Making a Simple Platformer With Godot

Let’s talk about Godot tilemaps. Have you ever played a 2D platformer or Metroidvania and wanted to know how it is made? Maybe you are already making one. I’m back for another insight into the cryptic, enigmatic, secretive, open-source world of indie game development. Tongue-in-cheek there. But I am reaching out to you devs out there to talk about some very useful primary knowledge in Godot TileMaps! Particularly beginners. Before You Start This how-to is specifically aimed at solo devs who are in the very beginning stages of learning Godot for a game project. Most Godot intro tutorials take you… Read the rest

The Colorful Art is Must-See in “//TODO: today” (a New Visual Novel)

//TODO: today is a visual novel and dating sim. You’ll follow the main character through a crisis involving life direction in the context of paying rent, becoming an artist, working in a bookstore, dating, and the help of a cute but invasive artificial intelligence named Joyce. The game takes advantage of bright pastel colors and hand-drawn art. It conveys a message of getting out of a rut as an adult and using a motivation to solve life’s problems. The gameplay is a few hours and very interesting. //TODO: This Game Is My Life, Circa 2008 You may notice in your… Read the rest

Carto: Pieces of the Map is a Terrific Exploration Indie You Need to Try

Finally, my love of tile board games like Carcassonne has been revived. But it’s completely different mind you. Carto is a tile-placement puzzle released to much praise last year. My first impressions were very positive, but I set them aside until today. It’s a terrific game! While it’s probably the best adjective, I’m not really fond of describing games as cute anymore, because there are so many vocabularic adjectives for a game of this caliber. Perhaps this is “clever,” “witty,” “minimalist,” “pleasant,” and “empathic.” There’s a whole slew of wonderful descriptions. So, let me garner your attention and put the… Read the rest

OPUS Rocket of Whispers is Beautiful & Full of DEEP Gameplay

Mysterious backstory, cosmic balance, ancestral duty. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Heavy topics, yes, but not to worry. This game is poetry, and these types of themes are in the prequel OPUS: The Day We Found Earth. It seems that there is even a theme in common between that game and OPUS Rocket of Whispers, but I am hesitant to say, conclusively, what it is. I’ll give you a quick background on this game. It takes place somewhere that may be Earth or possibly a blue equivalent. You play two characters. Alternating as the story sees fit,… Read the rest