Nine Witches: Family Disruption - Interview with the Devs

Are you ready to stop the Third Reich’s Okkulte-55 Division from raising hell?

Nine Witches: Family Disruption just launched on Steam for PC, GOG, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch!

We hosted an interview with Diego from the team at Indiesruption, so he could answer all of your questions about the game and its development!

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What led to the decision to create a game during World War II and have it set in Norway?

Basically, we wanted to create a story that had a strong historical background. When thinking about the look and feel of the game (apart from the pixel art) we opted for Norway mainly because it perfectly matched the story we had in mind. 

The devs wanted to create a game with a strong historical background (World War II) and set it somewhere it would fit the story.

What were some of your influences that helped you come up with the idea for Nine Witches?

Adventure games are by far our favorite genre. We love to create stories. We’d played most of the 80’ 90’ adventure games... the golden era... Commodore’64... diskettes... hint books...  We grew up playing those games, they are part of our DNA. I’m almost 50... Did you notice?

What was the best part about creating the game?

The funniest part was by far the creation of the story and all the bizarre universe of characters that are part of the game. We invested a lot of time writing the script, designing the puzzles and the dialogs. It was pure enjoyment.

The best part of developing the game was to create the story and its universe, as well as creating the characters.

Why did you decide to make the art style pixelated?

For some people, pixel art is old, it looks horrible or it is used by indies just because it is faster/cheaper. Like it or not, pixel art is a form of art. You will find lovers and detractors, peace and war, Windows and Macintosh, PlayStation and Xbox...

Should I continue? 

Yes, right. Of course.

Sweet and salty, republicans and democrats, crabs and underwear, vegans and carnivores... That's life.

Personally, I love pixel art and we have a barn with 9 tons of pixels waiting to be used in our upcoming projects.

What was it like translating the game from Spanish to English?

First we wrote the full script in Spanish. Then we worked very closely with our Blowfish producer to create a very polished English translation which will be used later to translate the game into the rest of the targeted languages.

It’s a very delicate task, because you must be sure that all jokes and gags match all languages and cultures. The game is translated into nine languages which result in a mix of cultures. So, we always tried to create “USB jokes” (Universal, Silly, Bizarre)

The devs tried to make sure that all jokes they made were universal and silly, and would translate well to other languages.

What were some challenges you faced in the creation of the game?

The most difficult challenge was to tighty link the different parts of the story to form a whole with no loose ends (BTW, did you find any?). The game is crazy, in most cases you cannot predict what is going to happen, when you think you’ve seen everything, the game will spit you another crazy unexpected thing on you.

What was it like having your demo in all the online festivals?

Sending the game to online festivals is always motivating. You get juicy feedback for your game. It is very healthy for the development process.

What’s your favorite type of game to play? 

I really like to play FPS shooters mostly related to WW2 or horror; I like games with story mode. I’m not a big fan of multiplayer games.

Do you have any advice for aspiring game developers?

The most common and true advice is: start working on small games before creating huge ones. 

As an indie I always design for my own pleasure. Focus on your heart, not your pockets.

The devs suggest to always start working on smaller games before jumping on bigger projects.

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Get Nine Witches now!

• Steam for PC

• GOG

• PlayStation 4

• Xbox One

• Nintendo Switch

Obey Me - Interview with the Devs

Are you ready to raise hell? Well, now you can do that in Obey Me! Obey Me launched on Steam for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 21st!

We decided to host an interview with one of the Obey Me devs, Marcos from the Error 404 Game Studios team so he could answer all of your questions about the game and its development!

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Obey Me has a lot of little nods to other popular video game franchises. What were some of the inspirations for the game?

In E404, we play a lot of games in our free time, so we took inspiration from many titles. But the main ones are those of the “Spectacular Fighter” genre, such as Devil May Cry and Bayonetta.

What was the inspiration behind Vanessa and Monty’s characters?

Vanessa was partially inspired by Jessica Jones from the Netflix series and the Alias comic-book. Vanessa doesn’t go to the self-destructive extremes Jessica reaches, but the sarcasm and dry wit can be traced to her. Vanessa has a slightly pessimistic outlook in life, as she finds her job unsatisfying most of the time and her lack of memories from her past also enhances that feeling, as she doesn’t feel any connection to her current situation. This detachment also works in her favor, as she can remain flexible and adapt to situations more easily. 

