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September 11, 2012

They Bleed Pixels on the Dance Floor

They Bleed Pixels on the Dance Floor
Hey Sugarfiends! It’s been a bit quiet around here while I finished up some work elsewhere, so it seemed fitting to break the silence with a dose of audio sugar. This week I caught up with long-time Sugarfriend Shaun Hatton, occassional contributor to Gamesugar, reporter for EP Daily, and the musician responsible for the soundtrack to one of the best indie games of 2012, They Bleed Pixels.

Shaun took time out to talk about the soundtrack, They Bleed Pixels on the Dance Floor, which you can catch up with via Bandcamp with this handy link here.

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August 30, 2012

Review – They Bleed Pixels

Review They Bleed Pixels
From the jagged teeth of buzzsaws to the spiked walls and floors beneath and above every slim bit of ground players will grasp in the search for some small space to breathe, They Bleed Pixels. Toronto developer Spooky Squid has crafted a platformer without pity, where the typical spiky pitfalls of the past are only the opening to a world of malevolently placed enemies and obstacles guarded by blades of precise timing – eager to spill the blood of opponents and players alike in gathering an offering for whatever dark Gods of old are in league with the design of its stages.

But this isn’t a game that’s hard for the sake of being so, nor some attempt to simply join other recent titles that wear difficulty as the primary incentive and reward to be bragged about at some They Bleed Pixels survivors meeting later this year.

They Bleed Pixels examines the space of traditional platformers, and knowing the habits of those that have grown up playing them, challenges players to make more of the wasted space around said platform. It does this by often providing very little solid ground to stand on, but also forces a new perspective on old habits by offering new spaces to cling to.

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June 9, 2012

E3 2012 – Hands On with Guacamelee!

Filed under: Features — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 2:50 pm

Guacamelee E3 2012
There’s some humour in the idea that I traveled to Los Angeles in order to play a game being made in Toronto. Of course there were plenty of other reasons to make the trip, but catching up with the latest creation from Drinkbox Studios was high on my radar and necessitated a priority stop at Sony’s booth during E3.

Drinkbox’s Graham Smith was on hand to aid me in a co-op session of Guacamelee!, which puts players behind the mask of a burly luchador, but also offers the chance to transform into a chicken with the press of a button. There’s something rather joyous about running across the screen with your beak in the air – in fact Graham might have had to wait a few moments while I abused the opportunity to keep doing that.

Eventually I regained some composure though, and the demo was able to move forward.

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February 14, 2012

The Zombie Apocalypse Is Metal

Filed under: Editorial Rants — Tags: , , , , , , , — TJ "Kyatt" Cordes @ 11:45 am

Metal Dead
Making short work of explaining its title, Metal Dead begins with two friends in a car cranking heavy metal music while trying to escape an outbreak of zombies.

The way these two characters talk about the zombie apocalypse being a heavy metal dream come true, I was fully expecting this point and click adventure game to contrarily be a sobering tale of how such an incident is not cool at all, and is the last situation that anybody would realistically want to endure.

In a way, Metal Dead does defy romanticizing the idea of being one of the few human survivors among hordes of the living dead, but in a much zanier way than expected.

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December 22, 2011

Interview – Alien Trap talks Capsized and Apotheon

Filed under: Features — Tags: , , , , , , , — Cody Johnstone @ 11:07 pm

Interview Alien Trap
The developers of the Indie game Capsized, released on Steam last April, are working on having it ported to console and iOS, and also have a new unannounced project on the way. Capsized is a retro inspired side-scrolling action/platformer that combines shooter elements with physics-based puzzle solving.

In an interview with Jesse McGibney, Co-founder of the developer, Alien Trap, he says Capsized will be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade by the end of December followed by an iPad version.

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February 24, 2011

Review – Gemini Rue

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 12:54 pm

Review Gemini Rue
Prior to technology enabling us to connect with the world while ignoring everything immediately around us, the blinking lights of evolving machinery offered means for introspection – specifically a fresh perspective on a very old worry keeping us up late into a long night called existence.

Theoretical speculation on ideas of artificial intelligence and memory constructs allowed us the chance to chew on the question of human identity with fresh vigor, externalizing that oldest of mysteries to question who we are as individual grains caught up in the dust-storm of civilization.

Pro-tip – if you tend to worry about your identity while feeling that society marches around in circles with no particular direction in mind, you’re probably a replicant.

However, since Gemini Rue isn’t about a tortoise laying on its back in need of your help while its belly bakes in the hot sun, we should probably move along.

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January 11, 2011

Gemini Rue

Gemini Rue
Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Blade Runner, Snatcher, and plenty more combination’s of slipstream jazz came to mind while watching a trailer for Gemini Rue earlier today.

This decidedly old-school adventure game has players assuming the role of two characters – specifically an ex-assassin and an amnesiac brought together within a bleak world controlled by the Boryokudan crime syndicate. Slipping into the sci-fi noir realm grabs my attention most any day, and the visual throwback here definitely helps keep it.

Previously known as Boryokudan Rue, the winner of last year’s Independent Game Festival Student Showcase is getting a PC release on February 24th via Wadjet Eye Games, and today became available for pre-order with both a download and disc version.

The digital copy is running $14.99, while the limited edition CD version runs $24.99 and includes an MP3 soundtrack.

Anyway, catch the trailer and see if it sweeps your fancy today as well – and if you like what you see remember to pay Wadjet Eye Games a visit to find out more.

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