The year had ended. I have been busy with new responsibilities at work and two kids at home. But yet there is the spark of creativity that creates needs that must be fulfilled. I have crafted some things for my older son but those are of no consequence for this blog. What is however is, what I have in the pipeline: A new video game and the third piece for my cardboard arcade.
31 January 2020
27 January 2020
On Catacomb Kids
Sometimes you find a game that just clicks with you. I like me a good roguelike (or -lite or whatever definition you personally think should be universally applicable for the term) and last month I bought the early access version of Catacomb Kids. I love it.
The game itself plays like a more rogue-ish version of Spelunky (which I loved as well, at least the original free version, which I beat more often than my schedule these days would ever allow for). You jump and run through an often very vertical level in an old-school side-view. Unlike Spelunky, Catacomb Kids has a lot of different weapons, many of them magical, with random stats. Also there is the roguelike tradition of unidentified potions. And spells – a lot of them.
Combat can get frantic and intense but also slow and stand-off-ish. When a grumbul and you are facing each other across a pit with spikes, waiting for the other to move, that's where the true drama comes in. The fact that these enemies operate on the same rules as you and will flee the level if injured too badly makes things more immersive. And I always prefered games where even a single enemy is of consequence and a credible threat. I do, however, usually die to some trap combined with my lack of youthful reflexes.
I really enjoy the short sessions this game allows for: I rarely have more than half an hour of game-time a piece since we had our second kid. As I am not yet very good at Catacomb Kids, I rarely last more than ten minutes per run. The only problem is resisting the urge to do just one more try several times in a row.
Now the game is far from finished and I have some performance issues on my old computer here. Still, it's one of my favorite experiences in video gaming in the past ten months or so. I recommend anyone who likes a good action-oriented roguelike to try it out.
The game itself plays like a more rogue-ish version of Spelunky (which I loved as well, at least the original free version, which I beat more often than my schedule these days would ever allow for). You jump and run through an often very vertical level in an old-school side-view. Unlike Spelunky, Catacomb Kids has a lot of different weapons, many of them magical, with random stats. Also there is the roguelike tradition of unidentified potions. And spells – a lot of them.
Combat can get frantic and intense but also slow and stand-off-ish. When a grumbul and you are facing each other across a pit with spikes, waiting for the other to move, that's where the true drama comes in. The fact that these enemies operate on the same rules as you and will flee the level if injured too badly makes things more immersive. And I always prefered games where even a single enemy is of consequence and a credible threat. I do, however, usually die to some trap combined with my lack of youthful reflexes.
I really enjoy the short sessions this game allows for: I rarely have more than half an hour of game-time a piece since we had our second kid. As I am not yet very good at Catacomb Kids, I rarely last more than ten minutes per run. The only problem is resisting the urge to do just one more try several times in a row.
Now the game is far from finished and I have some performance issues on my old computer here. Still, it's one of my favorite experiences in video gaming in the past ten months or so. I recommend anyone who likes a good action-oriented roguelike to try it out.
14 January 2020
Labyrinthmaschine in action
A game is not truly tested until someone other than the designer has played it. Now I have in the past been somewhat careful about letting others even touch the Labyrinthmaschine – I was scared it could break. By now my fears have been alleviated and a small handful of others have been allowed into that particular dungeon of mine. Today, my older son wanted a go – and I let him.
02 January 2020
Update: Finished the Labyrinthmaschine
So, I finally got the right size of cardboard and some free time to finish up the Labyrinthmaschine with side panels. This means the user interface part of the cardboard arcade cabinet is not facing upwards in a 45 degree angle which is much, much more comfortable to play than before. I played the game a few times since the upgrade and the pinball machine has seen some use as well recently (by both me and my older son who can't slam the trigger hard enough to get the marble over the bridge but still enjoys it). Current record for speedrunning the Labyrinthmaschine was 1 minute and 52 seconds. The one recorded for a player other than me is over four minutes. This is the final version:
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