The Indie Game Magazine April 2015 - Issue 48

The
IndieGameMagazine
Indie Game News, Reviews & Community
April 2015 | issue 48
The Lost Pisces

Gadgets and Gizmos A-plenty
Dragon Fin Soup

Red Riding Hood Gone Wild
Project Scissors: NightCry

A True Horror Legend Returns
#GameDev Contents
Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ScreenShot Monthly. . . . . . . . . . 60
Feature interviews. . . . . . . . . . . 10
Impact Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Project Scissors: Nightcry. . . . . . 10
Mekazoo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
The Lost Pisces Interview . . . . . . . 14
Tiny Robot Justice Squad . . . . . 62
Dragon fin Soup Interview. . . . . . 26
Through the Woods. . . . . . . . . 63
Game watch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Wildstar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Lost Ember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Boss 101. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Fortis Rex: Rise of the King. . . . . . 66
Light Fall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
The Indie Game Magazine -- Copyright 2015

All game logos, screenshots, artwork, trademarks, etc are property of their respective owner.
#IndieGame Contents
Harold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Featured Content. . . . . . . . . . . . 20
There came an echo. . . . . . . . . 46
The Lost Pisces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Oscura: Lost Light. . . . . . . . . . 48
Dragon fin Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Hand of Fate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Reviews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Oceanhorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Cooking for Gamers. . . . . . . . . 32
Pneuma: Breath of Life. . . . . . . 54
Woolfe: the Red Hood Diaries . . . . . 34 Previews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Karmaflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Striker Arena. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Castle in the Darkness. . . . . . . . 38
Windward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Dead Synchronicity. . . . . . . . . 40
Spellweaver TCG. . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Trash TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
the Skies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
editorial
There and Back Again
elcome to The Indie Game Magazine, Year Two! Its been a full 12 issues since our relaunch,
and this issue marks the start of a brand new chapter for IGM. As youll see while reading,
this month is a special jumbo issue of the Magazine, featuring 3x more reviews than a normal issue. We wanted to celebrate the anniversary issue with as much extra content as we could jam
in. Hopefully, youll enjoy it!
Weve got a ton of exciting stuff lined up over the next year, so those of you purchasing an issue of IGM
for the first time picked the perfect jumping on point. While this months page count isnt a permanent
increase yet well be back to normal size next issue I do plan on bulking up the Magazine in the very
near future. Were slowly rolling out a number of changes to IGM as a whole, and offering a bigger,
better magazine is at the top of the list.
In the meantime, we just introduced a brand new website and logo for IGM. (Which I encourage you
all to check out after youve put down this issue.) The new design has been a long time coming, and
includes a host of upgrades; not the least of which is total mobile support, something weve unfortunately been lacking up to this point. But no more shall IGM be trapped in the dark ages, now you can
access our full web content, including daily news, reviews, previews, etc. on tablet and smartphone
devices. In addition to a great new homepage, the new site also allows us to roll out a few features to
streamline the entire IGM experience for our audience. Youll continue to see us announce and integrate
enhancements and upgrades throughout the year, so stay tuned for details.
On a brief tangent, I just wanted to mention how awesome this past convention season was. March
became the unofficial event month for the indie industry, with GDC, PAX East, SXSW, and EGX Rezzed
all happening in the span of two weeks. It was a whirlwind of news, announcements, and first-looks,
but when the dust settled, we were left with a really amazing glimpse at the future of indie gaming.
Virtual Reality hardware is continuing to slowly win me over - especially now that I can use the Oculus
Rift with my glasses on and still enjoy the full 3D effect - and the impending launch of Steam boxes
will bring indie games onto the big screen in a way consoles have yet to do, in part because of a lack
of support. Beyond that, software continues to improve thanks to the likes and accessibility of Unreal
Engine 4 and Unity 5, giving small teams the opportunity to make visually stunning graphics that can
match their imaginative gameplay innovations. It all adds up to an exciting 12 months for the indie gaming community, and its no coincidence that as the indie scene grows, so does IGMs ability to cover it.
Im excited for us to continuing growing alongside the community, improving our content and visual
presentation much in the same way indie games are.
This April issue is a major milestone for both me personally, and IGM at large. And just as we kicked
things off with a bang on the first of the month, I promise well be ending it with an even bigger explosion on the final day of the month. What do we have planned for April 30th, you ask? I think youll much
prefer finding out as a surprise. All I can promise is that it will definitely be worth the wait. See you then!
Vinny
Parisi
Editor-in-Chief
Indie Armada Fleet Admiral
Staff Credits
Vinny Parisi
Editor-in-Chief
Ryan Noble
Managing Editor
Toby Hoover
Forum Admin
Luke Siuty
Bonnie Burgette
Laura Klotz
Nick Cescon
Rafiq Mandal
Katrina Filippidis
Connor Selinske
Staff Writers
Michael Stearns
Graphic Design
The Indie Game Magazine Contact Directory:

For advertising opportunities ... editors@indiegamemag.com
For review policy questions ... vparisi@indiegamemag.com
For forum support ... editors@indiegamemag.com
To submit your game for review ... editors@indiegamemag.com
Your Game -- Our Cover

Have a game releasing soon and are interested in having your
game featured on an upcoming issue of The Indie Game Magazine?
Contact our Editor-in-Chief to find out how we can make that
happen.
Contact us at editors@indiegamemag.com
ADVERTISE WITH US!
March
retraction
A little hazy on the details

We made a mistake in our The Magic
Circle sub-feature last month. The ingame lead designers name is Maze,
not Haze. Sorry about that!
Website: www.themagiccircle.com
Connect with an audience of over 150 thousand indie game

fans and developers! Indie Game Magazine has opportunities
for advertising both in our magazine and on our web site, with
discounts available for developers.
Please direct all magazine advertising inquiries to vparisi@
indiegamemag.com
For online advertising, please email editors@indiegamemag.com!
Cover art provided by Sirenum Digital
EVENT CALENDAR
April 1 - Kna
April 1 - Super III
April 1 - War For The Overworld
April 2 - Luno
April 2 - Sentou Gakuen: Revival
April 9 - Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today
April 9 - Technobabylon
April 13 - Exiled
April 14 - Apocalypse Hunters
April 14 - The Ember Conflict
April 18 - Treeker: The Lost Glasses
April TBD - Abbeys Flight
April 2015
Game release Schedule
April TBD - Empyrion - Galactic Survival

April TBD - Nevergrind
April TBD - PlanNet
April TBD - Poncho
April TBD - Red Goddess
April TBD - Sketch Tales

April TBD - Theftime
April TBD - Tinertia
April TBD - Wander
April TBD - Zombie Office
The Indie Game Magazine
GAME WATCH
The Invasion Cometh!
by Nick Cescon
repare for invasion, fellow Nexians! Thats right, 2015 is

in full swing and were already looking at our next major
content update! I know, like me, youre probably still up to
your elbows in Protostar fun, however theres no time to lose.
INVASION: Nexus went live on the PTR (Public Test Realm) halfway through last month, and that means that the invasion will be
starting sooner than you think!
well soon be able to bring our

non-combatants out for a jog.
Contracts are going to be a completely new form of mission in the
game to keep play interesting. Meant as short, single-objective jobs
that emphasize fun over a large amount of playtime, Contracts
should be an ideal solution for when you want to play for twenty
minutes. They have three difficulty settings, but should still tote
some impressive loot rewards so that the time completing them
feels well spent.
Bay of Betrayal is the newest Adventure that is going to be set in
an alternate version of the Levian Bay zone. Designed as another
Sim-Core simulation, players are tasked with the job of infiltrating
the Ascendancy and dealing with its leader. Taking on the role of
a technopath candidate, youll enter a competition against other
candidates to get you closer to the enigmatic leaders vault, and
spoils within!
There are a lot of new features and content coming in the latest
of Carbines patches. From new game systems and companions
to new adventures and PvP, the INVASION patch promises to be
chalk full of the type of content that makes me think this year will
make WildStar great.
Besides the game-changing updates, there will also be a few lifestyle convenience upgrades. Players will be able to change their
costumes appearances from anywhere on Nexus remotely, rather
than having to find a Protostar Appearance Modificator for one.
We can also look forward to the addition of vanity pets; from living vegetables to the infamous and always popular Rowsdower,
PvE content isnt the only part of the game getting love, though,
and PvP-oriented players have a lot to look forward to as well. Factions will now be able to fight against each other in Exile-on-Exile
or Dominion-on-Dominion action that should be able to shorten
some of those PvP Queue times.
Theres a whole lot more coming out too, so make sure to stay
tuned. Good luck on the frontier, Nexians, and well see you all
next month!
Developer: Carbine Studios
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Website: https://shop.wildstar-online.com/
Twitter: @WildStar
GAME WATCH
LOST EMBER
Fanning the Flames
elcome to the latest edition of Game Watch, a recurring segment where I take a look behind the curtain of a
game early in development and track its progress from
initial concept to, hopefully, final release. Currently, were focused
on a project developed by Mooneye Studios known as Lost Ember.
As a general synopsis, the game is about a wolf exploring the remains of a ruined civilization. While journeying through a jungle
landscape, puzzle-solving elements open up opportunities to restore the ruins to their former glory, offering snippets of insight
into what happened to the culture that existed before everything
collapsed.
by Vinny Parisi
virtual reality. IKinema is an experienced group that has worked on

a number of AAA projects, with a client list that includes LucasArts,
Arkane Studios, Valve, Platinum Games, Square Enix and even 20th
Century Fox. Mooneye sees this partnership as a major win for Lost
Ember that will ensure the game has top notch movement animation
for the wolf, among the other playable characters.
Speaking of other playable characters, weve already covered how
the wolf will be able to take control of certain other animals in the
game, switching up the playstyle as players assume direct control
of the new character. These animals will offer a new perspective,
beginning in Episode 1 with a parrot that can fly. While the feature
is not yet in place, Apel mentioned this month that we started
working on the switch mechanic to control other animals, which
will take probably about a month. Well be sure to check in on the
progress of the switch mechanic in time for next months issue.
As mentioned last month, one of the top goals for the team heading into April was to rework the wolf model and smooth out the
animation process. Just in case you forgot or are new to the segment last month also introduced Marco Apel as the teams new
social media and community manager. With Apel as my new point Another exciting development for the team is that the staff roster
of contact, we discussed the details about Mooneyes plans, and if continues to grow. Last month, Mooneye brought two new members
they were able to achieve any of last months objectives.
on board, with conceptual designer Miriam Komorek joining Apel
Fortunately, it seems the team did manage to make some head- to round out the group. This month, the team is happy to welcome
way. Apel told me that we are still putting a lot of work into the Larissa Grtner into the mix as an additional intern who will assist
with programming.
implementation of the wolf and we are making some real progress.
Especially the fur is looking great already. On top of that, Lost One of the other goals for Lost Ember this month was to get the
Ember managed to secure some assistance from IKinema, a studio project in a decent enough shape to be able to present it to potential
that provides animation software for motion capture, games, and partners and investors. Beyond their successful partnership with
Sqwaaaak!! More info at:
Super Carl!
Take a quick look at
MoonEyes new iOS
offering...
www.indiedb.com/
games/super-carl
Ikinema who then displayed the game during their presentation

at GDC 2015 Mooneye Studios was able to begin reaching out to
potential investors to increase their funding for Lost Ember. Apel
confirmed that negotioations had begun and were ongoing, so the
game has reached a presentable enough state that it is possible to
begin shopping it around.
Yet, even with such progress in terms of internal goals, the team was
admittedly disappointed with the lack of overall project development
they were able to get done. There was no mention this month of
how soon their vertical slice would be completed, nor any mention
of the planned teaser trailer. These two objectives would allow the
public to catch a glipse of Lost Ember for the first time, at an event
similar to GDC or PAX East. Additionally, Apel mentioned the studio
had to deal with a lot of legal and financial work this month. While
he did not confirm any specifics, he did cite the necessary project
management hurdles as a cause of slowed production.
Heading into the next month, the team plans to hammer out the
specific plot points of Episode 1. By next issue, Mooneye should
know exactly what aspects of gameplay and level design need to be
completed in order the finalize the first installment of Lost Ember.
They will continue to reach out to investors, as well. Most interestingly, they will also be releasing a mobile game, called Super Carl,
which will potentially already be out by the time our April issue is
published.
Super Carl is an Android game that was developed prior to the
production of Lost Ember. It was designed by Mooneye over the
course of three months, and just recently received a final bit of polish. Details can be found on the games IndieDB page, but the basic
goal of Super Carl is to save a sheep from falling off a cliff by moving
fences. No details concerning pricing were disclosed.
Lost Ember still has a long journey ahead before its ready to release,
but the team at Mooneye is consistently growing and motivated by
a clear set of objectives. Be sure to check back next issue to catch
another behind-the-scenes, inside look at indie game development
with Game Watch.
Developer: Mooneye Studios

Website: http://www.lostember.com/
DevBlog: www.mooneyestudios.com/blog
Twitter: @MoonEyeStudios
Advertisement:
INTERVIEW
by Vinny
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an cruise liner named the
Hifumi Kono Interviethiws issue. (For once, Project Scissors: Night Cry. Set on anguoce
until
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Parisi
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yers will interact with
alker, a frightans of the horror genre are
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with Konos trademark
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series, which
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Konos original
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to
scare gamers
re to be.
of traditional gameplay.
scared they should prepa
overlaying them on top
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and Kono and crew at the
Flash forward to today,
erience titled
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10
Indie Game
Magazine : After
the original Clock
Tower came out, you werent too interested in developing
a sequel. Eventually though, as new technology arrived, you
changed your mind. Along with todays technological improvements, what makes now the right time to bring a spiritual
successor to life?
to attain ideal horror?
Kono: The first thing I would say is that the main character is
the average Joe. Characters with special abilities give an outof-this-world impression, making it hard for the audience to
relate to the character. Also, there shouldnt be a special reason the main character is being attacked. I feel it is important
to create a world in such a way that the audience feels these
horrifying events could happen to anyone at any given time,
Hifumi Kono: Starting around 5 years back, I began pitching including themselves.
this type of horror game to publishers, but no one was interested. Their reasoning was it is difficult to make up for the Another point is to leave a small amount of hope in any devever increasing production cost with horror games, unless astating situation. Fear and despair are amplified when the
small chance of survival that the characters foster is crushed
they feature zombies.
right in front of their eyes.
In recent years, however, people have begun focusing on indie
games, and because of this, while the development budget is IGM : Project Scissors was originally intended as a mobile
nothing compared to major titles, we are able to create original, game - for PS Vita and Smartphones - with an emphasis on
touch controls. Will accommodating a point-and-click control
cutting edge games.
scheme via mouse as opposed to touch (which assumedly alters
IGM : The team behind NightCry is made up of experienced how quickly players can input commands) affect the games
professionals. Can you highlight some particular strengths of moment-to-moment pacing?
the core team members, in regards to how their contributions
Kono: Currently, we do not see any problems with mouse conwill improve the game?
trol while we play the game in development. Instead, because
Kono: As we continue shifting from the smartphone version right-clicking can be used for a certain feature in the game,
of the game to platforms with higher specs, they are starting the controls are smoother than originally planned. Because
to show off what they are really capable of. Especially since we originally envisioned a point & click game, the system has
improvements for animation and character models are
a high affinity for controlling with a mouse.
being made as needed, I am seeing the quality being
polished each time updates are made. It is our plan to IGM : Before deciding on the Oceanus cruise liner as the locashowcase as much of these improvements as possible. tion for the game, were there any other potential settings you
had in mind? Can you tease or describe some of the rooms
IGM : Youve spoken before about the concept of
within the ship that players will get to explore?
ideal horror. Despite the depth of the horror genre,
what would you consider to be the core pillars needed Kono: Closed environments, such as mansions and remote
www.indiegamemag.com
11