Monty is way more simple, he is an animal who masquerades as a sentient being or maybe the other way around. He’s like a twisted version of a Disney animal sidekick. He is the comedic sidekick for Vanessa, as she plays the “Straight Man” in most of their interactions. He is savage and instinct-driven, but he has moments of optimism cutting through Vanessa’s usual demeanor. He also serves as a “mentor” type of character, guiding Vanessa and explaining concepts that she doesn’t know yet. Monty has much more emotional responses than Vanessa, contrasting her usually cold demeanor.

Vanessa was inspired on Marvel’s Jessica Jones with her dry wit and sarcastic sense of humour, while Monty is a darker version of the stereotypical Disney sidekick.

What was your favorite memory from the making of Obey Me?

The first time I saw people testing the game. I knew the first iteration was clunky, slow and ugly but the players didn't care at all and played it. It is such a unique feeling - a combination of nerves, happiness and achievement.

What do fans of Obey Me have to look forward to in the release of the game?

Beside killing demons? Well, I like to see Obey Me as a whole, it’s an experience. I hope they enjoy Vanessa and Monty’s story and interaction in this grim world. We put a lot of love and effort into this duo and we are proud of them.

Killing demons might be your main motivation to play Obey Me, but the devs hope that you also enjoy Vanessa and Monty’s story!

What was the process like for creating Obey Me?

Creating Obey Me took three big steps or iterations. At first, it was more a Diablo-like game, you selected your positions and targets for Vanessa and Monty and clicked over the enemies until they died. Monty was so small that he looked like a rat. The game was very slow for the frenetic action game we were saying it was, so we decided to revamp the gameplay and approach a beat-em-up style. In this iteration, you could control Vanessa and Monty almost at the same time, but the controls were clunky and Monty was almost useless. We wanted to give the player the feeling of playing with a duo and this version wasn't.

After almost three years of developing and learning, the final gameplay iteration came. We decided that Monty was going to be controlled by the IA so the player could focus on the combat and we divided all the abilities between both characters so they would be equally important.

I think that the most important thing of creating this game is that we made Vanessa and Monty back in 2016 and they’ve kept their essence and style until today. The duo survived through three huge iterations of the game.

Vanessa and Monty survived three different iterations of the game to become the Obey Me that you now know.

Did you face any challenges in porting the game to consoles? 

When we started Obey Me our first gameplay objective was that it should be played equally well on mouse & keyboard and joystick. This made possible a swift transition to consoles because we could focus on visual bugs knowing the gameplay experience was safe. 

What advice would you give to people interested in game development?

The most important thing to avoid while developing is frustration. It’s harder to come up with a solution while in this state of mind. Relax, take your time, do other things and the solution will come in time.

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Get Obey Me now!

• Steam for PC

• Xbox One

• PS4

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Element Space - Interview with the Devs

Are you ready to save the galaxy? Well, now you can do that in Element Space! Element Space launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 24th!

We decided to host an interview with one of the devs of Element Space, Javier from the Sixth Vowel team, and we also asked the community to send us some questions for the devs, so these are included as well!

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Were you influenced by any games or other media? What aspects do you like about them?

Indeed, “Element Space” was influenced a lot by “Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle” in terms of video games, and I would say it was the biggest inspiration in most things related to gameplay, because we also use the concept of making combat feel like a mix of puzzles and tactical decisions without the random element (there is no random hit chance like in XCOM games). XCOM was also a big inspiration, since it is a close game to the genre and also a staple in tactical squad combat games, but mechanically speaking, Mario had a much stronger influence.

It's also important to mention the series “Cosmos” when talking about influences, since it was while watching it that the whole idea for the story of “Element Space” came into fruition. The mere idea of humanity having to face extinction and the need to expand towards the rest of the galaxy to prevent were inspired by Neil De Grasse Tyson´s enlightening ideas on the matter. People can find a backstory for the game up to the point where the campaign starts here.

Did anything in Argentina influence the game at all?

I would say that the biggest influence derived from our country was the way we see and talk about other cultures. Since Argentina doesn´t have a tendency towards racism or xenophobia, we felt we could be fair when creating a sci-fi universe in which everyone was at their peak, in both development and cynicism, without being insulting to other cultures. We wanted to create a universe of humans that represented both the best and worst extremes of their political and ideological backgrounds, so we decided to capture historical moments for the many different factions and bring them back to a futuristic and dystopian setting.

