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Soulcaster II Preview

OK, so the press is going berserk over the Winter Uprising, and this site (being one of the top links in the press release) has had its traffic go up something like 5000% in the last couple days. Awesome!! But that also means I gotta provide some more info on the game here. This video should tie everyone over until development is complete…

Still want to know more?

Vitals:

  • Price: 240 MS Points
  • Release date: First week of December 2010
  • Platform: XBOX 360 (XBOX Live Indie Games)

What’s new in Soulcaster II?

  • Upgraded graphics engine
  • Four new tilesets
  • 30 new levels
  • All new soundtrack (including a new Merchant theme)
  • Four new monster types (including an exploding skeleton)
  • Exclusive upgrades for each of the three summons (which appear when you max out all other upgrades for that summon)
  • Better enemy AI
  • Improved performance, game can handle over 150 monsters on-screen now
  • New level mechanics, enabling new puzzles and level progressions

Preliminary feedback from playtesters on the Creator’s Club has been great so far!  Thanks to all my XNA peeps for your support and VERY helpful feedback.

The Winter Games Uprising is coming

I’m currently occupied putting the finishing touches on Soulcaster II and haven’t had much time to work on this site, but I’m going to write a quick note here to address the new game since Indie Games Winter Uprising has been announced.

The concept grew from a conversation I had with Robert Boyd of Zeboyd Games (Breath of Death VII and the upcoming Cthulhu Saves the World) at the start of this month.  This was when we were first displaced on the dashboard and sales were in the gutter.  I asked him if he wanted to release Cthulhu at the same time that I released Soulcaster II, so we could do some cross promotion.  Even though the games are different genres, they target the same demographic so if we can get someone to visit the channel for one, maybe she’ll buy the other as well?  If we were releasing $59.95 retail games, it would be ludicrous to synchronize releases because we would clearly cannibalize each other.  But really, the sales issue on XBLIG is due to lack of traffic, not someone deciding how he’s going to spend his $3 monthly gaming budget.

Robert was into the idea and thought we should take it to the next level.  If we coordinate two releases, why not coordinate 12?  Let’s see who’s releasing something exciting in the next month and get them on board.  We decided to focus on high quality, non-avatar games for this event, to put our best foot forward to the gaming community.

More traffic = more sales = more revenue for Microsoft = increased likelihood of promoting Indie Games on the dashboard.  That’s the theory at least.

Or maybe we end up just cannibalizing one another’s sales.  Wouldn’t that be ironic!

I just wanted to say huge props to Robert for not only wrangling the devs together on the XNA forums, but for handling the press release as well.  It’s good to have the pull of a hit like BODVII on your record–the press pays attention.  Once I’m done with my game I can put forth some marketing as well.  I guess a trailer is in order!  But first things first…gotta finish this game in the next week.

Soulcaster II In Playtest

It’s nearly done!  At this stage there are balance issues and a few aesthetics, not to mention the final couple levels of the game.  Huge thanks to everyone who’s played the game so far.  If you’re a member of the Creator’s Club, please download it and post your comments on the forums.

This game is currently on track to become part of the Indie Games Winter Uprising.  Details forthcoming.

In the meantime, here are a couple teaser screenshots.

Recent Press for Soulcaster

Even 6+ months after its release, we’re still getting some attention from blogs dedicated to indie games.

“The first 240 point game that I’ve reviewed for this little experiment, Soulcaster is one of the best games on the entire marketplace. The game offers moderate length for the price (the game is about an hour and a half long, and has a second “hard mode”), has a fantastic style complemented by the fantasy setting, graphics, and music, and is a refreshing take on tower defense. This is one game that is well worth the 240 price tag it carries.”

– StarFoxA/GiantBomb

“Games like Soulcaster are perfect examples of why the Indie marketplace is so important as an avenue for ushering in fresh blood into the game scene.”

– Digital Download GameWorld

“Soulcaster is brilliant and will leave any player clamoring more, always the mark of excellent entertainment. ★★★★★”

– Kobun’s XBOX Indies

“I don´t know if it´s an RPG, a TowerDefense game or something new entirely – what i do know is that it´s fun! And the retro style rocks.”

– IndieNerds.com

Huge thanks to you guys for taking the time to play the game and promote it!