Knowing the pain

wont end quickly
adds to the fear.
islands, were candidates for setting in the planning process of does your fascination
the game. However, because one of the characteristics of the with using scissors as
Scissorwalker we have not revealed yet is closely connected to a weapon come from?
water, I decided to use a cruise liner at sail as the setting.
Kono: It all started from the fact that scissors are a weapon
In stages we are currently developing, and will be developing in we are all familiar with, and the pain associated with it is easily
the near future, we plan to include deserted islands, and parts comes to mind. This sense of familiarity makes it easier for the
of the ship that are submerged in water. Needless to say, the audience to relate to the characters. Also because when you are
success of our Kickstarter is key for these features to be added. cut with scissors, you have to wait for the blades to cut through
(Editors Note: NightCry its funding goal of $300k, bringing in the flesh. Knowing the pain wont end quickly adds to the fear.
nearly $315k via Kickstarter.)
Another thing, which is related to the theme of this project, is that
IGM : A lot of horror games rely on a sense of isolation to invoke scissors are a tool with the ability to sever two related objects.
fear. But Project Scissors openly encourages players to get to For example, when humans are born, the baby is separated from
know the ships crew and guests. How does designing a horror its mother when its naval cord is cut withscissors. In this way,
experience differ when the protagonist is with a group, as op- scissors play a major role in separating two living entities from
posed to being alone?
one another, and this is a key theme in the story of NightCry.
Kono: We also will not have many scenes where a large number of
characters appear (mainly due to the limited resources available
to us). However, the more people there are, the more corpses
we can create. With more corpses, an anxiety increases among
characters, and we can create the sense of Whos nextAm I
going to be the next victim? Furthermore, as we see in many
horror films, humans can be much more vicious than the monster
in extreme circumstances. I hope to be able to illustrate that
aspect of human nature in this game as well.
IGM : Clock Tower really turned the horror genre on its head with
the inclusion of multiple endings and a scare meter to display
the characters mood. Despite your peers at the time telling you
the basic concept of the game wouldnt work, what convinced
you to pursue and implement such unique mechanics?
Kono: Being a horror fan myself, I believed it to be a system

that allowed me to express all that is important to a horror title.
Horror games until then were just games that added a touch of
horror to existing game systems. This system was created for
IGM : Are there any horror game/movie tropes youd like to the sole purpose of presenting horror in a game, in a way that
specifically avoid while developing NightCry?
is true to the genre.
Kono: Not exactly a horror trope, but I want to avoid explain- IGM : For folks on the fence about NightCry, what would you
ing everything. Thats because its so common for us to be very say this horror game delivers that hasnt been done before? Are
disappointed when we figure out the truth.
there any particular design innovations youd like to highlight?
IGM : Ive been waiting to ask this question for a long time: Where Kono: In NightCry, the player will be controlling 4 characters,
12
all in separate places and times

on the Oceanus. This is when
the smartphone in the game comes in handy. The flashlight
of course, making and answering calls, as well as posting to a
fictional SNS [Social Network Service] in the game allows you
and other survivors to share information that will be crucial
for their survival. Having an SNS in the game is so that char-
less about
re
a
c
re
a
u
o
y
if
,
Beware
make calls...
u
o
y
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e
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w
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a
n
whe
acters can find clues from the dead characters as well. To call
other characters, you need their phone number, but through
answering calls, you can collect information. Also, by making
a call you will be able to find other survivors as you follow the
ringtone. Beware, if you are careless about when and where
you make calls, the ringtone could attract the Scissorwalker.
With Night Cry funded, players can expect all of the features
Kono detailed in this interview to be included in the game.
Stretch goals were unfortunately not met, and included things
like PS4 and Xbox One releases, a bonus playable character,
and extra ways to die. In all likelihood, console releases and
additional characters beyond what is currently planned would
only be possible upon a successful launch and continued interest in the project.
I want to give a very special, heartfelt thank you to Mr. Hifumi
Kono for taking the time to conduct this interview. Hes done
amazing work in the horror genre, and as Shinji Mikami (director of Resident Evil 1 & 4, as well as the recent The Evil Within)
so accurately stated, Kono is one of the great game creators
in Japan. Fans of Clock Tower and the horror genre in general
would be wise to keep an eye on NightCrys development, as
it boasts a true-to-form return for one of the best in the business. Im already having trouble sleeping just thinking about it.
ct the
uld attra
o
c
e
n
to
g
n
ri
e
h
.t
..
Scissorwalker.
Developer: Playism Games

Platforms: iOS, Android, PS Vita, Windows PC
Website: https://www.night-cry.com
Twitter: @Night_Scissors
13
FEATURE INTERVIEW
a sewn men sit down to have

ts not everyday two gro
exactly
t mermaids. But thats
rious conversation abou
e Lost
ector and producer of Th
what Dan Rutkowski, dir
t Piscesis
rhaps not exactly. The Los
Pisces, and I did. Well, pe
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in development at LLC tha
a project thats long been
The Little
ns Christian Andersons
reimagined version of Ha
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aid
rm
Me
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comfortably attractive rob
tive mermaid with un
youre on the right track.
the right
sion didnt exactly hit all
It turns out the Disney ver
yre deterhind Lost Pisces,and the
notes with the team be
ys true to
authentic story that sta
mined to tell a far more
endeavor
an admittedly ambitious
the original themes. With
the team
nd out just exactly what
ahead for Sirenum, I fou
deliver
yre so confident they can
has planned, and why the
t young
gather round, all ye brigh
on their grand vision. So
questions
swimmin, and get your
men and women, sick of
answered.
Aquatic
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The Lost
14
by Vinny Parisi
Indie Game Magazine: The

Lost Pisces a reimagining of
Hans Christian Andersons
The Little Mermaid. What
makes this classic story
the perfect blueprint for
the narrative youd like
to tell with Pisces?
Dan Rutkowski: Good
question. The original Little Mermaid is a
pretty fascinating short story that Ive always
admired, because its a really deep story
that barely anyone is familiar with. The animated versions that were created didnt do
the core message justice, unfortunately. That
said, the original tale was actually about the
Little Mermaid desperately searching for a
soul, and doing anything to gain one. Most
fairy tales dont get into such complex matters as searching for a soul in order to evade
the infinite nothingness of a death without
one. Thats a pretty intense concept for a
childrens story. Andersens version existed
within a world where religious beliefs dictated
that, strictly speaking, only human beings
have souls. Animals, plants, etc. are alive
and conscious beings, but they dont have
a soul that will allow them to continue on
after death at least according to the story.
It takes place at the end of the last great

high-civilization (cough, Atlantis, cough) and
sees the worlds coastal regions (which today
hold roughly 44% of the worlds population)
being drowned under the seas as they slowly
rise and consume more and more land. With
their backs set against still-existing glaciers,
the civilization has to abandon its technological endeavors and go into a sort of survival
mode. Think about it: Scientists are no longer
focused on research theyre focused on
feeding their families. That goes for every
profession. And when a civilization is dealing with starvation, flooding, infrastructure
collapse, power-vacuums, hysteria, and massive migrations, it doesnt have the time or
manpower to maintain the knowledge its
gained over the eons and so within only a
generation or so, those technological marvels
can be lost. Realistically, an advanced civilization can be sent into stone-age existence
very quickly.
Knowing that we wanted to play with AI quite

a bit, theres this obvious sort of connection
to the question of what is a soul? Its easy
enough for many people to imagine that
anything alive has some eternal essence, but
its difficult to imagine that something which
has never been alive can actually house a
soul. However, if one day we create AI that
is sophisticated enough to understand its
own existence, its a legitimate conclusion
that the AI would ask the same thing any
child eventually does: What happens to us
at the end? If we can build a machine that
can question its existence, it will almost certainly experience the same terrifying eternal
questions that any human being is faced
with. Our Little Mermaids name is Pisces,
and shes faced with those same questions.
Shes endowed with enough consciousness
to become consumed by the same haunting
ideas as the Little Mermaid had, and she is So, in short, The Lost Piscestakes place during
driven to become human in order to gain this fall from grace. Its a moment in time
where youll see beautiful monuments that
a soul.
stand as testaments to what civilization can
IGM: can you tell me about the games set- achieve, being lost to time and the oceans.
ting? It obviously differs from the story it is The climate is cold, watery, and brutal. And
inspired by, but what sort of science fiction the last pieces of working technology - these
will players be swimming into?
gods that were created by mankind - now
Rutkowski : Swimming nice. We were wander the world.
actually influenced by an amazing author
and researcher named Graham Hancock
and transformed many of his conclusions
into a sci-fi adventure for gamers to engage
in. The game is set at the end of the Age of
Virgo, which would be around 10,500 BC
which is also the beginning of the Age of
Leo. This would also be around the time
when the ice age came to an end, a time
when the glaciers that covered most of the
northern hemisphere would have melted,
and sea levels rose about 300 feet.
IGM: I think a lot of folks are going to take

a look at The Lost Pisces think its way too
overambitious to be feasible for an indie team
to tackle. What do you say to those people
who are leery of the teams ability to make
good on your vision?
Rutkowski : I say thats a legitimate concern!
It does sound a bit ambitious, doesnt it?
Though I stand by the idea that industrial
designers can do anything
The three main designers, myself (Dan Rut-
15
kowski), Maya and Michaell Bakalars, are

all industrial designers with professional
backgrounds that include Exhibit, Point-ofPurchase, and Experiential Design. Weve
each had to work at breakneck paces for the
last decade 30 years of design experience
total. These fields dont allow for a designer
to take a week to model and texture a table,
or chair, or whatever other game prop may
exist they allow for only a couple of hours.
Were comfortable with the typical design
project that lasts between 4 days and 3
weeks- so what Im saying is we are very fast,
very efficient, and very good at what we do.
Unlike traditional game designers, industrial
designers are tasked with almost projectmanagement positions; we innovate, ideate,
design, present, and manage the production
elements throughout a projects life cycle.
Our day jobs are intense and extensive, and
its taught us quite a bit.
Framerates became miserably low and we

were unsure of how to remedy the situation
in May of 2013. Optimization is one thing,
but we wanted our characters and world to
be amazing we wanted the terrain to be
awe-inspiring. We wanted water to look and
feel like, well, water! Unfortunately these effects are just outside of what we felt Unity 4
could provide on a console or common-range
gaming PC. So we held off.
Fast forward to March of 2014 and Unreal

Engine 4 makes a debut. We had dabbled with
UDK in the past and knew that the technology was insane (in a good way), but for one
reason or another never perused that engine
for The Lost Pisces. But Unreal Engine 4 was
something special, and we began the long
journey of porting our art into that engine.
The fact that Unreal can handle such a gigantic
breadth of things well, from massive terrains
to realistic foliage, to their incredibly robust
IGM: Youve been working on The Lost Pisces blue-print visual-scripting system, has given
three years now, and originally intended to us the confidence that we can deliver the
launch a Kickstarter in May of 2013. How game weve always envisioned.
has the game evolved over all that time, and
IGM: Pisces partially described as a shooter.
what makes now the right time to lay all the
What else can you tell me about the games
cards out on the table?
combat mechanics, and how theyll evolve
Rutkowski: the time we were using Unity over time?
to build the game, and while we love Unity
Rutkowski: s just the easiest way to describe
for specific reasons, we werent confident
it until we release game footage, I suppose.
that we could provide a stellar experience
The game is set in first-person perspective,
using it. We were able to prototype all of the
as this makes the most sense when it comes
original ideas for Pisces, with Kinect-enabled
to interacting with your female companion,
learning AI and such, but when it came to a
Pisces. I dont know if I would define it as a
visually-stunning world, it was insanely difshooter in the sense that shooters are usuficult to maintain a consistent experience at
ally focused only on that shooting things.
a decent framerate. Unity can do an amazing
Theres not a whole lot of that in The Lost
amount of things, and can look outstanding
Pisces,actually. The game is an adventure
when you purchase enough of the communitythat pits you, the gamer, against massive
created plugins that provide better and better
machine-like gods that are next-to-impossible
lighting and AI effects. But it comes at price.
16
to destroy. Theres usually only one way to

kill the god, and it involves plotting and
discovery elements to find the appropriate
weapons and methods required to fulfill
that goal.
IGM: As Pisces becomes more human, she
loses some of her more powerful abilities.
Growing weaker as gameplay progresses is
typically the exact opposite of what most
players expect when experiencing traditional
games, which serve as power fantasies. How
does the team plan to empower players, or at
least offer them a sense of positive progression, as Pisces grows weaker?
Rutkowski : Another good question! From
the perspective of an RPG, it could certainly
be perceived that were doing the exact
opposite of what is a proven formula for
engaging the gamer. The whole project is
unorthodox, I suppose. But were not really
building an RPG at all. The fact that Pisces
becomes more and more human over time
is just a different twist on a gameplay mechanic that everyone is familiar with: As a
game progresses, we expect it to become
more challenging! Stage 5 is usually more
difficult than stage 2.
Likewise, the enemies you encounter in The
Lost Pisces dont necessarily become more
powerful or intelligent (theyre easily likened
to almost Lovecraftian cosmic forces that are
pure, unbridled chaos not evil geniuses),
and so the increased difficulty cant arise in
that sense. So we thought that the fact that
Pisces herself becomes more fragile is a great
mechanic that allows for the game to become
more difficult over time. An attack that in
the beginning of the game may do minimal
damage to her, may later-on critically injure
her in the final portions of the game.
IGM: What sorts of obstacles and enemies few shocks along the way!
will Pisces come across on her journey?
One of the things youll learn very quickly
Rutkowski: enemies in the game are simply is that there are many different vehicles at
referred to as gods in the beginning, though your disposal around Atlantis, which will help
it will be up to the player to discover what you to reach your destinations much more
that really means. The gods themselves are quickly than traveling by foot. Some regions
very unique from one another in design, but are actually impossible to reach without useach is undoubtedly gigantic in scale... with ing them. These vehicles range from tanks,
the exception of one named Pisces (who has to flying vehicles, to submarines. Each has
no interest in staying an immortal machine, a purpose, and the gamer should feel that
and wants to turn human)! Their history is these are almost disposable as we want the
also up for debate, with various origin stories gamer to feel free to jump in one at any time,
that the gamer will discover along the way, left without worry of resource-management. If
behind by the previous inhabitants cultural you hop in a submarine and pilot it against
creations, such as written words, iconography, an enemy, we dont want you to be too
and artwork. The gods are a strange thing, concerned with never finding another sub
because theyre clearly not organic, nor are again; the game is about experimentation
they ethereal in nature, but very real and when trying to destroy these gods, so youll
mechanistic. But why they were created in make a lot of mistakes. Youll destroy a lot
of subs, helicopters, and tanks you are
the first place is something youll have to play
fighting against 20-story tall nearly-immortal
the game to uncover. So hopefully this sparks
machines, after all.
the gamers imagination as they explore the
truth behind the gods, which will lead to a IGM: The Lost Pisces three unique, open-
world areas that players can explore. What

