Indie Week Day One: Excellence In Visual Art

[Welcome to Indie Week at gameinformer.com. We’ve got a full seven days of indie game coverage leading up to the 2011 Independent Games Festival Awards. Check back daily for coverage of the top independent games of the year.]

A unique art direction can set a game apart from the throng in a sea of contestants vying for the attention of judges. The nominees for Excellence in Visual Art all deserve accolades for their aesthetics, whether they employed painterly landscapes, pixel-inspired levels, or a canvas made of clay.

The jury that will choose the winner for Excellence in Visual Art is comprised of indie luminaries who are experts in said arena. The pool includes Craig Adams, known for his IGF recognized mobile Title Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Grand Duncan, a founding member of Hello Games (Joe Danger), Jakub Dvorsky, founder of Amanita Design (Machinarium) and Polytron's Phil Fish (Fez).

Also part of the panel is Kyle Gabler of 2D Boy (World of Goo), Edmund McMillen (Super Meat Boy), Paul Robertson, lead animator on Scott Pilgrim Vs the World: The Game, Ben Ruiz of Flashbang Studios, Patrick Smith, the creator of Vectorpark, and Derek Yu, co-creator of Aquaria. The nominees are in capable hands.

A WORD FROM THE IGF JUDGES: "In the Visual Art category, jurists praised SuperGiant's adventure game Bastion's artwork for the way it gave the game 'a real childhood, fairytale atmosphere,' with a lushness that can often 'blast eyeballs with more detail than it can handle,' but 'rendered well enough that it doesn't obstruct the player,' concluding that it was 'an incredibly brave art style for a small team to pick.'

"The same was said for two more aesthetically retro-styled games: Gaijin's Bit.Trip Runner, for its 'cohesive and bold 3D art style from start to finish, a game that looks 'so retro yet so fresh at the same time,' and Nicalis's 2010 edition of indie classic Cave Story, which one jurist described playing for the first time and thinking 'This is more than perfect, this is the work of a details-oriented genius.'

"The claymation/stop-motion approach taken by Cockroach's The Dream Machine itself was noted as an 'underutilized' style in independent games, but was praised for being 'gimmick' free: said one jurist, 'somebody really had a vision for how this game should look.' And finally Honeyslug's Hohokum was praised for simply being 'exciting to look at' and for exhibiting 'a neat tension between the playful visuals and the apocalyptic tone of the game.'"

BASTION
Other Nominations: Excellence in Audio
Developer: Supergiant Games
Platform: TBA
Release Date: TBA
Price: TBA

A single glimpse at Bastion makes clear why Supergiant’s debut title has garnered so much attention for its striking visual style. The hand-painted, HD environments are stunning, and house a unique auditory adventure that earned its own IGF nomination.

Bastion puts you in the shoes of “The Kid” trying to find his way after an apocalyptic event known as The Calamity.  As The Kid, you must create a safe haven for a world that has been shattered into an ocean of floating islands. As you reunite these fragments of the world, you take on beasts, forge and upgrade weapons, learn new powers, and engage in other standard action/RPG play.

One of Bastion's unique selling points is the inclusion of an omniscient narrator whose gravelly voice keeps tabs on your adventure. This disembodied character provides context to your adventure and to the state of the world, as well as a dynamic play-by-play of your actions.

Supergiant Games – a studio founded by talent who previously worked on the Command & Conquer franchise – has to be quite pleased with the attention its flagship title is receiving. We’re excited to start piecing Bastion's beautiful world back together.

Check out Bastion in action below. 

Want to know more about Bastion? Check out our hands-on preview here.

[Next up: The stylish action of Bit.Trip Runner]

BIT.TRIP RUNNER
Other Nominations: N/A
Developer: Gaijin Games, Inc.
Platform: WiiWare
Release Date: Available now
Price: 800 Wii Points

Part of the larger Bit.Trip brand, Bit.Trip Runner is a stylish, sadomasochist action-platformer perfectly poised for a visual art nod. Retro-inspired aesthetics and a '80s color palette makes the title an excellent fit for WiiWare, and a great evolution of the franchise.

Bit.Trip Runner’s play is equal parts infuriating and fun, forcing you to memorize patterns in order to proceed through the increasingly difficult levels. Playing as CommanderVideo, the player must run, jump, slide, and kick their way to the finish line at a nonstop sprint with no time to stop or think. Terrain varies from the moon and robotic mines to a big, bustling city. You’ll get to see these locals quite often, as death results in restarting at the beginning of a given level.

What Bit.Trip Runner lacks in accessibility it makes up for in a sense of accomplishment. Split-second reflexes will keep you from falling into a fire or perishing from a foe, and nabbing goodies like gold bars along the way. 

Even when maddening, Bit.Trip Runner is hard to put down. Play is broken down into fifty levels across three zones, with each zone presenting a distinct visual and musical style as well as a unique  boss encounter. 

