Gamezebo are at GDC in San Francisco! Which means we’ve been checking out loads of new games on both mobile and Steam. Here’s our attempt to sum up what we’ve seen on the opening day or so of the conference… …
Gamezebo are at GDC in San Francisco! Which means we’ve been checking out loads of new games on both mobile and Steam. Here’s our attempt to sum up what we’ve seen on the opening day or so of the conference…
Prolific mobile developer Crescent Moon Games have eight titles in the works, but possibly the most exciting of these is Ravensword Legacy. A prequel to the original Ravensword, it looks to be a hugely ambitious open world RPG adventure. We can’t wait for it, but I’ll guess we’ll have to – it won’t be released until next year. Blast.
Also in development by the same developer are environmental puzzler Legend of the Skyfish (expected by the end of the year) and Pengi. The latter is kind of like an into the screen Tiny Wings – but to describe it in such a trite way is almost certainly unfair, as it looks very slick indeed.
A game that’s obviously a real labour of love, this overhead puzzle game sees you controlling an intern at a space station (yes, space stations rely on intern labour too) that houses a range of dangerous space creatures.
Via a series of mishaps you have to then work your way through the ship by outsmarting the monsters and various other foes. Although the game seems a slow paced puzzler it really isn’t – if you don’t plan ahead you’ll get eviscerated in seconds. You’ll need a fast mind and fast fingers to get past some of the levels here.
The game has a lot of character thanks to its engaging dialogue and hand drawn art too. Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets will arrive on iOS, Android, and Steam in the Summer – with a Switch version to follow soon after.
Mike Astolfi, head of interactive experiences at CTRL-labs, briefly chatted to us about how his company is pioneering a practical and non-invasive neural interface. What that means is that they’re aiming to create a way you can control games with your mind.
It’s not as out there as that may sound either, and could end up allowing several new types of game to exist – getting new players involved in the medium in the process. Although the tech is still in its relative infancy, development kits for it will hopefully start to be distributed to interested dev teams within the year.
The new game from Kwalee is an entertaining if brief puzzle game fix. The mechanics are solid – it’s effectively Six! but with a bowl of balls rather than a hexagon – and they’re wrapped up in some relatively fresh 80s style retro graphics. The ads are intrusive though, which detracts from the experience perhaps a bit too much.
The new game from Robot Gentlemen is planned to be released on just Steam initially, and is effectively a spiritual continuation of 60 Seconds – but set in a space station.
It sees you scavenging for supplies to keep you crew hungry – but making sure they maintain their sanity is also a huge challenge. Gamezebo lasted just 25 days until the whole crew was wiped out. For the record – that’s not great. Even if the demo staff were too nice to say so.
Stay tuned for further updates from Gamezebo at GDC as the week continues!