are some of the different locations players
will be able to visit?
Rutkowski : The gamer will see the end of the
Atlantian civilization. Its cities lay somewhat
submerged beneath the waves and so youll
be able to dive into the water (or, if you can
find one, use a submersible craft) and explore
the submerged remains.
The three areas are The Port of Aries, The
Chasm of Signis, and the Shatters of Old Atlantia. Each area has its own unique appeal to
it, and the climate changes a little bit. We see
Atlantis as having not been a single city, but
17
actually a globe-spanning civilization. The Port

of Aries is the region that folks will see in the
Kickstarter campaign, and its the first region
the gamer will experience while playing The
Lost Pisces. This is a cold coastal region full
of sunken and buried technologies that the
gamer will be tasked to hunt down and use
against the massive denizens that inhabit the
waters of the coast. The region is butted-up
against a picturesque mountain range with
large glaciers that have closed-off any sort
of escape route. Here, the player will find a
few functioning laboratories that provide the
technological equipment required to transform Pisces from the aquatic creation she is,
to the human being she wants to become.
The challenge of course, is to do this under
the radar of the massive monsters that roam
the coast looking for survivors.
Also in [The Port of Aries] region, gamers
will begin to unearth many of the worlds
mysteries, which hopefully will compel them
to put the many pieces of this large puzzle
together, and find out why the world was
destroyed, who created the denizens of the
game known only as the gods, and how
to grant Pisces her only request of you: A
human soul.
18
IGM: Sirenum intends to integrate Kinect

so that Pisces can learn from a players
reactions, reading their facial features and
remembering her experiences. Can you
detail some specific examples of how youd
like this process to effect gameplay, or the
relationship between players and Pisces?
Rutkowski : Emotional responses are context
sensitive. A shocked look on the gamers face
can mean many different things. Depending on
if the enemy just finished an attack animation,
or if a piece of information regarding some
hidden truth was just read off an ancient
tablet, the same look can mean very different
things. And so we use a Boolean system to
gauge what different emotional responses
really mean i.e. if A and B are true, then
the emotional response likely equals Z.
As an example, things you may have done
with her will define how she will react to
you in the present. If youve come to her
rescue, if youve shown compassion in your
face when she asks you for a favor, if youve
smiled at her when you thought she wasnt
looking these things all mean something
to her, and will change her perception of
you. If youve shown despair or concern in
your face when she has been hurt, that too
means something to her. Theyre really simple

ideas, but these subtle responses that your
face generates gives her a clue as to who you
are, and whether or not she can trust you.
the backbone for our Emotional AI, however

were using some unique methods to make
Pisces different. Not to get too deep into
technicalities, but unlike typical AI methods
weve tried to approach Pisces AI from a
more philosophical, artistic perspective.
She has all of the wayfinding and nav-mesh
technology youll find in any other games
characters, but her goals are defined differently than most others.
IGM: Instead of Artificial Intelligence, youre

aiming to create what the team refers to as
Emotional Intelligence with The Lost Pisces.
From a development perspective, what sorts
of technology and infrastructure are needed
to create a character that learns and adapts
to players in a meaningful way capable of IGM: Pisces, much like her classic inspiration,
stimulating an emotional connection?
loses her voice in the game. Sirenum aims
to give her the ability to see how players are
Rutkowski : Well, weve connected with a
feeling through their facial expressions, but
company now that has been working on a
how will players be able to tell what Pisces
solution for a very similar goal for some time,
is feeling? How realistic will her expressions
named Rival Theory. They have traditionally
and animations be, and will the team be uscreated content and technology for Unity
ing any motion capture?
Engine, however theyve been interested in
producing a standalone API which can output Rutkowski : Indeed. She loses her voice and
agnostically to different engines, including ultimately relies on our most powerful tool
Unreal, for a while. Their goals seemed to align to convey emotion: The face. We can garner
very well with our own, and having started an amazing amount of information from
The Lost Pisces in Unity, we were already facial expressions, when combined with our
familiar with their AI system called RAIN AI. situational understanding. A smile put into
The addition of an even more advanced, context can mean many different things,
learning AI called Sentio really peeked our and so I believe people will be surprised at
interest, and so weve connected with them just how much they can know about Pisces
to provide some of their magic to Pisces.
even though shes lost her voice. If she cant
answer you with her voice, then she will
Additionally, Unreal Engine 4s malleable
ultimately answer you with her body. Hand
blueprints and behavior-tree system provide
gestures and body language also convey a

lot of information. We really dont see it as a
hurdle at all really. Its the same as if youd
met someone who doesnt speak your language. Eventually youd have to rely on very
instinctual methods of communication. Youd
have to be clever. This is an adventure game
after all, and as with all adventures there are
many puzzles the gamer will be challenged
with, communication is one of them.
So, that said, yes we rely very heavily on motion capture so far, as it provides all of the
subtle movements that provide clues into
what Pisces is thinking. Another reason Unreal
is great right out of the box, is its inclusion
of blendshapes support. Weve found that
morph-targets/blendshapes offer the most
realistic movements so far (as opposed to
joint-based facial animation), and weve been
using a couple of Kinect-based products for
both facial and body capture that seem to
be doing very well so far. While we continue
to create the game, wed also like to explore
some of the more advanced facial animation
techniques that include streaming normalmap and occlusion-map textures, like those
found in L.A. Noirs gameplay, but that would
require a good deal of funding to generate
that sort of capture.
19
COVER STORY
Part of Your World
by Vinny Parisi
lipping your fins, you dont get too far. Legs are required for
jumping, dancing, strolling along down the whats that
word again? - street. Up where they walk. Up where they run.
Up where they stay all day in the sun. Wandering free. Wish I could
be. Part of that world.
The Lost Pisces aims to tell a new tale based on the familiar story
popularized in the Disney animation, The Little Mermaid. The problem
is, the story that most folks have grown up with isnt actually an accurate representation of the original authors intent. To that end, the
20
from outside resources to help them realize their vision. A good

creative director knows how to find the right people to do specific,
specialized jobs. In my career, Ive overseen the creation of digital
virtual experiences by teams composed of in-house talent as well
as outsourced elements, he said. We dont NEED to be able to
do everything theres a world of talent out there to fill the gaps.
Part of leading a project is knowing that you cant be an expert at
everything, and so you may need to apply additional resources
to complete the project the way it was designed. Thats reality.
Sirenum is made up of three key members, all of them industrial
engineers with a cumulative three decades worth of experience
in the field. Anyone who takes on every aspect of game design is
ultimately failing at a few things theyve stretched themselves
too thin. If youre good at art, stick with art. Learn some of the
technical things, but when you want an advanced feature for
your game, bring someone on board who knows what theyre
doing dont let your project suffer from the fact that no one
can be good at everything! he advises.
Specifically, the team plans on working with two outside studios
in particular, both working in tandem to achieve an incredibly
complex objective. Rutkowski revealed that Sirenum has partnered with two smaller companies that bring their own unique
abilities to the project. One, a company named Opaque Media,
has created an amazing tool named Kinect4Unreal which allows
us to get data from a gamers facial expressions and input them
into our behavior and memory systems. The other, a relatively
well-known company named Rival Theory that has been producing AI solutions for some time for Unity developers, is helping
to bring their Sentio Character learning AI technology to our
game as well.
development team at Sirenum LLC is working on The Lost Pisces, an

adventure about a robot in search of a soul who wishes to be human.
Or more accurately, who wishes to understand what it means to be
human. Their efforts will culminate with a Kickstarter campaign set
to launch on April 7, shortly after this issue hits the stand.
Despite being an indie team, Sirenum is both ambitious and determined enough to feel confident in achieving their goals. As Dan
Rutkowski, director and producer on the project, explains, experience
has taught the team that theres nothing wrong with getting help
Mapping players facial reactions and implementing advanced AI

is a key component of The Lost Pisces development. The games
protagonist, an advanced synthetic named Pisces, wants to be
granted a soul and ultimately become human. It is the players
job, under the guise of her companion named Erebos, to forge
an alliance with Pisces and survive in a world that is slowly falling into ruin. Imagine if the companionship between Booker and
Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite merged with the advanced AI
and vision of Peter Molyneuxs Project Milo tech demonstration.
Theres no real way to introduce this concept in a manner that
doesnt sound totally bogus or unrealistic, and I was personally
very skeptical prior to chatting with Rutkowski, but Ill share with
you what he shared with me, and the community can decide for
itself whether or not it seems feasible:
Part of the characters Emotional AI is actually based on RTS
techniques, where youve got separate units each with different
21
weighted goals sending information back to the core

of the AI. Like a strategy game,
theres resources that certain
units try to collect in an effort to provide
resources for the AI to use. In some games this is akin to ore, or
some other mineral being mined. The easiest way to explain it is
that in our game, the AI is quietly using invisible resource-collection
units to mine for digital serotonin the chemical that provides a
sense of happiness. Theres a lot of things that drive our levels of
serotonin, including how hungry we are, how safe we are, how
exhausted we are, how connected to other humans we are, etc,
etc. Revenge and lust offer rewards too. The invisible mining-units
are generating paths to their goals, and these paths have weights
to them within the program, and so certain paths are more favorable than others. Theres a plethora of invisible potentiality units
working in RTS style to provide data to the AI, not just serotonin
bots, but you get the gist. Weve simply found that the RTS system
seems to simulate a singular being well.
However, the AI learns over time. Everything is context based,
and so if a certain path to happiness is met with pain enough
times, that path-method is determined to be unfavorable. For
instance, if Pisces tries to help you when youve been injured and
are limping along, but being a stubborn individual you meet her
offer of help with anger and rejection, shell become hurt and after a couple of times, may no longer offer her help. In fact, if the
gamer presents her with enough painful, emotionally-damaging
instances, she may turn against you
This idea of creating a lasting, meaningful relationship with
Pisces is the true heart and, well, soul of the project above all
else. According to Rutkowski, it was the initial spark from which
everything else began to materialize. We knew we wanted to do
something special with artificial intelligence and perception from
the beginning, because at the core of our team, were all industrial
designers. As designers were taught to tell stories to connect
with human beings, he said. A good product is something that
connects to the public, and elevates the product, whether it be
a wrist-watch, or a car, or a video game, to something meaningful. Games can be just for fun, absolutely, or they can be stories
that are meaningful, personal, and moving. We chose the latter.
22
With the thought of developing a meaningful, personal journey

