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BitCake Studio , an indie game development studio based in Brazil, is celebrating its 10th year in the industry. Mechanical Hand The studio’s upcoming game, Atomic Picnic, is the brainchild of the company’s CEO, Camilla Slotfeldt. She drew a lot of the first concept art for the main characters.
Whether its a photorealistic RPG or a stylized indie game, every visual element follows a structured journey from concept to integration. Pre-production lays the foundation for artistic direction, ensuring that all visual elements align with the games mechanics, worldbuilding, and narrative.
Polish indie studio Eleven Puzzles has been making a name for themselves as the creators of some fine cooperative puzzle games, like Unsolved Case and Unboxing the Cryptic Killer. We throw ideas around, different puzzle mechanics, narrative elements and unique interactions,” Olczyk says. “We never run out of puzzle ideas!
Set in a beautiful, Slavic-inspired world, Selfloss by Kazakhstan-based indie studio Goodwin Games is an adventure that explores themes of grief, healing, and resilience. Reflecting on the game’s core concept, Khoroshavin shares, “The very first idea was that I want to make a game about an old protagonist that can traverse via boat.
In Creatures of Ava by Spanish indie studio Inverge Studios , players take on the role of Vic, a young explorer stranded on the planet Ava alongside her companion, Tabitha. However, as development progressed, the concept evolved into something much more narrative-driven.
The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery. Cocoon is the first venture of Geometric Interactive , a Danish indie studio founded by Carlsen and his ex-Playdead colleague, Jakob Schmid.
South Korean indie studio Cat Society is a small team with big ambitions. The concept evolved from there, eventually centering on an inn caught between two rival guilds of adventurers. From mechanics to level design and even the story and visuals, the team has worked to align everything with this focus.
If there ever was a fitting metaphor for the trials and tribulations that indie developers face while creating their debut game, it’s Ascending Inferno , the upcoming release by Australian developer Oppolyon Studio. As first-time indie developers, their journey mirrors the very game they’ve crafted.
Some even engage in Kickstarter campaigns for indie games or support them financially. Kickstarter is viewed as a proof of concept and demand, offering valuable insights”, says Liebe. While game designers often prioritize mechanics, Kickstarter success relies on early visual appeal.
Void Sails by indie developer Ticking Clock Games is a single-player action-adventure RPG that takes players on a thrilling journey through mysterious worlds, where they captain a flying ship across uncharted space. The seed for Void Sails was planted during one of the team’s early brainstorming sessions.
A high concept with a high execution. And yet it doesn't get more mechanically complicated. After all, how many games offer you a "suffering musician" build? Atuel by Matajuegos A climate crisis documentary in the form of a third person walking sim where you play as a river. The documentary process is unusual for games.
As game fans, we can choose from both big AAA productions and less known (but not always) indie productions. A few words about indie games. Indie , which is short for independent , means independent of the creator – financially, conceptually, or in terms of time. What are indie games and why are they popular?
Toronto, Canada based indie dev Thousand Stars Studio prides itself on being a culturally diverse studio. This system reflects our key underlying value of unity in the game, as we uniquely weave the theme into our mechanics. It’s a whimsical, Bollywood-inspired RPG that celebrates the fun traditions and magical stories of India.
Physics-based 2D platformer Bionic Bay is a collaboration between the Finnish one-man-studio Mureena and Taiwanese indie game company Psychoflow Studio. I thought that the core mechanic in this 2D game was extraordinary, so I contacted the developers. The Swap The initial idea that ignited the project was the core mechanic: The Swap.
Japanese indie game developer Yamada has used ChatGPT as a key design element for his latest project, Doki Doki AI Interrogation. Instead, he sought to explore what new gaming experiences could be uniquely offered by AI, leading him to the concept of interrogation—a familiar yet unexperienced scenario for many.
BitCake Studio , an indie game development studio based in Brazil, is celebrating its 10th year in the industry. Mechanical Hand The studio’s upcoming game, Atomic Picnic, is the brainchild of the company’s CEO, Camilla Slotfeldt. She drew a lot of the first concept art for the main characters.
The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery. Cocoon is the first venture of Geometric Interactive , a Danish indie studio founded by Carlsen and his ex-Playdead colleague, Jakob Schmid.
Welcome to the unsettling world of Zoochosis by indie game studio Clapperheads. Behind all this madness is an indie studio, but not in the classical sense. “It At the same time, we consider gameplay to be paramount and strive to refine it so that all mechanics and assets are constantly reused.
When the Kickstarter campaign ended, cozy adventure game Mika and the Witch’s Mountain by Spanish indie developer Chibig didn’t just achieve its goal. Indie developer Chibig started in 2017 as a one-dev studio in Valencia, Spain. It pulverised it! So, finally, we decided to stick to the original plan and create a short adventure.
Yet, for indie dev Almar, it offered an escape from the corporate rat race he felt trapped in. So, almost two years ago I decided to fully embrace the indie path and became a solodev.” I usually start with a location or concept from which I build a ‘mind map’. This concept grew organically from a single idea.
Each level also had unique mechanics and art styles that all tied into a cohesive whole. Then it cuts to concept artist Emily Johnstone anxiously trying to pitch design ideas to a group brainstorm meeting which she just happens to be the only woman in the room. Shouldn't Tim be giving more direction on the level concepts?
Both are open-world action-adventure games with fantasy elements and similar mechanics. Overall, it is a more moody atmosphere that lends a sense of dread, and this goes along nicely with the hostile game mechanics players will be up against. Is the game simplistic and easy to understand, or are mechanics obscure and complicated?
