Game Culture — pixel art

Village elder, help us! Build your village and lead your Pips to fight off hundreds of events in dotAGE, the merciless town builder. dotAGE is a turn-based roguelite village sim. Will you fulfill the Prophecy?

You are the Elder. You had a vision of a doomed future, so you took a handful of Pips, your fellow villagers, and led them to an empty valley to start anew. They need your guidance to survive the events foretold by the Prophecy, so make sure your Pips work hard!

History:

Digital Boardgame: classical town-builder gameplay in a turn-based fashion, with a claustrophobic map reminiscent of European-style board games.

Endless Content: dozens of buildings to research, with full production chains from raw materials to finished products.

The Prophecy Looms: the complex Fate system will throw more than 500 events at you to fight off. From simple coughs to earthquakes, from tornadoes to plagues, from volcanoes to inondations, from taxes to kittens, from diseases to furious murders.

The world changes: life becomes harder and harder as you play, keep an eye on the current levels of Fear, Sickness, Heat, Cold, and Cataclysm!

Cute yet merciless pixels: the cute pixel art details all the harsh realities of these Dark Ages. Don’t get fooled by the happy colors! 

All different playthroughs: Play a different game and a different story each time thanks to the Fate system and a dynamic research tree

Listen to the Montpellier Codex: real medieval music rearranged in a retro game style is waiting for you

An Apocalyptic goal: reach the end of these dark times and fight the Apocalypse to win the game.

dotAGE is developed by CKC Games - Michele Pirovano. All assets used in this blog belong to the rightful owner.

Contact Michele Pirovano via their website: https://www.michelepirovano.com, or their email: info@michelepirovano.com. Check their Twitter here.

Embark on an epic journey as Brocula, a vampire awoken from a 500-year slumber in a world unrecognizable to him. Stripped of his wealth, he must navigate the daunting maze of capitalism, taking on part-time jobs at the local garage, coffee shop, and restaurant to earn a meager living. But that's not all—his ancestral castle, now in ruins, poses another challenge. Work tirelessly to repair the dilapidated fortress, all while facing the bureaucratic hurdles of reclaiming its ownership from the town's mayor.

Engage in a captivating gameplay loop that revolves around money and societal struggles. Tend to your crops, cultivate a flourishing farm right next to the castle, and sell your harvest for profit. Immerse yourself in the art of fishing, honing your skills to reel in a bountiful catch that can be used for cooking delicious meals.

Yet, as a vampire, your responsibilities extend beyond mundane chores. Manage your cult, restoring the once-forgotten church and conducting regular sermons to gather the lifeblood you crave. Venture into the treacherous depths of the everchanging forest, an enigmatic dungeon teeming with monstrous creatures and valuable treasures, ripe for the taking.

Experience the rich tapestry of Brocula's world through stunning visuals showcased in our screenshots and cinematic trailer. Will you rise against the perils of capitalism, reclaim your heritage, and forge your own destiny? Unleash the immortal within and embark on an unforgettable quest!"

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Brocula is developed by Prateek Jadhwani. All assets used in this blog belong to the rightful owner. 

Contact Prateek Jadhwani via their website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-jadhwani/, or their email: info@brocula.com.

Check the presskit here! 

Wishlist Brocula on Steam and watch the trailer here:

Livingin the shadows is quite a sad and hard task, but Ewoud, the Producer and Game Developer, of SCHiM, made us see how easy and fun it looks!

The player plays as a SCHiM, the soul and spirit of an object, thing, or living thing. Everything in the world has one. A SCHiM should NEVER be separated from their thing! This does happen to the SCHiM the player will play in this game. This SCHiM who is attached to a human being is separated from him early on in the game and you as the player will have to get back to him before it's too late! 

Come out of the shadows quickly because here's how our interview with them went!

How was this game born?

The game was started out as a project for my college exam for my Game Development course. I was able to collaborate with my previous intern company, Extra Nice, after a lot of social media and press attention, we decided to make SCHiM a full fledged game.

What was development like?

During the development of SCHiM, I was able to get a real grip of what (indie) game development actually looks like, compared to my time back at school. I found out that it takes a lot more planning and a lot of concepting, testing and reiterating. Things that I wouldn't have gotten a lot of experience in otherwise.

What did you learn about yourself through this game?

Through the development of SCHiM I learned what kind of games I want to make and how I go about working on my own. The development of the game started during the pandemic so I had to adapt to working at home and staying productive.

What makes this game special?