in mind, Sirenum settled on the idea of exploring the concept of
a soul. Its a question that I believe every human being, whether
you believe in an afterlife or not, and whether youre willing to
admit it or not, struggles with in the quiet moments of our lives.
Its a terrifying notion to think that after we depart, that we just
disappear, Rutkowski reasons. Its this unfathomable question we
have what its like to no longer exist? Its all weve ever known.
We wonder where loved ones have gone, forever, and its something that can consume you if you let it. The Little Mermaidis this
curious exploration of what a creature will do to escape the infinite
quiet that non-existence offers, and its fascinating to think what
we could do with that concept in our story.
The story, set during the fall of Atlantian civilization, depicts a once
highly advanced technological people reduced to a fragment of
their former glory. In the aftermath of a recent ice age, the world
is flooded, sinking most cities, and with them, any orderly or cohesive sense of civilization. As it turns out, this idea isnt taken from
science fiction. Rather, it comes from early religion.
The ancient worlds religions were so seemingly obsessed with
the stars and their constellations that we found the connections
between the ancient skies and time-keeping on a civilization-scale
irresistible. Theres this concept that many ancient cultures held
that time is actually cyclical in nature, Rutkowski explained. Every
Cycle of Procession would see civilization rise over the eons, and
eventually fall. The Hindu religion has these well defined as The
Satya Yuga (an enlightened, advanced time in human history), and
the Kali Yuga (a fall into darkness and depravity), along with two
others: Golden ages and dark ages. As living beings, our civilizations are bound to repeat our fates into eternity. Theres no real
way to escape this endless cycle, and so just as we have moved
into a more technologically advanced world today, its possible that
weve been here before
As the team puts it, these concepts are so awesomely mysterious
that we had to set the game in this advanced ancient world. As
for where the idea of a great flood comes from, it too is a recurring
theme in many early cultures. Theres this sort of illusive flood story
that permeates many ancient cultures mythologies; a surprisingly
large amount of them, actually. We found that truth to be really
interesting, and a bit disturbing, as its presence in so many cultures
indicates that there might be some truth to the flood stories. And
a massive flood that is decimating a civilization makes for a great
backdrop, especially when your heroine is a mermaid!
While much of the world and setting is forged from ancient cultures
and religions, The Lost Pisces is a video game after all, and so theres
also a fair bit of fiction and fantasy thrown in for good measure.
We added a healthy dose of science fiction in our version, trading
a literal mermaid for something of a sentient, aquatic machine (still
a cute girl though) and toyed with the adventure a bit so that were
fairly certain youll fall as deeply in love with our story as we have,
Rutkowski told me. It should be noted that although the game
has its action elements, this is really a psychological adventure. It
explores scary ideas, but its a beautiful story too. Its one which
we want to haunt the gamer for a long time. It has a beginning, a
middle, and a definite end - with no real room for a sequel - its a
complete idea. An ode to our short time on earth, and what we
choose to do with it. In the end, I hope it makes people imagine a
bit further than they usually do to ponder what we are, and what
makes us human. Its a lofty goal, but this story is so meaningful that
I believe it can be accomplished. With Sirenum so intensely focused
on telling a singular narrative, unrestricted by the notion of holding
something back for a follow up game, perhaps they truly can craft
an unparalleled level of engagement between players and Pisces.
In order to establish any sort of emotional connection to Pisces,
Sirenum must first create a scenario in which players are willing
to open themselves up to the idea of connecting with her at all.
To that end, it seems like the team will place gamers in a situation where allying with Pisces is mutually beneficial. An uneasy
alliance of sorts. At least at first, anyway. Pisces is a curious girl
who, while certainly determined, also doesnt understand the
world your character comes from. Shes entranced by you but
she doesnt know you either. Shes shy, shes careful, and like any
other stranger, shell have to get to know you before opening up
with any secrets she has.
Just as Pisces is unfamiliar with the human world, so too are players equally in the dark about Pisces, her kind, and the powerful,
mechanical gods that now roam the wastelands of Atlantis. This
creates another point of engagement between players and their
mermaid-esque companion, as theyll initially be wholly reliant on
Pisces to learn how to survive and ultimately overcome the obstacles
23
work for another. And the devices and techniques you must employ
to annihilate them are themselves hidden away in the many buried/
sunken facilities that dot the landscape and lay beneath the waves
of Atlantis. Sirenum wants to design each encounter in a way that
makes each victory feel like its own reward. We really want the
player to feel a sense of massive accomplishment when they take
these massive, unbending, relentless enemies down.
Even though taking down the gods is meant to feel like a major
achievement, Rutkowski is quick to point out that The Lost Pisces
is designed to prioritize story above combat. In fact, the notion of
gameplay at all is seemingly a secondary mechanic. I think that
when the gamer plays through the story, theyll find that the story
is one that revolves around a much deeper concept than fighting,
Rutkowski began. Fighting exists because thats the force which
poses a strategic challenge to the gamer. But at the core, the game
isnt a game at all; its an experiment. We want to see how intimately
connected a gamer becomes to Pisces. The story is about falling in
love with a being, and wanting to protect it. Knowing that being,
spending time with it, learning and sharing secrets, and becoming
entwined with one another. Elaborating further about this idea,
he mentions that we want the gamer to become entangled with
this AI. To wonder things about her. We want the gamer to play
again and again, in an effort to find out more and more about her.
And the more the gamer cares about her, the more empowered
youll feel. The more meaningful her fate becomes to you. Thats
the real game.
that stand between them. For example, you may have to persuade
Pisces to provide you with insight as to where a certain device may
be, which can be used to sabotage one of the denizens in the game,
Rutkowski revealed. You cant directly destroy these enemies, but
if you can acquire an old reactor-core from one of the sunken airships that lay at the bottom of the ocean, you might be able to set
a trap in a mountain-pass and detonate it when your enemy is in
position. But to get this information from Pisces thats where it
gets tricky. Just as with The Little Mermaid, she cant speak to you.
And in the beginning, while she finds your character interesting,
she doesnt trust you.
Trust may be an issue at first, but given the sheer size and strength
of the creatures that stand between Pisces and her goal of becoming human, it wont be long before players team up with her to
take down the massive mechanical monstrosities. As Rutkowski
describes them, they are lumbering, gigantic machines that prove
to be very difficult to destroy you cant simply fire conventional
weapons into them and expect to deal any damage. With that in
mind, it will take a bit of creative ingenuity to succeed, in a way
quite reminiscent of Shadow of the Colossus. Pisces can provide
some protection from them, and actually deal a bit of damage
herself, but you will have to hunt down items to do any damage
yourself. The game is an adventure game, and each enemy is a bit
of a puzzle. What works to eliminate one enemy wont necessarily
24
To be clear, when the team talks about falling in love with Pisces,
the intent is that players will forge a bond similar to the way they
would with close friends. Its a platonic love, which the narrative
aims to help guide. That said, we know that story is the key to all
human experience. We could simply tell you a story, but thats nowhere near as engaging as having the protagonist of the story write
her story alongside you, the gamer. That will connect the gamer to
something much more entrancing and eternal. Ultimately, Sirenum
wants to design an emotionally impactful experience. We believe
that even if she doesnt act exactly as a human being would (shes
an AI after all), we can still make the gamer care for her. If Pisces
can know you notice who you as a person are and respond to your
subtle facial expressions, then she can build a rapport with you.
Its clear from talking to the team that they truly believe their vision for The Lost Pisces is well within their means. Its equally clear
that their ambition is matched only by their passion for weaving an
unforgettable experience. Beyond the technical implementation,
the remembering of experiences and the ability for the AI to, for
the first time ever, see the gamers response to her own actions will
hopefully create a character that gamers can become attached to.
Its in our shared experiences, our memories, that companionship
evolves. We are nothing except for stories. When we lose someone
we love, I imagine that a good deal of the pain we experience is
from knowing that their demise means the end of their story. We
never want a good story to end. We want stories and characters to
go on indefinitely. Its hard to contemplate that the companionship
we share with someone can suddenly come to an end it causes
this irrefutable pain that is so primal and built into us, that I have
to believe that stories are what drives our being. Theyre how we
define our existence and our importance.
If stories are truly how we define our existence in this life, Im
rather satisfied with the end result of this piece. Whether or
not The Lost Pisces can live up to such lofty goals - and despite a
certain Fable creator dashing my hopes with lofty goals on more
than one occasion, Im optimistic enough to have faith it can the
very concept is so grandiose and awe inspiring, its just damn fun
to think about. Maybe I wont love Pisces, and maybe she wont
really understand much about me just by reading my reactions and

gestures; but what if. What if?
Developer: Sirenum Digital
Platforms: Windows PC
Website: www.thelostpisces.com
Twitter: @sirenumpisces
25
INTERVIEW
oup by Vinny Parisi

S
in
F
n
o
g
ra
D
s
ro
B
m
m
Ash Monif, coInterview with Gri
ishes in it. I spoke with
game,
d in actuality rather rel
nt team
sion is with a developme
iven the following discus
to coniew
erv
u can expect this int
named Grimm Bros., yo
e grissom
h
tale talk, sprinkled wit
tain its fair share of fairy
Disre
we
es
tal
mises. Before most fairy
snt
wa
It
ly fates and untimely de
).
(m
dience, they were... Grim
ry
fai
st
ney-fied for a younger au
Mo
s.
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er and, in fact, it rarely
m
fro
m
always happily ever aft
the
p
kee
re children straight, to
re
we
s
tales were meant to sca
kid
hty
ug
convincing them that na
nt,
eva
rel
doing naughty things by
ly
ect
dir
r disturbing ways. (Not
often punished in rathe
t really
No
lf?
ha
in
f
sel
ring him
but Rumpelstiltskin tea
child appropriate.)
on Fin Soup, an
Which brings us to Drag
veloped
de
upcoming tactical RPG
e
by Grimm Bros. The gam
doesnt shy away
from violence or
vulgarity,
26
an
about the
Bros., to find out more
founder of the Grimm
s together in a
ter
rac
cha
e
classic fairy tal
s
rou
me
nu
s
nd
ble
ich
wh
booze. He gave
nger, mature humor, and
da
h
wit
ed
fill
ry
sto
gle
sin
, and mechanics
o the characters, places
int
t
igh
ins
at
gre
e
som
me
ir
d to when they begin the
gamers will be introduce
ura.
journey in the world of As
Indie Game Magazine: When you first launched the Kickstarter

for Dragon Fin Soup, what was the response like? Did people immediately gravitate towards it, or did it take a couple weeks for
the project to gain traction?
Ash Monif: When we first came up with the concept of doing
a Kickstarter, we had already spent over a year developing the
core game and game mechanics, so we were very nervous - we
hadnt gone public with any details on the game, and we really
werent sure if anyone would like what we were doing! We kept
our expectations low - maybe theyd think it was too old-school,
too crude, too edgy, too lame, but it was our labor of love, so
we hoped for the best.
Fortunately, when our campaign went live, we were completely
blown away: We hit our fundraising goal of $24k in the first
week, and it kept on growing from there. In addition, we were
doing Steam Greenlight at the same time, in which we were
fully Greenlit in less than 10 days!
IGM: Why did you settle on Red Robin (a take on Little Red
Riding Hood) as the protagonist? Were other fairy tale heroes/
heroines considered before deciding on RR?
Monif: Randis [Albion] and I both have a soft spot for the original
dark, majestic Grimm fairy tales. When we decided to become
Grimm Bros and use Grimm as one of our core inspirations,
we immediately gravitated towards this type of character. Red
Riding Hood was something of a challenge - we were taking a
character whos
traditionally a
bit hapless and
trying to make
her strong;
we needed
to make her
interesting
without losing
the macabre whimsy of the Grimm universe - and thats how we

came up with Red Robin. In addition, we have Morgiana from Ali
Baba and the 40 Thieves, which is part of 1001 Arabian Nights, and
we talked a lot about including Gepetto, from Tales of Pinocchio
(unfortunately he didnt make the cut, but wed love to include
him in future expansions).
IGM: Tell me a little bit more about the Grimm Bros. Where have
you worked previously, and where does your passion for darkhumored fairy tales come from?
Monif: Ive been in the game industry for over 16 years, everywhere
from AAA publishers to indie devs, on both the developer side
and the publishing side. Ive worked on such franchises as Lord of
the Rings, James Bond, the Sims, and more. My partner Randis is
actually senior to me, he has been in the industry for 19 years. He
has also been in the AAA and indie space, and has worked with
a tremendous amount of different groups and clients, including
League of Legends, Fieldrunners, and Aquanauts.
When you sit down and start an indie studio, its more passiondriven than you think - the question is, ultimately, what do we
want to really devote ourselves to? For years, we worked for
other companies, and while it was at times enjoyable, it wasnt
truly satisfying. We wanted to make the type of games we grew
up playing: Shiren The Wanderer, Earthbound, Shining Force, Final
Fantasy: Tactics, all these wonderful, great games. Thats kind of
where we started, but what else? Thats when we realized that we
both adored the dark, original Grimm Bros fairy tales. Nobody was
really doing the dark ones, everything is white-washed. You look at
what Disney is doing - its beautiful, its great, but its not Grimm!
(Pun intended!) So we decided to do that. We brought those two
ideas together. We didnt want it to just be dark and gritty without
something to balance it, so the last thing we added was the black
humor. Thats our tongue-in-cheek (think Monty Python and the
Holy Grail) sense of humor meets Evil Dead over-the-top violence.
We think those three things together - old-school gameplay, lush
Grimm-inspired world-building, and a crooked sense of humor make a unique combination. Its something wed want to play, and
we hope everyone will enjoy it as well.
IGM: With a name like Grimm Bros., can we expect to see more
twisted fairy tales come to life in future projects?
Monif: Absolutely! It is in fact our mission, part of our companys
vision, to have fairy tale-inspired elements in all of our games. We
27
are an RPG studio and we hope (fingers crossed) to be making all

sorts of interesting, fascinating, engaging RPGs for years and years
to come - with the support of our community.
IGM: The 2D tactical strategy genre is a bit of a niche, with most
folks either loving it or hating it. Are you worried the genre may
throttle the potential player base?
Monif: Not so much. When we first started we had to make a choice,
do we go 3D or 2D? For the type of game we wanted, on an indie
budget which is basically comprised of donations from friends
and family, plus our own savings, we said what can we do, and
do a really great job with it? We had this debate, and ultimately
decided that with our small team (one guy, Randis, does all the
art) we could do a fantastic job with 2D. With 2D we could afford
to get creative, to make the gameplay unique and interesting and
fresh, and to create something you havent really seen before in
the recent console space. Were pretty happy with our choice - we
were able to make high resolution, beautiful art, which we might
28
not have had the time/resources for in 3D. We know that 2D tactical games dont have universal appeal, but we feel that what we
have is hopefully (and we hope you agree with us!) a beautiful,
accessible, and engaging experience. We welcome everyone to
try it out, and have a taste of Dragon Fin Soup.
IGM: You can cook Dragon Fin Soup in the game, right? Please say
yes. What other non-combat activities besides cooking can players engage in?
Monif: Tons. We have several minigames that the players can get
into that all tie into crafting, in addition to some secret ones we
havent announced yet. Theres tons of stuff to do; I believe there
are over 500 unique recipes in the game, including weapons, food,
potions. You name it, you can make it. You can craft not only for
yourself, but to make materials to sell for quite a good price, and
then grab better armor or weapons.
Can you cook Dragon Fin Soup in the game? No comment.
IGM: How will the day/night cycle and weather conditions affect
gameplay?
Monif: The day/night cycles do play an important role because they
affect which monsters spawn. Some special monsters only come out
at night, or live in caves. Some are only available during the day, in
specific areas. Certain missions may be affected by the cycle - for
example if youre going after some undead, you might have to wait
for nightfall. The rain and weather cycles also have a gameplay factor.
As with most roguelikes, we do feature a procedurally-generated
world, permadeath, tactical decision making, but also occlusion,
and weather plays a factor in occlusion. We have smoke, fog, rain,
storms, sun, and all these will factor into visibility in the game. You
never know what might be lurking in the shadows
IGM: Who is composing the soundtrack for Dragon Fin Soup, and
do you have an idea of how many tracks the final game will feature?
Monif: That would be our fantastic music composer and audio
designer, Jade Leamcharaskul. We are thrilled to have Jade on
board; shes a lifelong RPG gamer and fan. We dont have a detailed breakdown of how many tracks we have yet, but part of
our rewards that you can earn is our soundtrack, which will also
be made available on our online store.
IGM: Red Robin can be a little bit...raunchy at times. Whats her
backstory like, and where does her personality come from?
Monif: What I can share so far of her backstory is that Robin is
a raging alcoholic bounty hunter. She lost her memory a couple
of years ago and has these recurring nightmares that haunt her
almost every night. That may play a factor into why she is a bit of
a party girl -- she doesnt want to be sad, and deal with this, and
thats her way of coping with these nightmares. In the beginning,
you do not yet know what Robins true background is (since she
lost her memory), but she does have training in weapons, and has
quite a knack for surviving a tough situation. Thats all I can say for
now; youll have to play the game to learn more!
IGM: Im really curious to know more about Asura, the Dragon
Turtle god. Will players get to learn more about it, or is it merely
mentioned in passing during the early stages of the game?
Monif: Asura is the world in which Dragon Fin Soup takes place.
The world of Asura is interactive - it is part of our World Screen, so
when you select different missions, you can see yourself traveling
to different destinations. While youre traveling, you may also have
random encounters with different enemies and foes. Here you can
get a sense of the world, how its structured, and how it comes
together. As you learn about the lore of the world, it all starts to
make sense. Think of it as an interactive J.R.R. Tolkien map.
IGM: One of the stretch goals that most intrigued me concerned
body mods and transplants. Can you
describe what that would have entailed, and if theres any chance
it will make it into the game post-launch?
Monif: Everything has a chance of making it into future expansions, we just have to figure out what everyone in the community
is excited about. The body mods were actually a really cool feature
where you would be able to not only customize your abilities,
but your appearance. Say you wanted to equip extra rings, well,
you could drink a potion and grow extra fingers. Do you want to
see in the dark, or be able to sense the undead? You could swap
out one of your eyes for a Sharingan Orc eye and be able to see
undead on the map. These cool abilities would be permanent to
your character, and explore a space of customization that hasnt
really been done before.
IGM : What would you say to gamers on the fence about Dragon
Fin Soup? Whats the one diversifier for the game that should
convince people to try it out?
Monif: Its a highly accessible roguelike, meaning its challenging
but rewarding. When you play, youre going to start smiling and
laughing. Its full of tons of inside jokes, gamer satire, and some
really messed up dark humor, and we think that everyone will really get a kick out of that. If you love Zelda, FF:Tactics, Grimm fairy
tales or dark humor, youre gonna love Dragon Fin Soup.
I admittedly grew up on Disney versions of classic fairy tales,

so Im unfamiliar with the majority of Grimm tales. That said,
Dragon Fin Soup is being designed in an approachable way
that even novices to the genre and source material like myself can try their hand at it. The mix of dark humor and fairy
tale inspiration is certainly an eye-catching mix, and judging
by the level of success the games crowdfunding campaign
achieved, it seems quite a few other folks feel the same. Red
Robin may not be the kind of girl you bring home to Granny,
but she sure seems like she knows how to have a good time,
something I imagine most gamers will appreciate.
29
SUB-FEATURE
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month
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Developer: Grimm Bros

