Greetings, dear readers:
It’s Friday, August 19th at last! Which means that today we resume our Weekly News entries, a section where we summarize the latest events on Spanish video games so you don’t miss a thing — all this, in the time it takes you to drink your coffee!
For starters, we’d like to make a special mention of this project, Games From Spain, which has come back stronger than ever to put the best Spanish videogames on the international map. The website is now fully operational, so sit back, relax and delve into the database at your own pace. There’s a ton of useful information to find here on developers, publishers, funding, outsourcing services (sound, Q&A, localization) and more.
For those professional visitors interested in making use of all the features available, make sure to create your account. We recently added up the Bookmarks tool, and there are many others to come in the upcoming months. With Bookmarks, you’ll will be able to save your favorite projects and companies, and check them later in their private dashboard.
In this new phase, we have also incorporated monthly success stories that sum up the history and differential factors of this country’s leading development studios — the one about The Game Kitchen, creators of Blasphemous and All On Board!, is now available.
Let’s switch gears! A handful of interesting things have happened in the last seven days:
Game releases and announcements
Friday, April 12th
Massira (2019, Frost Monkey Games), a story-driven exploration game about the flight to Europe of Syrian families, is now on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Making use of a beautiful low-poly style, you’ll follow the journey of young Yumi and Yara from their innocent perspective to understand the harsh reality they’re living. According to its developer Frost Monkey, this story is based on a real experience. Give it a try if you were interested in Finding Home, Bury Me, My Love and Path Out.
A prelude to the survival ARPG Tinkerlands (by CodeManu and Endless Coffee), named Tinkerlands: A Shipwrecked Adventure, has been released on Steam. This free demo follows the arrival of the protagonist to an exotic archipelago full of magic and mystery. Here, players take their first steps in the game’s weapon crafting and base-building systems in order to survive. Also, they will be able to cast their first spells before exploring the darkest corners of the first island.
Monday, April 15th
The construction roguelite Vertical Kingdom, developed by Farlight Games Industry, has just laid its foundations by launching on Steam. Here, players take the role of an architect tasked with restoring glory to an empire in ruins, which they’ll do stone by stone through a deck-building system that only allows them to build vertically.
The game’s supported by Freedom Games, an experienced publishing company behind successful indie titles such as Airborne Kingdom and Cat Cafe Manager and. We look forward to seeing them succeed in building a huge, wonderful community!
Pendulo studios announced that Blacksad: Under The Skin is arriving on new gen consoles (PS5 & Xbox Series X|S) on June 27th, 2024. Though, it was not the most significant part of their announcement post. Our favorite private investigator will be back in a new video game, or that’s what the studio suggested with their words… Check it yourself!
New week, new case 🕵️
— PENDULO STUDIOS | Tintin Reporter AVAILABLE NOW 🤩 (@pendulostudios) April 15, 2024
New case, new deductions 😼
New deductions, new... incorrect hypotheses 🤦
Thankfully, there are few days left before we can sharpen our feline senses again. #Blacksad: Under the Skin will be available for PS5 and Xbox Series on June 27th! pic.twitter.com/1rLVhhZdXt
Wednesday, April 17th
Reject humanity, return to monke — motto embraced by the members of the Primate Observation Club!
Do Not Feed The Monkeys 2099 (2023, Fictiorama) is back with the Four-Cage Gourmet Pack, a DLC featuring four brand new cages to watch over. Of course, it means that there will be more stories and secrets to unveil! As a little reminder, this game is developed by the Spanish studio Fictiorama and puts players in the shoes of an exclusive sect dedicated to spying on people’s lives.
Sand Castles Studio’s co-op platforming game Bread & Fred, now on Steam, is coming to Nintendo Switch on May 23rd. It’s time to work together to reach the top of the mountain. Coordinate your jumps in this precision platformer where a small mistake can condemn you to start all over again. The friendship breaker you were waiting for!
Thursday, April 18th
Big news, The Game Kitchen is back to action! Although not in the way you expected but under their publishing division Billete Cohete. The Andalusian company, now also based in the Canary Islands, has revealed the upcoming release of Tormenture, a horror puzzle game in first person set in the 80s. Croxel Studios, from Seville, is the team behind this exciting mix of Polybius and Stranger Things.
Following the urban legend of a cursed video game, a kid will face all kinds of challenges to avoid being trapped in the cartridge. It’s a surrealistic world full of dangers, but he will also have to watch out for monsters trying to escape from the screen. Who knows what kind of scary things could lurk from the shadows?
Backers wanted!
Last but not least, we’d like to get into the good habit of recommending you the most interesting game crowdfunding projects now live.
Our first mention goes to Catcelona: A Purrfect City, a hand-drawn hide-and-seek game in the style of Where’s Wally? featuring more than 300 kittens causing mischief in the most iconic locations of the Catalan capital. Players are tasked with finding them and leading them to a safe place, which is a bit in line with one of the promises made a 5% of each game’s full price will go to the cat shelter El Jardinet dels Gats.
Help them reach their goal so we can see these little furry friends in action!
We’re living a bright era for 2D metroidvanias, with thousands of badass-looking titles being released on PC and consoles every month. And just in case you haven’t heard of them, there are two new promising examples made in Spain on the way!
Eden’s Guardian, by Voragine Game Studios, takes inspiration from dark fantasy to offer an epic pixel-styled adventure that might remind you of Blasphemous and Dark Souls. The campaign started by late March and it’s about to close its doors achieving a smashing success, as it got funded at 761% of its humble goal. Back the game before April 27th and make sure to add it to your wishlist on Steam!
Last but not least, we have to talk about Aeternum Studios‘ latest bet — Eden Genesis. In this futuristic platformer game, players must save a cyborg from a deadly desease caused by a brain implant. With her deadly cyborg abilities, she will slash her way to get the experimental treatment that will save her. Even if it means transferring her consciousness to a virtual space (is it you, Cyberpunk 2077?). Get your hands on it before May 13th, or add it to your wishlist on Steam.
And that’s all for the moment. We invite you to keep an eye on the projects you have found interesting, and follow us on social media to receive daily news on the Spanish games industry. Also, remember that you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly recaps in your inbox. See you next week!
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