New The Underside Vid

Posted by Derek Yu Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:34:00 GMT

Pixel called…

Read more...

Posted in Platformers, Metroidvanias, Videos, Previews | Tags ThePodunkian | 107 comments

New The Underside Video

Posted by BMcC Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:29:00 GMT

Arthur says, “This video is really misleading because I haven’t done as much work on content as I should’ve been (I’ve been working a lot on improving the game engine instead).”

If you’ve been following the news (like I have), you’ll know that development progress stalled for a bit, then picked back up, and now Mr. Lee has even integrated LUA into the game. In MMF. It’s crazy to me that that’s even possible now.

It makes me wonder, at what point should a Click developer just bite the bullet and move on to C/C++? I have a feeling it’d be a lot easier than most think…

Posted in Platformers, Adventure, Videos | Tags ThePodunkian | 68 comments

An Interview With The Podunkian

Posted by BMcC Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:24:00 GMT

Here’s another Planet Freeplay interview, this time with Arthur ‘The Podunkian’ Lee, seductive creator of The Underside. In the interview, he attempts to clear up the whole Cave Story debacle, talks about his history as a game developer, and name-drops quite a few heroes of the Klik scene, Derek included. Reminding us that, wow, Klik games truly are a vital piece of the indie gaming world. As much now as they were then.

Skimming through again just now, I realize this isn’t exactly the best interview out there… And some of the views expressed make me go, “Huh?” while others are a tad insulting (to Derek, hah). But I’m convinced Mr. Lee is an okay guy, and I don’t think it’d be a bad idea to send more encouragement his way. In fact:

Keep it up, man! The game really is looking good. I cannot wait to play the whole thing!

YOU CAN DO IT, CHAMP

Posted in Interviews | Tags ThePodunkian | 37 comments

The Underside (Extended Preview)

Posted by BMcC Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:50:00 GMT

Amidst the hoopla of the IGF (Rock on, Bit Blot!), The Podunkian quietly released a preview build of his upcoming action/adventure platformer The Underside, featuring the first 2-5% of the game.

You might remember the mini-controversy surrounding The Underside a while back. If not, I’ll summarize: CAVE STORY RIP-OFF?

I’m here to say, no, that’s not the case. And also kinda yes.

Graphically, the game borrows quite heavily from Pixel’s style. Too heavily, one could argue. The backgrounds, enemies, and (especially) effects often seem to parallel those found in Cave Story.

But gameplay wise—Yeah, OK, the core gameplay’s pretty close too. You’re a running, jumping, shooting little dude. But it doesn’t feel as similar as it appears. It’s far faster, more linear, and leans heavily toward action versus exploration. If you can get over the similarity issues (which will be harder for some folks than others), I think you’ll find a pretty special game in the making.

Download here. Try to use a non-local mirror. And don’t forget the patch!

Arrow Keys to move, Z to jump, X to attack, Down to examine, and Alt+F4 to quit.
(It’s all there in the readme, har har.)

NOTE: I had more to say about this game originally, but the post just ran too darn long.
Perhaps some DISCUSSion is in order?

Posted in Platformers, Windows, Freeware, Previews | Tags ThePodunkian | 24 comments

The Underside

Posted by Tim Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:39:00 GMT

I keep neglecting to mention this every time I post, but no more. The Underside is set to please fans of Cave Story in many ways, akin to having a bikini-clad model rubbing sun tan lotion all over you. Of course, some comments have been less than kind – there’s only a Clickzine preview and several gameplay videos released because production is still ongoing.

From the looks of Merry Gear Solid, it’s hard to imagine that this project will disappoint. Expect to hear more about it when the next Arsecast episode is released.

Posted in Platformers, Windows, Previews | Tags ThePodunkian | 25 comments

Merry Belated Christmas!

Posted by Derek Yu Sat, 30 Dec 2006 16:32:00 GMT

Alright, Christmas has been over for a few days now… I guess it’s about time to start posting again!

Here are a collection of Christmas-themed games that came out this month. Because it’s never too late for Christmas, amirite? No, seriously, these are all pretty good – you should try them out.

“Merry Gear Solid: Secret Santa is a top down stealth action game in the vein of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series.” And that’s really a pretty accurate description of the game, I’d say. Here’s a YouTube vid of the game in action. It’s by Podunkian, the guy who’s making that Cave Story “homage,” Underside.

Holiday Hills is a fun SkiFree clone by Johan Peitz. I don’t know if there’s a Yeti in this game. I hope there is (but there probably isn’t). There needs to be an option to flip the controls in this one.

Winter Bells is an Orisinal game that has you hopping on bells with a cute little bunny. It’s basically the video game equivalent of a shining snowflake being caught by the little hands of Baby Jesus… and when Baby Jesus opens his hands the snowflake is gone and there’s a miracle to take its place.

And don’t forget this one! All the levels should be unlocked by now.

Posted in Platformers, Browser Games, Action / Arcade, Freeware | Tags FreeLunchDesign, Orisinal, ThePodunkian | 13 comments