This is also why we chose to handle all relationships in the game with an ideological system instead of the classic good versus evil dilemma. Being a follower of Humanism doesn´t always translate into being good, nor does being a focused believer of Autocracy make you necessarily tyrannical. We felt that using Humanism versus Independence and Bureaucracy versus Autocracy allowed us to explore the vices and benefits of belief and make everything feel more realistic when in terms of relationships in the Three Systems. 

Element Space was inspired on games like XCOM and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

What was your favorite memory from making Element Space?

Oh, that is a tough one, since there were many awesome moments, both in development with the team, during parties with all the staff to the awards in Dreamhack or the Official Selection in the Indie MegaBooth. But honestly, my personal favorite was the day we launched the game on PC. It was long overdue and it felt like a massive accomplishment to press the Launch button and just know that all our hard work was out there, ready to be felt and played by gamers world-wide. I remember that day because it was also the birthday of one of the people in the Animators team, and my partner and I decided to let her be the one to press the release button, since she was part of the team from day one and it felt right to let her do it.

What was the process for creating Element Space?

It took, including pre-production, between 24 to 30 months to create “Element Space”. The team that we gathered during that time worked fantastically to create a product they could believe in and everyone felt that we were constantly making some improvements, both as professionals and towards the industry in our country, by making a game that, size-wise, hadn´t been attempted before in our region. We found many challenges on the way because many of the positions required in the studio to face the challenges of production just didn't exist in Argentina, so in many cases we had to train people as best we could to produce the desired results. All-in-all, we are super happy with the end result.

Size-wise, Element Space is one of the games with the largest scope ever developed in Argentina.

What led to the decision to create a tactical turn-based RPG?

Well, initially “Element Space” was supposed to be a real-time action-RPG. After many iterations with the rules we created we started realizing that the game gained more depth and quality the more we pushed back the camera and gave more control to the player over the entire squad, reducing random factors to a minimum. I remember the day we did the full switch and we realized that not only did the game feel much better, runned much smoother, looked prettier and it didn't affect immersion in a negative way in the slightest. It was a good realization to learn during production that our team was better able to create a much stronger tactical turn-based RPG than to attempt to produce a game that wouldn't quite hit the note. 

In regards to the process of the gameplay being turn based, was there ever a stage in development where it was in real time?

Indeed there was! The games started as a Real Time Action RPG, then veered towards a Real Time Tactical squad RPG and then finally landed on a turn-based tactical squad RPG. We still have those builds from the early days and, who knows, maybe one day we´ll walk that path, but “Element Space” became a much better game because of this paradigm change. You can still notice some of the Real Time elements of the game whenever a character does a Melee attack (specially those aimed specifically for that purpose, like Alice or Starkill), since most animations were planned towards that in the beginning.

Element Space started as a real-time action RPG, but ended up becoming a turn-based squad RPG, as it became a more fun and better game.

What makes Element Space different from other turn-based games?

I think that the main ingredient that differs Element Space from other games are the mix of  a strong story, a huge amount of replayability and the challenging-but-not-unforgiving difficulty that makes every playthrough experience feel different yet consistently fresh to keep the player engaged. Usually story-driven RPGs tend to lean more towards the one-shot experience, but the size of “Element Space” makes it easier to tackle the game again to unlock new characters, missions, weapons and see the result of those decisions by ideology. The differences in all endings are so varied and the tactical approach to every companion changes enough to make it worthwhile to go at it again as many times as you want, so I think that is pretty unique.

Element Space combines challenging gameplay with a rich story with a huge amount of replayability.

What advice would you give to people interested in game development?

Coming just from our experience from our first game, I think my greatest advice is to be able to learn that sometimes, doing less is more: the use of the word “no”, specially to cut scope and stuff from a game is a key part of making the right decision. In production, sometimes it's very difficult to notice how small things can escalate into a huge amount of work, and cutting the rough edges or needless features can lead into a greater focus on the strength of a game.  This is particularly true for independent devs that have much less resources to put into their game, like it happened to us.

When we embarked on the idea to make “Element Space”, the game was three times as big and with around twenty times the amount of content, and to be honest, that initial game would have been impossible to do in Argentina at the time, and probably very difficult to make in any other country in LatAm. It would have taken double the team size and triple the time of production, resources that we literally couldn't afford.

Reducing the size of a product does not harm it, actually, many times it improves it. By focusing on your strengths, you diminish the amount of needless content. In our case, reducing the game to this size allowed us to not only release a first draft which we can all be proud of as a game, but also keeps a lot of material and ideas to further the story with additional games and content. It was a good lesson to learn and it allowed us to finish production in the time we wanted it to be over. 

