Indie developers
Arcen
Games,
Cryptic
Comet, and
Positech
Games have joined forces to bring strategy fans the ultimate
bundle: Gratuitous Space Battles + The Tribe Expansion, Solium Infernum,
and AI War + The Zenith Remnant Expansion. This weekend only, the
three companies are offering this special package for a mere $49.99
(for the math impaired, it would normally be $90).
"It’s a jungle out there for a lone indie dev: tired, hungry, low on
ammunition and surrounded on all sides by AAA monsters and flesh eating
zombies, and that’s why I want Cliff and Chris on my side," says Vic
Davis, founder of Cryptic Comet. "I think all three of us share the
desire to prove that the little guys can really create some unique
games. It’s our business... and business is good."
"If we were larger companies, and profit-focused, I think we’d view
each other as the enemy," says Chris Park, founder of Arcen Games. "But
as tiny indies, that’s just not productive -- time has already shown
that there are plenty of fans to go around. We're here to make
innovative games, not corner markets. There’s a lot more for us to gain
by working together instead of by being antagonistic."
"I can't think of three games that go together better, or which appeal
to a more distinct group of gamers, than these three,” says Cliff
Harris, founder of Positech Games. “The reason for this bundle is
clear. We are like the Judean People’s Front from Monty Python. We need
to unite against the common enemy, and that enemy is obscurity, not
each other."
Each game in the bundle is a fan favorite, having carved out a unique
niche in the strategy genre. Inspired by Milton’s Paradise Lost,
Solium Infernum is a turn-based strategy game that
pits you against other players as you use diplomacy, deceit and force to
claim the Infernal Thrones of Hell.
Gratuitous
Space Battles turns real time strategy on its head, making the
deployment phase of battle into the game itself.
AI
War is built around a completely unique AI concept, with gameplay
best described as grand strategic 4X tower defense RTS (say that five
times fast).
Suffice it to say that none of these concepts would have seen the light
of day at larger companies, but each expands the genre in novel ways
that will likely influence more mainstream strategy titles to come.
But most of all, if you’re into strategy these games are
fun (and
they scratch that special itch in the brains of grognards). The Indie
Strategy Bundle is designed to help strategy fans support the
originals, while giving themselves a treat if they haven’t yet played
these genre-bending gems!
This bundle will be available from March 4th until March 9th, 2010 at
IndieStrategyGames.com
Our friend Cliff Harris has launched an awesome sale over on Show Me The Games. Aptly titled Show Me The Sales, you'll find Tidalis, AI War, and over a dozen other excellent indie games for a fraction of their standard price tag.