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Tontachi at Play NYC | Urban Electronic Games on Pokemon Snap and Mario Kart Inspired AR Game

Tontachi at Play NYC | Urban Electronic Games on Pokemon Snap and Mario Kart Inspired AR Game

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We recently attended Play NYC, a New York based convention that highlights local video game and tabletop game developers. Nerdy Thirty Podcast co-host, Christina Crisfield, and I spoke with Urban Electronic Games’ John Wolff on his studio’s innovative Mario Kart / Pokemon Snap inspired game, Tontachi. Some parts of the interview have been edited for clarity. PopGeeks: Tell us about Tontachi. John Wolff: What we have is a mixture; Tontachi, first of all, stands for either “pig” or “pig friends” in Japanese. You know Tamogatchi, which is “tamago,” “egg,” or “Tomodachi,” which means “friends.” Tontachi means “pig” or “pig friends” because “ton” means “pig” in Japanese. So, this is a mix between Pokemon Snap and Mario Kart. We’re actually using the same technology that was used to make Pokemon Go in this game. So it’s [that engine is] actually running around in the background. What happens is you have a really cute character. We’re previewing them here. These are our collections. And you are going off to go find them in the world. It’s

Kristala at Play NYC | Astral Clocktower Studios on Souls-inspired ARPG

Kristala at Play NYC | Astral Clocktower Studios on Souls-inspired ARPG

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We recently covered Play NYC. a two day local New York convention that spotlights New York-based indie video game developers and tabletop publishers, Nerdy Thirty Podcast co-host, Christina Crisfield and I spoke with Alexis Brutman (Studio Founder / Producer) and Sarah Schaffstall (Owner / Marketing Director) of Astral Clocktower Studios about their upcoming game, Kristala. If you’re missing a souls-inspired ARPG with badass anthropomorphic cats, Kristala might be right up your alley. PopGeeks: Tell us about Kristala. Sarah Schaffstall: So, Kristala is a dark fantasy action RPG developed with Unreal Engine 5 for PC and console. You play us like a magic warrior cat who is embarking on this epic hero’s journey. And then simultaneously you’re battling to uncover the source of a dark curse. So you kind of have like two motives if you will during gameplay. PopGeeks: What are some of Kristala’s influences? Alexis Brutman: It was definitely influenced by I would say the Soulsborne genre in general, Bloodborne in particular. But also definitely classic fantasy like Lord

The Death Of Steam Greenlight: 5 Of Its Best Games

The Death Of Steam Greenlight: 5 Of Its Best Games

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It’s a grey, wet day. Huge beaded raindrops thud and bounce off the umbrellas held by the few mourners who have gathered to see Steam Greenlight off. These people are a mixed bunch, some famous, and well groomed. Others look shabby and unshaven, their faces oddly familiar but unknown to me. Others lurk in the background, not wanting to be seen, they obviously don’t want to be recognised for previous digressions. The funeral of Steam Greenlight is a sad one. Since October 2011, Steam Greenlight has been a service to bring independent games to Steam. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? You have a fantastic little indie game but no publisher, so why not put it on Steam Greenlight? People vote for for your game, and if it’s popular then Steam will sell your game on their store. It couldn’t be more perfect could it? Actually, it could. The system was open to manipulation and, to be honest, fraud. There’s nothing to stop developers from bribing people to vote for their game

Is The Nintendo Switch Indie Game Friendly?

Is The Nintendo Switch Indie Game Friendly?

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When it comes to Indie Game developers, Nintendo doesn’t exactly have the best reputation it can; many developers prefer developing for PC mainly, Mobile platforms pretty close, and with Xbox and PlayStation consoles coming in at third. That’s why only a small fraction of Indie Games are ever released for any Nintendo hardware, and the majority of that has only been in recent years. However, with the Switch, that seems likely to change, with Tyrone Rodriguez, the president of game development studio Nicalis, saying that the console is much more developer friendly than most of Nintendo’s previous hardware. So far, Rodriguez has managed to work on games for a number of those consoles, thus giving him first hand experience as to what it’s like for developers to programme for each console, and The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ being a launch title for the Switch. To date, this makes him one of the very few Indie developers to work with Nintendo consistently over the past few years. Speaking to Polygon about his

Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday: January 2017

Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday: January 2017

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to #ScreenshotSaturday – screenshots of games that are posted to Facebook and Twitter every Saturday under the #Screenshot Saturday banner – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. Welcome to the first, and hopefully not last, edition of The Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday! Not see a screenshot from the last month that you thought was interesting? Let us know below! Eon Alter Explore the lavish dungeons and tunnels that stretch below Tarnum Fortress and conquer dozens of unique quests and challenges. Prove your worth on a tactical battlefield, and overpower your foes with strategy, magic and martial prowess. The Eon Altar’s defenders are many and they are deadly. Choose to cooperate with your allies or deceive them. Engage them in player to player dialogue to expose the truth in myths and legends, and guide your hero to their ultimate destiny or defeat. The game has a

