through real-time PvP combat..... (read more)
|
|
≈ PUBLISHER SPOTLIGHT: LEVEL-5 ≈
|
|
|
Scoping the Future
Japanese game developer and publisher LEVEL-5 is responsible for several well-known game and mixed-media franchises -- including YO-KAI WATCH™, Professor Layton™, and Inazuma Eleven™. We've had the pleasure of working directly with LEVEL-5's Santa Monica-based spinoff company LEVEL-5 abby on a wide variety of projects.
In addition to launching YO-KAI WATCH Wibble Wobble earlier this year, Novy provided press bookings, onsite media relations, and booth demo and promo staffing during GDC. Post-launch, we provided additional PR support for a number of game updates -- including new characters, features, holiday content, and in-game events. [read more]
In addition to supporting YO-KAI WATCH Wibble Wobble, we had the opportunity to promote YO-KAI WATCH: The Movie -- along with the LEVEL-5 "Vision 2016" press conference announcements for upcoming releases Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone's Consipracy, Inazuma Eleven Ares, The Snack World and Megaton Musashi, among others. [read more]
|
|
≈ DEVELOPER SPOTLIGHT: DIGIDICED ≈
|
|
|
|
Farm & Fortune
Novy had the opportunity to work with German development studio, DIGIDICED, on several digital adaptations of Uwe Rosenberg-designed board games this year. After providing press outreach for the launch of Le Havre: The Inland Port in 2015 and Patchwork in early 2016, we worked with DIGIDICED on the studio's social media initiatives and helped launch its newest and highly-anticipated title, Agricola: All Creatures Big & Small. We also worked on trailers (with the help of friend of Novy M. Joshua Cauller) and announced Steam Greenlight campaigns for all three titles. We're happy to say that each of DIGIDICED's games has been Greenlit by the Steam Community!
|
|
≈ EVENT SPOTLIGHT: GAYMERX + XPO ≈
|
|
|
We had the unique opportunity of working on two great events that took place fairly close to each other: the GaymerX (GX4) Conference, and the XPO Game Festival. In addition to promoting each event separately, we were able to put out joint press releases at the permission of the organizers (MidBoss and VisitTulsa, respectively) focusing on some common threads shared by both events: diversity and inclusion!
We were thrilled to work with the Tulsa Regional Chamber (VisitTulsa) on the inaugural XPO Game Festival. As the first festival of its kind in America's Heartland, XPO brings an exciting, fun blend of activities for gamers, developers, industry leaders, and game personalities. A number of festivities are included: tabletop gaming area, retro gaming lounge, laser tag arena, and many pre-festival events to keep everyone engaged and happy. There are also countless afterparties -- along with music from “chip hop” artist Mega Ran, old-school Nintendo rockers Bit Brigade, and YouTube sensation Brentalfloss.... [read more]
We were fortunate to work on MidBoss' fourth annual GaymerX Conference -- the most welcoming weekend in gaming -- featuring a wealth of speakers, special events, and (of course!) games. Speakers such as Mark Barlet (AbleGamers) and Tim Cain (Obsidian) take on issues like game accessibility and the evolution of the game industry. Exhibitors have included Blizzard, Oculus, Microsoft, Harmonix, Atari, and Funomena -- and attendees are able to connect with organizations such as Extra Life, Women in Games International, Lesbians Who Tech, and the International Game Developers Association.... [read more]
|
|
≈ STEAM ROUNDUP: LAUNCHES, EARLY ACCESS & GREENLIGHT ≈
|
|
|
|
|
Akimbo!
Survival isn’t always of the fittest. Sometimes, even the most unlikely of individuals can become the strongest survivors. In the intense VR sci-fi action wave defender, BladeShield — developed by Rank17 — take on the role of a lone security officer aboard the transport vessel Titan-X, and stop a rogue A.I. from causing complete havoc! Become the greatest dual-wielding savior.... (read more)
|
|
Domo Arigato
The charm of this quirky 2D game immediately caught our attention! Developed by multi-talented beatbox artist, Heatbox (under his studio, Heatbox Games), unique puzzle-based tower defense game Robots In The Wild lets players build a "robofortress" by rotating and strategically placing falling blocks using a Tetris-style ecosystem. Blocks can be connected in different formations to build robots such as: PewPewBot, BlasterBot... (read more)
|
|
|
One Hit & That's It!
Novy got a chance to work with Chris Molini at Mind's Eye Games a second time for the Blast Brawl 2: Bloody Boogaloo Early Access and Xbox One (Game Preview) campaigns! The game is an action-packed arcade, beat 'em up bonanza where players pulverize waves and waves of enemies in a dangerous arena. See if you’re the ultimate brawl master against friends in Versus... (read more)
|
|
Identity Crisis
From the creative mind of solo Australian developer Dave Bleja comes Spryke -- a challenging platformer that features an adorable cyberfish. Spryke is a hybrid of two species -- one from under the surface of the deep seas of the planet Kespuron, and the other from the cities far above the water. You'll need quick reactions to help the fish-like Spryke find her way through the waterless chambers above the surface in search of truth and validation. Sprint, glide, and fly through the dry, dangerous world above the safe waters of Spryke's home... (read more)
|
|
|
Tread Carefully
In Adaeus: Rogue Planet -- a 2D sci-fi Metroidvania roguelike platformer developed by OMGWTF Games -- you’ll have to hack, slash, and shoot your way to survive on a deadly planet. Use Nanites and Credits to modify your suit and upgrade your equipment to increase your chances against brutal enemies and end-level bosses. (read more)
|
|
Choose Your Destiny
Archmage Rises puts you in the role of a disgraced mage, unfairly expelled from the Magic Conclave and left to your own devices in a harsh fantasy world. What you do with that is entirely up to you. Will you take out your anger on the world around you? Or will you work toward the betterment of others? In this tabletop-inspired open-world RPG created by solo Canadian developer Thomas Henshell (Defiance Game Studio), you'll make decisions that will affect everything... (read more)
|
|
|
|
|
|