Indie Pogo

Last updated
Indie Pogo
Indie Pogo Steam Capsule Image.png
Steam capsule image featuring a selection of the game's playable characters. [lower-alpha 1]
Developer(s) Lowe Bros. Studios
Publisher(s) Lowe Bros. Studios
Director(s) Trevor Lowe
Programmer(s) Chris Atkins
Artist(s) Tyler Conley
Composer(s) Robbie Dolan
Engine GameMaker Studio
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows
  • WW: July 10, 2018
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: TBA
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Indie Pogo is an indie crossover fighting video game developed and published by Lowe Bros. Studios. The game features characters and settings from more than 50 different indie games, such as Shovel Knight , VVVVVV , Teslagrad , the Bit.Trip series, and Freedom Planet . [1] After being successfully funded via Kickstarter in October 2017, the game was released on Microsoft Windows in July 2018. A Nintendo Switch version is currently in development. [2]

Contents

Gameplay

Indie Pogo is a platform fighter, in which up to four players battle across one of several open arenas with platforms, and attempt to defeat opponents by depleting their health or knocking them off the screen. Unlike other fighting games, the primary gameplay mechanic of Indie Pogo is auto-jumping: characters landing on the ground or a platform will automatically jump back into the air. Every character has access to a set of aerial melee attacks and special moves derived from those used in their original game, such as Shovel Knight wielding his Relics, or Captain Viridian inverting their own gravity. Characters can also perform a double-jump, a directional air-dodge, a mid-air grab, parkour movement on the ground and walls, and a charge-based attack that keeps them on the ground until the button is released. During a battle, players can initiate a "pogo combo" by repeatedly bouncing off opponents' heads without taking damage, ending when the character touches the ground. The player will gain gems by performing a successful pogo combo, and can use five of their gems to activate a character-specific super move. An update in May 2019 added optional gameplay modifiers called "Augments", up to three of which can be equipped to a character before a battle. For example, the "Air Jump" augment gives the character an additional mid-air jump, while the "Double Edged" augment doubles the amount of damage a character both deals and takes. The game currently features 15 stages to battle on, with many stages featuring unlockable alternate layouts to choose from.

The game includes a basic arcade mode that pits players against a series of opponents, culminating in a battle against the game's final boss, Crow from Starblade's Nefarious . Players can also participate in Challenge Mode, which tasks them with completing specific scenarios similar to the Event Matches in Super Smash Bros. ; Infinite Pogo, in which they must defeat as many opponents as possible before their character's health is depleted; and a traditional training mode in which they can practice against an AI opponent. The game supports local four-player battles, as well as online matchmaking. Players will earn coins after each battle, which can be used at an in-game shop to purchase new characters, stages, character skins, profile emblems, and taunts; additional skins and emblems are available as premium downloadable content. Collectible in-game trophies based on other indie titles can also be obtained via completing arcade mode with each character, winning them from a bonus game, or spending coins at a gashapon machine.

Characters

The game featured 14 playable characters at launch. As of October 2021, five additional characters have been added via free updates, with four other characters planned for inclusion for a total of 23. [3]

FighterPlayableGameCreator
BlockmanYes check.svgThe Blocks ComethHalfbot
Bullet KinDLC Enter the Gungeon Dodge Roll
Captain ViridianYes check.svg VVVVVV Terry Cavanagh
CommanderVideoYes check.svg Bit.Trip Choice Provisions
DiogenesDLC Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy Bennett Foddy
DustDLC [lower-roman 1] Dust: An Elysian Tail Humble Hearts
FishyYes check.svgShütshimiNeon Deity Games
GunvoltDLC [lower-roman 1] Azure Striker Gunvolt Inti Creates
JackYes check.svgJack the ReaperDream's Bell
KickDLC Divekick Iron Galaxy
Meat BoyDLC Super Meat Boy Team Meat
OctodadDLC [lower-roman 1] Octodad: Dadliest Catch Young Horses
OrcaneYes check.svg Rivals of Aether Dan Fornace
PenelopeYes check.svgThe Next PenelopeAurélien Regard
Sash LilacYes check.svg Freedom Planet GalaxyTrail
Shovel KnightYes check.svg Shovel Knight Yacht Club Games
StardropYes check.svgStardrop SprintLowe Bros. Studios
TeslakidYes check.svg Teslagrad Rain Games
VelocispiderYes check.svgVelocispiderRetro Dreamer
Voltar the OmniscientDLC [lower-roman 1] Awesomenauts Ronimo Games
WelltaroYes check.svg Downwell Ojiro "Moppin" Fumoto
YolkDLC Leap Day Nitrome
ZorbiéYes check.svgZorbiéÉtienne Périn and Simon Périn
Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 Not yet released