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Get Element Space now!

• PlayStation 4

• Xbox One

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Subdivision Infinity DX - Available now!

Pete Witcher is a Feature and Community Writer for Blowfish Studios.

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In Subdivision Infinity DX you are a freelance space pilot in the cockpit of a fighter ship. You’re on a mission in the Alpha Tyche system when enemy ships appear amid the giant asteroids and industrial space litter, and a dogfight ensues. A bogey is already on your six, peppering your shields with blaster fire. You hit thrusters and bank, roll, and strafe around mining rigs and satellites, using huge floating rocks for cover while your shields recharge. You activate your boost thrusters to quickly loop around behind your enemy, maneuver your reticle onto their ship and your targeting computer locks on weapons. One volley from your blaster weapon followed by a mini-nuke-tipped homing missile, shreds the enemy ship and sends it fireballing into empty space above the giant red planet in the distance.

Explore every corner of the galaxy.

That’s how Subdivision Infinity DX begins, and it just gets better from there. After the initial battle and very brief tutorial, you discover your hangar/shop/mission base and meet your android companion, who exists mainly to provide exposition for the storyline. I was suspicious of the amount of dialog during the first couple missions, thinking the game would be very dialog-heavy. But there’s always a “skip dialog” option, even the first time through, and for that I thank the game designers. Sometimes I really *want* to know about backstory and character development and motives. But sometimes I just want to get to the next mission so I can fly a spaceship and destroy things using blasters and lasers and rockets.

For the first few minutes I was a bit overwhelmed by learning the controls, identifying objects around me, tracking targets, and just getting my bearings in general. There’s a lot happening on-screen at any given moment, with many different objects at many distances, most of them in motion. The first solar system in the game has a lot of red in the background, and it washed out some of the colour in the red tracking circles around my enemies, making it somewhat difficult for me to follow targets at first. Luckily most of the early-level enemies also leave long blue contrails behind them, so that made it easier. I struggled through the first couple missions more than once, but eventually completed the objectives. 

Every solar system will have it’s own colours, structures and planets, making them unique.

After getting familiar with the controls and completing the first few missions I thought I had this game figured out and I was expecting the usual experience that involved increasingly challenging missions with more enemies in newer, tougher ships. And Subdivision Infinity DX delivered that, which is good, but the game also surprised me and kept getting more and more interesting. When I finally got around to trying an Exploration mission, it offered new ways to interact with the environment and play the game, as well as a slightly slower pace that comfortably offset the intense battles of the Campaign missions. A few enemies warp in to harass you every few minutes, but there are lulls in between when you can scout around for items and objectives, and mine asteroids for valuable ore and minerals.

Subdivision Infinity DX does not hold your hand or “overguide” you. There’s a very brief but very immersive tutorial at the beginning of the game to show you the basics of how your ship works. Then you’re on your own. Luckily the user interface is slick and easy to navigate, and it doesn’t take long to figure everything out. Through trial and error I discovered that in Exploration missions, you can use key cards to unlock bay doors leading into semi-hollow asteroids honeycombed with tunnels and chambers. Inside you can score rare loot like blueprints for exclusive ships. (The key cards seem to be randomly dropped by enemies.) You can also launch probes in Exploration missions that reveal and target loot, which saves a lot of time exploring these massive levels. Probes can be purchased in the Store, and are sometimes dropped by defeated enemies.

The user interface is simple and easy to navigate. It allows you to jump straight into the action!

The “inside an asteroid” quests provide a stunning contrast in scale; one moment you’re swooping through open space so deep and vast it induces thalassophobia, the next you’re slowly threading your ship through dark, narrow stone tunnels lit only by your spotlight and weapon fire. Older gamers like me might get a strong Descent vibe - and that is very OK. I found the strafing controls to be extremely useful in these tight environments, just as they are for evading fire during dogfights. 

It’s easy to earn huge sums of money by selling ore and other loot mined from certain asteroids in these Exploration missions. You can purchase a mining tool from the Shop for a paltry 100 credits, then equip it in a primary weapon slot before you embark on an Exploration mission. Once the mission begins, you can scan nearby asteroids for some that contain valuable ore and other items, then fly in close and light up your mining tool. Firing the tool’s laser into the asteroid releases loot until the giant rock breaks apart, spent. (This particular feature flashed me back to the arcade classic Sinistar; good times.) You can repeat the process until your cargo hold is full, while periodically dodging and dispatching low-level enemies that warp into the system. Make it back to the warp portal in one piece to bank your loot and sell it to the Shop back at the hangar.