Chiptune group Anamanaguchi makes a guest appearance in Bit.Trip Runner for both the menu and credit music, and is a bonus treat on top the already enjoyable soundtrack.

If you’ve yet to give Bit.Trip Runner a go, see what you're in for below.

[View:http://vimeo.com/9919067:610:343]

[Next up: Cave Story's love letter to Super Metroid]

CAVE STORY
Other Nominations: N/A
Developer: Studio Pixel/Nicalis, Inc.
Platform: WiiWare
Release Date: Available now
Price: 1,200 Wii Points

Originally released in 2004 as a freeware PC title, Cave Story's 2010 WiiWare release introduced an entirely new audience to the indie success story. Boasting updated graphics, refined audio, and additional game modes, the console edition lost none of the character and charm so unique to the debut title.

Cave Story is often praised for its phenomenal pixel art, catchy soundtrack, and nostalgic play. Mysterious protagonist Quote awakens in an unfamiliar realm after being afflicted with amnesia. Quote is tasked with freeing rabbit-like natives from an evil plot involving a mad scientist. The story itself begins as a skeletal plight of good versus evil, but as it evolves players are hard-pressed not to feel for the charismatic cast of characters.

Often referred to as a Metroid tribute, the side-scrolling platformer is constantly challenging. Combat is fluid and diverse, featuring upgradeable weapons that must be maintained, ever-respawning enemies, and epic boss battles that unfold in a shower of projectiles.

Further capitalizing on the success of the title, news recently broke that Cave Story is being remade for the Nintendo 3DS. While the fantastic 2D art has been dropped for the remake, we expect the re-envisioned 3D graphics will continue to impress.

Check out Cave Story’s stunning styling below.

[View:http://vimeo.com/5586102:610"343]

Want more of Game Informer’s thoughts on Cave Story? Check out our review here.

[Next up: Point and click adventure in the surreality of The Dream Machine]

THE DREAM MACHINE
Other Nominations: N/A
Developer: Cockroach Ink
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux (w/Flash 8+ Support)
Release Date: Five chapter episodic, chapters one & two available now
Price: $6.40 per chapter/$18.71 for five-chapter preorder

The craftsmanship needed to accomplish what Cockroack Ink. has done with The Dream Machine is massively impressive. Created out of clay and cardboard, the handmade aesthetics and surreal art direction make an already bizarre story even more unnerving.

Jumping into The Dream Machine's point-and-click adventure gameplay is easy and intuitive. Unveiling the mystery behind the game takes more skill. The player interacts with the world through a young couple – Victor and Alica – who are expecting a baby and have moved into a new apartment for a fresh start. The first night in their new home yields a bizarre dream from both of them, and the unsettling imagery begins to manifest in reality. Not everything is as it seems in the apartment complex, which they quickly learn was once used to document sleep studies.

The story unfolds through interactions with a colorful cast of characters, collecting and combining objects, and solving puzzles. An intriguing narrative and imaginative art makes the game compelling and difficult to put down. Too bad the episodic adventure isn’t yet complete, as we’re ready for another session in The Dream Machine.

Check out unsettling world of The Dream Machine below. 

[Next up: We're not entirely sure what Hohokum is, but it sure looks neat!]

HOHOKUM
Other Nominations: N/A
Developer: Honeyslug & Richard Hogg
Platform: Flash
Release Date: TBA
Price: TBA

Still in the conceptual phase, Hohokum's stylish art direction and streamlined play have potential. Resulting from a collaboration between indie developer Honeyslug and artist Richard Hogg, Hohokum is branded as a 2D action-adventure title and promises “a wide range of experiences, from arcade-action to ambient, toy-like puzzles,” with a humorous elevator pitch of “Nokia Snake meets Oskar Schindler.”

The build we played was in an early stage but telling nonetheless. Hogg's art is immediately engaging. You control a creature called the Wyrm who awakens to a massive ruckus above. Flying about, you find that a colorful floating cityscape overhead is under attack from a barrage of missiles, and it’s up to you to rescue the inhabitants. Civilians latch onto you when you approach, requiring you to bob and weave through danger to bring them to safety.

The charming music changes dynamically as you draw close to danger or near safety, adding an interesting level of feedback to the game. Puzzles and challenges are spread about the wide, open level, and will help you combat the unnamed intruders once solved. The core concept and mechanics seem intentional open-ended at this point, and as such Hohokum's focus seems to be on creating a sense of atmosphere. We’re excited to see what’s in store for the title as it evolves further.

Check out the colorful world of Hohokum below.

[View:http://vimeo.com/15591786:610:343]


Excellence in Visual Art Honorable Mentions: Retro City Rampage (Vblank Entertainment), Cobalt (Oxeye Game Studio), Faraway (Steph Thirion), Helsing's Fire (Ratloop), Flotilla (Blendo Games)