Screenshot Survey: No Birdman's Sky

Published: May 10, 2015 3:05 PM /

By:


Mutant Gangland

Welcome back to the Mother's Day edition of the Screenshot Survey, where tweets are discussed, pixels are praised, and hidden gems are discovered. Some of the most interesting projects that share their development under the #screenshotsaturday tag are the ones that show future trends as they develop. You can see inspiration mold and shape indie games in these primitive stages, and the process is always fascinating to me. Let's begin!

https://twitter.com/ThomasNoppers/status/597008855021785088

I have always said in Screenshot Surveys past that I enjoy pixel art, but that isn't a catch-all solution for every game. Here is a shot from Mutant Gangland, an in-development turn based strategy game that shipped an alpha with pixel graphics, but is considering going another way. Immediately, the eye is drawn more to the top image, with its cartoonish characters that you just don't see often in new releases. I miss the eye patches on the robots from the second version, but otherwise it's a complete improvement that helps the game stand out.

https://twitter.com/AviaryAttorney/status/597134310051819520

Aviary Attorney is Phoenix Wright mixed with literal phoenixes. The graphics are straight out of the hunting journals of some explorer who was alive two centuries ago, and the super realistic characters are the perfect thing to compliment the zany cast of an Attorney-type game. After a successful campaign on Kickstarter and Greenlight, this game is well on its way to release in a few months, and I'm all set to dive into the investigation.

https://twitter.com/bogdan_rybak/status/597112048644788224

Here is the aftermath of a battle in Wand Wars, a four player local multiplayer arena game with more of those crazy particle effects than you could shake a magical stick at. Of course, it looks good even when it's not exploding, looking like the deathmatch variant of Quiddich. The soundtrack samples on their website deserve mention as well, some great chiptune jams in there. It's a crowded genre, but quality still rises to the top, and there is quality here for sure.

https://twitter.com/SpaceBearDev/status/597074431807201281

https://twitter.com/badpotion/status/596873689947189249

Finally, here are two beautiful looking games I noticed with somewhat similar themes. Both Galaxy Heist and Hyperburner seem to have been visually inspired by the enigmatic No Man's Sky, even before its release. After thinking about it, it certainly makes sense that No Man's Sky would generate imitators in the same way that DOOM or Minecraft did. The game has been teased long enough that the indie developers are sick of waiting, and it seems that even if No Man's Sky fails to live up to its potential, there are other projects waiting in the wings to take up that mantle.

What games did you notice in development this week? Are you as excited to go into space as games writers seem to be? Answer below in the comments!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Alex Santa Maria TechRaptor
| Staff Writer

Alex Santa Maria is TechRaptor's former Reviews Editor (2015-2020) and current occasional critic. Joining the site early in its life, Alex grew the review… More about Alex

More Info About This Game
Learn more about No Man's Sky
Game Page No Man's Sky
Developer
Hello Games
Platforms
PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date
August 9, 2016 (Calendar)
Purchase (Some links may be affiliated)