Use warp portals to start and finish your missions.

The more I played, the more Subdivision Infinity DX drew me in. I got the sense that the people who designed this game cared about balance and the fun factor. The missions and tech trees progress along a basically linear path (compared to War Tech Fighters relatively high number of possible mech configurations, for example), but each unlocked weapon, ship, or mission introduces new elements that keep the gameplay fresh and exciting. There’s always a sense of progress and increasing power. New weapons can be unlocked by replaying missions to grind XP, and individual weapons can be upgraded four times each with earned money and collected drops. The light fighters I struggled to defeat with a level one Pixel Gun and Pendulum rockets are child’s play when I’m piloting my new and upgraded ship, armed with incendiary ballistic ammo, a level 5 laser, and level 5 Pendulum rockets. Fortunately, new missions bring new and tougher enemies so there are always new challenges to overcome.

Upgrade your weapons to defeat bigger and more powerful enemies.

There are five chapters in the game, each one taking place in a different solar system. The solar systems each have unique background colours as well as planets, stars, and local structures that add to the sense of traveling to a new place. Each chapter contains four campaign missions plus a boss fight, and two Exploration missions. The campaign missions provide a little exposition and purpose through dialog, then your ship warps into the battlefield. The objectives vary, sometimes involving tasks like searching for survivors of a space battle, but usually involve shooting enemy drones, mercenary fighter ships, cargo ships, proximity mines, mini satellites, and other explodable targets. 

Your selection of weapons is dictated by the tech tree, which is basically linear. You start with one ship, and unlock up to 9 more by reaching certain levels and acquiring blueprints and other items. Half the ships are “exclusive” and can only be acquired by finding blueprints on exploration missions. The other half can be simply purchased when unlocked. Additionally, each ship can be “evolved” once for a 20% armour boost and a 25% cargo boost. Evolving costs Evolution Kit power ups which are randomly dropped by destroyed enemies.

Upgrade your ship or acquire blueprints to unlock new ships!

The level design is gorgeous and well-suited to a spaceship combat game.There’s no up or down, no north or south. All directions are relative to your ship and your orientation, and the explorable space goes on for days. I like how my ship behaves much more like a craft in space than an airplane in an atmosphere. When I release the thrusters, the ship continues in the direction it was traveling, and I can still rotate the ship around 180 degrees to train my weapons on the bogey previously on my six. For most ships the “boost” meter is generous, which is very convenient when you realise how immense these outer space levels are.

As a side note, I applaud Mistfly Games for deciding to use the Unreal engine to create this game. Not many spaceship combat games use the Unreal engine, but it seems to fit the genre well here. The lighting effects, explosions, smoke, and other effects are beautiful and smooth, and the physics are immersive and intuitive.

Subdivision Infinity DX’s has stunning graphics and effects.

Subdivision Infinity DX is a solid and engaging spaceship combat game that doesn’t try to be all things to all people. The game focuses on doing a few things well and the result is a very enjoyable experience. It assumes you’ve played games like this before and want to get into the action and stay there. Subdivision Infinity DX is a smart investment for any gamer who enjoys intense dogfights set in glorious outer space backdrops against mercenaries and greeble-covered cargo transports and battleships. It’s available on Steam, PS4, Xbox, and Switch, download it today.

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Subdivision Infinity DX is available now on:

• PLAYSTATION 4 (EU, NA)

• XBOX ONE

• NINTENDO SWITCH (EU, NA)

JackQuest: The Tale of the Sword - Available now!

Pete Witcher is a Feature and Community Writer for Blowfish Studios.

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Jack Quest: Tale of the Sword is a fast-paced 2D platform adventure game that serves up plenty of everything that makes the genre fun: a simple story involving a hero with an oversized sword, his kidnapped love, and a mighty boss monster with a vast subterranean lair seething with enemies. To this classic recipe, Jack Quest adds a sassy aggro warrior spirit entrapped in that big sword, plus a long waggly red scarf, and some cool parkour-like physics to make a very entertaining game.

Jack and Nara enjoying their time together.