I think what makes SCHiM special, is that it is a universally relatable concept. Almost everybody remembers jumping on the cracks in the pavement or the lines at a crossing, or in this case the shadows.

How does sound play a role in the game?

We are glad to work with a company called Moonsailor, who is producing the audio and music for the game. The audio in the game helps with the world building of the game, but we are careful to also implement visual cues, to better aid those with trouble hearing.

What games influenced this one the most?

A game that I took inspiration from in the beginning was Splatoon, even today we get many people referencing that same inspiration when they see the game in action.

Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

The biggest moments during development have been the reactions to the game online. The game has gone viral a few times, and the reactions from players were a big inspiration to keep going, and seeing that our hard work is being seen.

Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Games are still a relatively new medium, I think it really is up to the developer to have the creative freedom to create their game the way they want to make. Of course there are basic mechanics and interactions that have matured along with generations of games (e.g. pressing a button to jump, using a joystick to move, etc). These mechanics are easy to implement and are usually expected in any modern game, but if your game works (better) without, let's say a jump button, then I don't see why that has to be preserved.

What's your favorite memory as a gamer?

My favorite memories are from my early days playing Minecraft with my friends, and making playable minigame creations in the singleplayer mode. I think this is where I was able to have an early creative output as a kid.

Who will enjoy this game the most?

Ideally I think everyone should be able to enjoy SCHiM, I think the people who will enjoy it the most are the platformer and the exploration players.

Bottom Line, why must someone play this game?

You should play this game to know how it feels to live in the shadows!

How do you want this game to be remembered?

If this game would be remembered in any meaningful way, even to a few, then I consider it a job well done. A childhood favorite, an inspiration for one's own project, or just a good time, that would be fantastic.

What's next?

For me, I'll probably work on new game prototypes while doing a simpler job in the game industry for a little while.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Wishlist SCHiM! :D

Check out SCHiM trailer here:

Follow Ewoud on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Discord, Tiktok to get the latest updates from them!

Have you ever had dreams about the apocalypse or maybe fighting off zombies? We did, and Mega Cat Studios had the awesome chance to interview the Producer from Coldwild Games, Vladimir Slav, about the development of their up-and-coming turn-based zombie RPG, Stories from the Outbreak. Get your guard up and prepare your weapons as we get to know their story on making this game.

How was this game born?

We want to make fun games that try to tell a story or provide a specific experience. The main idea is to combine and reflect on the fragmentation of society through gameplay mechanics and the fates of different people.

What was development like?

The project was overambitious at first, but we toned it down and focused on a few systems that we wanted to perfect. The map became smaller, but much more intense in terms of events. The Combat was the primary focus for multiple months of development.

What did you learn about yourself through this game?

That longer projects are still tough to complete but are doable. We’ve learned that we can rely on one another and solve things together, through ups and downs.

What makes this game special?

Eastern/northern-European setting. There are not many games that take place in Latvia, showing a pretty unique fusion between different cultures.

How does sound play a role in the game?

We’ve tried to create an apocalyptic atmosphere with a soundtrack made by Roman Lamcev: he actually built some of the instruments that he used to record it, to give the soundtrack a “makeshift” vibe, as if it was made with instruments built after the apocalypse.

What games influenced this one the most?

Octopath Traveller, Darkest Dungeon, Slay the Spire, Faster than Light

Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

When I had to describe a conversation system between characters to the team, I took a chat log and split it algorithmically: * person 1 does something -> * person 2 reacts -> * person 1 gives a reply. Based on this, we’ve built an in-game conversation engine.

Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

I think every mechanic should serve a purpose and answer the question “what am I trying to achieve.” If an older game mechanics achieve something best – there is no need to discard it only because of its age.

What's your favorite memory as a gamer?

Playing Heroes of Might and Magic 3 and appreciating every part of it.

Who will enjoy this game the most?

People who like JRPGs and games with roguelike mechanics; people who like apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic games.

Bottom Line, why must someone play this game?

Zombies, stories, amazing turn-based combat.

How do you want this game to be remembered?

I want the final version of the game (post-early access) to be not only great gameplay-wise but also a storytelling tool that shows the fates of different people and how they deal with hardships and go through the apocalypse together, as different as they might be.

What's next?

Early access release, then a marathon towards the full one. More characters, more items, more stories to tell.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Thank you for your questions and good luck with your own games!

Check out the game on Steam

Check out Stories from the Outbreak trailer here:

Follow Coldwild Games on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube to get the latest updates from them!