Welcome to the unsettling world of Zoochosis by indie game studio Clapperheads. Behind all this madness is an indie studio, but not in the classical sense. “It At the same time, we consider gameplay to be paramount and strive to refine it so that all mechanics and assets are constantly reused.
Toronto, Canada based indie dev Thousand Stars Studio prides itself on being a culturally diverse studio. This system reflects our key underlying value of unity in the game, as we uniquely weave the theme into our mechanics. Its a whimsical, Bollywood-inspired RPG that celebrates the fun traditions and magical stories of India.
A few simple mechanics (passing, zone control, sprinting, tackling) come together to make a deep and compelling multiplayer experience. When I began working on Hokra, I was just trying to program a simple passing mechanic. The first team to fill up the counter in their scoring zones wins.
It was a very tranquil concept at first, though we found our prototype didn’t offer enough things for the player to do.” The indie duo feels relieved and a little bit anxious. Most indie studios don’t survive long after their first release.
Every man and his dog has made an indie game but no one has painted a game yet. A point of interest in the indie game sea.” Is this mechanic fun? Asking and discussing general ideas about themes or concepts, ‘I’m thinking of making my eye game about Monet now… what do you reckon?’. It’s something different.
Every man and his dog has made an indie game but no one has painted a game yet. A point of interest in the indie game sea.” Is this mechanic fun? Asking and discussing general ideas about themes or concepts, ‘I’m thinking of making my eye game about Monet now… what do you reckon?’. It’s something different.
The following year, the Norsfell team submitted their concept to the Montreal Ubisoft Indie Series annual competition for local independent game studios—and won. Buoyed by success and a cash prize, they moved “Tribes of Midgard” into production.
The conversation shifted from the nuances of game development to the larger, looming concept of the “metaverse.” But, beyond gameplay mechanics, Eco speaks to a much larger industry trend: the emergence of the metaverse. He praised Steam’s dedication to not only the large AAA studios but also to the indie developers.
With the story and art direction locked in place, the game actually went through several changes before it settled on the final gameplay mechanics. The concept and emphasis has shifted over time as we learned more about what people expected from a game on this subject.
Think of this as a hyper-casual Beyblade game with a merge mechanic mixed in the middle. What we liked about Spinner Merge is how they came about the idea of bringing in the merge mechanic. Cart Crash is an incredibly satisfying game that relies much more on timing than any other mechanic. That’s the core concept from Voodoo.
Understand Blockchain and NFT Concepts in Gaming As initially stated, NFT games are based on the blockchain concept. This will help you shape the gameplay art style, mechanics, and general experience. Upon establishing your audience, brainstorm unique features and game mechanics. Develop smart contracts.
Most farming simulators have dating but Harvest Island doesn’t, so from the get go, Harvest Island is very different from Stardew just by the mechanics and the premise. Harvest Island Game Mechanics. More Game Mechanics Comparison. Another interesting mechanic I added is that you can sing to your animals.
This is the only place where you'll receive a monthly, in-depth look into the entire development process for 3D dark fantasy ARPG Kristala, an indie game built in Unreal Engine 4 by the incredibly talented team at Astral Clocktower Studios. Concept Art. Welcome back to another magically entrancing issue of the Kristala dev blog.
It’s a fun little concept to add mostly because bless can be treated like a currency or like a prayer points which has huge implications towards the story. The game becomes really fun because of this new concept. Marketing a new indie game is a huge task that most indie developers would fail at.
Our mission revolves around one key concept: ADVANCEMENT. Picture this – VR games with not only gripping, unconventional mechanics but also a touch of scientific marvels. Played With Fire is committed to delivering not just interesting and complete games, but ones that are ADVANCED in both mechanics and gameplay.
From the classics to the indie games, including some of the most popular newer titles to your gaming shelf will help you come up with new game ideas easily. You can get inspired by the gameplay mechanics, features, characters, color schemes, or even the effects. Give a try on a few popular current games from different categories.
This is the place where we bring you a monthly peek into the development process for 3D dark fantasy ARPG Kristala, an indie game developed using Unreal Engine 4 by women-lead Astral Clocktower Studios. Concept Art. Thanks for tuning in to another exciting issue of the Kristala dev blog! If you're just joining us, welcome!
If you’re an indie studio hoping to launch a hit game, you might want to think about partnering up with Voodoo, because they excel at what they do. They test around 1,000 prototypes each year, demonstrating their dedication to exploring a wide array of concepts. Today, we delve into the unique player in the French tech scene: Voodoo.
This fighting game health mechanic is too fussy and unreliable for a busy shooter. I know it's easy for armchair indies like me to complain about pulling punches. The game says you must kill her first, like this, always -- and if she always dies so early, that means her concept doesn't get to interact with anyone else.
Same goes with harvest moon, and most other indie farming simulators out there as well. Harvest Island is purely a story driven game with farming mechanics to support the plot. Here’s where the concept shares. SpiritFarer uses it’s cozy mechanics to help support the story just like how Harvest Island is doing.
In particular, we focus on game mechanics that encourage community-oriented behaviors, the pros and cons of automated reporting, and how to minimize griefing. Roundtable: Creating Non-Toxic Gamer Communities (1 PM Eastern) What game design principles can be used to promote friendlier and harassment-free communities?
For realistic characters and settings, understand these concepts well. Show off the game’s most exciting features and unique mechanics in your artwork to attract potential players. Concepting and Collaboration Key art usually doesn’t come fully formed from one person’s mind. Indie Game Studios.
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