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS3, Vita
Website: www.dragonfinsoup.com
Twitter: @TheGrimmBros
31
REVIEW
me
A Land Before Thy
by Connor Selinske
with
more impressive
doing something
e
ate
or
in
m
ar
m
gs
in
ng
th
hi
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letting som
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od
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ur
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sub-culture
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gh
ni
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than ignoring m
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sy. Theres
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e
proper sustenance
ar
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th
n
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ms which ca
because the cookbo
ribly unhealthy ite
puns in this review
th
wi
od
fo
as
only be thought of
them all.
nk food, more took
ju
as
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s
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ati
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ating overnight
y, it really is a The achievement for marin
an
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ly.
on
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com
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wh
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just be missing
th a bit of cash anything else would really
wi
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,
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g
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ay
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evement for
dessert. And out on prime punning, the achi
d
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to pa
ent is wait
is the stereo- getting every other achievem
at
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gh
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that
picture of a
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An
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gh
ou
th
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pizza every day It went there.
you. And ordering
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achievement system
isnt exactly a su
or Personally, I found the
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it at
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th
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ective. I scoffed at
for most gamers, ei
to be surprisingly eff
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fir
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rticular
okmers: A Primer, a co
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for
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ty
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ll
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I still really want
. But
ake me think, and
oks Compendium
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if only because
eful
elord achievement,
For Gamers is a us
g
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at
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re
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at
mething for a
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ght of marinating so
for anyone looking
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cDonalds and Starbu
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daily trips to say, M
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ing For
ow you to go
evement list, Cook
hi
to skills that will all
ac
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ok
g
ly cheesy co
appetite by detailin
what this admitted
Gamers whets your
ts
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um
str
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in
in its pages.
solute basics in cook
re- the ab
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t
an
or
sh
ok
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co
on
to
s
r
en
s op
eded in orde
ne
Cooking for Gamer
d
an
and each one has its
r, Samuel McKeon,
ts, pans, knives, etc.,
Po
t
word from its creato
e
Th
:
that readers won
first bit of cheese
rpose explained, so
pu
va
ui
then dives into the
eq
y
no
ar
e culin
ents. While theres
k theyre buying th
in
th
re
he
book has achievem
W
.
,
er
em
on
iti
en you get any of th
three kinds of cond
bleep-bloop wh
em lent of
th
up, however,
g
at
in
ck
he
tra
to
r
t
fo
ar
em
ings really st
th
t
nor is there a syst
ey
th
,
r those who don
ds achievements
the knife skills. Fo
e
ar
ng
hi
against your frien
tc
a
wa
g
e
in
tim
e you towards be
copious amounts of
will help encourag
ple, spend
e reviewers),
sim
m
y
irl
so
fa
ke
e
(li
ar
k
t
or
os
.M
Food Netw
e
th
better home cook
keeps
rd
wa
elding a knife than
ly nudge you to
there is more to wi
but all of them gent
32
ing the sharp bit away from valuable body

parts. There is an incredibly wide range of
ways to slice ingredients, and many can even
affect how the food tastes, as well as how it
looks. So, obtaining basic knife techniques
is an extremely worthwhile endeavor, and
Cooking For Gamers helps in said endeavor.
Now, onto the meat of the cookbook: The
recipes. While there is nothing overly exciting
about any of the included recipes, what is
important is that each of them work as the
basis for a variety of other recipes. The burger
and chicken burger recipes, for example,
segue easily into cooking beef or chicken in
any way, albeit not within the confines of this
cookbook. The meat pie and zucchini pies
can have their main ingredients substituted,
too, to make a chicken pie, or a cucumber

pie. The variations possible are endless, of
course, since cooking in real life is limited
only by what a cook can do.
ments to be made about colloquialisms),

but there were other errors in spelling and
grammar throughout the book that a decent
proofreader could have caught in seconds.
And while the book is cheap (only $3.99
Perhaps the only real downside of the book is AUD) and self-published, it is still annoying
that it doesnt suggest more difficult dishes. to see such simple mistakes get through in
Burgers and spaghetti are great starter dishes, a supposedly finished product.
but they can get bland pretty quickly. Perhaps
the author is intending to make a second Cooking For Gamers: A Primer does what it
volume? Based on the title, it seems likely. sets out to do: Mildly gamifies the subtle and
necessary skill of cooking, and frames it in
The only other problem with the book is more such a way that it encourages the gamer mind
a personal one than anything: It needs some to play around with recipes more than any
proofreading. Marinade is the noun, marinate reader might normally do. Most importantly,
is the verb. (i.e. you make a marinade, and it gives gamers the tools to make more than
you marinate something in a marinade.) what is in the book, and to progress towards
Very, very pet peevish (and there are argu- becoming culinary experts.
Developer of Flavors: Samuel McKeon

Website: www.cookingforgamers.com
Twitter: @cooking4gamers
Pros
Cons
Accessible
Needs more
proofreading
Good starting recipes
Lacks much challenge
Fills a niche that
needed filling
Horrible, horrible jokes
Horrible, horrible jokes
33
REVIEW
The Original Caped Crusader by Bonnie Burgette
ames like Alice: Madness Returns have brought

older tales to light for a new generation, depicting their dark subject matter in a way other mediums often shy away from. Alice is trying to reclaim
her sanity, and Red Hood, the heroine of Woolfe: The
Red Hood Diaries, is out for revenge. The 2.5D platformer offers pretty graphics, some fun dialogue, and a fun
twist on a fairy tale thats been explored many times in
popular culture. Aside from a couple of minor (though
hilarious) initial issues, Woolfe is a game thats been on
my watch list for quite some time, and it seems to have
met most expectations.
Reds father, Joseph, was an engineer with Woolfe

Industries, run by B. B. Woolfe. After Joseph dies in a
mysterious accident, years after Reds mother disappears,
Red has only Granny, and must figure out what on Earth
happened to her family. The lilting lines spoken by Red
to illustrate the situations, along with the rhymes that
sometimes sneak in, help tell the story of her life, and
its not a happy one. Without giving anything away, I will
34
say that there are a few twists that the player might
suspect, but theyre still a bit jarring when they happen, and they keep things interesting. The character
adaptations from the original story (along with a few
from other tales) are charming despite their roles,
resulting in a pleasant gaming experience.
Developed by GRIN, Woolfe is one of the prettiest
games Ive played in recent memory not the most
technologically advanced as far as graphics go
(though thats not a bad thing), but pretty. Mists,
glowing lights, electricityits like an interactive
animation. The developers have said that if
you can play the Batman series, you can play
Woolfe, but Im here to warn you that
might not necessarily be the case.
You can play, but you may have to
play on lower settings. My computer
could handle the high settings, but the
games controls suffered, so I ended up
just turning all of the special options off,
and playing on low graphics settings. Things

werent quite as striking, but the game still
looked good, which was nice. The dark colors
are contrasted nicely with blue, green, and
(of course) red, making items stand out more.
This was a nice touch in terms of breaking up
the sometimes monotonous palate of the
platforming areas.
beams after Red rides across some moving,

floating platforms. Precision is everything in
platforming, especially during timed tasks,
and imprecise movement isnt a challenge so
much as an irritating hurdle. I did get through
these places, but it seemed like each time it
was due to exploiting the same system that
was creating the issues.
Woolfes theme music is repetitive, but innocuous enough that it was pleasant background
music, and I caught myself humming along a
few times while fighting the tin soldiers that
inhabit the once-majestic city as they
received their solid beat-down via Reds
axe. Sound cues were on-point, and
ambient noises were nicely done.
Theres nothing especially spectacular about the sound, however,
sometimes when you get it right, it
doesnt stand out too much (which
can detract from the gaming experience). Im
fairly certain GRIN got it right.
Would I recommend Woolfe: The Red Hood

Diaries? You betcha. Its graphically
pleasing, has an engaging story,
and whatever issues there are
seem to be minor enough
that patches can fix them,
though not patching would
leave more of an annoyance
than anything else. There are
puzzle sections that depend
on luck though, so be on the
lookout for those if you plan
to pick up the game. At $9.99
USD, Woolfe (which is part
one of a two-part series of
standalone games) is more
than worth picking up, if
nothing else than for an
evenings casual gaming
session. Woolfe: The Red
Hood Diaries will be coming to Xbox One and PS4
later this year.
Now, the mechanics were a bit off, such as with

some directional jumping, and the bit of parkour
Red has to do in order to reach certain areas.
Players must push B on their controller in
order to drop down from one pipe to a slightly
lower one in a certain section of the sewer, and
damned if I didnt die at least 10 times before
what seemed like a glitch finally got me across
the dank water to another checkpoint. In the
forest, the same thing happened to some
Developer: Grin
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Website: www.woolfegame.com
Twitter: @WoolfeGame
Pros
Beautiful visuals
Engaging story
Fun gameplay
Cons
Some mechanical issues
Graphics requirements are
a bit high
35
REVIEW
ette
urg
g
in
by Bonnie B
h
t
o
N
g
ignifyin
y, S
ur
Sound and F
am a professional musician with a love for performing rock, opera, and even metal. When I was given the chance to review
Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame, I gleefully installed the
first act and prepared for an infusion of awesome. It never arrived.
With its strangely disappointing music (the orchestration was
great the melodies and lyrics, not so much), a story that is hard
to follow (and even more difficult to care about), and mechanics/
graphics that arent fully functional, Karmaflow, like an amateur

singer, tried a broad range and ended up falling flat.
The games trailer was very pretty. The singing seemed at odds
with the orchestra, but that can be the case with rock-metal, so
whatever, right? The animation was charming, and reminded me of
The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, and seemed to be excellently
designed. It added to my excitement while piquing my interest in
what I thought would be a puzzle-platformer distinctly apart from
what other music games might have tried to do with integration.
The main character, The Karmakeeper, is trying to save the world
using karma-balancing between harmonics and dissonance. The
story involves a Conductor, a Muse, and heavy-metal screaming.
I wont pretend the latter wasnt awesome. The story itself was
quite thin, however.
The entire first act seems, in itself, to be a tutorial. The player comes
across new mechanics constantly, and has to implement them in
strange ways. But due to a serious lack of precision and poor camera
control, these challenges are more an exercise in patience than a
brain-teaser. I cannot stress enough how much potential Karmaflow
has, but it has so many mechanical issues and such under-utilized
musical talent. If it seems like Im harping, its because the music
36
should be pleasurable for the player, and a compelling reason to

play (it is, after all, the point), even if the controls are weird. I found
myself savoring the times where there were merely instrumentals,
though not because of the singers themselves.
end of the world (and is scream-sung). Its as though the developers

had a grand point to make, and ended up romanticizing Doomsday.
I didnt even care about the fate of most characters; thats how
poorly-written the initial story is, and how muddy the lyrics are.
The graphics are not that demanding, and yet they caused my
computer to make noises it never has. My system is well over the
minimum requirements, and I stress-tested it twice to be sure.
Karmaflow was laggy and thus not nearly as pretty as I know it
should have been. Even on the lowest settings this was the case,
which means it could be a code problem; the game may be nearly
unplayable to those with older systems, despite the minimum
recommended settings on Steam. Presumably a future patch can
fix these issues, but currently the optimization is a let down.
One more thing: There are choices to make in key parts of the
game, where you are basically deciding the fate of the entire world.
These are not choices, however, they are illusions. Whatever choice
you want to make, you will be forced to choose the one with the
more difficult platforming attached, which ultimately leads to,
you guessed it: The end of the world. The illusion of choice feels
like the opposing storylines (i.e. the other options) werent even
written. This may be good for a literal rock opera, but its not so
great in a video game.
Ultimately, what the game feels like is that dialogue was written,
and the voice actors were told to just sing whatever notes they
felt like, with orchestration to be added, later. Dissonance is the
games enemy, but this isnt dissonance, its just poor songwriting.
Even Les Miserables is a huge mess in places (Javert, Im looking at
you), but there are still several beloved songs. The best song I heard
in Karmaflow was the one before the credits, and it was about the
Pros
Great potential
Musicians are
excellent
Ultimately, the hype did not live up to the results. At just around
3 hours long, Im not sure Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame
is worth the cost, despite the man-hours that seem to have gone
into it. I sincerely hope the following acts are an improvement.
You are, of course, welcome to disagree. I, however, am going to
go watch The Wall.
Cons
Clunky gameplay
Unpleasant music
composition
Utterly forgettable
story
Developer: Basecamp Games

Website: www.karmaflowgame.com
Twitter: @karmaflowgame
37
REVIEW
iar
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38
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Often frustrating save and warp
distribution
Mostly for hardcore fans

