Marian Teaser

Posted by Brandon "BMcC" McCartin Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:29:00 GMT

I am excited about this! Aquaria co-creator Alec Holowka, now of Infinite Ammo fame, has released the first teaser for his upcoming adventure/exploration game Marian. (Which was first announced a while ago.) As he’s said before, Alec is all about crafting a deep, personal experience for the player. And I wouldn’t pick anyone else for the job. I am sure his style of holistic game design will result in something truly special.

This is quite an ambitious endeavor, and one that Alec cares more about “than any other project” he’s worked on. If you’re interested in supporting him, head over to the Infinite Ammo site. Godspeed, Alec!

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Paper Moon Out on Blurst

Posted by Derek Yu Fri, 01 May 2009 22:17:00 GMT


Great news – Paper Moon has been released on Blurst! The game, which features lovely black and white paper cut-out graphics, began as a short demo for Gamma 3d, but has been fleshed out in a collaborative effort between IA and Flashbang Studios, and makes use of Blurst’s recently added online leaderboards. Big pimpin’ Adam Saltsman (Gravity Hook) was responsible for much of the game’s original graphics.

As much as I enjoy Flashbang’s games, variety is the spice of life and Paper Moon is a great addition to their growing arsenal of fun, Unity-based web games. I hope there are more collaborations on the way!

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Relay for Life - Indie Music Cancer Drive

Posted by Derek Yu Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:01:00 GMT

Relay for Life


Last year, Josh “TwiTerror” Whelchel and the independent game community raised over $800 for Relay for Life, a program sponsored by the American Cancer Society to help patients with cancer and to honor those who have died. Josh did this by selling copies of the very excellent Spirit Engine 2 soundtrack for $5.

For this year’s Relay for Life he’s hoping to raise even more by giving donors (of at least $10) a digital soundtrack that will contain music from a variety of talented musicians, including Kyle Gabler (World of Goo), Alec Holowka (Aquaria, Paper Moon), and my good buddy David Saulesco (Eternal Daughter). If you donate $25 or more, you’ll receive the soundtrack on disc. Not only that, but Josh will throw in a free copy of his upcoming album for anyone who donates $10+!

It’s a fantastic deal by itself. The fact that you get to beat up cancer at the same time makes it a must-have! Let’s try to blow Josh’s $1500 goal out of the water!

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Aquaria Design Tour

Posted by Derek Yu Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:39:00 GMT

Warning: the design tour has quite a few spoilers in it!


David Rosen of Wolfire Games posted his 4th design tour almost two weeks ago, and it’s about a game that I’m pretty familiar with – Aquaria! I’ve already mentioned this to David during our email discussions of the game and his tour, but apologies for not posting it sooner. I wanted to make sure that I gave the tour an adequate mindshare before I posted my response to it. (I’m also slightly hesitant to post news about my own games.)

First things first, I have to be honest and say that I was secretly hoping that David would do a tour of Aquaria, but I wasn’t sure if he had played the game or not. So yeah, I am pretty excited about it, considering the caliber of the other games he’s toured (World of Goo, Knytt Stories, and Gish). Thanks, David!

So anyway, my 2 cents (it’s actually more like a nickel) on his 2 cents:

Read more...

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Happy Aquaria Day!

Posted by Brandon "BMcC" McCartin Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:55:00 GMT

HD trailer here.

Well, Aquaria has been out for over an Earth Year now (as of December 7th). Pretty hard to believe. I remember back in the day when it was all, “Why don’t these damn turtles move?!” And now look at it. All grown up and shipped and critically acclaimed and everything.

Here is the newest trailer ever, in honor of the game’s anniversary and, more excitingly, Big Update. This weekend, Bit Blot will release Aquaria version 1.1.1 (for Windows). This patch includes “widescreen, graphics and audio enhancements, improved puzzles, a new/awesome map system and more.” And a reduced price.

Alec and Derek have been working hard on this update since the game launched, addressing all the feedback the game’s received. (And that’s a lot!) If there was ever a time to get Aquaria, it’s now. (Yeah, I’m talking to you—no more excuses!)

Congrats, guys! A series of increasingly complex high-fives is in order.

NOTE: Dunno why this ain’t been posted yet, but a Mac version is also now available.

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Infinite Ammo: Vlogging MIGS and GAMMA

Posted by Derek Yu Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:04:00 GMT


Alec Holowka and his Infinite Ammo team video blogged their trip to the Montreal International Games Summit, which went on like a week or so ago. Five videos long, there’s really only one word to describe the journey: EPIC. It’s probably worth it just to see Jon Blow get his boogie on to Soulja Boy, but the whole thing is just good, clean indie fun. Witness every possible method of high-fiving known to humankind.

Also, be sure to try out IA’s Paper Moon, which was featured at GAMMA 3D and is now available for download.

Videos 1, 2, 3, and 4 are after the jump.

Read more...

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Gamma 3D: Paper Moon

Posted by Derek Yu Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:59:00 GMT

Gamma 3d: Paper Moon

What’s that I spy, hanging over the canvas sky? Why, it’s Paper Moon, a new game from my friend (and Aquaria partner) Alec Holowka, developed with his all-Canuck, Winnipeg-based studio Infinite Ammo. Made for Gamma 3D, this Unity-based platform game features true 3d graphics (using 3d glasses), and an interesting mechanic. The cut-out graphics are by the talented Katie De Sousa, with help from Adam Saltsman (Gravity Hook, Wurdle).

Play the demo at Gamma 3D in November!

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GDC: Second Night

Posted by Derek Yu Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:30:00 GMT

holyfuckinshit

Petri Purho, Alec Holowka, Mark Johns


Achievement Unlocked: Petri Purho popped the perfect monocle.

Achievement Unlocked: I taught Phil Fish how to make a S’more.

Achievement Unlocked: We got an owl.

Click here for more photos.

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AQUARIA IS OUT!

Posted by Brandon "BMcC" McCartin Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:54:00 GMT


The Final Teaser.

Aquaria has finally been released! I’ll have (much) more to say about the game later, but as the Bit Blot site is down, I’ll just provide you with some hot, hot links for now.

The links that really matter:
Buy the game here. (Do it.)
Download the demo here. (63 MB)

Enjoy.

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Aquaria Release Date: December 7th

Posted by Brandon "BMcC" McCartin Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:03:00 GMT

Coming out Friday, December 7th, 2007!

You heard it right. After years of development, Aquaria, Bit Blot’s IGF Grand Prize winning undersea adventure game, is done and slated for release on PCs everywhere Friday, December 7th, 2007! The game will cost a mere $30 USD, which, believe me, is an absolute steal.

Heralding the launch will be a new Aquaria-related post on the Bit Blog (which you should be reading already) every day this week, featuring concept art, music, development stories, and Kenta Cho knows what else.

I was lucky enough to have worked on this little gem, and let me say, I am so proud to have been involved at any capacity. The game is all content, professional and polished on every level, and chock full of soul. Alec and Derek have slaved over it for a long, long time—and it truly shows. (Internet whiners take note!)

Anyway, before I get too sentimental, I just want to express how proud I am of The Bad Boys of Bit Blot. Through consistent determination and sheer passion they have created something wonderful and deserve every ounce of success they get. These guys are in it for the love of the game, one hundred percent. I know this first hand.

Follow Aquaria here, on Bit Blot’s official site. And be there next Friday for the launch.

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