Indie Links Round-Up: Dental Hygiene

“Richard Hofmeier’s Cart Life was originally released in May 2011, and for a good while it drifted along without all that much attention.

Today’s Indie Linksrecipe calls for several cups of platformers, with a heaping tablespoon of fighting games and a soupçon of other genres.

Road to the IGF: Richard Hofmeier’s Cart Life(Gamasutra)was originally released in May 2011, and for a good while it drifted along without all that much attention. This was a huge shame, because the retail simulation title is as brilliant as it is deep. You play as an entrepreneur who is looking to start a business, while also making sure other areas of his or her life are kept in order.”

Platformer From Hell And Little Acorns Deluxe(Indie Gamer Chick)“Platformer from Hell comes from Hoosier Games, a group of academics from Indiana.  I know, I know.  Academics?  In Indiana?  I went ‘Hah!’ too, but upon further research, they do have institutes of higher learning there.  I’m not sure what is considered higher learning in Indiana.  ‘Cow Tipping 101’ or ‘Why you can’t pork your sister’ I would imagine are on the agenda.  I’m kidding of course.  Actually, I’m quite friendly with project manager Derrick Fuchs (I hope that’s pronounced the way I think it is) and I ranked their previous effort, Warp Shooter, on the Indie Gamer Chick Leaderboard.  It was flawed but functional and fun.  I applauded their efforts and looked forward to their next game.  Which is here.  And it sucks.  A lot.”

Play Nifflas’ Nordic Game Jam 2013 Winner Spaceship With A Mace And More For Free(IndieGames)“The Nordic Game Jam 2013 concluded with, as of this writing, approximately 80 games completedat the reported470-person event. Nifflas’ multiplayer game Spaceship with a Macewas crowned the Grand Prize winner of the event. Stikbold, another multiplayer only game, was crowned ‘most fun game.'”

Damn It, Owlboy , Why Aren’t You Out Yet(Kotaku)“It’s been a long time coming. A long, long time, and still no release date in sight. But indie adventure/platformer Owlboy looks worth the wait. This video, released over the weekend, showcases both the music of composer Jonathan Geer and the game’s charming art style, which for want of something more descriptive reminds me of a Genesis version of Wind Waker .”

State of XBLIG Fighting Games(Independent Gaming)“Fighting games have always been a staple of video games to some extent, whether big or small, but they’ve seemed to disappear in the last decade or so. Seemed to. They’ve started to experience a resurgence in the AAA market; probably with a bit of help from the indie market. Xbox Live indie gameshave a handful of good fighting games so, without further ado, here are some interesting/fun XBLindie games of the fighting genre, in no particular order.”

Review: Marvin’s MittensRekindle The Joy Of Exploring A Winter Wonderland (Indie Game Reviewer)“Though aesthetically, Marvin’s Mittens from Canadian developersmay appear to be geared towards a younger audience, there’s something on offer here that could be compelling for any audience, particularly those who fondly remember snow days from their childhood.”

The Soaring Successes, Surprise Endings And Abject Failures Of Crowd-Funded Video Games(Polygon)“Kickstarter is no longer untested water for game financing. Since the website’s inauguration in April 2009, 3,843 projects have launched in its games category. But what happens to these projects after they leave Kickstarter, either through funding success or funding failure?”