The Indie Games Uprising III has begun. As a community, the developers of the XBLIG scene have banded together to unite under a common banner, to stand shoulder to shoulder and scream loud enough that even the most aloof gamer might hear them. In that spirit, together, they have chosen to start by chanting… QRTH-PHYL… which is pronounced… qurth-phil? Qrith-phile?
Hardcore Gamer: The Indie Royale Starry Nights bundle gives you a mix of games for about $5 presently. Sword of the Stars is a top-down Legend of Zelda-style game, while Bientot lete appears to be some sort of adventure game. Tower Wars is a 3D tower defense game, while Sentinel is a colorful puzzle game. QRTH-PHYL is a 3D Qix-style game.
'IGM Dream Team is a new feature series in which I pair up two great indie studios which I believe are compatible in terms of developmental ethos, style, and other factors. I will be discussing how they would work together, and how their hypothetical collaboratively-developed game would turn out. It’s basically an outlet for my nerdy gaming fantasies. I hope you enjoy it!
My very first IGM Dream Team is a marriage of two of my all-time favourite indie studios, and it’s the fantasy team-up that inspired this entire feature concept. I simply love everything that has come from both of these developers, and I see a definite affinity between the two. My selections for the first IGM Dream Team are Futurlab and hermitgames. Below is a quick burst of information on both studios for the unfamiliar.' -- Matt Suckley
Born in Cornwall, England, Matt James is the one man team behind Hermit Games, creator of Leave Home and most recently qrth-phyl. The latter being the winner of our Best of Indie Games Uprising III.
qrth-phyl took a known formula, updating it passionately and breathing life into it. The result was an intergalactic snake that felt very much alive. When playing both these titles there was a feeling of a hidden depth that I felt I could never truly uncover.
[Shane Ryan, Thunderbolt]
Nice review! Crazy name.