There's some exciting stuff going on at the moment.
MythPeople is about to wrap up its next casual game called
Miriel the Magical Merchant.
It's now in final stages of testing, and should be available for download within two weeks.
We've actually gotten some really good feedback from hardcore gamers who've been pretty much forced to playtest the game.
They're usually a bit reluctant to try it out, but after they get past the level 4, it's not unusual we have to cram the mouse out of their
aggressive and sweaty fists. Sure enough MythPeople games are meant for everybody, but still we're greatly surprised to see this effect in hc gamers.
We have also been getting quite a few emails about CL2 development lately. Some of the emails have been supportive, and some less so.
I can understand some of you guys are frustrated about the slowness of the CL2 development.
You can probably also imagine how frustrated we are for not being able to deliver it right now.
We are still working on it, and we will finish and release it.
However, what we will not do is release it before it is ready. And it is not ready yet.
In the mean time, I can point you at some awesome games other indie game developers have produced.
Puzzle Quest. An excellent combination of match 3 mechanic and RPG elements.
Starscape. Starts up a bit slow but gets very interesting after a couple of hours. Reminds me a bit of good old Star Control 2.
Harvest: Massive Encounter. This one has a nice premise, but wasn't able to hook me in during the free trial time. I think the enemies could be more interesting here.
Puzzle Hero. This one's obviously been inspired by Puzzle Quest. I think Puzzle Quest has more depth (and even more painful story line), but this has a few nice ideas as well.
Tradewinds Caravans. It's a trading sim. Not my favorite of the Tradewinds series, but still worth a play if you like these types of games.
Archmage. Another game by RakeInGrass. It's sort of like classic arcade shooter but with fantasy theme.
It's getting warmer here in Finland. I'm not talking about the global warming (aka. the pale horse), but simply
the next episode in seasons. The summer is coming. It's still the time when it's almost bearable inside in my AC'less apartment,
but within a month the rage of the Sun will turn this humble box into an oven. Hopefully that means I have to spend more
time at the office, which in turn means that Crimsonland 2 will get finished sooner. So the next time you play CL2, be sure to thank the Sun.
Talking about things that are hot: RakeInGrass, the developer of Jets'n'Guns GOLD
recently contacted me with exciting news. They have released a new game called Larva Mortus.
I recommend you go and check it out if you like survival horror shooters with RPG elements.
Anyway, here's another close-up screenshot snapped from the current Crimsonland 2 build. It shows a new critter type - a sort
of a thing you'd expect to meet at the bottom of the ocean.
One down, seven to go. They're very hard to hit.
And as usual, here's the cream of the crops of the latest game releases:
Build-a-lot 2.
I feel kinda like selling a pig in a poke as I haven't (yet) bought this game myself, but the
first Build-a-lot was really good, so how could they mess up the sequel, right?
Zombie Shooter.
There are some zombies and there's some shooting. How could you possibly go wrong with that formula?
Autocross Racing.
Good old fashioned top-down racing game. I still think my personal favourite of this genre is Death Rally
by Remedy, but this one is pretty enjoyable as well.
It's finally here: guys at HeroCraft have released the English version of the cell phone Crimsonland game. You can download the game from its official site. The game features two game modes (Quest and Survival), over 40 blood-thirsty monsters, lots of perks, and best of all: worldwide high score lists. Be sure to check out the Survival mode with the autofire option enabled - my personal favorite.
As much fun the portable version of the Game can be, that is definitely not the final establishment of Crimsonland. Last time
I was hoping to show you some screen captures of current version of Crimsonland 2 level editor. My hopes materialize in this tall two-in-one screenshot:
Ever wondered what's it like outside the borders of existence? It's green.
You can see the editor is pretty simple. It's used to lay out the level basics (obstacles, enemies, etc). If you want to add some more complex scripting, currently you'll just have to write some Lua code. Overall, scripts can be used to change the level goals, entity AI, weapons, perks, game UI, and that sorts of stuff.
Anyway, I do have a couple of extra games for you this time as well:
Monster Mash. Tower Defense variation with a few of nice twists. Just make sure you'll turn off the music - it's just awful and annoying. With no music, though, it's probably even better than Master of Defense. Although some of the bright colors do kinda hurt my eyes a bit.
Blast Miner. Blow up stuff to get the gold. However, it does get very hard towards the end: some of the fun fades away as (I'm guessing) there aren't that many working solutions for the levels. You'll know what I mean if you check out the game. For free you know.
For more games, head down to new, fresh, and shiny 10tons Arcade. Also feel free send us comments and improvement ideas about the new site.
Crimsonland gets wings
27. January 2008
I previously mentioned that there will be some exciting news concerning Crimsonland.
The source of the excitiness is that you will be soon able to play Crimsonland pretty much
anywhere you want, except maybe on airplanes and hospitals.
That's right, a more mobile version of Crimsonland will soon arrive in cell phones near you.
Here's something I dug up on YouTube:
Stay tuned for more information.
So call it whatever you like - mobile Crimsonland, Crimsonland for cell phones, or Crimsonland Mobile Massacre -
it is coming. Be sure to check it out when it's released. Don't worry, crimsonland.com lets you know when the big day comes.
And just so that you wouldn't leave empty handed, here's some free fun stuff to play (*):
Armada Tanks. Defend your base, upgrade your tank, and beat the bosses and their minions.
KingMania. A light strategy game by RakeInGrass, the creators of Jets'n'Guns.
Star Defender 4. It's the best one of this series, and one the good implementations of the classic shooter gameplay.
(*) ok it's free fun for an hour or so.
Hopefully next month I'll show you a bit how Crimsonland 2 levels are made. Sort of a developer thing.
Best games of 2005-2007 recap
2005-2007
Somewhere along the line we started linking here games made by fellow game developers.
All downloads on this site go through Reflexive with our affiliate ID, so we do get a share of
each game downloaded and purchased. The newly linked games received surprisingly
good feedback - people have liked the games (based on emails and sales) - and we've gotten a few extra
bucks for our own game development. Not to forget the other developers who've also gotten something
for their hard work. Nor the gamers who've most likely had some great fun playing the games.
So anyway, as I archived the old news of 2005-2007,
I decided to compile a list of the most popular games available on this site. The list is based
on number of downloads, sales, and especially conversion ratios (i.e. how many % of people who downloaded
a game bought it). Here's the list:
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