Eschalon: Book I is one of the better turn based RPGs released in the last few years. I suppose it’s not such a crowded marketplace for that genre of games these days, but it’s still one of my favorites. I’ve been following the development of Book II for quite some time and over the weekend a teaser trailer was released. While the development is running a little behind schedule, it should release this year. I’m guessing late spring or early summer, but there’s no hard date yet.
I’ve mentioned Spelunky before and this month Derek released version 1.0 along with a new website. Even more exciting is that Spelunky is coming to Xbox Live Arcade in 2010.
Spelunky is making its way to Xbox Live Arcade in 2010! Yep, and it’s going to be much more than a straight port of the PC game – I’m planning on stuffing it with new graphics, audio, and other features for XBLA users. With all the other great independent games on XBLA or coming to it, I’m hopeful that Spelunky will feel right at home there. I think it’s a cool platform and I’m excited about what I’ll be able to do to make the game special.
Do you like old school turn based RPG games? While you’re waiting for Eschalon Book 2, try Heroic Fantasy’s Knights of the Chalice. The rules are based on a very detailed implementation of the Open Game License 3.5. I have a party that’s reached level 11 and this is by far the best turn based dungeon crawling adventure I’ve had in a long time. While it only has a few classes, the strategic combat options and a frighteningly good AI makes this an indie game not to miss!
Spelunky is another indie gem like Trine. I’ve been following it for the last six months or so trying out new builds as Derek Yu posts them to the discussion thread. It’s almost ready for final release with the latest build at v0.99.9. While you may not have heard of Spelunky, Derek is the co-creator of Aquaria.
Derek describes Spelunky as:
…that it’s (kind of) like La Mulana meets Nethack – every time you play the levels, items, monsters, and so forth, are all procedurally-generated. And the terrain is destructible and there are quite a few ways in which the various game elements can interact with one another.
My goal was to create a fast-paced platform game that had the kind of tension, re-playability, and variety of a roguelike. In roguelikes, the gameplay tells the story, and I wanted to give Spelunky that type of a feeling… but make the player rely on their reflexes rather than their brain (or knowledge of what 50 billion command keys do!). If there’s a best of both worlds, that’s what I was trying to go for.
It works great with a gamepad and I highly recommend it along with Trine.
I always enjoy finding a small gem from indie developers. The most recent that I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon is Trine.
As described by the developers: “Trine is a physics-based action game where three characters allow clever solutions to challenges created by hazardous puzzles and threatening enemies. The gameplay is based on fully interactive physics – each character’s different abilities and tactics can be used to invent new ways to overcome obstacles and save the kingdom!”
Our three characters in the game are the Thief, Knight, and Wizard. The Wizard is a bit of a manwhore as he managed to knock himself unconscious for a fortnight while researching a spell to impress the ladies. Um, what else would you use immense magical powers for? You control one of the characters at a time, but you can switch them out instantly if you have a need to or one of them gets a slight case of stone cold dead. Each character has unique skills that help with puzzles or allow access to semi-hidden areas.
