Screenshot Weekly – The Stratosphere is Magnetic Above Tokyo
Welcome back to Screenshot Weekly! Every Tuesday, IGM brings you exclusive looks at upcoming games in various stages of development. The featured image introducing each game will always be original, and made especially for IGM, so you’ll see them for the first time right here (make sure to click the pics to see them in their full screen glory)! Without further ado, let’s take a look at this week’s screenshots:
Altostratus
The developers of Altostratus describe it as “a fresh new experience for a classic game genre.” The shoot ’em up is using the Unity engine, and allows players to, “fly through different levels at the same time, above the clouds and beyond!” Draw Light told me the story “takes place during the first years of the New Century, la ‘Grande Epoca’ as the propaganda broadcasts call it. After decades of techonological progress, nations are colliding with each other, bringing people from different lands and cultures, unable to cooperate, close to a breaking point. While the lands are shattered, ruined or going back to a wild state, those who rule from the skies keep their precious power with an iron fist.” As tensions rise, the player is sent on a diplomatic mission to one of the main corporations. The team notes that “it won’t be an easy journey but the skies belongs to no one, not to your opponents and not to you..” Altostratus is in development for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, and more info can be found on the Facebook page.
Magnetic
If you’re a fan of puzzle platformers, Guru Games has a new project that may peak your interest. Petter Henriksson, one of the team’s programmers, explains that, “Magnetic: Cage Closed is a puzzle platformer in the spirit of Portal. The player navigates a large system of cubes filled with deathtraps by solving both dexterous and intelligent puzzles.” Where exactly does the reference to Portal come in, you ask? Well, if you didn’t already notice from looking at the screenshots, “the player has a magnetic gun that is used to manipulate magnetic fields around the player. The player uses the magnet gun to propel both other objects and him/her self through the large system of cubes.” As far as the story is concerned, details are scarce, but we know the game takes place during the Cold War. After being “convicted of a crime, the player is cast into a maze like prison and has to find a way to survive, a way out.” To see the game in action, check out the gameplay trailer on YouTube. Further details are on the IndieDB page and official website.
Tokyo Dark
Cherrymochi is working on Tokyo Dark a “side-scrolling adventure game set in modern day Tokyo with a focus on story and player choice.” The studio was started by Jon Williams, a Brit now living in Tokyo. Apparently, he likes it there, because the game also takes place in Tokyo. According to him, “you play as detective Ayami Itō who gets dragged into a dark paranormal mystery when she learns about a lost red door hidden in a cave deep below the sewers of Tokyo.” Players will have to explore the streets and sewers beneath Tokyo in order to unravel the mystery and face off against the darkness. Features include the ability to “level up your skills and freely explore Tokyo. With multiple endings and a branching narrative based on every decision you make, Tokyo Dark is your story.” The game’s website can be found here, and the developer’s website is here, in case you’d like to follow up with them about additional projects. There’s also a trailer out, if that’s more your speed.
That’s it for this week’s Screenshot Weekly. Be sure to come back next week to see more exclusive looks of the latest indie games in development! Let us know in the comments section what upcoming indie games you’d like to see featured in a future installment. As for any indie developers who would like to see their screenshots featured in an upcoming segment, feel free to send an email to IGM at [email protected] with the Subject Line: “Screenshot Weekly”. Or, if you’d like to be part of our Magazine’s Screenshot Monthly segment, include that in the email as well!