39
REVIEW
But is it Better than Yesterday?
by Luke Siuty
ts hard to pinpoint whats so appealing

about dystopian fantasies, worlds with
crumbled civilizations presented as alternative futures. Perhaps one compelling
aspect is the fact that we can safely explore
them in mediums such as video games.
Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today is a point-and-click adventure that
paints a fleshed out world devastated by
a mysterious catastrophe which seems to
warp time itself.
The adventure begins at Refugee Camp;

despite seeming like a safe haven, it projects a feeling of more like a prison or even
a concentration camp. Only the wealthiest
or well-connected individuals can hope for
even a roof over their heads, and moles
regularly rat out prisoners harboring illegal
things. Rod, Michaels caretaker, harbors a
son afflicted with the disease, and asks the
main character to prove the rumors of a cure
true, and find it for the child.
Many scenes in Dead Synchronicity can be

haunting and downright emotional to see.
Perhaps the most trademark is Suicide Park,
an area which used to serve its purpose for
enjoyable walks. This New World, a world
in which you gotta do what you gotta do
is ruled by ruthless people and lacks any
mercy. Evocative, effective writing tells about
the surplus of violence, fear, and deathlysick people in a future no one would like to
experience.
A strange anomaly appeared in the sky and,

simultaneously around the world, a chain of
catastrophes eradicated most of organized
human life. As governments and order collapsed, more and more dissolved starting
popping up victims of a mysterious disease
that causes hallucinations, trances, and
eventual, literal dissolution of body cells.
The protagonist, Michael, is a blanked, an
off-shoot condition of the traumatizing event
which causes memory loss. The amnesiac
wakes up in a trailer, cared for by couple
with a sick boy.
Since most of communication and travel

options have been snuffed out in the game
world, it conveniently creates a small setting
for the adventure, which is fine, because the
developers do a great job of fleshing out
the dystopian future. Fictioriama Studios
Kickstarter for the game describes Dead
Synchronicitys design as a progressively
open-world, meaning previous areas arent
as quickly closed off and occasionally events
can be set off in different order. But there
arent a whole lot of zones to go back and forth
in, mainly the camp and the city next to it.
Fictiorama intentionally aimed at the enthusiast crowd with the game, including some
references to classic adventures like The Secret
of Monkey Island. Its a trademark of these
types of games to get stuck sometimes and
be unable to think about how to use items at
hand. Mid-game, when there are a lot of hubs
open, its hard to think about what item to
use where in order to progress. I didnt guess
that the car seat holster could be placed on
a basement window to stifle the noise from
breaking it with a crowbar. There are hints for
things like that in the text in various places, so
players must pay really close attention. The
40
hot spot button, which reveals actionable elements on the screen, is a great
addition because it doesnt take away any
challenge, it merely makes playing a bit
more convenient. Though there should
be a few more keyboard shortcuts, like
to save and read the journal.
The music is enjoyable to listen to, comprised mostly of tense guitar themes
accompanied by electronic backdrops.
The emerging motif throughout the game
is very enjoyable to listen to despite the
rough atmosphere. Its too bad there is
no voice-acting in the game, at least for
the animated cutscenes. Clicking through
lines of dialogue to animated scenes knocks
off the immersion a bit. Overall, it seems
that the various animations in the game
could have been a bit better as well. They
convey action, but for 3D models, most
of the animations are fairly basic.
gate, specifically near the sewer grates,

on-screen text often failed to display at all.
At specific points in the story, the game
froze when interacting with a specific object (the motorcycle) but luckily, it didnt
hamper progress. More annoying were
occasional misspellings nothing major,
sometimes improperly spaced words like
no one but for a game meant to have
significant reading portions with a lot of
dialogue, thats not good. Hopefully these
will brushed up in a final, pre-release fix.
The shortcomings in Dead Synchronicity

dont get in the way too much. If anything,
the difficulty of the puzzles may prove a bit
frustrating for non-veterans of the genre.
For a first in the series, Dead Synchronicity does an amazing job of setting up an
engaging world. While this part ends on
a serious cliffhanger, overall the game
doesnt feel episodic it felt plenty
meaty. Time will tell, but it seems that
The review build had a couple of bugs,
Dead Synchronicity will take a worthy place
which thankfully didnt impede progress
in the point-and-click echelon.
too much. In one screen by the camp
Developer: Fictiorama Studios

Website: www.deadsynchronicity.com
Twitter: @deadsynchro
Pros
Lengthy, challenging gameplay
Great writing and dialogue
Well fleshed-out world
Cons
Voice-acting would be welcome
for cutscenes
Animations are fairly basic

Misspellings in text, and small
bugs
41
REVIEW
elf
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Sound is a b
43
REVIEW
Cheated By An Angel
by Rafiq Mandal
arold is a 2D endless runner developed by Moon Spider Studio that

puts players in control of a guardian angel-in-training named Gabe, who is
responsible for the safety of a hapless and
woefully unlucky human named Harold.
The player must also ensure that Harold
finishes well in each race, passing by faster
runners, moving platforms to help Harold
travel across safely, and taking the time to
interfere with and hinder the progress of
other racers. The races move through several different territories, each with their
own obstacles and challenges, such as
crocodiles in the jungle, spike traps in the
desert, slippery ice in the Arctic, and hungry killer whales on the beach.
and analog stick motions. These control

whatever moveable surface the player currently has selected, such as a platform or a
crank to lower a drawbridge. Later on within
the game, players can look further ahead and
preemptively prepare parts of the obstacle
course to Harolds benefit.
The game itself splits each individual level

into three separate modes: Practice, Race,
and Challenge. Each level is its own uniquely
designed obstacle course that offers a multitude of trap-like challenges that can hinder
or benefit the racers depending on how the
player uses it. Controls are initially simple,
starting with the standard jump, but quickly
progress to more complicated movements
The race itself is the next mode, which essentially pits Harold against the other five
humans protected by guardian angels-intraining. The goal of the game is to at least
reach 3rd place and qualify to move on to
the next round, though it is possible for
Harold to reach 1st with some well-timed
and planned out assistance from the player.
Players need to avoid any pitfalls and traps
44
that might hinder or hurt Harold during the

race. Harold can also pick up wingrings, which
are essentially halos that provide Puff Powers
for two purposes: Players can either use it to
strike a lightning bolt at Harolds pants, thus
sending him into a fast sprint, or allow Harold
to recover from a nasty fall unharmed, thus
avoiding a Game Over and repeating the race
The Practice mode is the first mode made
from the beginning.
available for each level and must be completed
before moving on. This mode challenges players Finally, theres the Challenge mode, which
to help Harold successfully avoid traps, hop requires players to run through the obstacle
over pitfalls, swing along vines and more in course from before, only this time with just
short segments of the main obstacle course. one life and the goal of trying to move through
Each segment has three stars available for and claim all 100+ stars placed along Harolds
the player to attain; successfully gaining each path. The gameplay is fast, and certainly very
star in Harold for the practice levels offers frustrating for those seeking perfectionist
players an advantage during the actual race. status in the game.
Harolds graphics use high quality animation designs similar to Disney movies. The
effect is used to give the game a friendly,
cartoon style that is suitable for most ages,
and hilarious for anyone. These move from
the different videos that serve as bookends,
to the actual race itself, representing the
unorthodox running methods of each of the
human characters.
Gabes story progresses with simply designed characters and some still pictures
to go along with some narration (its hard
not to see a slight relation Harry Potter).
Harolds story, on the other hand, isnt
very detailed. All we see of him are his
hilariously stupid antics before the race
begins, which always lead to him starting
in last place. These are great fun for when
the race begins, but we certainly dont
learn anything new about him or any of
the other humans racing.
Harold is a lot of fun, challenging players
to alternate between supporting Harolds
progress and hindering the movements
of other racers. Theres a definite learning curve when it comes to the controls,
as individual buttons and analog stick
movements control various elements
within the same level, such as a ram that
knocks down a wall, or a celestial hammer
that knocks out a crocodile temporarily.
Beyond that, theres learning how to use
these same movements to hinder other
racers, and deciding which option offers
the best chance for Harold to take the lead.
A rope trap, for example, can be tightened

to the point where it could launch a racer
several feet through the air, or slam them
repeatedly against the ground.
Harold feels like an initial attempt to
reimagine the endless running genre,
working well to create a unique experience
for new and veteran gamers. This style of
gameplay feels fresh since it requires both
tactical and quick thinking just to reach
third place, and almost perfect movements
to finish in first. As a reward for winning
the race, the players time is posted on
the online rankings in order to see how
they compare to others. It is hoped that
this tweak can be further experimented
on to create more unique changes to a
genre thats certainly overplayed in the
mobile and flash games space.
Harold is available for $19.99 on PC,
which is a little pricey but can be worth
it considering the replay value available.
Gameplay definitely works best with either an Xbox One or PS4 controller. The
game itself is entertaining, and offers a
satisfying challenge.
Developer: Moon Spider Studio

Website: www.moonspiderstudio.com
Twitter: @moonspidergames
Pros
Unique tweak to the endless
runner genre
Hilarious animations depicting

Harolds unfortunate antics
Offers a great challenge

Cons
The story, while interesting, is
not enriching or deep
Complicated control schemes
45
REVIEW
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46
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47
REVIEW
Dancing in the Dark
f youre anything like me, the

second you set your sights on
Oscura: Lost Light you think
of Limbo. Following that, your heartbeat increases just a fraction at the prospect of punishing
gameplay, but the soft, pretty backgrounds contrasting with the jet black characters in the foreground assuage and intrigue you. Indeed, Chocolate Liberation Fronts minimalist 2D platformer
certainly looks like Limbo, and even pays homage
to it in many aspects of its core gameplay. But this
tired old lighthouse keeper has quite a different
story to tell.
A series of magical, floating islands called The
Driftlands is where the mysterious tale of Oscura:
Lost Light begins. Deep inside a lighthouse lies the
sacred Aurora stone, which magically shields The
Driftlands from darkness and is normally guarded
by a lighthouse keeper. But time has run its course,
and the current keeper, weary of work, entrusts the
care of the Aurora stone to a new apprentice: Oscura.
He warns Oscura not to touch the stone, but alas,
the new apprentice yields to temptation, causing a
chain reaction that starts with the stone erupting and
culminates in its shards scattering across the lands.
The old keeper is furious, and demands
that Oscura set off in search for the lost
shards and return them- or The Driftlands
face a future of unending darkness.
Controlling Oscura - which is
possible through both keyboard
and controller - is basic and
intuitive. Almost instantly,
48
by Katrina Filippidis
instructions pop up on-screen detailing the basic

movement commands, simultaneously preparing you
for the slew of enemies up ahead. Movement feels
a bit slippery, which can cost you in more complex
regions of the levels, but presents no major hassle
after some practice. The terrains of Oscuras world
are unmistakably deadly, sprawling with red thorns,
spiky rolling boulders, horned beasts, and psychotic
bats with laser vision. Without any means of defence
against enemies, Oscura must become a master of
avoiding them- or as I like to call it, dancing around
them.
The games one-hit-death mechanic is definitely ruthless, but fair; Oscuras difficulty level tones it down
a notch from Limbo, which makes it more enjoyable
on the whole for me personally. The remainder of
the environments are dominated by silhouette-like
platforms, pulleys, spinning cogs, spike encrusted
guillotines, and of course a multitude of crystal
shards that Oscura can collect. But the main activity loops in Oscura revolve around its assortment of
Limbo-esque environmental puzzles. These need to
be completed in order to progress through the game,
and include activating switches, the physics-based
labor of pushing boxes, and blasting fragile walls.
What breathes new life into Oscuras gameplay
however, are its well-designed power-up abilities.
When Oscuras curiosity got the better of him and
he touched the Aurora stone, his hand became
enflamed with a cold fire that burns but does not
burn, and will not be quenched. While the usage
of Shakespearean oxymorons in a game pleases me
to no end, it is his burning hand which allows him to
deploy these abilities. Oscura must locate four unique

power crystals, which are located deep within the
levels and temporarily allow Oscura to shatter weak
surfaces, bring invisible surfaces to light, walk upside
down, and freeze time. Each is colored differently - red,
green, blue, and yellow - which makes them easy to
identify and, given the limited range of powers, they
are also easy to remember.
The powers are dependent on a power meter, which
gets drained each time they are used, and automatically replenishes a few seconds afterward. Players
can toggle between two powers, but only one can
be used at a time, something which demands very
quick reflexes on the players behalf, and can veer into
frustrating territory at times. However, any feeling of
frustration is quickly offset by the feast of checkpoints
at your disposal. They are cleverly placed right after a
bout of tumultuous platforming action, which confers
players with a sense of relief and accomplishment,
but most of all demonstrates Oscuras fair and well
balanced difficulty level.
Visually, Oscura appears to have been painted with
the same brush that whipped up Limbo, but the
splashes of background color which burst through the
screen create an entirely different mood. Some of the
later levels especially offer the beautiful contrast of
soft blue backgrounds against burning lava, and the
ambient music - which instils a sense of mystery and
other-worldliness in the listeners ear - almost feels
like youve uncovered an ancient mountain village and
its native inhabitants. Interestingly, Oscuras character
design has little moments of meta-awareness where
he quickly glances at the screen awaiting your next
command when left idle. This added a slice of humor
to an experience otherwise filled with grisly deaths

and (appropriately) nightmarish-looking enemies.
On the surface, Oscura: Lost Light might be a tribute to
Limbo, evident in its general appearance and puzzles.
But within its stony heart lies a curious tale and a
genuinely awesome platforming experience. Oscura:
Lost Light is out now on Steam for $9.99 USD.
Developer: Chocolate Liberation Front

Website: www.oscuragame.com
Twitter: @oscuraseries
Pros
Highly effective checkpoint
placement
Well-balanced difficulty level

Fun platforming
Good replay value
Cons
Controls are a bit slippery
Sometimes glitchy
49
REVIEW
Sometimes, The Fates Are Kind
efiant Developments Hand of Fate

recently received a console counterpart on PS4 and Xbox One to
match its desktop release on PC, Mac, and
Linux desktops. The game is a vastly unique
virtual tabletop, deck building, and action
RPG, bringing multiple genres together for
a style of gameplay that feels truly random,
and offers a wide variety of unexpected
challenges.
Hand of Fate puts players in front of a withered storyteller, or perhaps hes a Game
Master in the game of life. Either way, the
storyteller exists for one purpose, to challenge and hopefully kill the player during
their journeys to slay each of the storytellers
twelve powerful generals, thus gaining his
vast powers as a result. The secrets of each
general, and the source of all of their powers
are told little by little through the amazing
narrative voice of the storyteller himself. The
generals are split into four groups, rewarding
players with a trinket that shows proof of
their power and increases the strength and
abilities of all enemies.
by Rafiq Mandal
slowing down the players momentum. The

deck-building portion, done before starting
a level, lets players select the different encounters that they could come across randomly during play, each providing different
rewards that will benefit the player in-game.
They also build their equipment deck, which
decides which random rewards may appear
as a result of finishing an encounter, or what
shop items might become available. New
encounter cards also provide tokens once the
player defeats them for the first time, which
further provide new encounter and equipment cards. Different encounters challenge
the player in different ways, ranging from
choosing a safe card out of four randomly
shuffled cards, sacrificing certain supplies,
choosing the correct dialogue options, or
taking part in fast-paced action RPG battles.
The actual combat encounters allow players

to use the keyboard, or the recommended
gamepads and controllers, to fight against a
random number and type of enemy, ranging
from standard human bandits to skeleton
knights, ratmen, or even the dreaded miThe games different features and genres notaur. Depending on the items equipped
transition smoothly between each other, on the player, controls could include more
keeping the game alive and interesting without than simple dodging and attacking enemies.
50
Shields, for example, can provide players with