Development

Indie Pogo drew inspiration during development from the Super Smash Bros. series and an iOS game called Slam Bots, in an effort to make a multiplayer version of that game. [4] According to game director Trevor Lowe, the auto-jumping mechanic "keeps gameplay always in motion". [5] The game was self-funded by Lowe Bros. Studios for three years before launching a Kickstarter campaign on September 12, 2017 with a $25,000 funding goal. By the end of the campaign, the game had raised nearly $42,000. [6]

Reception

Indie Pogo was positively received by critics. PushDustIn of Source Gaming praised it for being easy to get into and said that the game was "everything [he] wanted out of an Indie crossover fighting game". [7] Ryan Silberman of The Inner Circle Games Network stated that Indie Pogo was a love letter to the Indie industry, and that the developers "went for a quality-over-quantity approach". [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Characters pictured include (clockwise from left): Fishy, CommanderVideo, Orcane, Lilac, Viridian, Jack, Teslakid, Welltaro, Shovel Knight, and Velocispider.

Related Research Articles

A fighting game is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more characters. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining attacks together into "combos". Characters generally engage in battle using hand-to-hand combat—often some form of martial arts. The fighting game genre is related to, but distinct from, the beat 'em up genre, which pits large numbers of computer-controlled enemies against one or more player characters.

<i>Tetris Attack</i> 1995 video game

Tetris Attack, also known as Panel de Pon in Japan, is a puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Game Boy version was released a year later. In the game, the player must arrange matching colored blocks in vertical or horizontal rows to clear them. The blocks steadily rise towards the top of the playfield, with new blocks being added at the bottom. Several gameplay modes are present, including a time attack and multiplayer mode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirby (character)</span> Protagonist in the Kirby series

Kirby is the titular character and protagonist of the Kirby series of video games owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. He first appeared in Kirby's Dream Land (1992), a platform game for the Game Boy. Since then, Kirby has appeared in over 50 games, ranging from action platformers to puzzle, racing, and even pinball, and has been featured as a playable character in every installment of the Super Smash Bros. series (1999–present). He has also starred in his own anime and manga series. Since 1999, he has been voiced by Makiko Ohmoto.

<i>Sonic Battle</i> 2003 video game

Sonic Battle is a 2003 fighting video game developed by Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being Sonic the Fighters. It was released in Japan in December 2003 and in North America and Europe in early 2004. The game received a lukewarm response from critics.

Super Smash Bros. is a crossover platform fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs from that of traditional fighters, in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i> 2008 fighting video game

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a 2008 crossover fighting game developed by Sora Ltd. and Game Arts and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, it was announced at a pre-E3 2005 press conference by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Masahiro Sakurai, director of the previous two games in the series, assumed the role of director at Iwata's request. Game development began in October 2005 with a creative team that included members from several Nintendo and third-party development teams. After delays due to development problems, the game was released worldwide in 2008.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i> 2001 video game

Super Smash Bros. Melee is a 2001 crossover fighting video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. It features characters from Nintendo video game franchises such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Pokémon, and Donkey Kong among others. The stages and gameplay modes reference or take designs from these franchises as well.

<i>Super Smash Bros.</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Super Smash Bros. is a 1999 crossover fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was first released in Japan on January 21, 1999, in North America on April 26, 1999, and in Europe on November 19, 1999. The first installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, it is a crossover between several different Nintendo franchises, including Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Metroid, F-Zero, Mother, Kirby, and Pokémon. It presents a cast of characters and locations from these franchises and allows players to use each character's unique skills and the stage's hazards to inflict damage, recover health, and ultimately knock opponents off the stage.

<i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i> and <i>Wii U</i> Pair of 2014 video games

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, both commonly referred together as Super Smash Bros. 4, are 2014 crossover platform fighter video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game consoles. It is the fourth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, succeeding Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Nintendo 3DS version was released in Japan on September 13, 2014, and in North America, Europe, and Australia the following month. The Wii U version was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2014 and in Japan the following month.

<i>Super Smash Flash</i> Browser game series

Super Smash Flash is a series of fighting browser games published by McLeodGaming, led by Gregory McLeod under the alias Cleod9. It is based on the Super Smash Bros series. The original Super Smash Flash is based specifically on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Its follow-up, also considered a reboot, is Super Smash Flash 2. The developer is currently working on an original crossover fighting game, Fraymakers.

