The alteration of gravity and smooth movement make dodging and pulling off all sorts of awesome kills possible. A variety of different selectable characters and level variance ensure that the game doesn’t get repetitive too fast. Overall, these features along with the different weapons make for exciting combat that allows for both tense and intensely frantic moments. While there are other games in the same vein as Paperbound, none of them to my knowledge allow the freedom that Paperbound’s movement system and manipulation of gravity allow, both of which add much to combat.

Besides gameplay, Paperbound also has good sound design going for it. For most games I feel the need to put my own music on in the background, unless there is a good story with professional voice acting. Paperbound’s music fits well with the game and there is enough of it to where I never think about turning down the sound. It has an epic score of ominous music which helps to bring suspense into play.

While the game is currently local multiplayer only, the developers are looking into having someone add network support to make it online as well. If they do manage to give it online multiplayer, I think it will become that much better of a game. But if not, in its current form it is already a fun “couch” game that is going to receive further polish. Paperbound is set for release this Fall and will most likely have a starting price between 10-15 USD. Note that the game is currently on Steam Greenlight and could use your vote.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Telepath Tactics is aimed at fans of turn-based strategy series like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics. It’s a purely multiplayer game with support for up to six players. While the game can technically be played over the internet, developer Craig Stern hopes to emphasize local multiplayer in what he calls a “Super Smash Brothers experience”. If you’re short on friends, Tactics will also support playing against up to five A.I. opponents.

Multiplayer mayhem ensues

Multiple classic modes will be available including Last Man Standing and Capture the Flag. You can fully customize the matches as well with options like fog of war and custom respawn settings.

The game will feature a variety of strategies you can employ to defeat your opponents. The environment offers the ability to destroy walls and lay explosives, along with natural hazards like cliffs, water, and lava that you can force your enemies into. Your army can be created from 22 different classes that each offer their own movement abilities, unique attacks, and elemental properties.

Telepath Tactics is slated for an end-of-year release on Windows, Mac, and Linux. There’s also the possibility of  it ending up on Android and iOS platforms. Check out the pre-alpha trailer below and stay tuned for more information as development progresses.

© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Back in November, Roppy Chop Studios released Bub Block for the Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace.  I’ve been on quite the run lately with trying out and enjoying indie games with a heavy or total focus on local multiplayer, this game being the latter.  I jumped at the opportunity to see if Bub Block was worthy of adding to the recurring playlist of titles to fire up when the gang gets together. While it’s fun and does a few things right, in the end I would’ve liked to have seen more content and variety to foster that desire to keep coming back.

The principal design of Bub Block is fairly simple.  Up to four players compete on a single screen by trying to trap each other within the paths of spinning blades bouncing around.  You accomplish this by running around, picking up bricks, and dropping them strategically to thwart your competitors.  Similar to party games like the Bomberman series, once a player dies he comes back as a ghost with the ability to continue trying to get the other players killed.  Although not wholly original, that feature does help keep everyone interested in the game even when they can no longer technically win.

Naturally just about every game featuring competitive local multiplayer elicits a positive response in a player when he or she wins.  The real strength of Bub Block goes beyond that in that you’re not just trying to win, you’re really trying to screw over your friends.  It’s a hook that dates way back in the history of gaming, but for me personally brought back memories from games as old as the original Mario Kart  and Bomberman 64, and even newer indie titles like SpeedRunner HD.  A victory is that much sweeter when you know you accomplished it by craftiness or some work of trickery used against your friends.  And when you can see their looks of disgust and hear their cries of desperation, that seals the deal.

There’s not a lot of variety to Bub Block and that’s by far its greatest weakness.  While you can adjust a variety of settings like the number of spinning blades and the amount of bricks you can carry at one time, the fun factor will likely wane after a short time.  More maps of different shapes or obstacles other than spinning blades would’ve given the game more replayability.  Throw in some power-ups and you’ve got yourself the making of a classic.  After talking with developer Roppy Chop, there are plans to update the game with additional content, but there’s no definitive time table set for those changes.

Bub Block is a tricky game to review.  While it exhibits some of the qualities I really look for in a local multiplayer experience, there’s just not enough content to keep gamers playing for long sessions.  An extra mode or map or feature would’ve easily bumped our review score up a point.  Its 80 Microsoft Points price make it not much of a risk to buy, but it’s best played within the context of a group of friends shuffling between games.

This Bub Block review was done using a copy provided by the developer.

Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.