the ability to block and counter moves, avoiding more damage and dealing something in
return. There are also powerful equipment
cards with extra abilities, and certain miscellaneous equipment cards that provide an
extra kind of attack.
Each encounter has a small story, telling a
little bit more about the world and the many
dangers that surround it. The tabletop element in Hand of Fate is the main portion of
the game and forces players to keep track of
their health, as well as their gold and food
supplies, which could run out during the
journey and quickly turn a successful run
into a disadvantage, and even an eventual
demise. Each subsequent journey can also
begin with a type of curse brought on by
the general, like slowing down the main
character in battle when they have a large
amount of gold. Players can also come across
other curses and blessings through specific
encounters, providing bonus challenges and
advantages.
The games graphics, while not outstanding,
offer enough detail that the game progresses
smoothly and allows players to feel immersed
throughout the journey. The first-person
perspective during the tabletop portion of

the game is one such aspect, as are showing
the hand-drawn graphics for each card, and
the minor details of the coin-like reward tokens. The action RPG battles also offer some
interesting graphical details, though these
dont typically take precedence during the
heat of combat.
Hand of Fate offers much in the way of game
length and replay value. Starting with the
fact that each subsequent boss requires an
increased number of encounter cards and
equipment cards in each deck, meaning each
journey is longer and more harrying than the
last. This also requires players to incorporate
some method of strategy in order to keep
their food supplies up, and to decide very
carefully on whether they should move to
the next floor quickly or take the time to
explore and uncover all of the face-down
cards on the table.
Its hard to be more satisfied with Hand of
Fate, from what it originally promised to what
Defiant Development ultimately delivered.
Theres so much potential gameplay, and
so much replayability as a result of random
chance encounters, that its possible to play the
game again and again with very little feeling
of repetitiveness. Each boss battle increases

the difficulty by an adequate amount, ensuring that players are constantly kept on their
toes the further along they get. The combat
is also a fun element of the game and focuses
on careful movements and attack patterns
instead of simply button mashing to stay alive.
The game stands far apart from others,
especially with how smoothly the different
genres all transitions together. Its almost like
a virtual tabletop gamers dream come true,
with a handful of elements that are lacking.
Namely, the game is only single player, making
multiplayer a strangely, unfortunately lacking
feature. Its a shame that there isnt some
sort of short-form game, even with a unique
set of rules that would allow multiple players
to compete or cooperatively play against the
storytellers many obstacles.
Available for PC, Mac, and Linux desktops,
as well as PS4 and Xbox One, Hand of Fate
is a must-have for any player who enjoys
Dungeons and Dragons, or who simply wants
a game with the large potential for varied
gameplay. Even at $24.99, which is pricey
for indie games, Hand of Fate is certainly a
reasonable purchase, and great for anyones
indie game collection.
Developer: Defiant Development

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Website: www.defiantdev.com
Twitter: @defiantdev
Pros
High replay value
Great fusion of different
gameplay genres
Progressively challenging
gameplay
Interesting narrative style

that works perfectly
Cons
No form of multiplayer
Not for action-oriented
gamers, or button mashers
51
REVIEW
I Will Go Down With This Ship
ven in your dreams, it haunts you.

Its that sickening sound again, the
mirthless cries of the ocean as your
father rips himself out of your life forever,
surrendering himself to its godly power. But
you arent cursed like he is. Youre free. You
can choose to live. His destiny was etched
in permanent tapestry, tied together with
a beast from the depths of time, and not
even Archimedes could have saved him.
You dont have to carry that burden. You
can let it be swept away like a memory, forgotten. But as you replay his final words in
your mind, desperately pouring over each
letter, you already know the path youve
chosen.
Such is the poignant narrative of Oceanhorn:

Monster of Uncharted Seas, a 3D actionadventure title developed by Cornfox &
Brothers. Originally debuting for iOS devices
in 2013, its unequivocally Legend of Zeldainspired graphics and gameplay were met
with both praise and scepticism, raising a
very important question: Could a game so
strikingly similar to a beloved classic live up
to its legacy?
Oceanhorn lifts off with a touching cutscene
that depicts a fathers separation from his
52
by Katrina Filippidis
son and inevitable voyage to sea. Players

control the son throughout the game, a mute
protagonist who curiously lacks a name and
sets out on a quest to save his father from
the aquatic beast, Oceanhorn. Whether you
choose to play with keyboard and mouse or
a controller, the control scheme is extremely
clear and is constantly on display in the top
right-hand corner, a comfort for new players to the genre. Basic movement feels very
smooth, but is often tightly constrained to
certain platforms, a feature that is not always
consistent but definitely grows on the player.
amongst the multi-leveled environments,

there are bloodstones, amber-colored gems
that lend Oceanhorn a subtle collectathon
vibe, and promise the player a secret reward
if enough are gathered. The exact number,
however, is never specified, which left me
with a feeling of uncertainty; this aspect
would benefit more if it was broken down into
smaller reward systems to make it worthwhile.
Another noteworthy point for discussion is
Oceanhorns camera angle, a three-quarter
perspective which teams up very well with
the games geography. But the angles during
boss fights often swerve from side to side
There are also wooden signposts scattered
rapidly, making battles slightly disorienting.
throughout Hermits Island, the first area of
exploration, which explain the basic moves Core gameplay revolves around a hack-andin the game: An action button that signi- slash mechanic and basic-puzzle solving,
fies object interaction and a dash ability, and takes place both in the overworld and
a weapon button, and a shield button. This dungeon-like areas. Puzzles usually rely upon
is effective onboarding at its finest, and the players finding a key to unlock a nearby door,
decision to use a heart/heart container system rearranging boxes, and activating switches,
to represent player health, while essentially and are easily solved the majority of the time,
identical to a Zelda game, is also a clever us- but still provide satisfaction, especially those
age of a feature players are already familiar that have a more intricate design.
with, and makes Oceanhorn that much easier
While many of the enemies borrow either
to plug and play.
visually or in their attack style from Zelda vilIn addition to a host of collectibles including lains (such as the seed-spitting deku scrub),
coins, bombs, and arrows which are littered the ogres, goblins, and cactus wobbuffets
somewhat freshen the combative

experience. (I cried with happiness
when the enemies sustained damage
from traps, something that never
tends to happen in other games.)
Differentiating Oceanhorn from
Zelda are the progress-saving
checkpoints that are liberally spread
across environments, and the XP based
leveling system. The leveling system requires
you to collect crystals in order to advance
to the next tier of what is referred to as an
adventurer level, with each upgrade earning
you new and improved abilities.
All of this successfully sustains player engagement, and avoids becoming a repetitive
exercise in grinding because of Oceanhorns
multi-faceted and highly immersive gameplay.
The game is saturated with hidden places to
explore, plenty of intriguing NPCs to interact
with, and three objectives to complete per
island. When combined, these factors make
Oceanhorn a joy to play for hours on end. In
terms of difficulty, the game scales up nicely,
ensuring that opponents are never too easy
nor too frustrating to conquer, an exception
being the final boss fight, which I felt needed
to raise the bar much higher to create the
sensation of an epic win.
Where Oceanhorn truly shines is its soundtrack

and visuals, the latter boasting sumptuously
crafted worlds that reflect the art style of A
Link Between Worlds mixed with the seafaring
gameplay of Wind Waker. Under constant
canopies of rain and blessed with music that
would make Poseidon himself melt, Gillfolk
Drop is an underwater paradise teeming
with artistic beauty, just one example of the
games many beautiful locales. Each island
has its own distinct mood and personality,
and sailing via boat to your destination of
choice is unexpectedly exhilarating.
ence, do yourself a favor and play this now.

Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is
as close to 3D puzzle-platforming perfection
as it gets.
Put simply, Oceanhorn is an audio-visual

feast with an emotionally driven, heartfelt
narrative. While not groundbreaking in terms
of originality, it succeeds at plunging you
into a magical fantasy world and keeps you
anchored there on account of its rich lore,
thought-provoking puzzles, and sheer volume
of environments that are ripe for exploration.
Oceanhorn might be a love-letter to Zelda,
but perhaps the question should not be
whether it rises to Zeldas level, but rather,
whether it is able to forge a path of its own
that players will remember. In that regard,
the answer is a resounding yes. If you are a
fan of Zelda games and have been searching
the oceans high and low for a similar experi-
Pros
Gorgeous art
Breathtaking music
Touching narrative
Effortless, intuitive controls
Developer: Cornfox & Brothers

Website: www.cornfox.com
Twitter: @cornfox
Cons
Camera angle gets
disorienting during Boss

fights
The final boss is too easy

53
REVIEW
neuma: Breath of Life is Deco Digital and

Bevel Studios beautiful creation for Xbox
One and PC, which IGM first covered in January. Pneuma, the teams wanted to breathe life into
first-person puzzling, and encourage gamers to approach and analyse problems differently. Did they
succeed? Lets find out.
Firstly, I must elaborate on how beautiful Pneuma
is. Visuals arent the sole measure of a game, but
Pneuma is just that pretty. Even on my laptop, which is
hardly for high-end gaming, the game looks amazing.
Pneuma has a simple, elegant style, and its all the
better for it. The game begins in darkness, but after
a monologue in which the protagonist, Pneuma
voiced by Jay Britton, who has also voice-acted for
Marvel runs through the possibilities of his god-like
existence, he wishes for grandiose surroundings.
is everything a god deserves, as

Pneuma explains. However, Jay
Brittons portrayal, along with
a well-written script, meant that
instead of finding Pneuma arrogant, I
found him amusing, even human.
The aesthetics and fast-paced monologues
grabbed my attention even before the first
puzzle, so things were going well when I noticed a
blue eye in the distance. These eyes, which gamers will find in abundance, are used in a variety of
ways to solve puzzles.
As aforementioned, these puzzles were created

with a purpose; to have gamers view the world
around them in a new light, trying unconventional
solutions that make use of Pneumas god-like
telekinesis. In short, it works. Though Pneuma
starts off as simple as opening doors by
Cue rooms of white marble, with bright red drapes approaching and/or retreating from
and gold-rimmed paintings adorning the walls. This an eye while keeping it in
A Breath of Fresh Puzzles
by Ryan Noble
sight, puzzles soon use
this ability and other
mechanisms in many
different ways.
like hint options when having spent a certain

amount of time with a puzzle. Such a mechanic
would have allowed the game, which is surreal
enough that some gamers may avoid it, to
be slightly more accessible. However, I cant
While I happened upon
knock the puzzles themselves. They were built
the solution of some
to challenge gamers in new, interesting ways,
puzzles by sheer luck,
and thats exactly what they do.
others took real thinking.
For example, one puzzle Keeping the frustration at a minimum is
had me changing panels to Pneumas soundtrack, which is at all times
match images on the wall. It seems pleasant. I never felt that it took hold of any
simple enough, but theres no hand-holding one scene in its own right, but rather that its
in Pneuma. Each area you head into contains graceful notes guided me through the puzzles
brand new puzzles, and nothing is explained, and environments.
so its up to you to figure out how to solve it.
As the game progresses, the focus on existentialIm not saying I dont want a challenge, but ism increases, and I became unsure of whether
Pneuma can be extremely difficult. I personally I was making the right choices, despite Pneuma
54
having no real choices or morality to consider. This

was purely based on the exceptional writing - which
was both amusing and thought-provoking - and a
few scripted moments, in which I struggled against
the incorporeal protagonists efforts.
Pneuma had me thinking about these mysterious beings, wondering whether theyd have been
plagued with the mystery of their existence. This
association was surprising, but not unwelcome, as
Journey is one of the most immersive, emotional
games I have played. The fact that Pneumas
developers somehow tapped into this proved,
to me, that theyve created a gaming experience
unlike most others. In essence, this is what they
set out to do, and in my mind, they succeeded.
At points, when Pneuma voiced concerns about

his existence - whether he was in fact a puppet,
not a god - I was reminded of Journey. If youre
unaware, Journey is an indie game in which gamers control a voiceless, robed character through a
narrative. You dont know who they are, yet you Pneuma: Breath of Life is a visually stunning, disbond with them.
tinctive gaming experience. Its both challenging
and surreal, with great voice-acting and a well-
Pros
A visually stunning game with a
simple, elegant style
Unique puzzles that challenge in

new, interesting ways
Exceptional voice-acting and

scripts
Cons
Lack of hints make some
challenges frustrating
High price tag, considering the

games short length
written script, creating an immersive and

existential game, just as Deco Digital and
Bevel Studios desired. Some puzzles can
be frustrating, since there are no hints,
which may deter some gamers during
their playthrough. Which is unfortunate,
as Pneuma reaches its unique ambitions
over the course of the entire narrative
(roughly 4-5 hours, for me).
The game is available on Steam and Xbox

One for $19.99, which seems pricey for
such a short experience. However, youre
paying for the games unique concept
and philosophy, and its one thats worth
experiencing for yourself, whether you
believe theres any method to the madness of our existence or not.
Developer: Deco Digital & Bevel Studios

Website: www.pneumabreathoflife.com
Twitter: @PneumaGame
55
PREVIEWS
All Finesse
by Ryan Noble
eveloped by Wizcorp, Striker Arena

is a 3D football game available on
iOS devices with an Android soon to
follow. But in this more barbaric version of
the sport, theres no such thing as a foul, as
gamers fight their way to victory at all costs
for the Emperor.
The title screen greets players with options

for both Story Mode and Quick Match. Story
Mode challenges you to become worthy of
the grand tournament, while Quick Match
gets you straight onto the pitch, against
either AI or real-life opponents. In Striker
Arena, you can play against another person
using the same device.
In addition to the narrative, Story Mode also

acts like a tutorial, offering a demonstration
of the skills needed to win. However, it didnt
actually teach me. It told me what to do, but
didnt actually show how to do it. Theres a
how-to-play section that gives instructions,
but I would have liked to see these (e.g. swipe
56
to pass, tap to run, etc.) integrated into the find yourself pressing reposition, and your
challenges.
team will move around instead of gaining
possession or scoring. I can only think that
In each match, there are abilities to aid in
itd be easier if the intercept or header
victory. Theres a punch which allows you to
actions had their own buttons, rather than
wallop the opposition, taking possession of
sharing, but it might not be ideal, as itd take
the ball. It flies or punches in the face of
up screen-space. The balls in your court
traditional rules, and is genuinely a pleasure
there, Wizcorp.
to do. Theres also a ground pound-esque
ability, damaging nearby players, both friend Despite showing a few yellows cards, such
and foe, as well as the ability to heal team- as the difficulty in intercepting or heading
mates. More abilities reveal themselves as a ball, and initial trial-and-error gameplay
the tournament progresses, but I wont spoil before finding the how-to guide, Striker
them. Just know that theyre all aggressive Arena has serious potential to be the Mario
and/or helpful, and a welcome addition to Strikers Charged of iOS and Android. The
the gameplay.
amount of glee I experienced when beating an opponent into unconsciousness was
Furthermore, each arena offers its own chalworrying, and winning matches having used
lenges, with snowy climates bringing forth
abilities, tactics, and my team effectively was
ice creatures that want to rip apart whoever
extremely satisfying. The positives in Striker
has the ball. Another arena, The Dojo, spun
Arena outweigh any own-goals scored against
the pitch at random intervals, either moving
itself, and I look forward to seeing updated
your team closer to, or further from, their
versions of the bloodbath sport.
calculated goal no pun intended.
Striker Arena is currently available on iOS
Players can even watch and share replays,
devices for $2.99 USD, with plans for Android
with options for captions and voice overlays.
and Vita versions in the future.
This seems a nice touch for football fanatics,
who will surely love commentating on their
Developer: Wizcorp
own matches.
Platform: iOS, Android
In terms of foul balls, Striker Arena could still
improve. On my iPhone 5s, in-game text was
incredibly small, and intercepting or heading
the ball was also quite difficult, as theres only
a small window to do so. If you miss it, youll
Website: www.strikerarena.com
Twitter: @StrikerArena
MOAR CANNONS STARBOARD!
by Nick Cescon
common practice in modern

game development that is
rarely talked about is the idea
of fusion. At this point in the industry,
most genres are well defined enough
that many developers can choose two
or more common genres to see how
well they mash together. Windward is
an excellent example of a rare gem of
fusion that really pulls itself off to be
an interesting and unique title, even
while still in development.
Ever wanted to captain your own ship

during a period where the strength of
your cannons was law on the open sea?
Windward has that; want to be able to
improve your ship with what are effectively equipment slots, or buy new ships
entirely? Windward has that; want to be
able to level yourself up with skill trees
akin to dungeon crawlers or MMO style
progression? Windward has that; want
to throw the kitchen sink into your boat
as your first mate? Windward doesnt
have that, but it wouldnt be surprising
if it made it in before launch.
Developer: Tasharen Entertainment

