Curve Studio head looks at pros and cons of porting indie titles

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Posted July 1st, 2013 at 00:16 EDT by Lee Millington0 Comments

In an interview with Push Square, Jason Perkins, the head of London-based developer and publisher Curve Studio, gave insight into the benefits and the challenges in porting indie games to PlayStation 3 and Vita.

One of the studio's most famous ports is puzzler Thomas Is Alone, and Perkins revealed how the PS3 and Vita ports of the title came about from personal initiative. "The game sounded really interesting and perfect for Vita," he stated, and he explained how that led to dialogue with Mike Bithell, the developer of Thomas Is Alone, communication with other indie developers, and then a serious plan regarding the porting of titles.

It does not seem to purely be an interest in the games that drives Perkins, as he explained the business benefits of such partnerships. "From a publishing perspective we’re bringing proven, successful games to the PS3 and Vita, and from the developer’s perspective, it brings in new revenue for minimal effort, funding them to continue work on new projects." However, Perkins admitted that "minimal effort" still involves challenge. "It's not always easy because we're dealing with a lot of different formats." However, he continued by saying that "it's also very rewarding to bring a game to a brand new audience."

The interview also looks further at the process and, among other things, Curve Studio's upcoming releases. These include it's own game, Stealth Inc: A Clone In The Dark, and their port of Jasper Byrne's survival horror, Lone Survivor. Perkins also said that "we have more on the way that we haven't revealed yet." Both announced are due for release on PS3 and Vita later this year.

Take a look at the full interview here.

Are you a fan of Curve Studio's work? And are you looking forward to their next releases? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Strength of the Sword 3 review: an ambitious title from indie dev Ivent

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Posted June 29th, 2013 at 02:18 EDT by Benjamin Shillabeer-Hall0 CommentsReview Score

Strength of the Sword 3

PSU Review Score7.0Avg. user review score:0.0

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Summary

A solid game mixing God of War fighting mechanics with Dark Souls difficulty. A little rough around the edges, Strength of the Sword 3 offers up some interesting experiences.

We like

High-quality AIGood replay value

We dislike

Distracting graphicsCamera isn't up to par

Strength of the Sword 3, an ambitious title created by indie development Ivent Games, strikes an interesting middle ground between the fighting mechanics found in God of War and the backbreaking difficulty of Dark Souls. Ivent, only consisting of three individuals, has created a solid digital title that I recommend.

Booting up the game for the first time, gamers will encounter the two main modes Strength of the Sword 3 has to offer: arena and story mode. The former forces players to fight numerous waves of enemies, acquiring points along the way as a timer counts down to zero. Players utilize these points to gain more time on the clock, buy new weapons, and gear. I recommend playing arena mode before heading into the story, as players are able to unlock items that can be transferred to the main storyline. Considering the steep difficulty of Strength of the Sword 3, players should take advantage of these opportunities. One downside, unfortunately, is that arena takes place in only one location, meaning it can become monotonous at times. Thankfully, a variety of enemies help to keep the experience fresh and the game does an excellent job rewarding players for their invested time and effort. For those who are interested, arena also automatically submits your score after each match to an online leaderboard.

The storyline offered by Strength of the Sword 3 is incredibly simplistic. Artistically speaking, the game takes a unique approach by using two-dimensional paper cutouts to represent your character taking out enemies and developing throughout the game. But the most impressive feature of this indie title is by far the game's AI, which quickly learns and adapts based on players' combination of attacks and playing style. This dynamic AI forces gamer to adopt a variety of strategies, hindering those who normally opt to find one string of combos and repeat them throughout the entirety of a game. This is exacerbated by the multitude of enemy types, again varying the number of approaches necessary to being successful and contributing to the game's difficulty. Unfortunately, the number of combos available is somewhat restrictive and a definite hinderance to the gameplay experience. While the variety of enemies and approaches, along with the lack of effective combos, makes the game very challenging, it is always fair and inspires players to keep replaying a match until overcome. Additionally, it is important to note that matches have high replay value thanks to a strong incentive system. Gaining stars depending on your performance throughout a chapter, players can unlock new weapons, shields, and gear depending on how well they do. New weapons and shields are also acquired at the end of boss fights.

There are no debilitating glitches or issues present in Strength of the Sword 3. There have been instances when matches have malfunctioned, causing enemies to fall through the floor or stop spawning, but these can easily be resolved by returning to the main menu. Because level sizes are not horrendously expansive, the occasional glitch does not cost players considerable in-game progress. There are also issues with the game's targeting system, which sometimes comes into conflict with the environment and is rendered useless. Lastly, some issues pertaining to physical collision detection with environmental pieces, such as boxes and barrels, seem present and allow players to occasional dodge right through them.

