It’s Saturday, and that means it’s time for another Screenshot Survey. Every week, we take a look at a few cool new games in the works by game developers tweeting with #ScreenshotSaturday. For even more games you might be interested in, check out this hashtag on Twitter.
This week on Screenshot Survey, we have a crab in a coffee cup, a samurai slasher, more anthropomorphic animals, and a sci-fi platformer.
Moonshell Island
Hey #PitchYaGame!
— Crabby Sam (@goawayimcrabby) September 29, 2020
Achieve dreams, build a community, & save #Moonshell_Island from Nomsters in this magical #ActionRPG coming to PC/Mac/Linux in 20XX. #IndieDev #PixelArt #GameMakerStudio2 #GameDev
Music by @QueerGermanGirl 🔊
Demo coming soon to: https://t.co/ngq0HNF8Ll pic.twitter.com/yT5Uj7NzIR
The superb, colorful visuals of Moonshell Island would normally be what I highlight here, but instead let's focus on this crab. Look at the guy! He's not in a shell, he's in a coffee mug. What a clever and ingenious little guy. I also have to give it to the developer for coming up with a silly way to portray this crab. It makes me hope to see more smart ways animals are included in this game.
Moonshell Island is an upcoming title developed by Cheekynauts. From what I can tell, it looks like a cross between a social simulator and a puzzle adventure title. I say social simulator because you'll be building up a community with a wide cast of quirky characters like our crab, Crabby Sam, here. Crabby Sam runs his own little club, which is pretty awesome. I'm looking forward to learning more about Moonshell Island, although it doesn't have a release date just yet.
Samurai Slaughter House
This year I decided to follow my dream and start work on my first game I plan on publishing. I'm only about a week away from having a playable demo ready and I'm super excited for people to try it out! #screenshotsaturday #indiedev #virtualreality #anime #manga #IndieGameDev pic.twitter.com/ZBB1DZKSGI
— TabGames (@TabGames3) October 10, 2020
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum compared to Moonshell Island, Samurai Slaughter House is a black-and-white game in a pretty awesome comic-book style. The use of shadows with the deep black here makes for a particularly striking image, and for some reason just really fits this old samurai aesthetic. The blinks of red for the blood tells me this is going to be a stylish, brutal game.
Samurai Slaughter House is developed by Tab Games. It's one of those games that makes me wish I had a VR headset, because it's an upcoming virtual-reality title. There's not a lot of information right now on Samurai Slaughter House, and according to the tweet, development started just this year. Even so, a playable build is on the way, so for those interested, you can go to Tab Games' page to get notified when it's available.
Banners of Ruin
Well That Escalated Quickly.#screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev #indiegames pic.twitter.com/d8KGVsAklH
— Banners Of Ruin (@BannersOfRuin) October 10, 2020
This battle doesn't seem fair at all! Look at the left side, undoubtedly our heroes. There's a mouse, a hare, a weasel, and a few more. On the other side, you have a gang of giant, burly bears (and beavers). Nature tells me this won't end will for the little guys, but I know enough about books like "Redwall" to say that this challenge can be overcome.
Banners of Ruin is an upcoming card-based title developed by MonteBearo (a fitting name) and published by Goblinz Studio. As of right now, it's in Early Access, so you can already get a taste of the action. One fun mechanic to highlight are the different animal races to choose from, which have unique cards depending on who you choose. You'll create your party of up to six with this in mind and use the special traits of each animal to your advantage. And yes, you can even use bears. Banners of Ruin is in Early Access right now.
Tireless
TIRELESS - Fast-Paced Sci-Fi 3D Platformer
— The Cyber Clan (@the_cyber_clan) October 10, 2020
Here is some footage with audio!@UnrealEngine @BoneVoyageGame#UE4 #UnrealEngine #gaming #indiegame #gamedev #madewithunreal #platformer #indiedev #scifi #tireless_game #screenshotsaturday pic.twitter.com/ZbLek7PT1T
Wow, this looks sick. I think that the world is just as important as the mechanics in a platformer, and Tireless nails it. I'm not sure what or where this platforming takes place, but it's definitely in space. I love the deep darkness of space with the debris floating all around. Meanwhile, down below is a planet—perhaps Earth. If you fell, there's nothing to stop you, which is a scary prospect. The sound, with the faint echos and pattering of footsteps, are fantastic.
Tireless is an upcoming platformer developed by The Cyber Clan. Here's the thing—the game didn't always look like this. I found this out after reading one of the developer's blog posts. Going back to their previous tweets, the difference is pretty crazy. So, that just makes the visuals all the more impactful to me. While I liked the original's aesthetic, I have to give it to The Cyber Clan for doing such a drastic change which, in my opinion, was for the better. While there's certainly much more to come before its release, I'm looking forward to Tireless' future updates.
Which of these games are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments below!