Thursday Triple is a weekly roundup of Indie Games from around the Net.
A mixed bag is coming your way. One thing’s for certain. Action is on today’s menu, which is a fantastic way to kick start a new month.
Astebreed 494w3k
By Edelweiss
I’ll preface this by saying I have a huge soft spot for mechs. I grew up with Gundams, and there are days that I’m embarrassed to say how much I’ve spent on scale models. They’re a total guilty pleasure of mine.
So when I found out Astebreed let you pilot one, I was already sold. It’s a shmup – my favourite genre these days due to the quick sessions, perfect for the busy individual, and how easy games are to get into. But despite its label, you do a lot more than just shoot.
Your mech has a sword which you’re encouraged to use to carve a path through swaths of enemies. You’ll also use it to deflect incoming projectiles while lining yourself up for the perfect dash across the screen. Each situation has an ideal solution, leaving you to choose when to mark targets for homing missiles, take cover and switch to artillery, or go in close for the kill.
To top it all off, it looks badass. The camera perspective changes while you’re playing, keeping scenes fresh and interesting to look at. Just have a look here.
[youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lOlRh__Uk0″ width=”590″ height=”315″]
Price is a little steep at $19.99 on Steam, but I’d keep an eye out for this one.
Pale Blue 1a5e12
By Tinker Games
The market is a little saturated right now with 2D action-platformers, which Pale Blue unashamedly is, but I fell in love with the story concept. The developers say the idea came from watching super hero shows like Power Rangers and wondering why the villains never gave up despite their ridiculous plans and zero-percent success rate. What could possibly be so important that they’d persevere through countless failures?
It’s about the bad guys this time around, and the departure from the black-and-white of classic Power Rangers is quite intriguing. I’ll have to wait to see how the gameplay pans out, though from the videos posted so far it looks like the focus will be on the narrative and its emotional impact.
[youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s-1jkZ626U” width=”590″ height=”315″]
Check out Pale Blue‘s monstrous, but strangely adorable protagonist on this Kickstarter page.
Skara – The Blade Remains 5u2c51
By Skara
To wrap things up, we have another Kickstarter, though this time for a game that sets out to merge elements from RPGs, fighting games, and MOBAs into one death arena. The main objective is to kill your opponent(s) (no one is surprised here), but the game aims to add more depth by introducing skill-based gameplay built around precision, accuracy, and practice.
It’s a tall order to get right. If victory boils down to how good a player is on the trigger, the modelling and animations have got to be spot on. There’s some alpha footage below to give you a sense of the atmosphere, and with further developments I hope to see the combat system come together cleanly.
[youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xj9gkITC5M” width=”590″ height=”315″]
For those unsure of what to expect from the final release, it’ll be free-to-play for everyone. Cosmetics will be the only purchasable items using real currency, so that’s a plus. I don’t know. It could be something to enjoy with some friends. What do you think?
Here’s there page for more information.