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Website: www.tasharen.com
So what is a player to do with his trusty

boat? Well, there are different factions
in the game that you can choose at
creation, and each of them level differently. Most factions gain experience
through exploration, some through
military prowess, others through trade
and economical dominance, etc. The

initial choice effects your gameplay to
the point of dictating the overall goal of
what youre trying to do as a captain,
and it also affects where in the game
youll spawn. The maps are quite large
in the game, about ten squares by ten
squares, and each square should take
you an hour or so to get the hang of
and complete.
The game is presented as a third person,
top down ship-to-ship adventure game,
and the graphics are impressive. The
amount of detail and fidelity of the water,
towns, and land are far and above the
quality expected for the price point paid.
The game already has a great online
community as well, so youll not only
be fighting, trading and using diplomacy
on the NPC ships, towns, and towers of
the game, but also with players as well.
When spawning into a new world, online or off, youll be given the choice to
randomly generate maps, making sure
that the game is fresh and fun for you
and your friends for a long time to come.
If youve been searching for an excuse to
sail the high seas lately and want to do
it in style, make sure to give this gem a
look on Steam Early Access today.
57
PREVIEWS
Online Magic Casting
rading card games are as popular

as theyve ever been, although in
recent years the trend has been to
move them into the digital age. Certainly
its easier to keep your collection neat
when you only play with virtual cards.
Coming soon to fantasy card gamers everywhere is Spellweaver, a beautifully illustrated online trading card game from
Dream Reactor LLC.
Set in an original fantasy world, Spellweaver
is populated by six warring factions. Each
faction has a hero, and you will pick one
of these to be your champion. Select from
Alexa, the battle maiden, who represents
Order; Daris, from a family of scientists,
representing Wisdom; Neeva, an elf who
champions the natural world, standing for
Nature; Nefaros, known as the Necromantic
Prince, the representative of Corruption;
Despina, the cunning temptress, who
represents Domnion; or Zash, the battlemage son of a Dragonborn warrior, who
personifies Rage. Whichever character you
adopt is the leader of your armies as you
battle, and their inherent nature becomes
a guiding factor in your strategy.
Developer: Dream Reactor LLC

Platform: PC (iPad to come)
Website: www.spellweaver-tcg.com
Twitter: @SpellweaverTCG
58
A hero starts out with just one skill, but

as you play, special Shrine cards enable
them to unlock additional skills. Like the
six heroes, every card in your deck will belong to one of the six magical aspects, and
each of these offers unique and beneficial
attributes. You can build the deck to your
liking either using cards of the same faction as your hero, or acquiring cards from
any or even all of the other factions. Some
cards will go in the front line, attacking and
defending with brute strength. Others will
form the support line, though cards are
free to switch between front and support
lines as you choose.
Laura Klotz
Duels in Spellweaver average between

7-15 minutes each, making the game an
easy fit into your leisure hours. The goal in
combat is simple to reduce a challengers
life points to zero. Along with a thorough
tutorial campaign to help you get your feet
wet, Spellweaver offers two single-player
campaigns, tournaments, and leaderboards.
The game was actually delayed so the team
could polish the overall experience, but the
delay also resulted in additional features
being added. One feature is called Trials, a
series of special tournaments with special
decks. In this mode, players build a deck
by selecting from groups of three random
cards before taking on competitors. Greater
rewards are earned with successive victories.
Dream Reactor promises that even more
treats are in store for the near future. A
card crafting element will allow you to
get rid of cards you no longer want by
turning them into desired cards. The fame
system will let you gain fame by playing,
winning, and participating in events like
tournaments. Each time you reach a new
fame threshold, youll get a reward, and
the leaderboards will proclaim to all the
world which players have achieved the most
fame in the current week. Both features
are expected to be available early in the
open Beta period (scheduled for later this
month). The developers intend to periodically release new cards, features, and play
modes to keep the game fresh.
Spellweaver TCG will, at first, only be available
in a standalone PC client, but the developers
expect to launch an iPad version later this
year, with plans for additional platforms
down the road. The game is free-to-play
with optional microtransactions to purchase
currency used to obtain new cards.
The SKIES
A True Post-Apocalyptic Adventure
he SKIES is a new indie MMO currently in development by EFORB Games,

which promises to be a true post
apocalyptic, open world MMO where your
choices affect the world and people around
you. Inspired by a novel of the same name,
Skies, the game is supposed to feature a
non-linear narrative where choice and action are the largest tools in the players arsenal.
by Nick Cescon
hard to feel confident in or predict what the

end result will be.
On the one hand, you have the beginnings
of a truly unique and fun MMO, but the flipside is that its going to take a lot of work to
get there. To be marketable, SKIES is going to
need an overhaul of a lot of systems.
First things first, the dialogue in its current
state is unreadable; the conversations dont
make sense and need to be combed over for
clarity and consistency. (Devs notes mentioned some question would be functional,
but it was hard to tell the difference.) The
graphics also have a long way to go before
the game is ready for market. The hit detection and the combat are sitting in the same
unfortunate place, and while the guns look
well-rendered and animated, the characters
are far from it. (To be fair, character animations are very much a work-in-progress.) It
was extremely frustrating when using iron
sights on a gun and having the field of view
clip the characters arms through the screen,
so hopefully character animations are at the
top of the priority list.
However, in the games current state these

are just promises of what the experience may
potentially become. It is currently in such an
early state of Alpha testing that its close to
unplayable. The game suffers on too many
major fronts to be considered more then a
bug-fest. From the brutal dialogue to atrocious
hit detection, there are not a lot of redeeming
qualities to SKIES besides what it promises to Overall, there is a great concept lying just
become in the future.
underneath the surface of The SKIES, and
with some time and care the developers are
A lot can be said for the concept of the game
going to be sitting on a very good game that
though, given the different types of weapons,
can be successful in its own right. Time will
skill trees, quests and more; players will have
tell if the developers can carve an elegant
a lot to do in-game, which should result in a
statue from this rough marble.
lot of fun. It just currently isnt there, so its
Developer: EFORB
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Website: www.skiesmmorpg.com
Twitter: @kies_mmorpg
59
SCREENSHOT MONTHLY
Aprils Screenshot Monthly is no joke! Weve got a new and
exciting selection of work-in-progress games set to be released
in the near future. Without further ado, lets see what these
projects have in store for us. - Laura Klotz
ight years ago, humanity experienced an event they call the catastrophe the crash landing of an asteroid which buried the world in an endless winter.
Jacob Solomon is the leader of a group of five survivors who have taken shelter in a remote church. The group receives a radio message advising them that help
will arrive in thirty days, and they must work together to survive until then. This is
the world of Impact Winter, an upcoming PC title from Mojo Bones. As Jacob, players will interact with the unique NPCs on the team, attending to their emotional
and physical needs and learning their distinct personalities. Each playthrough will
be different, because player choices will dictate the storyline. A swift success story
on Steam Greenlight, Impact Winter intends to provide a challenge like youve never
seen. Look for it to be released later this year.
Developer: Mojo Bones

Website: http://mojobones.co.uk
Twitter: @mojobonesltd
60
he Good Mood Creators want to

invite you to visit the Mekazoo, a
throwback 2D platformer where
the playable characters are mekanimals. Each of these - the armadillo,
the frog, the wallaby, the panda, and
the pelican - is an adorable cyborg with
its own unique abilities. Explore the vibrant worlds of the Mekanasphere with
your mekanimals, combining their abilities to make your way through diverse
and beautiful environments. Defeat
the bosses and unlock their powers,

and collect items like gems and medals to earn special rewards. Featuring a
soundtrack produced by the Quiggles,
Mekazoo will be available in Q4 2015
for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and
Wii U.
Developer: Thirsty Robot
Website: www.about.me/cooper.b
Twitter: @ThirstyRobot
61
SCREENSHOT MONTHLY
n
the
year 2754, most of humanity
has abandoned Earth and fled to faraway corners of the galaxy,
trying to escape from their increasingly self-aware robot slaves.
An artifical intelligence, ZEROV, has taken command of an army of
these slaves, and intends to chase after their former human masters to take revenge - but not before first wiping out what remains
of humanity on Earth. Enter the Tiny Robot Justice Squad, the only
ones who can stop ZEROV and save the last surviving humans.
Mind Relay, the UK developer creating Tiny Robot Justice Squad,
has been incorporated as a special

non-profit, a status which will allow all of the proceeds earned by
the game to benefit charity. Once the game is complete, all funds
will go to GamesAid, an umbrella organization which distributes
money to various charities - in this case, all of the profits from
sales of Tiny Robot Justice Squad will go to organizations which
benefit children with disabilities or other disadvantages. Keep an
eye out for these heroic little robots, coming soon to Windows,
Mac, and Linux.
Developer: Mind Relay

Website: www.tinyrobotgame.com
Twitter: @mindrelay
62
ravel to
Norway
and venture Through the Woods
with Oslo-based developer,
Antagonist. This third-person
psychological horror game takes
place in a forest along Norways western
shore, where a mother and her son have become separated. Experience the mothers retelling of the circumstances of her sons disappearance,
and watch as the story unfolds against the dark backdrop
of the mysterious woods. Norse mythology and Norwegian folk
tales both heavily influence the dreamlike tale, in which your mind
will start to play tricks on you. Through the Woods was demonstrated at
this years GDC and will be released later in 2015 for PC.
Developer: Antagonist Games

Website: www.antagonist.no
Twitter: @antagonistgames
63
SCREENSHOT MONTHLY
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65
SCREENSHOT MONTHLY
ans of high fantasy will definitely want to take a look at Fortis Rex: Rise of the King, a PC game with a lush medieval setting. As the Traveller, you find yourself in the ancient land
of Rex, which is ruled by a cruel Emperor who terrifies the people.
The realm is exhausted and bankrupt from a rebellion which has
dragged on for ages; meanwhile, an old prophecy has predicted
that a stranger from a distant land will appear and reunite the
Empire. Your choices will shape the future of Rex - will you support the Emperor, throw in your lot with the King of the Imperial
66
Rebels, or claim the throne for yourself? Watch the game world
mold itself in response to your actions, and decide whether the
good or evil path is more your style. Adventure awaits you in Fortis Rex... long live the king!
Developer: Ancient Realms Studios
Website: www.fortisrex.com
Twitter: @FortisRex
umbra is a strange, eerily beautiful world where darkness reigns. In

Light Fall, youll explore its many regions, from the Lunar Plains to the Unknown
Depths, and encounter unusual characters both
friendly and antagonistic. Utilize a mysterious artifact called the Shadow Core, which has many
different purposes and can be adapted to your
playstyle as you continue the quest to uncover

your own origins. Dodge dangers, overcome
obstacles, and uncover the secrets of Numbra,
all while a character called Stryx narrates your
adventure. See for yourself why attendees at both
PAX South and PAX East regard Light Fall as one of
the most promising titles of the coming year. PC and
Mac gamers will soon be able to find it on Steam.
Developer: Bishop Games

Website: www.ightfallgame.com
Twitter: @BishopGamesStd
With titles like these, youll have plenty of indie

game options to play through while staying
indoors and avoiding those April showers. See
you next month!
67

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The

The Lost Pisces

Dragon Fin Soup

Project Scissors: NightCry

The Lost Pisces Interview . . . . . . . 14

Tiny Robot Justice Squad . . . . . 62

Dragon fin Soup Interview. . . . . . 26

Through the Woods. . . . . . . . . 63

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There came an echo. . . . . . . . . 46

The Lost Pisces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Oscura: Lost Light. . . . . . . . . . 48

Dragon fin Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Cooking for Gamers. . . . . . . . . 32

Pneuma: Breath of Life. . . . . . . 54

Woolfe: the Red Hood Diaries . . . . . 34 Previews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Castle in the Darkness. . . . . . . . 38

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A little hazy on the details

Connect with an audience of over 150 thousand indie game

Cover art provided by Sirenum Digital

April TBD - Empyrion - Galactic Survival

April TBD - Sketch Tales

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The Invasion Cometh!

repare for invasion, fellow Nexians! Thats right, 2015 is

well soon be able to bring our

Fanning the Flames

virtual reality. IKinema is an experienced group that has worked on

Sqwaaaak!! More info at:

Ikinema who then displayed the game during their presentation

Developer: Mooneye Studios

to attain ideal horror?

Kono: Being a horror fan myself, I believed it to be a system

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all in separate places and times

Developer: Playism Games

a sewn men sit down to have

Indie Game Magazine: The

It takes place at the end of the last great

Knowing that we wanted to play with AI quite

IGM: I think a lot of folks are going to take

kowski), Maya and Michaell Bakalars, are

Framerates became miserably low and we

Fast forward to March of 2014 and Unreal

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to destroy. Theres usually only one way to

world areas that players can explore. What

actually a globe-spanning civilization. The Port

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IGM: Sirenum intends to integrate Kinect

means something to her. Theyre really simple

the backbone for our Emotional AI, however

IGM: Instead of Artificial Intelligence, youre

gestures and body language also convey a

Part of Your World

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from outside resources to help them realize their vision. A good

development team at Sirenum LLC is working on The Lost Pisces, an

Mapping players facial reactions and implementing advanced AI

weighted goals sending information back to the core

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