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Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot


What the HELL is a Micro Indie Game?!?
    Well... It's pretty much what it sounds like! It's an indie game that takes approximately one session to beat. Basically, in terms of LP structure, they're games that will mostly take a single episode to fully complete.
Okay but why should I care yo
    I guess you don't have to of course, but... I think that there's a lot of really nice stuff out there that gets left to the wayside by bigger indie games like Braid or Fez or whatever else. I'm personally very invested in giving a platform to games that might not normally have one - particularly by small teams of just a couple people. I also think you can get some REALLY interesting ideas and experimentation with games this short.
How do you define 'deserving?'
    Deserving of love... Or of scorn. Or just of interest.
Can I send you my Indie game?
    Absolutely. You can contact me at Horikawa.Otane@icloud.com with a link to your game and, if it's a game I think I can LP, I'll do so either on my Micro Indie LP slot or my weekly main LP slot.
Who the BUTTS are you anyway
Where are these games coming from anyway
    Mostly from contests like Ludum Dare! But also from a ton of other places. Some people have even sent me their fangames!
tldr give me the videos yo
    Wow rude but okay.
Game List

Horikawa Otane fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Sep 4, 2016

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Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Demon Dread is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

So, Demon Dread... It's an interesting game in some ways. I really liked seeing the creative sprites and the music/environments blended super well together I thought. I really liked the visual design of the enemies and the rich colours all throughout. I also liked that it had the self-awareness to kinda make a joke of the boss.

However, there's this really unfortunate lag when you do anything. Like jumping and throwing knives is one of the worst things. Your character has about a half or a quarter second throwing animation and only throws knives at the END of it, meaning that there's a delay between when you press the button and the knife gets thrown. If you're on the floor, that's nbd, but if you're trying to time it with a jump... It's kinda the worst thing. There's also similar input lag with your axe, but it's much less harmful once you get used to it imho.

The other major problem with this game, at least in my opinion, is the length of your iframes - it's really easy to get into a situation where you're combo'd by enemies into a pit and there's not much you can do about it.

Anyway, people seem to be pretty negative on this game in my comments lately, and I kinda see why, but... I genuinely think it's a really good attempt to do a Micro Castlevania. It's just got a couple things keeping it from greatness. At least, in my opinion.

Horikawa Otane fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Jul 22, 2016

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


Being able to be knocked back into a pit is really cool. Also there are no health pick-ups anywhere it seems

90s Cringe Rock
Nov 29, 2006
:gay:
Devilboxes are cool and good.

How much did you edit out? Do you have a total playtime for that video, because I got the feeling it was pretty long. At least they were kind enough to make the wizard not respawn - I assume the lower platform is just high enough? On the other hand, it can still shoot you.

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

SSNeoman posted:

Being able to be knocked back into a pit is really cool. Also there are no health pick-ups anywhere it seems

Man... This game would be totally different with health pick-ups. I was hoping for some wall-turkey or something, but NOPE.

chrisoya posted:

Devilboxes are cool and good.

How much did you edit out? Do you have a total playtime for that video, because I got the feeling it was pretty long. At least they were kind enough to make the wizard not respawn - I assume the lower platform is just high enough? On the other hand, it can still shoot you.

Sadly I no longer have my raw footage! But I think it was something like... 35 minutes of raw footage for about a 12 minute video? So I cut about 2/3 of the raw footage?

But it's really not much... It was basically me being silent and walking back to where I was and dying.

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

What Do We Eat for Dinner? is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

I actually really liked this one! It's a super clever little puzzle game, where you try to find the optimal place to eat based on social cues, net investigation, and other things. It's hella short (even for a "micro indie game"), but then again maybe I just got lucky.

I like little logic games like this. I wish we saw more of them - though I suppose games like Phoenix Wright and all are kind of expansions upon this? But this felt a bit more like those sorts of "logic game books" or whatever than that... Hmm...


Either way, please do try this one! I thought it was very well made - and, hopefully, randomized so you won't just get the answer from my LP.


(...But seriously, gently caress Madeline)

Horikawa Otane fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Jul 22, 2016

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


It figures that the correct answer would be "pizza". Though the fact they choose not-Papa John's is some hosed up poo poo. Worst pizza chain in existence, even Pizza Hut is better.

And how is "eh" not acceptable? Whenever I get an "eh" from a group of people it's the equivalent of HUGE SUCCESS.

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Dullahan is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

Another super deserving game - in a good way! This is a really solid clone of Castlevania, with really interesting puzzle twists based upon swapping your head out with specific items and then THROWING THEM AT THINGS.

I really liked it! I'm super interested to see what more this guy has to produce! Though I'm very sad there wasn't really a boss or something to end it...

Kangra
May 7, 2012

I wonder if the makers of the Papa John's app know that Taco Time is an actual, terrible, fast food place. It's the sort of food even racist Peter would like (though you-know-who wouldn't go for it).

e: Dullahan does have some pretty neat stuff in it as well. Congration to the developers.

