At PAX East last weekend, I went hands-on with asymmetrical stealth co-op game Hacktag. Created by Piece of Cake Studios (a studio completely dedicated to making co-op games and composed of industry vets), Hacktag impressed. My time with the game left me wanting to play and improve more.
Far-flung Games' first title, Infinite Desolation, got the Greenlight last week and thus is making its way towards a full release on Steam sometime in 2017. This twin-stick shooter promises "deep character progression, exploration and looting, crafting, day-night cycles, environmental hazards, classic survival mechanics and world-jumping portals."
And lo, the number of shmup titles has grown by one this day (well, technically, it was a few days ago). Indonesian developer Magesoft just got their first game, Burst Fighter, Greenlit on Steam and is looking at a 2016 release date.
Rusto Games' twin-stick shooter Spareware is still slated for a PC release this year, and it's currently trying to secure a spot on Steam via the Greenlight program. As part of its campaign, the team has put up a demo over on itch.io so you can take it for a test spin.
Indie developer Formal Sheep (great name) will be making their debut next year with The Rabbit and the Owl. Set in an ethereal world where there is only light and dark, players will have to navigate the titular characters through the opposing worlds in order to help each other progress in their journey and discover what happened to the land of Yril.
UK developer Parallel Circles got some good news this week. Their forthcoming action platformer, Flat Heroes, got Greenlit on Steam! That's good news for us, too, as the game features a co-op mode that up to four players can enjoy.
So many games these days have you crawling through a dungeon to get at some nebulous treasure looking within its depths. But why go down when you go up? Faux-Operative Game's Ruin of the Reckless is a "tower crawler" where you'll fight your way through floor after floor to reach the top and have your wish granted.
There was a brief time when I was young when my uncle let my family borrow his Atari. He didn't have a lot of games for it, but I definitely remember spending time playing Tank with my brother and sister. Spanish developer Mighty Toast must have dedicated some of their time playing that game as well as their first title, Tankr, seems to be inspired by it.
One of my favorite activities outside of playing video games with friends is cooking meals with my wife. Our kitchen isn't big so there's a little bit of a hectic dance as we move around each other for counter space, but it's always fun. Apparently, the two-man development team over at Ghost Town Games also enjoy cooking cooperatively as their first title, Overcooked, is just that.
Steam Greenlight gives players the ability to determine which games will be available for purchase.This system allows for indie titles like Polycrusher to show what they can do in order to get votes from the community. Once the game has enough votes, the game will be Greenlit and available for distribution once the developer has completed the game. Polycrusher is a twin-stick shooter that is currently up for vote.
The world of twin-stick shooters has (largely) been dominated by two themes: zombies and bright, neon, flashy, trance, hangononeminutehavingaseizure polygons. Well, no more. Prepare thyself for Vikings with guns in Gunnheim!
German indie developer Orlyapps will make its Steam debut later this month with Commander Cool 2, a throwback platformer featuring a local co-op mode.
