Andre's Indie Game Chosen Ones Issue #6
Issue #6 features The Legend of Tianding, Demon Turf, Time Loader, Decoherence, Bright Memory: Infinite, Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, DeckRX, The Wandering Village, Wolfstride
Welcome to Issue #6 of Andre’s Indie Game Chosen Ones!
This is a reminder that anything below that is underlined is a clickable link.
Not every section will be included in every issue. My Indie Game Discovery Roundup will always be included! This is explained in the About section.
I’m being very selective with media embedded videos in order to make this newsletter as e-mail friendly as possible for readers using mobile devices.
A slightly late issue this week due to being consumed by the enjoyment of playing and watching others play Age of Empires IV. Whoops?
Enjoy the issue!
Indie Game Discovery Roundup #55
The Legend of Tianding
(PC, Switch)
The Legend of Tianding, developed by Creative Games and Computer Graphics Corporation, is a side-scrolling game about a legendary Taiwanese folk hero, Liao Tianding. You have to fight off the Colonial Japanese authorities in Taipei City as you help citizens fight for justice. I played the demo months ago and it was really enjoyable, so much so I have it on my Hype Rankings list. The visual art style is mesmerizing in how they tell the story and the combat plays very well, especially the variety of weapons you can use along the way. Everything about The Legend of Tianding is very impressive. Don’t overlook this game at all.
Release Date: November 1, 2021 (OUT NOW)
The Legend of Tianding on Steam
Demon Turf
(PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S|X, Switch)
Demon Turf, developed by Fabrac, is a 3D platformer about Beebz trying to achieve her ambition of becoming the Demon Queen by taking over the Demon Turfs. First and foremost, the visuals catch your attention because it has a very uniquely drawn style. I played the demo and found it to be interesting because it really leans in on the platforming. There is combat in the game, but Demon Turf is more about platforming and playing at your chosen pace. The most unique thing about the game is the checkpoint system. You have a certain amount of checkpoint flags that you can place anywhere and teleport between them. Definitely check out this game out if you’re a fan of a pure platforming experience.
Release Date: November 4, 2021 (OUT NOW)
Demon Turf on Steam
Playtonic Friends Presents: Demon Turf is OUT NOW! (trailer)
Time Loader
(PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Time Loader, developed by Flazm, is a story-driven, physics-based puzzle platformer, where you you have to travel back to the 90s to prevent a tragic accident. What caught my interest about the game is that you play as a robot and the environments you play in feature interesting obstacles in the platforming experience. The overall sentimental premise of the game is also something to grab and pull you in to want to play this. This is definitely very high on my list to play at some point. Check it out yourself.
Release Date: November 3, 2021 (OUT NOW)
Time Loader on Steam
Time Loader: Release Trailer
Decoherence
(PC, Apple Arcade)
Decoherence, developed by Efecto Studios, is a game about building robots and fighting alongside them to defeat your opponents. I played the demo a few weeks ago and I found it to be very interesting. The game has both a single player and a PvP mode. The interesting part about Decoherence is that you have to plan out actions for your robot to take on their own (kind of like Frozen Synapse) because you’ll be controlling a separate character. The demo is still currently available on Steam. This is definitely on my radar to play in the future. The trailer below will do a better job of explaining the game just by watching.
Release Date: October 28, 2021 (OUT NOW)
Decoherence on Steam
Bright Memory: Infinite
(PC)
Bright Memory: Infinite, developed by FYQD-Studio, is an action-packed FPS that immediately caught my attention due to the graphics and pace of gameplay. This is an indie game with graphics you would expect from a Triple-A developer and features gameplay that includes guns, melee, and other abilities that helps separate Bright Memory: Infinite from other FPS titles. This is a sequel to Bright Memory (2020) with a new world, improved battle system and level design. This definitely falls under the category of games that I like to bring to other people’s attention that I will likely never end up playing, but shouldn’t be ignored by people who like to play these kind of games.
Release Date: November 11, 2021
Bright Memory: Infinite on Steam
Bright Memory: Infinite Release Trailer
Steam Early Access Report:
Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator (Launch)
Disclosure: A copy of Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator was provided for free.
Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, developed by niceplay games, recently entered Steam Early Access and I had the great pleasure of playing it at launch. I followed this game for some time, but also put the demo of this game in the backburner due to other games catching my interest more. After finally playing Potion Craft, I'm impressed by the overall presentation and gameplay mechanics.
