God Factory: Wingmen is an online space shooter being developed by Nine Dots Studio and recently came out of a closed beta, so hopefully will be due for release relatively soon. In the meantime why not check out their website and the gameplay in the video below.

When you first start the game you are given a choice of two species out of four and essentially two ships out of four. Human, Guantri, Arblos, and Chorion are the choices available. Human ships serve well as hit and run ships for focusing enemy carrier parts, Guantri serve well as jacks of all trades and have unique beam weapons, Arblos have the slowest ships with the most brute strength when it comes to damage, and Chorion have tanky, medium speed ships that I like to use for defense. Chorion ships are also probably the best class 1 ships.

In the only game mode currently available, two teams of 1-4 players face off and attempt to kill each other’s carriers. The carriers are much larger than the player controlled ships and have many different parts to them that can be destroyed. Destroying different parts causes different responses. For example, destroying the hull of a carrier grants 20% more damage vs all other parts of the carrier. All players start off in the dock of their carriers which you can return to in order to replenish ammo and have your ships regenerate their shields. You get to pick two ships for each match, so typically you want to switch between the two throughout the game in order to never be using a ship with too little health.

Quote from Guillaume Boucher-Vidal (President of Nine Dots and Game designer for GoD): “Our game offers the best space dogfighting every, yet no one has heard of it.” 

While I don’t know that the above statement is 100% accurate, the dogfighting in the game is a lot of fun as a result of how customizable the ships are as well as the smooth controls and the various weapon types and abilities. And not too many people have actually heard about the game. As long you have 4+ players for a 2v2 or better then you will most likely have a lot of fun with the game as you try and take out different parts of the enemy carrier and engage in dogfights for both offensive and defensive purposes. 1v1’s on the other hand are not too much fun because they most often just involve attempting to slowly “rush” down each others carrier, while ignoring each other due to how hard it is to kill an enemy player in a 1v1. The more players, the more fun.

Playing the game is a ton of fun, but so is creating ships. With 4 classes to pick from and 12 different parts needed to assemble a playable ship, with many different choices for each part available, you are able to create truly unique ships. Each part you pick for your ship, whether it is the cockpit or the main weapon, changes the look of your ship too. You can also personalize the appearance of your ship by changing the paint job (changing the paint is always free).

The game felt a lot like a free to play game to me and the reason for that is because of the way progression works in the game. You have to buy all parts for your ships with credits which you earn through playing games (you get more for winning). Another barrier is the 6-rank system where every part is in a rank. You need to be rank 6 to use or buy a rank 6 part; everyone starts at rank 1 and ranks up slowly from playing. I could have easily seen this game being free to play with another currency for buying parts which would be purchasable.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Forward to the Sky stars a little girl who runs around in a castle-like environment in the sky and kills reanimated skeletons that I like to imagine were once little boys. I had some gripes about the controls; whenever you attack, you attack in the direction the camera is facing, not in the direction the character is facing. It’s also a bit awkward to manoeuver using WASD and the mouse as in a typical first-person shooter, but that’s mostly just the result of using a keyboard and mouse to play a game designed for a game pad.

I had to smack a couple of those red switches to get the platforms in place.

In addition to smacking undead things about with a giant sword, Forward to the Sky has puzzles and platforming, and the two interact quite well. There was a part that involved hitting the right switches to move platforms around so I could get to a new location, although I hope the puzzles get more complex than figuring out which two of the three switches I need to hit. Whenever I hit a switch, I can clearly see what it does because it happens right in front of me. It’s amazing how many games frustrate me by making me flip a switch or press a button and then wander around through the level trying to find the secret door it opened.

The platforming has all the polish of a game in alpha, but when it works, it works like a simplified version of the greatest PS2 platformers. There are no double jump or mid-air attack to stay in the air longer, but it is also devoid of annoying magnetic assistance features and invisible walls. Speaking of walls, all of them seem to be weak against gigantic swords. If I wanted to see what was on the other side of a wall, I smacked said wall a few times and jumped over the pile of rubble left in its place. It was a refreshing change after all the games populated by buildings and furniture that seem unaffected by rockets and grenades.

