News on Forma.8

The creator of forma.8, a small Italian studio called Mixed Bag Games, made a statement today that the game has not been released yet despite an announcement last February that it would be available in 2014. Since their initial excitement last year, the clock kept ticking but their priorities redirected and the micro-studio found themselves unable to meet the timeline they had originally set. In an explanation Mauro Fanelli went into detail about what caused the lack of a release, specifically speaking to the visual aspects of the game. From what I can see from the announcement trailer, this space-topian action adventure deserves all of the time they took to perfect their baby. This is the reason Mixed Bag opened, so you know they want to make sure everything is perfect and deliver a game that truly reflects their vision. Four years in the making the screenshots for forma.8 are astounding. The color layering creates a remarkable depth for a 2D game. The geometric shapes, variance and balance in color and shading makes me wonder if every screenshot coming from forma.8 will look like a work of modern art. As stated in their second announcement, the game will be running at 60 frames per second on the Vita, making for a stunningly smooth gameplay experience.

I’m gonna go ahead and let Mixed Bag Games take all the time they need for a flawless release. Yes, they have my permission. If you’re going to the Game Developer’s Conference next week they will be showing a demo. Hopefully everything works out for them this year and the game will be released soon because I want to play it now!!!

Terraria: Otherworld Announced

OMG. OMG. OMG. Before I hyperventilate…. Yes, Engine Software and Re-Logic have just announced Terraria Otherworld. The pre-alpha work looks amazing as you can see in the video. I am instantly in love with the color scheme, the glow, ‘glitter’ and the new array of graphics with the same familiar Terraria feel. The game is going to continue with the sandbox adventure but with a greater RPG and strategy base. For me, I can’t put the first Terraria down! I’ve had it on my Vita since it’s first download. I love building, fighting and… dying. The challenge of trying to recoup from your death and refortify your defenses or build stronger weapons to finally defeat an enemy (who has already killed you 26 times) is one of those thrills that you can only get from video games. Add a dark, mysterious theme to it and you’ve just made gold.

Married with Jonathan van den Wijngaarden’s music (who also composed the soundtrack for Kick and Fennick), it’s sure to be an even greater success than the original Terraria. I hope we can get some more information from the upcoming GDC next month. I guess we will all wait in anticipation as the only thing missing from this announcement is a release date!

My increasing skepticism about The Order: 1886

Photo from: Playstation

When I first saw The Order it reminded me in a vague way of a game I played growing up called Nightmare Creatures.  The first E3 trailer teased some interesting things: This was going to be the first console effort for Ready at Dawn studios; it featured what appeared to be 4 person, squad-based shooter and it was going to be a PS4 exclusive. Early info was hazier than White Chapel fog, though eventually some gameplay videos circled the Internet showing a 3rd person cover based shooter; it started getting compared to games like Gears of War and since that is one of the only reasons I still power up a 360, I was certainly intrigued.  Further artwork releases and media campaigns developed a general aesthetic for the Order that was dark and mysterious.  I was excited about the potential of playing through an alternate Victorian London, the symbols and stories of the occult fused with Arthurian legend, cutting down nightmarish monsters with an array of steampunkish looking weapons and gadgetry.  Just typing that last sentence almost rekindles my interest in the game.