The game takes potion crafting to a level that other games make a simple click or press of a button. The visual style of the graphics immediately grabs your attention because each element appears to be carefully drawn with a unique style for each instrument used for potion crafting, as well as the overall UI. As you run a potion store, you take requests from customers and create specific potions depending on the kind of potion they want. Creating and discovering the potion recipes is a game in itself because you have to mix and churn the ingredients to reach the solution on an alchemy map with destinations. As you churn the ingredients in your bowl a path is made on the map to reach a certain potion type. The ingredients you used to get to that place on the map is the recipe. The trick is to avoid obstacles and create your potion as efficiently as possible. Each ingredient has a separate path that you can sort of plan in advance to know whether you'll reach a new discovery or waste ingredients and have to start over. You're given options of breaking down ingredients for efficiency, as well as adding water and/or adding more heat to the bowl. It's up to you to make the recipe choices and there is a way to save recipes, but only a limited amount, something I'm not a fan of.
It's not just ordinary game commands of mixing ingredients, but you also have to do the mouse motions of mixing to complete each potion. Dealing with customers is interesting because you can haggle and sometimes you'll even get a wandering merchant so you can buy new ingredients. There is a day/night sleep system that you can trigger whenever you want. This is something that's important because you grow ingredients in limited amounts and each day new plants are grown to pick. There is a larger progression system of upgrades to allow you to move across the alchemy map quicker and discover more recipes, as well as a targeted goal for high level potions to unlock a new mixing machine.
I didn't spend a ton of time going down the progression line yet, but I'm looking forward to playing more at a later date and will definitely share an updated Steam Early Access Report.
Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator just recently launched into Steam Early Access with no specific timetable for version 1.0.
Version 1.0 Wishlist:
Remove saved recipe quantity limitations.
Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator on Steam
Kickstarter Spotlight:
DeckRX: The Deckbuilding Racing Game
DeckRX: The Deckbuilding Racing Game, developed by Meteorbyte Studios, is a deckbuilding rogue-like racing game that I found to be very interesting because this is the first time I’ve seen a game combine racing with deckbuilding. I selected this as part of my Kickstarter Spotlight because I like the aesthetic and premise of the game, plus the top down view reminds me of Rock ‘N Roll Racing . There is a demo on Steam that I will try out soon, but just the premise and presentation of the game is good enough for me to get interested. Check out their Kickstarter page and judge for yourself.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deckrx/deckrx-the-deckbuilding-racing-videogame
As of this Writing: $3,821 pledged of $11,551 goal
ENDS Fri, December 6 2021 1:00 PM EST.
Wishlist DeckRX: The Deckbuilding Racing Game on Steam
Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of the Kickstarter, nor am I affiliated with the developers. Pledge at your own risk.
Trailer Impressions
The Wandering Village
The Wandering Village - Xbox Reveal Trailer
The Wandering Village is a game I recently discovered earlier in the year, and the premise of the game is so incredibly unique. When building your village and making decisions you have to balance out the decisions for survival of your villagers with the survival of the creature your village is on. I really like the art style and soundtrack in the trailer, but even better, the creature that you have to build a village on is really well done. I can’t wait to see how this one turns out.
Release Date: TBA “few months from November 5”
(PC, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox Game Preview/Steam Early Access)
The Wandering Village on Steam
Wolfstride
Wolfstride - “Buckle Up” Trailer
Wolfstride is a game that I played the demo of earlier in the year and generally enjoyed. This trailer does a very good job of showing you the different aspects of the game, but maybe it could be a little slower. You compete in Giant Mecha Battles, with upgrading various parts of the Mecha as the major RPG element. There is also a turn-based battle system that you can briefly see in the trailer that looks like a combination of Transformers and Mastodon battles from Power Rangers. It’s also hard to ignore the choice of this being a black and white game. I actually like the black and white look because it doesn’t take away from the experience and color didn’t feel necessary when I played the demo. I’m keeping tabs on this one and definitely want to play this in the future.
Release Date: TBA (PC)
Wolfstride on Steam
Upcoming Content
What to Expect in Issue #7:
Indie Game Discovery Roundup (5 Games)
Kickstarter Spotlight
Trailer Impressions
Mini-Review - Unpacking
Issue #2 of Andre’s Gaming Odds & Ends will be published the week of November 15th. This will be a very large issue with at LEAST the following content:
Video Game News & Opinions (4-5 News Items)
Events & Showcases Thoughts
Mini-Review: Age of Empires IV
Lost Ark Closed Beta Thoughts
Trailer Impressions - Elden Ring Gameplay Overview
Andre’ Video Game Hype Rankings - November 2021 (2 Games added)
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-Andre
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