Forward to the Sky has a bright, cheery, cartoonish art style and soundtrack, but it’s not the kind that makes me sick and long for a darker, grittier game. It gives the impression that you are a young adventurer at the beginning of an epic tale in which the sky is the limit. With its platforming, combat, and bright music and visuals, Forward to the Sky reminds me of a 3D version of Maplestory without the bugs, hackers, fetch quests, and pretty much everything else that made Maplestory suck. I’d like to see different environments because grey stone seems like it would get old fast, so hopefully Magichnology adds some grass, bricks, trees, and more natural-looking stone to change it up. Despite that, the game looks promising.

Forward to the Sky is scheduled for release late this year for Windows, Mac, and everyone’s favourite penguin-endorsed OS. If you’re interested, please check out its Indiegogo page and consider contributing.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Its TD aspect shines through as an efficient method of crowd control, defense, and at times even allows for players to be that much more aggressive. The goal for each level is to go from alien base to alien base, disabling and capturing them, so that you may move on to the next, while defending all previous bases. Towers greatly help with this effort, especially in later levels where things become frantic.

In general, there is a ton of strategy involved in the game. You must manage your resources appropriately so that you have the units, structures, and upgrades you need to beat every level. After the first couple of levels you are also forced to spread out your units and decide which alien bases to attack first. Units also have effective counters, weaknesses and strengths. Altogether this leads to interesting strategic gameplay for each level.

Because Infested Planet is an indie game, some part of it had to suffer due to budget. I would definitely say that the graphics did in this case. While the graphics do serve their purpose they are far from nice. I don’t think that the standard argument of “stylized graphics” can be applied here either since the textures themselves aren’t even good quality. But the graphics don’t get in the way of the highly enjoyable gameplay, so they can and should be forgiven.

Story was another blip in this game’s perfection. However, I really don’t think the developers ever meant for it to be anything more than a reason/setting for players to kill a bunch of aliens. The story basically just serves as a way for the game to explain why all the gameplay is developing the way it is (new enemy types coming in, objectives, and new units to make use of).

Overall, Infested planet has surprisingly fun gameplay filled with varying enemy types, plenty of options for killing said enemies, an okay filler story and graphics that serve their purpose. I had a lot of fun with this game and I think you can too if you can get over its mediocre graphics and story. Rocket Bear Games have made the game available for PC and Mac now at the fair price of $14.99.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Magicians and Looters pays homage to old Metroid-esque side-scrollers and does it well. It has a beautiful 2D high-definition pixel artstyle, real time map system, items to discover, and skills to unlock. You play as three apprentice sorcerers aiming to save their mentor from the ominous castle Looter. In Magicians and Looters you switch between  Brent, Nyn and Vienna. Each character has access to the same magic abilities, but also have their own personal abilities. After the epilogue is finished you are able to switch between the three at any save point.

Brent using in-game map

Brent is a classic warrior type, toting a sword and shield. He is the slowest of the three, but can use his shield to block incoming melee and projectile attacks from any direction. He later gains the ability to wall jump, a useful skill for solving puzzles, gaining loot and reaching hidden areas. Brent’s personality is very straightforward. He has good intentions but is very oblivious at times.

Vienna is the sister of Brent, and she’s a headstrong fighter type who specializes in speed and hand-to-hand combat. She is by far the fastest of the three and her only weapons are her fists. She can also equip the most accessories and has more abilities at her disposal than the other two. Vienna is my personal favorite because she has an “in your face” attitude that matches her fighting style. She has abilities like a high jump, wall run and a falcon kick (a likely nod to the Blue Falcon). Nyn and Brent occasionally mention that Vienna may have a screw loose. The fact that she unlocks abilities from her talking cat isn’t helping her case.

Nyn is a hardened ex-child mercenary that doesn’t back down from a fight, and she would be considered the rogue of the group. She can equip two swords, is speedy and has an evasive roll. She later attains the ability to slide, furthering her usefulness in evasion and obstacle clearing. She was my least favorite to play as, but I loved any of the dialog involving her. She is sarcastic, quick-witted and doesn’t pull punches when it comes to her opinions.

