I made a game. It really doesn’t like you, you know?

Ok, so I actually wrote most of this around June last year but due to GM8 not making an appearance until just before the New Year, I’ve been unable to release it. However, now with GM8 out there, so is Squid And Let Die.

There’s quite a bit more I want to tinker with on the game, but as a game it’s as done as it’s going to be. It’s based incredibly loosely on Transversion by Christian Urquhart (a game remade more faithfully a number of times, my favourite version is Caff’s though) only it’s infinitely more hateful.

I designed it roughly around the concept that there is no safety. There’s nowhere to hide on the board from the guns and in order to get a good score, you must put yourself in danger. It’s not about rewarding the player for good play, or slapping them on the backs or any of the other things I’m currently exploring with the SYNSO sequel, it’s about constantly ensuring that the next step could lead to death and staving that off as long as possible whilst trying to maximise your score in the process.

You only have the one life (I know, that’s getting predictable with me isn’t it?) and the game will take it off you without a thought. There’s some gems you have to clear to make it onto the next board. Gems degrade with time, so the longer you take to collect them, the lower your score will be. Collecting “lines” of gems will go towards your bonus. I’m going to let you work out how the bonus works for yourself though, needless to say, plummeting yourself into more precarious positions is where the scores are.

It’s not an easy game, by any means.

The soundtrack is by Gordon King and myself and the game over messages are from Digitiser (sort of). Playing with a keyboard is recommended. There is joystick support but it’s really not suited to analogue sticks and you’ll only be making it infinitely harder for yourself. Major thanks to Farbs who provided the inspiration for the score multiplier, it wasn’t quite what he intended but hey, that’s me all over. And a big thank you to Rico for brutally honest and wonderful feedback.

And the stuff I’m going to tweak? Well, I’m working on making the game the most configurable I’ve done yet. I’ve punted it out there partially to find out where I need to prioritise on this (I’d rather tackle it in chunks) and partially to draw a line under the actual game part.

You can grab it at Bagfull Of Wrong and please, donate if you enjoy the game. I’m fucking skint.

You gamers
Independent developers
Creators of the same.

Your adolescent and childeyed notions of maturity
Your lustful eye that covets damned archaic media
Dreaming of acceptance from nobody and no-one of worth.

Repeat yourselves
Repeat yourselves
Repeat yourselves.
The discussion
The argument
The same
The games.

Worth is not judged in awards.
Worth is not judged in tears.

Your backslapping self fellating self perpetuating orgy of empty words.

Empty games, empty sentiments and empty arts, all meaningless.

Forever destined to say nothing, to progress nothing.
Incestuous to the end.

You are not different.
You are not auteurs.
You are not revolutionaries.
You are not special.

Go, talk to your monsters but do not touch us.
Your flesh is putrid, your attitude repugnant.

You will die, forgotten.
You are rejected.

We are the New Entertainers.
This is the New Entertainment.

We are the bringers of games and we wash our hands of your stench.

We reject the tired and tiresome debates.

We do not seek acceptance. We are the accepted and accepting.
We do not desire what other media has.

We do not believe that the only emotions of worth are negative.
We do not believe that tears are more worthy than smiles.

We understand.
We can design with honesty.
We can design with deceit.
We can design from our heart.
We can design from our head.
We can design from our hips.
We design Games.

We will not limit ourselves for the benefit of others.
We will not limit ourselves by becoming other media.
We will not look down on our achievements.
We will not look down on our chosen canvas.
We will shun those who do.
We will embrace our differences.
We embrace Games.

We are writers. We are artists. We are designers.
We are entertainers.
We make games.

We are the New Entertainers.
We will entertain you.