<i>Shovel Knight</i> 2014 video game

Shovel Knight is a platform video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Windows in June 2014. It was ported to OS X and Linux in September 2014, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in April 2015, Amazon Fire TV in September 2015, and Nintendo Switch in March 2017. Shovel Knight is inspired by gameplay and graphics of platformer games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

<i>Project M</i> Mod of Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Project M is a mod of the 2008 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, created by the community group known as the Project M Development Team. It is designed to retool Brawl to play more like its two predecessors, Super Smash Bros. (1999) and Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), in response to fan objections to Brawl's physics, slower-paced gameplay, larger use of chance elements, and mechanics of certain attacks. Project M reintroduces Dr. Mario, Mewtwo, and Roy, who were present in Melee but were cut from Brawl due to time constraints. In addition, it features a new art style for in-game menus and allows players to choose certain characters individually when they are only accessible as transformations of other ones in Brawl.

Professional Super Smash Bros. competition involves professional gamers competing in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games published by Nintendo. Organized tournament competition began in 2002 with Super Smash Bros. Melee, released for the GameCube in 2001; however, in the series' native Japan, there have been tournaments as early as 1999 with the original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. Later tournaments have featured the other games in the series, with the two largest and most popular Smash Bros. scenes revolving around Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch. Smaller scenes exist for the original game and Project M, a popular fan modification of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, and to a lesser extent, Brawl itself. Major Smash Bros. tournaments include the GENESIS, Evolution Championship Series (EVO), Super Smash Con and The Big House annual series. Major League Gaming (MLG) has also previously included Smash Bros. games in its Pro Circuit.

<i>Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash</i> 2015 video game

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is a 2015 tennis video game in the Mario Tennis series developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released internationally in November 2015, and released in Japan in January 2016. It is the first Mario Tennis game to feature simultaneous online worldwide multiplayer. The game received mixed reviews from critics; it was criticized for a lack of additional modes, its smaller character roster than prior entries, and a perceived lack of enough innovation, with many deeming the game to be inferior to previous installments in terms of content, although its visual presentation, gameplay, and multiplayer were praised.

<i>Rivals of Aether</i> 2017 video game

Rivals of Aether is a platform fighter game created by Dan Fornace, and released for Microsoft Windows in March 2017, for Xbox One in August 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in September 2020. It received positive reception from critics, who commended its deep gameplay.

<i>Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl</i> 2021 video game

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a 2021 crossover fighting game developed by Ludosity and Fair Play Labs, and published by GameMill Entertainment. It is part of the Nickelodeon Super Brawl series of browser games and mobile games, serving as its first console game. Featuring characters from various Nickelodeon animated television series, the game was released on October 5, 2021, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A sequel, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, released in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platform fighter</span> Video game genre

A platform fighter is a sub-genre of fighting games that emphasizes free 2D movement, often with floating platforms that can be traversed on, similar to a platformer game. The central gameplay involves combat between two or more player-controlled characters, with the goal of attacking an opponent's character until they are defeated.

<i>Shovel Knight Showdown</i> 2019 video game

Shovel Knight Showdown is a 2019 fighting video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. It is an add-on to the platform game Shovel Knight. Players battle using one fighter from among a roster of twenty characters, each with various movesets and fighting styles. The game features several modes, such as "Treasure Clash", where players battle one another to collect the most gems, to a free for all battle to the death. In the story mode, a single player battles against AI-controlled opponents across several stages before facing a boss. Completing this mode with each fighter allows the player to unlock new stages and characters.

References

  1. ↑ Valdez, Nick (September 13, 2017). "Adorable indie mascot fighter Indie Pogo will make you jump jump". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming.
  2. ↑ Craddock, Ryan (December 24, 2020). "Smash-Like Brawler Indie Pogo Is Coming To Switch With All DLC Included". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Indie Pogo (Game)". Giant Bomb.
  4. ↑ Cousins, Jon (October 1, 2017). "Feature: Learn More About Indie Pogo, a Quirky Brawler Featuring Iconic Nindies". NintendoLife. Nlife Media.
  5. ↑ "How to play...Indie Pogo". Lowe Bros. Studios via YouTube. September 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Indie Pogo".
  7. ↑ "Indie Pogo (PC) Review". Source Gaming. July 10, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Indie Pogo (PC) Review". The Inner Circle Games Network. July 20, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.