While I did find the game’s dialog funny, the actual plot lacked a bit. The story played off the popular cliches of older successes. A majority of the game’s talking has a satirical undertone that I loved, often taking jabs at current games versus the older ones. In one instance, two sorcerers converse about how sorcerers nowadays always use tutorials and teleporting instead of backtracking. I found this hilarious and spot on as today’s games have a tendency to spoon feed players. On random occasions and at save points, the main characters might have a chat with one another. This would at times provide backstory to one or more of the characters in a witty fashion.

King of Looter

Exploration is encouraged and necessary. Rather than grinding to gain levels you must collect a certain number of orbs. These orbs are usually well hidden, and each time you level up the number of orbs required increases. This is a nice reward system for completionists and makes backtracking that much more worthwhile. Orbs aren’t the only things you will discover while exploring; weapons, accessories and even the occasional dungeon wall chicken are out there, ripe for the picking.

The gameplay is easy to get a feel for, and fans of older Castlevania games will feel at home here. For this review I played the PC version and used an Xbox 360 gamepad. The controls are pretty standard with jump, attack and ability buttons. The ability varies depending on the character selected; a block for Brent, back dash for Vienna, and roll/slide for Nyn. Activating the map is done in real time and fills in as you discover new areas. Holding down the right trigger gives you access to any magic abilities that you’ve unlocked including shooting fruit. Yep, in this game rapid fire fruit is a magic spell, attained from defeating the devious Fruit Magician.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Magicians and Looters, and I honestly hope that Morgopolis Studios puts out another one. With a $7.99 price tag it’s well worth the money. Magicians and Looters is available for PC and Xbox 360, and you can purchase your copy here.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Don’t you just hate it when you wake up inside a cryostasis pod and the entirety of humanity has become enslaved to an angry, paranoid human hybrid species? Well, that’s exactly what’s happened in Wake Up Call, an ambitious new game from Dark Synergy Studios.

You play as a ‘no nonsense’ ex-special ops soldier by the name of Kyle Rogers. Poor Kyle has been sleeping for the past 150 years and has since found himself in a bit of a situation. Humankind has evolved, and an entirely new species called the Kalders are now sharing the planet. The Kalders are a more aggressive variant of human and wasted little time in dominating their counterparts. Naturally, it’s up to Kyle to save the day.

Built with Unreal Engine 4, Wake Up Call is looking like an ambitious project. Little more is known about the game except that it will focus on ‘stealth-action’ FPS gameplay, and players will have the ability to make important choices as the story progresses. Only time will tell if the team at Dark Synergy Studios can achieve what they’re planning to with Wake Up Call, but the story has just the right amount of sci-fi and apocalyptic doom to grab my attention.

If you want to keep tabs on the game’s development, head on over to their official site or Steam Greenlight page.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

I love a good challenge. It’s what drives me to finish a game, to gain a sense of accomplishment as I slay that final 10-headed laser boss on my 50^th attempt. FORCED provides such a challenge, where navigating its twisting corridors can lead to a brutal end for even the most prepared champion.

On the surface, FORCED is presented as a tactical arena game with a heavy focus on co-op gameplay. You assume control of an unfortunate tribesman who’s been cast into a sacrificial pit where the odds of survival are not in your favour. As you reach the bottom you’re greeted by a perky ball of light named Balfus who serves as your guide through the trials that await you. From here on you’re given access to a central hub which is separated into four different chambers. Each chamber offers five challenge rooms and a boss room that must be completed before you can move to the next chamber.

Think of this game as a gory take on the old 90’s TV show The Crystal Maze where each room presents a different themed obstacle for the players to overcome. This can range from something as simple as lighting all five torches within a set time frame, all the way to running like hell from an encroaching red mist that will consume you if you fall behind. It’s obvious from the start that the game uses simple goals to present a challenge, but as the game progresses these goals become more and more complex with various factors being added to screw you over just a little bit more each time.