Jack Quest: Tale of the Sword opens with Jack sharing a quiet moment with his childhood sweetheart Nara, about to confess his love for her. Suddenly she is seized by the incredibly powerful Korg, a giant evil Orc. As Korg and Nara disappear into the earth, Jack dives after them unarmed but determined to rescue his true love. Seconds later Jack stumbles upon Kuro, a noble spirit trapped in a massive but nimble sword. The two form an impromptu alliance and Jack Quest is off and running.

One thing about Jack Quest that appeals to me is how it respects the genre, hewing to a design whose ancestry goes all the way back to, 80s arcade, and early console games like Metroid and Castlevania (Metroidvania). Jack Quest: Tale of the Sword incorporates many classic 2D-platformer themes, like picking up dropped red flasks for health, smashing wooden crates ejecting bouncing gold coins, and purchasing items from a shop (that somehow stays in business underground, surrounded by monsters). Jack’s special attack is a spinning-wheel sword move that deals rapid damage, plus the attack multiplier while protecting Jack from harm. The rewards and upgrades Jack finds and earns for defeating bosses, like double-jump boots, a map crystal, or a bow and arrow, are both satisfying and useful, enticing you to play on to the next level, and keeping gameplay fresh.

Jack using his special attack against the slime boss.

I think part of the attraction that keeps designers and gamers coming back to this classic format is the way these games constantly introduce new challenges as fast as the player wants to leap and battle through the map: new areas with different traps and tricks, new enemies and mini-bosses with new strategies, and new secrets to discover. Jack Quest definitely delivers in this department. I certainly never got bored. A little frustrated, sure, but never bored. But any frustration is outweighed by the rush of finally nailing that seemingly-impossible jump sequence or boss fight, which always seems so easy *after* you’ve conquered it. (“Why did this seem so difficult before?”) The thrill of improving your skill level to the point of overcoming these challenges is what metroidvania-type games are all about, and Jack Quest provides that thrill.

The art design in Jack Quest has that nostalgic, pseudo-16-bit look that you see in many indie titles, but the game plays and feels perfectly modern. My first reaction to the art design was something like, “Hey this game is cute, maybe it’s aimed at a younger audience.” Then I started playing, and that opinion went out the window. Jack Quest is both challenging and rewarding, and can get surprisingly intense, often demanding precision timing to make it through some tough areas. I’m sure young kids will enjoy playing Jack Quest because the basic gameplay is simple enough, but kids are definitely not the sole intended audience. There is plenty of skill required to progress very far in this game. And the more you play, the more you get the feeling the maps were designed with an eye toward speed running, making the game very replayable.

JackQuest has been carefully crafted to be both challenging and rewarding.

While researching the game for this article, I was surprised to learn Jack Quest was entirely designed and created by one man: José Neto, founder and sole employee of NetoX studios in João Pessoa, on the eastern tip of Brazil. He designed the art, composed some music, made all the gameplay decisions, and did all the coding for Jack Quest. I asked José about Jack Quest’s classic look and feel, and he said it comes from his lifelong fondness for video games that began when he was a youngster, playing games on many platforms during the golden age of gaming consoles in the 1980s, including the Atari 2600, Magnavox Odyssey, and most importantly, the Sony MSX. The MSX system was very successful in Brazil in the 80s, and it included a full keyboard that allowed users to create and play games by typing code directly into the system. Back then gaming magazines often published the Basic code for entire games, and José’s creativity and passion for games were strong enough to drive him to read it from the magazine and type it in line by line. Eventually, he started creating his own small games, and his skills earned him a job at a software development company, and he continues to create games on his own time.

So José Neto gets all the credit for this game being fun. Mr. Neto sneaked plenty of secrets and surprises into Jack Quest, like invisible doors and hidden rooms concealing rewards. But my favorite discovery in the game is the parkour-like wall-jump Jack can do to scale walls. Just mash the jump button while moving against a vertical wall and you can scramble right up it. There is a slight learning curve to get the timing right, but figuring it out is satisfying and encouraging. The wall-jump ability makes the gameplay and map navigation more fluid and smooth. And it creates this fun sense of freedom-of-motion as you rattle around Korg’s spacious digs.

Jack using the wall-jump to fight his enemies.

Jack Quest has lots of little touches that add depth and character to the game, like the wall-jump, as well as the hit multiplier that pops up when you land repeated strikes against an enemy. There are magic torches you can seek out that let you save anywhere, anytime, instead of only at waypoint stones. And Jack Quest has this very useful “ledge peek” feature: stand close to the edge of a drop-off to move the camera down and preview what’s just below the bottom edge of the screen. Could be safe to jump down, could be patrolled by enemies, could be spikes … ledge peek lets you look before you leap.

