Friday, April 6, 2012

IndieFort Bundle No 1

There has been a lot of bundles in the last month or two, it seems every month more and more websites are trying to get in on what the Humble Bundle has started. Gamersgate has now decided to launch their first bundle, the IndieFort Bundle No 1, and it is truly an Indie Bundle, something that certainly won't appeal to the vast majority of gamers, but it has some interesting games. I should note that every single one of these games, except for Cardinal Quest, is for PC only and standalone downloads (no Steam or Desura). All of these games aren't even released games, like Kenshi (which is an Alpha), and similar to other bundles that featured in development games you essentially get to play it just like those who have pre-ordered that specific game, meaning you will continue to receive updates on the game like normal.

The IndieFort Bundle does not have an average price, like IndieRoyale, instead it's a set price at $5.99 for all games and if you want to pay more you can, but there are incentives for paying more. The more people purchase the more is unlocked, the first unlock is an arcade game called Puckbang, the second is a soundtrack, the third is another soundtrack and the fourth is a secret and there are up to seven things that may be unlocked. It's an interesting strategy, the first unlock is already almost there, but the rest are pretty far off, although the Bundle just started today. There are six games in this bundle, which I will go over in a regular fashion of a quick overview and some gameplay. If you want to skip all that head on over to check out the Bundle directly.


Kenshi by Lofi Games
I've been watching Kenshi for quite some time, you may have seen me write about it here once or twice, but regardless it is an interesting game because it is an open world samurai game with a party based system. You control one character, but throughout the game you gather new allies, fight large groups of bandits and wonder the deserts. You would think a samurai game would take place in Japan or something, but not Kenshi, it is a desert wasteland full of settlements, police and enemies. It is still very early on, in alpha and only around version 0.23 (meaning a lot more till 1.0), but it is very promising. I particularly like the idea that you will be able to build your own settlements and that combat isn't superficial.  There is still only one trailer for the game, but check it out.
Main Website: http://www.lofigames.com/



Cardinal Quest by Ido Yehieli
Funny thing about Cardinal Quest, it was actually free some time ago, back in October of 2011. I played it quite a bit then and came to the conclusion that it's just another rogue-like. It has randomized dungeons, random monsters, random items, permadeath, all that good stuff, but it really doesn't do anything special or unique. It has three classes, wizard, rogue and warrior. It is a moderately fun game, but unlikely to sway you from playing something like Dungeons of Dredmor or Dwarf Fortress. There is a free demo available over at Kongregate if you want to check it out, but here is a video.
Main Website: http://www.cardinalquest.com/



Black Market by Big Block Games
Like Cardinal Quest, this is the only other game on this list I have played quite a lot. Black Market is a space game where you explore, trade, fight, collect loot and take on quests. It also has a leveling system, which makes it a tid bit of a space rpg and combat is ship versus ship combat that is handled with an interesting arcade style. It has a lot of content, but it is fairly easy and get's repetitive, despite that there is a lot to enjoy, at least for a short period, and it does have a demo available if you would like to try it. Head on over to the main website below and download it if you want to check out the demo, it's basically a trial version of the game that merely gives you a level cap. Here is some gameplay by Throneful, surprisingly the only gameplay video that I could find for the game.
Main Website: http://www.bigblockgames.com/games/blackmarkethd/



Wanderlust Rebirth by Team Wanderlust
This is a mulitplayer focused cooperative action rpg. You choose one of four classes, go online, or play it by your lonesome, and fight through story chapters, earn loot, craft items, defeat enemies, and customize your character with new skills and equipment. There is a story mode and survival mode, both of which have a ton of content  available. The game has been around for quite some time, four years, but this Bundle should give it some more players. I tried it a little bit earlier today and the controls took a minute to get used to, designed for W,A,S,D and arrow keys, not a mouse. I must stress that this is a huge game, three different endings, fifteen different boss battles, forty different enemy types, thirty different spells to learn, fifty-four skills to use, sixty-five achievements to earn and a lot more. While you can play it alone, it does actively encourage you to play cooperatively by rewarding you with more loot and skill points if you are playing with 2-3 other players. This game also has a trial version available through the website, but for now take a look at this trailer from last year.
Main Website: http://wanderlustgame.com/



Devil Whiskey by Decklin's Domain 
I greatly enjoy first person dungeon crawlers, like the upcoming Legend of Grimrock or the classic Might & Magic series, but Devil Whiskey looks like it came out of 1990's. I'm sure you can find some kind of nostalgia in it's old school looks, but it's 2012, to be fair it came out in 2008, and if you are paying for this kind of game then you would probably want something more up to date looking and I don't only mean up to date graphics, I also am referring to UI. The game does give you a party system in which to customize and also a world to explore, seemingly everything you might want from a game that is openly a homage to1980's CRPG's. I'm afraid for this one I will have refer to IndieFort Bundle video since there aren't any gameplay videos of the game elsewhere. (Head to 4:38 to go to the Devil Whiskey section of it). 
Main Website: http://www.devilwhiskey.com/#



Steel Storm: Burning Retribution by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel
This is a fast paced top down shooter that is set in a destructible world full of hordes of enemies. It all takes place in an alternate universe where you control a decked hovertank with a mighty arsenal of futuristic weaponry. It's been around for a couple of years and has received mostly positive reviews from gamers and critics alike. It has a demo available over at the main website, like almost every game on here, and features a sixteen player online mode, twenty-five singleplayer missions, challenges to conquer and a mission editor. It sounds generally pretty good and might be entertaining for those not expecting a AAA game. There are quite a few gameplay videos of this around the web, thankfully, so check out this one and for more info head on over to the main website below. 
Main Website: http://one.steel-storm.com/



That's it for this one, I apologize for the video heavy post, hope it isn't too troublesome. Thanks for reading and if you want to check these all out head on over to: http://www.gamersgate.com/indiefort-bundle-1
The IndieFort Bundle No 1 will be running for 6 more days, so far it has already $17,000. 

-Written by Sean Cargle

0 comments:

Post a Comment