You got a purdy mouth

The difficulty level maintained throughout the game is refreshing. In an environment where the average gamer is coddled and led by the hand, FORCED demands that you earn your victory each time with added bonus objectives up for grabs if you’re feeling brave. Unfortunately, this acts as a double-edged sword in which even the basic level completion tasks can be near impossible for solo play, sometimes even with two players. When all hell breaks loose, it can be difficult for a single player to juggle the various obstacles thrown at them. Some missions require you to take out numerous enemies whilst also micromanaging your spirit guide through several hoops. The co-op centred design is obvious throughout most of the game’s trials and it’s evident that this game was built with multiple players in mind. There is a slight ray of hope for solo play as each mission deviates a little based on how many players are in the game at the time. For instance, less enemies need to be killed or fewer beacons lit when you’re alone.

FORCED truly shines when playing with others so much so that I would consider it a completely different experience to the single player mode. When playing alone you are only accountable for yourself in the arena, but when multiple partners are introduced it becomes something more. You have to play as a unit, a squad working together to accomplish a shared task. This is accomplished by giving each team member control of the spirit guide Balfus. By linking several conditions to Balfus in each trial the game forces your party to communicate in an effort to control him. It’s as if he is another team member, only one that’s too lazy to move and likes to dish out witty one-liners at inappropriate intervals. In some cases, Balfus becomes a safe zone for the players, and those unlucky enough to get caught out of his circle are likely to turn into a juicy red stain on the floor.

No, not the blades! ARGH, THEY’re IN MY EYES!

Of course, this game isn’t just about challenges, and much of the trials will be split evenly between solving puzzles and fighting off hordes of monsters. To do this, you’re given the choice of four character classes, each fulfilling a typical archetype commonly found in most RPGs. The Rogue deals fast bursts of damage to single targets. The warrior deals steady AoE damage. The archer deals high ranged damage. Finally, the protector is able to absorb great amounts of damage and return it back to its source. Each class seems to have their own solution to the game’s trials, however, some are naturally more capable in certain situations based on their skill sets.

As you progress through the trials, you’ll unlock gems which give you a wider pool of skills to pick from, eventually allowing you to take multiple active and passive skills at the same time. The gem system encourages you to return to past trials to finish the bonus objectives in the hopes that you’ll gain the extra crystals to power up your characters. This is a brilliant idea for the multiplayer teams out there, but unfortunately this falls flat for solo players. This all circles back to the issues of difficulty when playing alone. Those who choose to do so will likely find that they are unable to get any of the higher-tiered skills because the bonus objectives are too difficult when playing alone.

The very essence of FORCED caters to a group of friends who are seeking a fulfilling and enjoyable cooperative experience mixed with a satisfying yet simplistic combat system and engaging challenges. Just make sure you bring a friend, otherwise you may just find yourself overwhelmed and unable to complete the trials that await you.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

FORCED is currently available for PC/Mac/Linux with a  WiiU version to follow next year. This review is based on the PC version.

This game was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

“The Ancient enemies are back! Can you defend the Drox Operative Guild and younger races against the Invasion of the Ancients?”

From the sound of that ominous warning, it looks like there will be more trouble afoot in the universe of Drox Operative. The wonderful people over at Soldak Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing an expansion to their widely-coveted Drox Operative, the space RPG/dungeon crawler/RTS mashup. The game released to a significant amount of fanfare, and since then it has been gaining a rather large fan base who all have nothing but praise for the game and its odd, yet uniquely appealing mix of genres. I myself am a fan, as I had previously reviewed the original release of the game. If you haven’t read the review yet, you can view it here (hint: it was great).

From what information they have released, the expansion will be focusing on the return of an ancient alien race who have come back from an untold amount of time to reclaim what they have lost long ago. The full story goes as follows:

“Before the Drox ruled the galaxy, before they were even sentient, there were older races now known as the Ancients. Using their Operatives, the Drox crushed and enslaved most of these races. The rest fled known space. When the Drox turned on their own Operatives, the Drox were utterly destroyed. Newer races emerged and thrived in the power void, never knowing the menace waited. Seizing their chance, the Ancients are invading to take their rightful place in the galaxy, as rulers! Thirsting for revenge, the Ancients can’t harm the extinct Drox, but they can crush the next best thing, the Drox Operatives.”