Kangra fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jul 30, 2016

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

I think Dullahan could definitely work on a Gameboy. Remember, the original Gameboy had great and complicated platformers such as Super Mario Land 2, and it also had Pokemon, which could keep track of the hundreds of Pokemon you caught and their stats, and of every single trainer you ever defeated.

I think this game might be slightly more advanced in the graphics department than the Gameboy was, but otherwise no problem.

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


...really? Now they give her a new avatar?

Goons.

Goons.

marshmallow creep
Dec 10, 2008

I've been sitting here for 5 mins trying to think of a joke to make but I just realised the animators of Mass Effect already did it for me

I agree that Dullahan does some pretty clever stuff. It might be nice to see it expanded and fleshed out a bit into a bigger, if still small, game.

JamieTheD
Nov 4, 2011

LPer, Reviewer, Mad Welshman

(Yes, that's a self portrait)
Cool and interesting thread idea, like it! If you like logic puzzles (Esp. procgen ones, like that food one appears to be), then one I remember quite fondly was "The Inquisitor." Murder mystery type dealio, where you get people's statements, ask if anyone saw anyone else being suspicious, root through things to try and establish what's suss... And yes, there are red herrings.

Dullahan definitely seems like it could do with some expansion, but as a base puzzle idea, that's p. darn cool. I was half expecting you to be able to pick up those enemy heads though, as that would also be cool. Why lug those bombs... When you can have bomb head! Wear zombie legs as your head, because... Because... Look, I don't need a reason to be giggling at the fact I'm wearing a zombie's legs as my head, alright, there doesn't always have to be a utility reason behind it, sheeeesh!

marshmallow creep
Dec 10, 2008

I've been sitting here for 5 mins trying to think of a joke to make but I just realised the animators of Mass Effect already did it for me

You could have all manner of head based power ups, too. Like a hand or catchers mitt so you can grab enemy projectiles. Or maybe a mirror or tennis racket to reflect things like in a game of pong. Or just put enemies in your head hole and throw them like a pokemon when you need a minion. A magnet for clinging to the ceiling. I mean the mind boggles.

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Smoothie Planet is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

I apologize for disappearing and not responding to peeps. I had a sudden medical emergency, so I had to drop off the planet. Apparently I was redtexted during this. *shrug*. Anyway I'm back now with a new episode!

Smoothie Planet is a HELLA neat 2D Zelda clone. Which I'm a bit surprised we don't see more of. It's an iconic style of gameplay and, honestly, it seems easier to make than a lot of the generic shooters and stuff we're seeing a lot of these days. The gimmick of this one though is that it takes place in spaaaaaaaace! It's sadly too short though...

JamieTheD posted:

Cool and interesting thread idea, like it! If you like logic puzzles (Esp. procgen ones, like that food one appears to be), then one I remember quite fondly was "The Inquisitor." Murder mystery type dealio, where you get people's statements, ask if anyone saw anyone else being suspicious, root through things to try and establish what's suss... And yes, there are red herrings.

Dullahan definitely seems like it could do with some expansion, but as a base puzzle idea, that's p. darn cool. I was half expecting you to be able to pick up those enemy heads though, as that would also be cool. Why lug those bombs... When you can have bomb head! Wear zombie legs as your head, because... Because... Look, I don't need a reason to be giggling at the fact I'm wearing a zombie's legs as my head, alright, there doesn't always have to be a utility reason behind it, sheeeesh!

Huh! The Inquisitor looks SUPER interesting.... I might just LP it!


Lotish posted:

You could have all manner of head based power ups, too. Like a hand or catchers mitt so you can grab enemy projectiles. Or maybe a mirror or tennis racket to reflect things like in a game of pong. Or just put enemies in your head hole and throw them like a pokemon when you need a minion. A magnet for clinging to the ceiling. I mean the mind boggles.

Oh yes definitely! Having your head as a 'slot' for powerups is super neat as concept. I want to say it hasn't been done before, but did Dynamite Headdy work in a similar fashion....?

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

Why did you not put on your Dalek voice when you said you wanted to kill everything in the universe that's not like you? That's what the Daleks are all about.

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Carbon dioxide posted:

Why did you not put on your Dalek voice when you said you wanted to kill everything in the universe that's not like you? That's what the Daleks are all about.

I-I'm a failure.

_○/|_

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Dolphin Island 2 is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

This game felt a LOT like Momodora to me. Probably the vaguely Cave Story-esque vibe to the art? idk. But it has this interesting shield mechanic in a similar vein to Halo or other games like that. I do think it'd be nice to have some health though rather than being one-hit-kill once your shield goes down.

Apparently, the original "Dolphin Island" doesn't exist? Someone made like... A mock box art for a fake game called "Dolphin Island 2" and this dev team ran with it and made it into a game. Supposedly this will be expanded into a full thing eventually. I'm certainly excited to see what the final product will look like once they add more content and polish!

marshmallow creep
Dec 10, 2008

I've been sitting here for 5 mins trying to think of a joke to make but I just realised the animators of Mass Effect already did it for me

Looks like they really need to add some invincibility frames. At point you got shot and then fell on top of the shooter and instant cut to black. That's rough.

thedaian
Dec 11, 2005

Blistering idiots.