Overall I found Jack Quest: Tale of the Sword to be an immensely satisfying 2D platformer, with loads of new challenges and surprises around every well-designed corner. It all comes together wonderfully: the art, the music, the action, the level design. The fact that the entire project was created by one dedicated game developer only makes this fun and engaging game even more impressive.

Watch the trailer!

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Find JackQuest: Tale of the Sword on:

• Steam

• PS4

• Xbox One

• Nintendo Switch

Storm Boy: The Game - A Story About Friendship

Pete Witcher is a Feature and Community Writer for Blowfish Studios.

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Blowfish Studios is happy to share with you our new interactive storytelling game Storm Boy, based on the Australian children’s book about a boy with a special connection to nature and the animals in his world. The game Storm Boy takes you into the book to experience the beauty of South Australia’s Coorong National Park, a paradise of ocean waves, sand dunes and diverse wildlife. The environment is rendered in affectionate, artistic detail and playing the game makes you feel like you’re really visiting this idyllic place.

Explore the beach with Mr. Percival, your pelican pal.

The story moves along linearly as you guide Storm Boy through the sand hills and grasses on the beach. Passages from the book appear on the screen as you trot through the sand. You can also turn around to retrace your steps and make previous passages reappear if you want to read them again.

Minigames pop up in the environment as you go, giving you the opportunity to experience more of Storm Boy’s world from his perspective, and providing another level of depth and immersion. The story describes how the tall birds near the shore stood up and clapped in the mornings, and how Storm Boy dreamed of being an ibis or a pelican. While this passage appears on the screen, Storm Boy is on the beach, watching the birds. You, the player, can step into the game here by clicking the minigame icon and becoming a soaring ibis, controlling the bird’s swooping and banking flight just over the water’s surface. As the story progresses, the environment reveals more engaging little pastimes like digging for cockles and tracing pictures in the wet sand and playing fetch with your feathered chum.

One of the many compelling mini games in Storm Boy: The Game.

The heart of the story is Storm Boy’s profound friendship with Mr. Percival, a tragically orphaned pelican. The boy raises and cares for the bird, and they form a special bond as deep and meaningful as any puppy or other beloved pet could inspire. Here you get to experience the simple joys of feeding and playing with a cherished animal companion. The fact that the pet is a pelican only enhances the enjoyment.

Storm Boy and Mr. Percival.

As you might expect, a story about a solitary boy befriending a wild animal is not all fun and happiness. Storm Boy: The Game stays true to the book, and there are moments of heartbreaking poignancy. I was surprised by how intensely a few scenes impacted me and stirred up my emotions. But being a good story, Storm Boy offsets the sad bits with some thrilling heroism and heartwarming redemption, and by reminding us that lost loved ones are always with us.

The care with which the designers interpreted the book and rendered a 3D world from it really comes through. The game creates a soothing, nostalgic atmosphere evoking childhood memories with peaceful music, swaying grasses, and waves crashing on the shore. The artistry that comes through is no accident; Storm Boy’s lead game designer Ellen Jurik told me, “We liked the idea of a painterly feel, and during our research on the region, we came across some local artists who had painted the beach in that area in oils. We especially liked the art of Chris Wake.” So local artists appropriately inspired Storm Boy’s look and feel, and the way the game captures the essence of a young person’s experience in the Coorong’s distinctive environment. The art and design provide a stylized, almost dream-like hyper-vividness. It’s like the rush of seeing the ocean for the first time as a child, how it takes your breath away and is so memorable in person, but taking a photo just doesn’t capture that feeling.

As Storm Boy, explore a vibrant ocean.

With plenty of background information about the book and Coorong National Park itself, Storm Boy the game will pique your interest in this special place and probably lead you to further reading. Australians familiar with the book will find Storm Boy: The Game an ideal way to revisit a place fondly remembered, and those new to the world of Storm Boy will appreciate discovering one of Australia’s national treasures.

So once again Blowfish presents a new game that stands out from so many other games out there. Storm Boy touches your heartstrings and opens your eyes and ears to a paradise you may have never known about. It takes you in a different direction than most games these days, and it’s definitely a journey worth taking.

Find Storm Boy: The Game on:

• Steam

• Mac App Store

• PS4

• Xbox One

• Nintendo Switch

• iOS

• Android

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