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Several indie developers were on hand for a special Nintendo showcase at GDC 2015 this week. GamesIndustry caught up with some of the folks behind Never Alone, Don’t Starve, Runbow, and Swords & Soldiers II. Each one had extremely positive things to say about Nintendo – you can find their full words below.

Dima Veryovka, art director on Never Alone

“It was really fast, everything happened in like two weeks. We didn’t have the build and now we already have the build running, and that’s not something we would be able to do without the support of Nintendo. I think it’s really good that they have opened up to independent developers. To be honest, that’s the future. We really want to see the smaller groups [succeed] and the way Nintendo has supported us is tremendous.”

At Nintendo’s indie showcase at GDC 2015, Engadget spoke with Damon Baker, senior manager of licensing at Nintendo. Baker was asked about a bunch of questions with regard to the company’s approach to indies. Read on below for comments about Nintendo’s relationships with indies, the company’s desire for exclusive features when a game comes out later on Wii U/3DS, and more.

Developer: 13AM Games (based in Toronto)
Genre: Party / Action / Platformer
Release Date: 2015
Platform: Wii U/Nintendo eShop
Players: 1-9 local
Website: http://runbowgame.com
ESRB: E (Predicted)
Price: TBD

Description:
Runbow is a fast-paced, action party game with a never-before seen color mechanic: Up-to nine players race against each other as platforms and obstacles appear and disappear when the background changes vibrant colors. Players can sprint against each other in Run, or go head-to-head in one of Runbow’s six additional modes, including Arena, King of the Hill, ColourMaster and The Bowhemoth.

FEATURES
· Local Nine-player Multiplayer – The biggest couch-multiplayer experience to come to Wii U, ever!
· If You Can’t See It, It Doesn’t Exist! – Players must think fast as obstacles appear and disappear with the changing backgrounds.
· ‘60s Poster Art Aesthetic – Using the unique art style of Saul Bass and the Czechoslovakian New Wave, Runbow is not only fun to play, it’s fun to look at.
· Hundreds of Challenges – Runbow’s packed to the brim with challenging levels and endless permutations of color transitions and obstacles!
· Seven Great Game Modes – Challenge friends in King of the Hill, Arena, Run, Online, Bowhemoth, Adventure or become the ColourMaster and dominate Runbow’s colorful world.
· One Master to Rule Them All – Play against friends in ColourMaster mode, where challengers race against one malevolent ColourMaster who controls the colors and obstacles in the level.
· Master The Bowhemoth – Runbow’s toughest game mode, The Bowhemoth, has racers tackle more than 30 minutes of platforming challenges that will put the patience and skill of even the toughest players to the test.
· Tons of Unlockable Costumes – From Pirate to Zombie to Ninja, players can pick the runner that’s right for them.
· Challenges, Achievements, and More – Hours of replayability and unlockable content will keep gamers running back for more.
· Special Guests! (Announcing Soon) – What special guest characters will challenge Hue and Val in a race for glory? Find out next time on Runbow!

Name: Swords & Soldiers II
Publisher: Ronimo Games BV
Developer: Ronimo Games BV
Platform: Wii U
Number of Players: 1 (Campaign mode), 1-2 (Skirmish mode)
Release Window: Q2 2015
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Genre: Side scrolling strategy
Playable Factions: 3
Campaign Levels: 20 Story missions plus Skirmishes
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPtF9-vdgxA

About Swords & Soldiers II
Swords & Soldiers II is the sequel to the award winning WiiWare game Swords & Soldiers, released in 2009 by Ronimo Games. Like its predecessor, the game is a side scrolling strategy game. It allows players to buy units, cast spells and build structures to overwhelm their enemy on a 2D battleground.
The Vikings make their return from the original game, once again led by their ever-hungry chieftain Redbeard. But this time they face two new enemy factions, the brutal and manaical Demons, and another as-of-yet unannounced faction. Joined by likely and unlikely allies it’s up to Redbeard to root out these new threats and restore peace to the lands.

About Ronimo Games
Ronimo Games was founded in 2007 by 7 enthusiastic game developers. Utilizing the in-house developed RoniTech engine, Ronimo Games is focused on creating innovative, high quality 2D games that appeal to a wide audience. The studio released their first commercial game, Swords & Soldiers, in May 2009 worldwide on WiiWare and later on Playstation Network, PC, Mac and iOS. In 2012, Ronimo Games released Awesomenauts, a Sidescrolling Battle Arena Game. The studio is now 17 developers strong and very motivated to deliver awesome game experiences!