Horikawa Otane posted:

Apparently, the original "Dolphin Island" doesn't exist? Someone made like... A mock box art for a fake game called "Dolphin Island 2" and this dev team ran with it and made it into a game. Supposedly this will be expanded into a full thing eventually. I'm certainly excited to see what the final product will look like once they add more content and polish!

A Game By It's Cover Jam, for anyone that wants to see other games made with similar premises.

Dr. Buttass
Aug 12, 2013

AWFUL SOMETHING
I'm a little behind, but, fun facts! A dullahan is technically a fairy. Celtic Mythology is very clear: if it's magic and doesn't make any sense, it's a fairy. It probably hates you and wants to kill you. Dullahans hate you and want to kill you a lot. They usually carry their own severed head around with them, which is always grinning and apparently has a texture like bad cheese. They kill you with a whip made of a human spine, because they just hate you that much.

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Dr. Buttass posted:

I'm a little behind, but, fun facts! A dullahan is technically a fairy. Celtic Mythology is very clear: if it's magic and doesn't make any sense, it's a fairy. It probably hates you and wants to kill you. Dullahans hate you and want to kill you a lot. They usually carry their own severed head around with them, which is always grinning and apparently has a texture like bad cheese. They kill you with a whip made of a human spine, because they just hate you that much.

HUH! So this game was actually more accurate than I thought it'd be! It's surprising how well that myth lends itself to "Castlevania clone" gameplay!

Dr. Buttass
Aug 12, 2013

AWFUL SOMETHING
Using the neckhole as an inventory slot was a cute touch, I thought. It's not like they're really doing anything else with it.

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Sneakr is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

I liked this game a lot~! It's hard to make a compelling Stealth game, I think. You need to make waiting interesting - that's hard to do! The way this game does this, at least for me, is by making the pace relatively quick. It's pretty fast-paced for a stealth game imho - almost frantic in nature!

I think that the graphics are a bit meh, but they have their charm to them. Simple and boxy - certainly consistent, anyway!

As for whether or not I'd play this if it were a full, say, 10-20 hour game? Maybe not. Unless it got more complex in some of its mechanics. But for its current state,I think it's kinda perfect the length as it is.

Mraagvpeine
Nov 4, 2014

I won this avatar on a technicality this thick.
When you shoot a robot, 3 stars pop up over their head. Does this mean if you shoot the same robot 3 times, you kill it?

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Mraagvpeine posted:

When you shoot a robot, 3 stars pop up over their head. Does this mean if you shoot the same robot 3 times, you kill it?

I think it's their stun time. So when the three stars go away, the robot is no longer stunned. Something like that, anyway.

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

Mraagvpeine posted:

When you shoot a robot, 3 stars pop up over their head. Does this mean if you shoot the same robot 3 times, you kill it?

Don't you see stars when you're shot in the face?

Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Sneakr is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

MangoMan is out - another game by Joseph Gribbs (the guy who made Sneakr)!

Honestly, between the two of them, I think MangoMan is the weaker game. Still - it's a lot of fun. It's a megaman clone starring a man, who is also a mango. It's basically what it says on the tin haha. The music is nice, the pixel art is nice, and the game is pretty well designed imho (except for THAT STUPID TURTLE SHELL).

It's a pretty perfect game for the Micro Indie Game LP series. Still, I kinda wish it had that special 'something' that I feel games like Sneakr or Dinner did.

Mraagvpeine
Nov 4, 2014

I won this avatar on a technicality this thick.
Can you charge your shots?

Ryushikaze
Mar 5, 2013

Horikawa Otane posted:


Sneakr is out!
- Download the game here to try it yourself

MangoMan is out - another game by Joseph Gribbs (the guy who made Sneakr)!

Honestly, between the two of them, I think MangoMan is the weaker game. Still - it's a lot of fun. It's a megaman clone starring a man, who is also a mango. It's basically what it says on the tin haha. The music is nice, the pixel art is nice, and the game is pretty well designed imho (except for THAT STUPID TURTLE SHELL).

It's a pretty perfect game for the Micro Indie Game LP series. Still, I kinda wish it had that special 'something' that I feel games like Sneakr or Dinner did.

Are you sure the boss is an apple dude? He looks more like a habanero to me.

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Horikawa Otane
Feb 1, 2016

by SA Support Robot

Mraagvpeine posted:

Can you charge your shots?

Nah you can't, sadly.

Ryushikaze posted:

Are you sure the boss is an apple dude? He looks more like a habanero to me.

Yeah, several people in the comments pointed out that he's probably a pepper of some kind. That would make a lot more sense. However, in order to get the pixels crisp and stuff, I had to play the game in 1x scaling - which made everything SUPER tiny (I do the scaling myself later in post). As a result, it was kiiiiinda hard to tell haha.

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