Despite the aforementioned issues, Strength of the Sword 3 is a fair download title that I would recommend. For such a small team, the visuals boasted by this title are simple yet impressive. Ivent Games did a wonderful job creating a vibrant, diverse environment for players to experience. The game itself is short, roughly 3-to-4 hours in length, but the replay value is enormous and adds hours of additional enjoyment.

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Soul Saga could get PS4 and PS Vita versions through Kickstarter, indie JRPG inspired by PlayStation classics

Posted June 27th, 2013 at 21:23 EDT by Kyle Prahl4 Comments

Many PlayStation enthusiasts remember the original PlayStation's era--a time of great innovation and kick-ass JRPGs. Final Fantasy. Star Ocean. Suikoden. Grandia. Vagrant Story. The list goes on and on, but recent years have seen an undeniable drought in a genre that arguably made the PlayStation brand in the late '90s.

Mike Gale is not pleased. The one-man army, under the monikor Disastercake, is working on Soul Saga, a self-described "love letter to J-RPGs from the PlayStation era like Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Suikoden, and Persona." To that end, Soul Saga will incorporate a sweeping, epic narrative, turn-based combat modeled after Final Fantasy X, an eclectic cast of characters, and imaginative environments like the sky-city Medonia and the wastelands of Oterra below.

Mike grew up playing classic RPGs and fell in love with the industry. After a stint working in Microsoft's games department, he set off on his own to make Soul Saga--the game he's always wanted to make. Only 12 days ago, he looked to Kickstarter to make his dream a reality.

Today, with more than 17 days to go, Soul Saga passed its funding goal of $60,000.

When I first noticed Soul Saga's Kickstarter page a week ago, I took to Twitter to try and connect Mike with Shahid Ahmad, SCEE's Strategic Content wizard and champion of the independent developer. At the time, the only announced platforms were PC, Mac, Linux, and (of all things) Wii U. But any game that pays homage to the golden age of PlayStation RPGs belongs on a PlayStation platform.

As word began breaking that Mike was in talks with PlayStation to make PS Vita and PS4 ports happen, I noticed Soul Saga's funded amount jump by thousands of dollars. This morning, the news came in--PS Vita and PS4 versions will happen if Soul Saga hits its stretch goal of $80,000. Mere hours later, it broke past its $60,000 base funding goal.

In an exclusive conversation with PSU, Mike shared his thoughts on the game's early attention and working with Sony. "I'd like to thank all of the generous fans of Soul Saga, because without them this dream couldn't happen," he said. "Working with Sony so far has been great. . . . When they get back to me, they are full of answers. They are also helping guide me along on the paper work to help streamline the process."

"I had some long and hard talks with Sony reps and researched into their relationship with Unity. From everything I can see, and considering I am already using Unity to create Soul Saga, it all looks extremely solid," he explained in a Kickstarter update. "We are entering a new age of game development where indies can really reach platforms that were once closed to anyone without 7 digit bank accounts. And I'm excited to be among some of the first indies to enter into this new age!"

PlayStation gamers and RPG fans have reason to be excited as well. Soul Saga's systems and design may pay homage to countless genre classics, but I'm intrigued by its unique gameplay twists. For example, instead of being tied to a universal HP/MP system, each party member will have a different resource to manage for special attacks. Mithos, an ambitious young man who wants to finish the world-saving quest his father failed, accumulates "Focus" with basic attacks, but can use that Focus to transform his regular skill set into a powerful new set. The skills he unleashes mid-battle depend on how much Focus he has accumulated, adding an element of resource management to the proceedings. Meanwhile, Elise--a talented engineer who harbors a secret love for Mithos--has to periodically spend a turn restocking her arsenal with "Gadgets" that are spent on both offensive and defensive skills. By spending 3 Gadgets out of 6, for example, she might lay caltrops around an ally to damage any monster that approaches them.

Soul Saga's anime artwork is similarly compelling. Mike plays just about every role in Soul Saga's development--programmer, lead designer, technical artist--but much of the game's art is outsourced to "talented artists around the world." The result is a main cast that's heartwarming in nostalgia that practically oozes from their designs. Lead male Mithos is Threads of Fate's Rue, or Final Fantasy XII's Vaan. Elise is a dead ringer for Roll (a Mega Man Legends favorite that's near to my heart). Antagonist Garen? Ganondorf. Or an Ivalice Judge. Take your pick.

