New Games in the New Year
Now that the new year is well underway, it's a great time to explore new games. Excellent games are regularly released from mainstream game developers, but far more games are available from independent developers, many of which never hit store shelves. Some of these games are beautiful, elegant masterpieces like the Endless Forest.
The Endless Forest puts players in the role of a deer in an enchanted forest. The forest is filled with the sounds of life, as small creatures scurry by and birds fly overhead. This magical landscape serves as a multiplayer online game and social screensaver, a virtual retreat, and one without any traveling costs.
The Endless Forest allows players to play actively, exploring and frolicking in a magical wonderland or the game can run as an elegant distraction, playing on its own as a screensaver. Far from most typical games, the Endless Forest has no rules and no required goals. The game is about an open style of play, one that offers an exquisite and relaxing world to explore or enjoy.
While exploring the forest, players can play anonymously or name their deer to better play and explore with others. All players can perform basic actions and expressions with their deer. Basic actions include regular deer movements like lying down, standing, eating, and drinking, as well as some of the more whimsical actions like roaring, rubbing against trees, and picking up flowers with to wear in one’s deer antlers. Players can also express themselves through their deer, showing emotions through expressions, by standing on their hind legs, and by dancing. In addition to the basic actions and expressions, named deer can also use forest magic, like Antler Enchantment which allows players to change the antlers of the nearest deer and other magical acts.
The Endless Forest places these incredibly beautiful and articulate deer within the even more amazing world of the forest. The forest itself is divided into many unique areas, including the harmonious First Forest with poppies, hyacinths, ferns, and butterflies. Other areas include the Birch Forest with tall grass, sycamores, and even birds that will perch on antlers if players are very calm. Other areas include the Pond, the Playground, and the Ruin.
If the Endless Forest isn’t enough, many other great independent games are also out or coming out. One of them is the Path, which re-envisions the story of Little Red Riding in a dark world. In the Path players must make the way to visit grandmother, and her house lies through the dark and eerie forest where something has gone wrong. Other great independent games are regularly released and the Independent Game Festival honors the best of them. The Endless Forest was only one of the many entries in the 2007 Independent Games Festival Competition, and the 2008 Competition is now underway. While Nintendo Wii games that put players in motion and mobile gaming on cell phones are redefining gaming standards, independent games have always played a major role in expanding the very definitions of gaming and the Independent Games Festival has helped them to do so.
While most players won’t be able to attend the Independent Games Festival, simply playing and supporting incredible independent games helps encourage innovation in all of gaming, making for more variety in gaming and for better games.
Because independent games don't have access to the same marketing and advertising resources, it's also important to support independent games so that they continue to get made. Even Tale of Tales, the creators of Endless Forest who are now working on the Path, placed a game on hold because they need greater support. Tale of Tales’ game on hold is 8, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. In 8, players play as Sleeping Beauty as she awakes before her prince has come and while the rest of her people continue to sleep. The best way to make sure independent games like 8 can be finished and released is to play and support independent games. In the process, players benefit from the many wonderful independent games and the new ways of gaming they bring with each new year.
Gaming Around Gainesville
- Check out some of the best independent games from the Independent Games Festival: http://www.igf.com/
- Download and play The Endless Forest from: http://www.tale-of-tales.com/TheEndlessForest/
- Watch out for The Path, another impressive game set for release in 2009 from the makers of The Endless Forest: http://www.tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/