A Valley Without Wind - 2D indie Side-Scrolling Shooter/RPG

[Bootaaay]

I posted this over at GAF, but didn't get much response - thought a few of you guys here might be more interested in this sort of game;



Details -

Developer: Arcen Games (previous titles; A.I. War: Fleet Command)
Genre: Procedurally Generated 2D Side-Scrolling Shooter/RPG
Players: Single & multi-player
Release: April 24th, 2012
Price: $14.99 / £9.49 - (10% off until Tuesday, 1st of May; $13.49 / £8.54)
DemoL http://www.arcengames.com/w/index.php/avww-downloads
Purchase: Direct from developers, Steam, GamersGate, Impulse, Indie City

Game info -

A 2D sidescroller without a linear path. An action game with tactical combat and strategic planning. An adventure game that lets you free-roam a vast, procedurally-generated world. A Valley Without Wind defies genre stereotypes. Unlike other procedurally-generated games, you also get a logical progression in difficulty, plus helpful tips and checklists to guide your travels (should you need them).

Choose for yourself how to prepare to face the vastly stronger Overlord. Complete a variety of missions to earn arcane rewards, or roam the wilds to uncover secret missions and stashes of magical loot. Customize your characters with unique combinations of enchants and spells that change how you move, jump, and fight. Or rescue people and bring them back to your settlement, recruiting them to help you in return.

You choose how to play, and the world adapts around you.

Impressions/Reviews -

• Kotaku - "Every thought of "I'll just give it five more minutes" turned into, "Wait, where did that last hour go?"
• Hook Shot Inc. - "A Valley Without Wind is a pure-brew indie game – it’s tonally retro, it’s antagonistic in its determination to be different and challenging in the extreme. It’s a bottomless pit of potential, just waiting for the mind-boggled to stumble their way in."
• IncGamers - 7/10
• Out of Eight - 7/8
• Rock, Paper, Shotgun - "The complexity and general esoteric approach of A Valley Without Wind makes it daunting, but also enormously alluring. I can imagine this game opening up under continued exploration to be one of those all-encompassing experiences that you can’t help sinking an unhealthy tract of time into."
• Try Indie - "The multi-faceted gameplay elements are all somewhat familiar on their own, but the genres have never been blended like they have here."

More here; http://www.arcengames.com/w/index.php/avww-press

Media -

Launch Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEei7x6iwDY

Images:








Is anyone else here playing this? I'm not overly enamoured by the art-style, but the gameplay is a goddamn time sink and so addictive. Here's my take after 11 hours of play;

This game is hard to describe - it's a procedurally generated 2D side-scrolling shooter, with RPG, platforming and city building elements. The core gameplay involves you exploring these procedurally generated environments in whichever manner you choose, be it following the self-generating, varied and endlessly spawning missions on the map screen, or simply exploring areas further and further away from your growing settlement to find resources and special, hidden missions. Throughout your journey you'll upgrade your character (but don't get too attached, as death is a fairly common occurrence), unlock new abilities, use gathered resources to improve those abilities and craft new ones, upgrade your settlement by crafting new buildings, rescue NPCs who become new citizens of your settlement (each with their own specialised skills and powers), battle hordes of increasingly difficult enemies, take down large and challenging bosses and push back the volatile winds that surround your settlement on ever side. The gameplay remains solid throughout with a distinctly old-school feel, be it in the shooting mechanics, or the platforming (where you place your own blocks and platforms!) and with a lot of hidden depth and scope, a wide variety of player abilities and a seriously addictive streak, A Valley Without Wind is a very unique experience in my opinion, and one that more people should be playing.

[J T]

I am curious about this game.

I've been a little turned off by the ugly character designs, though the backgrounds look nice. But, I keep seeing it talked about on different gaming sites, and my interest has piqued because reviewers seem to really struggle with how to classify it. I've heard it called an RPG, action adventure, sidescroller, platformer, metroidvania, roguelike, etc. I like games that can't be pigeonholed.

[Bootaaay]

I've heard it called an RPG, action adventure, sidescroller, platformer, metroidvania, roguelike, etc. I like games that can't be pigeonholed.

Yeah, same here - I love games that truly feel unique, which is exactly why I bought AVWW. And it pretty much touches on every genre you listed there, taking elements from each to make something unlike any other game I can recall.

It's a bit rough around the edges in places, but the developers seem to be updating it at quite a pace, with a couple of new content patches since launch last Tuesday.