Even the narrative hearkens back to industry legends. A corruption of monsters called Inkheart plagues the surface world of Oterra. The floating city of Medonia is protected by the Tempest Reef, an impenetrable barrier of clouds, but Medonia's islands are dying and the only cure may be hidden on Oterra. Rumors persist of a passage called Cloud's End through the Tempest Reef, and the world's fate may rest on the Guilds of Medonia finding a way through annihilation to the cataclysmic wastes beyond. But Mithos isn't searching for Cloud's End to save the world--he only wants to slay the King of the Dragons and one-up his guildmaster father, who failed to do the same 10 years ago.

The inspirations are less-than-subtle, but that's the point--Soul Saga looks to be a send-up of RPG stories that touched your heart and systems that inspired journeys you'll never forget.

And it doesn't stop there. From a J-pop theme song to voice talent from Full Metal Alchemist and Skullgirls, Soul Saga looks every bit the real indie deal. But it's not ready yet, and until the game hits its $80,000 stretch goal, PS4 and PS Vita versions aren't guaranteed. If the stretch goal is met, a $15 pledge will net you a code to download the game for either platform when it launches in July 2014 (no word yet on Cross-Buy or Cross-Save functionality). Other pledge tiers include high-resolution wallpapers, private beta access, the soundtrack, a physical copy of the game, and more. At the extreme end of the scale (read: a $10,000 pledge), you will be credited as an Associate Producer and consulted on everything from graphics and gameplay to sound throughout the game's development.

To address the ethical elephant in the room: PSU is not advertising Soul Saga. We are neither endorsing its development nor soliciting pledges on behalf of Disastercake. Disastercake did not approach us for coverage.

We cover PlayStation news for the most passionate PlayStation audience in the world. Soul Saga, a game in the grand tradition of PS1 RPGs, could come to PS4 and PS Vita.

If that's not newsworthy, I don't know what is.

Soul Saga is currently targeted for release next summer. Pre-alpha gameplay footage will be released tomorrow.

Kyle Prahl is a Managing Editor for PSU and JRPG fan who sees nods to Mega Man Legends and Final Fantasy X--two of his favorite games--in Soul Saga. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

From the Soul Saga Kickstarter page:

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Humility, passion, and indie games: Shahid Ahmad embodies the new face of PlayStation

Posted June 18th, 2013 at 22:45 EDT by Kyle Prahl1 Comments

For months now, Strategic Content wizard and PS Vita champion Shahid Kamal Ahmad has been spending almost every waking moment of his life courting developers and stocking his favorite platform with creative indie games. As Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's Senior Business Development Manager, Shahid is at least partially responsible for bringing more than two dozen games to PS Vita. Thomas Was Alone. Luftrausers. Hotline Miami. Super Crate Box. Lone Survivor.

To a handheld struggling at market, he's a bonafide PlayStation hero.

You wouldn't know it from talking to him, though. As we struggled to find a suitably quiet place for conversation amidst the bustle of the J.W. Marriott hotel lounge (a stone's throw from the Los Angeles Convention Center and E3 2013), I was taken aback by Shahid's air of humility. Here was a man whose actions were fundamentally changing the way Sony approaches indie developers and how the mainstream gaming public, in turn, views Sony. At no time since word of his outreach first reached the gaming public had the fruits of his labor been more apparent. Sony's stunning E3 press conference was on everybody's minds, and the morning air was abuzz with last-night excitement over "Sony's finest hour": a stylish shaming of its next-gen rival.

Much of the post-conference conversation revolved around the eight indie developers that Sony put onstage, front-and-center, to demonstrate its commitment to the little guy. Would that moment have been possible without the precedent set by Shahid and his Strategic Content team?

"What's happened is not so much that our approach has changed, it's that the developer community has changed," Shahid attests. "There's this incredible flowering of new life everywhere, new creativity everywhere, new developers everywhere . . . The goals behind the engagement haven't changed. A lot of it came about as a result of several discussions and meetings with developers we had at the beginning of 2012 to help this policy of engagement take place."

At first, I'm curious--even suspicious--of the indie push's origins. It's impossible to deny the impact that games like Bastion, Super Meat Boy, and Fez have had on gamer interests and the industry at large. These and other small-titles-turned-mega-hits flourished or even originated on Xbox 360. "Yesterday's indie is tomorrow's Minecraft," Shahid agrees. So, is Sony's recent push to attract indie developers a response to the competition? "Engagement with partners has always been something that we're really, really conscious of," he assures me. "What's happened is that the partner space has exploded. It's become much wider--there are many more players out there. So the way we engage with them has had to change to accommodate."

"It's not a response to anyone other than the new partner space."