Best Of Steam Greenlight: January 2017

Best Of Steam Greenlight: January 2017

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to Steam Greenlight – some of which we may have already reported on – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. From horror games, to RPGs, and puzzle solvers to adventure games, these are some of the best indie entries to Steam Greenlight. If you see one that tickles your fancy, why not head over to the games Steam Greenlight page and give it helpful hand? Not see some of your favorite entries? Let us know in the comments below! e-Sports Manager eSport Manager is a game based on the idea of e-sports competitions, especially the most popular – FPS AND MOBA. Create your dream team by selecting the players who suit you the best. Care for their constant development, train, sign advertising contracts and be active in social media. Thousands of fans aren’t going to come to you on their own, you

Best Of Steam Early Access: January 2017

Best Of Steam Early Access: January 2017

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to Steam Early Access – some of which we may have already reported on – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. From horror games, to RPGs, and puzzle solvers to adventure games, these are some of the best indie entries to Steam Early Access. If you see one that tickles your fancy, why not head over to the games Steam Greenlight page and give it helpful hand? Not see some of you favorite entries? Let us know in the comments below! Avorion Fight epic space battles, explore, mine, trade, wage wars and build your own empire to save your galaxy from being torn apart by an unknown enemy. Avorion is a sandbox game that takes the game feel of classics like the X games and Freelancer, throws in co-op multiplayer and lets you build your own space ships. All ships are made of

Best Of Steam Early Access: December 2016

Best Of Steam Early Access: December 2016

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to Steam Early Access – some of which we may have already reported on – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. From horror games, to RPGs, and puzzle solvers to adventure games, these are some of the best indie entries to Steam Early Access. If you see one that tickles your fancy, why not head over to the games Steam Greenlight page and give it helpful hand? Not see some of you favorite entries? Let us know in the comments below! The Universim The Universim aims to revive the glory days of the god-game genre, and bring it into the new generation with fresh ideas and ambitious gameplay. With the powers of a god, you are unleashed upon the universe to begin forging your galactic empire in the stars. From dust to the cosmos beyond, your civilization will rise through the ages under

Best Of Steam Greenlight: December 2016

Best Of Steam Greenlight: December 2016

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to Steam Greenlight – some of which we may have already reported on – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. From horror games, to RPGs, and puzzle solvers to adventure games, these are some of the best indie entries to Steam Greenlight. If you see one that tickles your fancy, why not head over to the games Steam Greenlight page and give it helpful hand? Not see some of you favorite entries? Let us know in the comments below! Nightfall Dungeon Nightfall Dungeon is a fast paced loot game mixing luck and strategy. Gather magical items, improve your equipment and fight your way to the deepest dungeon of Cornix. Assemble forgotten set items, research combo spell or gamble it all on ancient relics to be the first to defeat the nightfall dragon. The game is set to have a number of features

Best Of Steam Greenlight: November 2016

Best Of Steam Greenlight: November 2016

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to Steam Greenlight – some of which we may have already reported on – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. From horror games, to RPGs, and puzzle solvers to adventure games, these are some of the best indie entries to Steam Greenlight. If you see one that tickles your fancy, why not head over to the games Steam Greenlight page and give it helpful hand? Not see some of you favorite entries? Let us know in the comments below! Narborion Saga Enter the world of Narborion Saga, an epic high fantasy role playing game. A mixture of gamebook, tactical combat, rogue-like dungeoneering, minigames and much more – Narborion Saga will not disappoint the fans of narrative, story-driven RPGs. Begin your career as a humble page and complete the first three missions to achieve knighthood. First, you have to find and rebuild the

Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday: November

Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday: November

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to #ScreenshotSaturday – screenshots of games that are posted to Facebook and Twitter every Saturday under the #Screenshot Saturday banner – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. Welcome to the first, and hopefully not last, edition of The Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday! Not see a screenshot from the last month that you thought was interesting? Let us know below! Dead Cells You aren’t a valiant hero in Dead Cells; you’re a sentient blob of meat that possesses corpses to find and destroy its creator. Across a metroidvania-style map, your undead warrior wields powerful weapons and items, pulling off fierce combos to slice through monsters and traps. Blending the meticulous level design of a metroidvania with the procedural generation and permadeath of a roguelike, Dead Cells pits your skill against a brooding castle filled with cunning enemies and cutthroat bosses. Albatross In Albatross play the role of

The Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday: September 2016

The Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday: September 2016

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Every month, Pop Geeks looks through the extensive entries to #ScreenshotSaturday – screenshots of games that are posted to Facebook and Twitter every Saturday under the #Screenshot Saturday banner – and brings you some of the best indie games that are worthy of your attention, all in a listicle form counting down to our favorite. Welcome to the first, and hopefully not last, edition of The Best Of #ScreenshotSaturday! Not see a screenshot from the last month that you thought was interesting? Let us know below! Totem Teller Totem Teller is open world adventure game from developers Grinning Pickle set in a landscape of unfinished stories and glitched reality. As you explore a broken environment, you interact with NPCs and conclude their stories with your powers. Totem Teller started out as a jam concept for onegameamonth.com (#1GAM). Grinning Pickle soon realized what they wanted to build was way beyond that single month scope. They didn’t want to ‘half-finish’ another game. Ben and Jerry were still entangled with full-time corporate jobs, so they

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