Looks like starship captains, rookies and veterans alike will be facing a much larger threat once the expansion is released. I myself am looking forward to seeing what new challenges arise with the new installment in their unique universe. I admit my piloting skills may have dulled a bit during peacetime, but I am sure my trusty ship, the “Space Weasel” and her crew will be itching to conquer any new obstacles they may cross.

Invasion of the Ancients is scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 2013, but for those who cannot wait for the official release, Soldak Entertainment has opened up the shop for pre-orders which grants access to the beta. So pre-order now and begin fighting the new threat to your mighty empire – you even get a nifty 10% discount for being an early buyer. You simply cannot go wrong with that deal. So fire up your starship’s engines and pre-order your copy now.

I will see you among the stars.

Pre-order the expansion at Soldak Entertainment’s store.
Read the review on the original game.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Lately I have been on a space-faring kick and had the urge to pilot a ship and explore the far reaches of the galaxy. As a result I have come upon Drox Operative, an action-based RPG created by Soldak Entertainment, Inc. The game is set in a randomly created galaxy full of dangerous enemies, unique civilizations, uncharted worlds, and the thirst for adventure. In the universe of Drox Operative you are a member of the titular Drox Operatives, a mercenary group who operate in the galaxy as a neutral entity and work to further their own gains. The Drox Operatives have no qualms over how they achieve their goals so you, as their newest member, have total free reign on how to expand.

You are thrown into the game world piloting your own Drox ship and what happens next is completely up to the player. You can scour the randomly-created galaxy wiping out dangerous monsters strewn throughout the area, gain favor with the local civilizations by aiding them with quests, or simply explore and discover strange anomalies and treasures. My career as a Drox Operative began with the christening of my own ship aptly named the “Space Weasel”. From there on I was plunked into a random jumpgate and thus began my journey into the unknown.

The Space Weasel in all her glory

Much like the abyss of space, the beginning of Drox Operative is very daunting. There is a lot of information you must take in right from the get go. The first time you play, a tutorial help-screen begins and I highly advise that you take a thorough examination of the help screens otherwise you will become easily lost. This game can be a bit unforgiving and simply going in blind will cut your adventures very short, very quickly. After mastering the basics, though, will get you into familiar and comfortable territory, as an RPG the mainstay of the game is loot and there are plenty of loot to be had. The items use a color-code system for rarity and grading much like other dungeon crawlers. You can venture out and acquire better equipment for your ship and with experience comes even bigger and better ships, meaning even more quality loot. Be sure not to dawdle too long, though. Unlike most ARPG’s things happen and progress whether you intervene or not. Monsters will patrol the galaxy and feuds between rival civilizations will ensue. Entire worlds may rise and fall without you even being aware of it. You are simply a pawn in the vast universe of Drox Operative.

Anomalies, monsters, incoming missile, just another day for a Drox Operative

You have an end-goal, multiple ones in fact, that you must reach in order to “win” that current galaxy and progress to the next one. Each time you must ensure that the Drox come up on top via whichever method you choose, be it a decisive military win and destroying all those who appose you and your ally, trading goods and becoming rich with an economic win, using brute force and striking fear into the other surviving races so they will not dare oppose you, or simply become a legend and do legendary deeds by vanquishing vile monsters. The choice is yours to make, as a Drox Operative you call the shots and you win how you want to.

Galactic diplomacy, how hard can it be?

The game has a very distinct feel about its gameplay, it plays a lot like a traditional dungeon crawler and yet has a bit of Civilization or RTS mashed into it. An odd mix, but it certainly does work and has its own unique allure. If you have an itching to pilot your own starship and explore, plunder, destroy, or what have you, Drox Operative will certainly not disappoint. My space-faring career may have just started, but the Space Weasel and her crew will soon be feared by all as we aim to be the top Drox Operative.

Great Game!

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

Visit the developer’s page
Demo or buy the game

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.