I worry that Sony might be missing the proactive point, but Shahid understands what's at stake. Rest assured, Sony is taking notice of the big players in indie development and acting accordingly. "Independent developers are becoming more and more integral to the health and the general vibrance of any platform," he says. "Not just our platform, any platform." Much like the last several years, the next generation could be defined by indie mega-hits, and Shahid recognizes what's at stake for Sony: "I think that you're going to start to see some enormous hits come from this space. I think you're going to see future giants from this space as well."

Shahid is calm, cool, and confident as he says it, teasing an unspoken assurance that whatever blockbuster indies are making headlines two or three years from now, you'll find them on PlayStation platforms. Imagining what shape these giants might take is difficult with the blazing Los Angeles sun casting rays at my retinas, but I think back to an earlier answer that teased a PlayStation formula for successful games. I had asked what draws Sony's attention to new projects as potential targets for fostering development. Shahid countered: "What is it that makes a PlayStation game? What is it that uniquely identifies it? . . . What gives it the heritage?" His heartfelt passion for PlayStation, extremely evident from our earliest words, is positively burning at this point: "I think innovation is important. I think creativity is important. Passion, creativity--people who really want to do what they're doing, and who really believe in what they're doing, and are beginning to establish a fanbase."

If Sony's looking for burgeoning indie fanbases, they need not look far (FTL? Dear Esther? Kerbal Space Program? Among the Sleep?), but Shahid is keeping tight-lipped on potential partnerships. "If you have heard of the developer, if they are high-profile, there is a very strong likelihood that we are either talking to them or we've already spoken to them and some kind of decision has been made," he says. In both cases, "it's probably not right for us to talk about it. But there are no 'no-go' areas. We're very happy to engage . . . with as many of the top developers as we can."

"As far as I'm concerned, I'd like to work with all of them. I think they're all fantastic. They can all offer PlayStation something."

It all sounds like a corporate game of pub dealings and dark-corner handshakes, but anyone who follows Shahid on Twitter knows how open his outreach process really is--and how PlayStation fans can have an impact. Besides openly offering his email address and Skype name to gamers and developers alike, Shahid takes to the social network to gauge interest in new projects. "I put out a request to the community about which JRPGs they might be interested in," he recalls. "And I got about 250 trillion responses, which means that the community is very interested in this space."

Unfortunately, Shahid and other socially inclined faces of PlayStation can't always respond to fans how they'd like. "Have a look at the whole #PS4NoDRM campaign thing," he says, referencing current events and the palpable Sony buzz around us. "We couldn't say anything about that ahead of time. What can you say? That's the kind of thing you really can't talk about because there's too much at stake." In the same vein, there are games in the pipeline that aren't yet ready for the world to see. "There are titles that I'd love to speak about, but they're going to take time to cook," Shahid teases with a knowing smile. "And when they're ready, we'll talk about them."

In fact, Shahid estimates that over two dozen unannounced titles are currently in the works for PS Vita and, perhaps, PS4. "Obviously you're seeing the results of [our engagement] in the Vita space recently. We're also going to be looking at PS4 content as well," he confirms. "When I said that we are working on dozens of titles, I didn't mean 24. I meant a lot more than 24. On my radar currently, it's over 50 [released and unreleased] titles . . . And it's not stopping at 50, by the way. We're going on."

It's hard not to take the words of Shahid--a man who so clearly loves games--at face value, and at face value, they paint an exceedingly bright future for PS Vita. "We're committed to Vita. The Vita is here to stay," he says with conviction. "We've got a lot of fantastic news lined up, and not just in software terms as well. I'm looking forward to everything that happens in this space."

If you're a PS Vita owner, or a PlayStation fan, you should be too.

-----

Kyle Prahl ran to his interview with Shahid Ahmad because the Los Angeles transit system was running late. He hopes his breathlessness didn't show. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook for game news and opinions from a college student with sights set on an industry career.

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E3 ViDiary: Impressions of PS Vita indie game OlliOlli

You are here: Home » News » Electronic Entertainment Expo [E3... » OlliOlli » E3 ViDiary: Impressions of ...

Posted June 12th, 2013 at 22:32 EDT by Steve Chaffin0 Comments

 Yesterday, U.S. Managing Editor Kyle Prahl went hands-on with indie developer Roll7's creative 2D skateborder, OlliOlli.  Promising a fun, simple experience on the PlayStation Vita, OlliOlli could become a refuge for those who enjoyed the plethora of Tony Hawk games released years ago on the PlayStation 2.  Today, Prahl continues the discussion by adding some of his initial thoughts and concerns after having played the game.  

Respond to Prahl and share your perspective on OlliOlli in the comments section below.

Steven Chaffin, Jr. | @steven_chaffin | The Editor's Desk

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