ICYMI

As a group of volunteers many of us are balancing our love of bringing you news, reviews, previews, videos, and more with day jobs, families, and much more (like actual gaming and anime watching). As a result we miss a story here and there. We do strive hard not to let this happen, but as they say, the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions.

To help ease our minds of any indie news we didn’t get a chance to bring you, I have decided to start ICYMI.

ICYMI is a new series where we put together all of the indie news (and anything else honestly) that flew under our radar. Things that sat overlooked in our email, game news and announcements that we didn’t have time to cover, or were simply unaware of until devs reached out to us.  You won’t find a list of things we already covered here! If you missed something, you can simply search our site and find what you need.

With that said.. you might also find some games in this series that we might not normally cover.

Anyhow, enough of the boring details. Lets get into the news from last week.


Bunny Bash

First up we have Bunny Bash by DarkArts Studios. This is “an action packed online multiplayer death-match arena game with cute, adorable, yet dangerous bunnies…Bunny Bash has 4 unique environmentally different worlds with seven challenging levels.

You can find a trailer below and even more on the Steam page. 


Wonder Jump

Now we have Wonder Jump which is available for Android and iOS.  This one is a one button game where players must jump with exact timing. There are various jump rope techniques, obstacles, and more. Obstacles include things like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, clockwork rabbits from Alice in Wonderland, and a red dragon from RPG games that appear and hinder the timing of players.

As an added twist (and as the people behind it have said to “attract the eyes of consumers in a fierce application market”) they have decided to use some “sex sells” marketing. The character “begins to possess plump and voluptuous upper body with the opening of a new stage.” Well, they are using sex to sell, but being polite about it! The press release even says they hope no one is offended by this. I’m not offended but I guess if you are you can let us/them know in the comments below!


Total Extreme Wrestling 2016

Let’s jump right into the next one (see what I did there) the retail release of Total Extreme Wrestling 2016 (on May 2, 2016). You play the role of a wrestler promoter, and it is up to you to lead your chosen company to the top. Dealing with prima donna superstars, wars and alliances, and the demands of TV corporations will become your daily life. This edition of Total Extreme Wrestling adds over 500 new features from the 2013 version, many that were asked for by fans. You can get your copy from Grey Dog Software

You can also download a demo (playable for 2 months of game time)

Download server 1
Download server 2


Thru Orbit

As of May 3, 2016 Thru Orbit Patch 1.1.0 is now live. Thru Orbit is a casual arcade game that is now free-to-play on the app store.

 

New Power-Up System

Revive Power-Up (Classic Mode):
Resurrect thrus that has been lost in the current level.
Earn up to nine Revive Power-Ups at the same time with
rewarded video ads.

Menu:
Options are now implemented.
Reworked Manual


Ultra Light Beam

Windows Game Ultralight Beam can be yours for $2.99 or you can play the free ad supported lo-res version. You really have to see the trailer to get what this game is all about.  (I might leave that trailer playing just for the groovy sound effects while I finish writing this article) I adore the color scheme of this game!


Battles of Norghad

Next up we have a major update announced for Battles of Norghan. You can read the full list here but here are the basics.

Improved AI.
Fixed a potential game crash at start-up problem if the game had been installed as a non-admin user.
Game balancing.
Improved documentation.
Made the Thunder Storm spell extremely rare to see in all newly started games.
Made the rare races a little less rare.
Bug fixes.

Check out the new demo.


Super Arc Light

Super Arc Light has just evolved into a more powerful form! Player feedback was taken into account and now the game offers the following upgrades and changes.

You can play Super Arc Light on Android or iOS

New difficulty mode: 3 lives!
New weapon selection mechanic: There are now 3 random weapons to select; just
shoot to choose
Score now added during gameplay, with the point value shown for each kill
Rebalanced some enemy behaviors, speed, and collision areas
Optimized best score/final score when you kill something . . . after you’ve died
Gameplay tips added to death screen
Kill speed stats on “game over” screen
3 new music tracks
1 new enemy type (big points bonus!)

DEVELOPER QUOTE
Jon McKellan, Creative Director (No Code Studios):

“We can’t thank the Super Arc Light community enough for their consistent feedback
and support. It’s been immensely helpful in shaping the new update, so please keep
it coming!”

Super Arc Light launched to critical acclaim back in March, when it received Apple’s
coveted Editor’s Choice feature — as well as placement in Google Play’s Indie
Corner. The game features a unique one-button control system that delivers a
fast-paced, retro shoot-em-up gameplay experience unlike any other on iOS and
Android.


KOG Games is celebrating their 5th anniversary. They have offered a video to say thank you.

The next big thing coming from KOG Games is on May 18th when the closed beta testing starts for HeroWarz.

HeroWarz

HeroWarz is the ultimate action RPG where players select and cultivate unique heroes to build their personal assault force. Dive into an ever expanding, in-depth, story-driven character lineup and prepare for action-packed battles like no other! HeroWarz isn’t just for RPG and action gamers. Enter: Arena TV, the standalone PvP element of HeroWarz. Arena TV will be a stand alone, MOBA based PvP environment that promotes competitive, fast paced action with a character lineup that goes even beyond that of what’s offered on the RPG character
lineup. Sign up for the CBT.


Infinium Strike

Codex Worlds have announced Infinium Strike will be available on the PS4 in Q3 2016.

About the Game:

Set in the distant future, a group of aliens known as the Wrog will stop at nothing to annihilate mankind. Players will assume the role of the weapons officer on the Freedom Strike, the battlecarrier that is humanity’s last hope, and will have an arsenal of weapons, spaceships and cutting-edge technologies to defeat the Wrog.

This is in addition to the already announced Xbox One release. The PC version of the Kickstarter funded title will be available on Steam for Windows, Mac, and Linux on July 14 ,2016.


Canadian independent developer Frima Studio have announced a behind the scenes video for Fated: The Silent Oath, their virtual reality game that released last month on Oculus Rift.

About the Game:

Harnessing the power of virtual reality, FATED takes the players on a journey that packs an incredible emotional punch,” said Vincent Martel, executive producer at Frima Studio. “Our behind-the-scenes trailer offers a sneak peek of the different steps involved in bringing FATED to life in virtual reality.

A Land Fit for Heroes1


On May 4 Liber Primus Games and Gollancz have announced their latest title, A Land Fit For Heroes is now available on PC through SteamLand Fit For Heroes  is an adventure game-book series based on bestselling book trilogy by Richard Morgan. The game has been optimized and features a host of updates for the PC version. There is improved combat, completely revamped combat UI system, and much more.

Thank you to all of those who reached out to us for coverage. I hope this keeps the emails coming, and shows other indie companies that they can come to us for coverage.

Crystal Colwell
What's up everyone? Crystal here! I spend my time writing up the news for you all and keeping us all up to date with incoming game info from Japan. I do a little bit of everything else around here, too. :) Happy Reading!