Title: Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
Platform: Wii U
Genre: Puzzle Platformer
Players: 1 or 2 (local co-op)
Rating: E10+ (Mild Violence)
Launch Date: June 2015
Publisher/Developer: E-Line Media / Upper One Games
URL: http://neveralonegame.com

On over 50 “Best of 2014” lists, from Eurogamer to Kotaku, from the L.A. Times to the New Yorker. Nominated for awards from DICE, GDC, SXSW, BAFTA, Games for Change, IndieCade, and more. The whole world has discovered and fallen in love with Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) — the first game developed in collaboration with the Iñupiat, an Alaska Native people. Nearly 40 Alaska Native elders, storytellers and community members contributed to the development of the game. Play as a young Iñupiat girl and an arctic fox as they set out to find the source of the eternal blizzard which threatens the survival of everything they have ever known.

Guide both characters in single-player mode or play cooperatively with a friend or family member as you trek through frozen tundra, leap across treacherous ice floes, swim through underwater ice caverns, and face numerous enemies both strange and familiar in the journey to save the girl’s village.

In this atmospheric puzzle platformer, you will explore awe-inspiring environments, perform heroic deeds, and meet legendary characters from Iñupiaq stories — all narrated by a master storyteller in the spoken Iñupiaq language.

Key Features:
• Local co-op puzzle platforming with two characters (Nuna and Fox) that play in unique ways:
o Fox scrambles up (and jumps back from) sheer vertical walls, and reveals the world of Helping Spirits
o Nuna can move heavy objects, climb ladders, and throw her bola to solve puzzles
• Gameplay is narrated by an Iñupiat elder in the spoken Iñupiaq language
• Over 30 minutes of video interviews with elders, storytellers, and other members of the Alaska Native community

Wii U specific features:
• All new Cultural Insights: In addition to the documentary-quality video interviews, the Wii U version features all new “Contextual Insights” — fascinating detail about the history, culture, and lives of the Iñupiaq people, presented on the Gamepad during the player’s journey
• Off-TV play for gameplay and Cultural Insights
• Over 40 unlockable stamps for Miiverse

Don’t Starve: Giant Edition is an uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic.
You play as Wilson, an intrepid Gentleman Scientist who has been trapped by a demon and transported to a mysterious wilderness world. Wilson must learn to exploit his environment and its inhabitants if he ever hopes to escape and find his way back home.

Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers, and surprises. Gather resources to craft items and structures that match your survival style. Play your way as you unravel the mysteries of this strange land.

Wii U Specifics
• Platform: Nintendo eShop/Wii U
• Genre: Survival, Action Adventure
• Rating: Teen (Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence)
• Launch Date: Spring 2015
• Developer: Klei Entertainment
• WiiU Specific Features:
o Enjoy Off-TV Mode!
o Use companion map via the Wii U GamePad to navigate around the world
• “Reign of Giants” DLC available at launch

Uncompromising Survival Mode
• No instructions, no tutorials, no handholding
• Start with nothing and prove your mettle against a hostile world
• Permadeath keeps you on your toes

Deep, Systems-based Gameplay
• Fight, farm, craft, scavenge – do anything you can in order to survive
• Experiment with and exploit seasons, propagation, hunger, sanity, monster AI, and more
• Unlock additional characters with strange new powers!

Unrelentingly Hard Story Mode
• Discover the dark secrets of the Don’t Starve world
• You will die! Again and again and again! And you will like it!

Randomly Generated Worlds
• Play a different game each time
• Includes an expansive over world with multiple biomes and dangerous, subterranean ruins

Dark and Whimsical Visuals
• Meticulously animated 2D characters inhabiting a 3D world
• Thousands of lines of player-character descriptions add flavour to the world
Marketing
• Single Player Gameplay

Game title: Affordable Space Adventures
Publisher: KnapNok Games
Release date: April 9th, 2015
Platform: Wii U™ / Nintendo eShop
Players: 1-3 players

Game description:
Affordable Space Adventures is a 2.5D side scrolling spaceship simulator. You are using the Wii U™ GamePad as a “Heads Down Display” – spaceship cockpit, and you have to configure all the systems in order to fly around undetected on an alien planet. You can either pilot the Small Craft TM solo, or fly as a crew of 2 to 3 players, requiring a lot of communication between the players.

Features
– Suspenseful stealth puzzling: How do you configure and control the system so you don’t get seen, heard or otherwise detected?
– Experience thrills, spookiness and beautiful areas of the world crafted and designed by Swedish indie game developer “Nifflas”.
– Two difficulty levels going from family friendly to extremely complex.
– Play with your friends and control the ship together or take on the challenge alone.
– A game that truly utilizes the potential of the Wii U hardware.

History
Affordable Space Adventures is collaboration between Nicklas “Nifflas” Nygren (Knytt Underground, Nightsky) and KnapNok Games (Spin the Bottle: Bumpie’s Party). We are merging Nifflas’ passion for making atmospheric exploration and mind-bending puzzles with KnapNok Games’ dedication to work with weird new interfaces and an eye for what is happening in front of the TV.


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