Indie Illuminator – 2 Utah 4 U

Cheesy title? You bet. But I hope you’ll allow a groan-worthy title in exchange for two incredible indie illuminations in this week’s post. I’ll be attending Salt Lake Gaming Con next week as a spectator and gamer, but last year Robby and I had the opportunity to show off Alkanaur as developers. We exhibited our demo alongside several other fantastic indie dev teams in Utah, all belonging to a group called the Utah Games Guild.  I’d like to highlight two games from that group of Utah-based developers, both of which are on Steam and on sale as part of Steam’s annual summer shenanigans.

Screenshot found on We Need to Go Deeper's Steam page

The first game is We Need to Go Deeper by Deli Interactive LLC. Do you like Jules Verne? Do you love odd characters in odder outfits? Do you enjoy yelling at your friends as they fail to keep your submarine from sinking? If you do, I’d take a look at We Need to Go Deeper—currently in Early Access on Steam. The gameplay features cooperative play, procedurally-generated environments for replay value, and a fun, hand-drawn art style. 2-4 players frantically run from one task to another inside a submarine, using tools to fight off monstrous sea creatures and keep the submarine from sinking. My wife and I played a round together at last year’s SLGC and had a great time. You can pick it up for $6.49 right now with the current Steam sale.

Screenshot found on Legacy of the Elder Star's Steam page

The second game is Legacy of the Elder Star by Kickbomb Entertainment LLC. I was able to speak with both Kickbomb Entertainment’s lead designer and artist at length last summer, and they taught me a lot about the local indie games scene. But that wasn’t the first time I encountered Legacy of the Elder Star. I remember walking by a demo exhibition of this game two years ago and being blown away by the fun graphics and superb sound design. Legacy of the Elder Star is a fast-paced SHMUP (Shoot ‘em up) that features a unique, elegant control scheme: everything your character does is controlled by your mouse. If that interests you, checkout their Steam page where you can buy the game on sale until July 5^th for $2.49.