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(more…)Hi, I’m Daniel Thurman
Daniel reviews cyberpunk books, games, and more.
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Killtopia Volume 5 Is Live on Kickstarter
Killtopia, the stylish ultra-violent cyberpunk comic from author/creator Dave Cook is on it’s fifth and final installment. This volume, as in the previous four, is being funded via Kickstarter. Killtopia Volume 5’s Kickstarter page is now live. As of the writing of this article, the comic is already past the halfway point for funding.
The first Killtopia volume was funded back in March of 2018 and introduced the world to a violent yet high-concept storyline with memorable characters and wild art design. The series has since been a success having successfully funded the subsequent volumes. Killtopia Volume 5 seems poised to continue the tradition of the Killtopia universe while also saying goodbye to it for now, sadly.
This campaign is for the fifth and final Killtopia book – a 55-page epic finale that completes our story of Mech hunters in Neo Tokyo. We’re running this campaign to help us fund production of the book, including art, colouring, lettering and printing. With your help, we’ll ship in June 2023.
–KickstarterIf the Kickstarter for Killtopia Volume 5 is sucessful, which seems pretty likely, the creators aim to have the comic in your hands by June of 2023.
A Page from Killtopia Volume 5 from its Kickstarter page proudly displaying it’s chaotically beautiful art style. It’s hard to believe that the fifth and final volume of Killtopia is on its way. It seems like it hasn’t been very long at all since we got our first taste of the delightfully abysmal gore that Neo Tokyo had to offer.
If Killtopia Volume 5 being the final entry in the series makes you sad, not to worry. Dave Cook has another comic series called BPM: Beatdowns Per Minute. BPM takes place in the same universe as Killtopia, albeit in the past of that world.
Killtopia Volume 5 won’t be the last you see of the series. It’s being adapted into an animated TV series as well. The series is being developed by California-based startup Voltaku. So that’s something to keep an eye out for.
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Upcoming Software Synth by Cherry Audio Seems Very Blade Runner-Inspired
Cherry Audio is a music instrument maker known for their soft-synths (software-based synthesizers). Their diverse range of synthesizer plugins are widely used by musicians around the world. The company just announced its new upcoming synthesizer via an ad that has some familiar tropes. Take a look:
The ad is clearly very inspired by Blade Runner. And so is the synthesizer itself by the sounds of it. If you listen to the music as it comes into focus at the end of the ad, you will hear what sounds like lost tracks from the Blade Runner score composed by Vangelis himself. Only it’s not, of course. And I freaking love it.
Over a year in the making, Cherry Audio’s flagship synthesizer arrives from off-world on *Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022*, at 10 am Pacific Standard Time.
YouTubeCherry Audio is calling this upcoming synth their flagship product. And according to the above ad, it is going to “replicate the greatest synthesizer of all time.” I find this very interesting. I am not a musican (though I have dabbled over the years) so I don’t know what synthesizer this is referring to. But it sounds like this upcoming synth is going to emulate it. And this makes me tempted to buy it and play around with it myself.
The genius minds at Cherry Audio clearly know what they’re doing with software synthesizers but we have to give huge props to their marketing department as well. I have to give credit where credit’s due. The “flagship” synth is set to be released on November 22nd if you are interested in getting it.
[Source: matrixsynth]
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NEONnoir Is a New Adventure Game for the Commodore Amiga
If you’re not someone who follows gaming you might not realize that homebrew is a big thing in the indie game development community. And has been for a number of years now. One of the most prolific platforms for homebrew development has been Commodore’s classic systems, namely the C64 and the Amiga. Now, we have a brand new game called NEONnoir for the latter. And it looks not only like a fine Amiga game but also a solid entry in the cyberpunk genre.
NEONnoir is a cyberpunk game developed by indie studio steamknight and it’s available right now over on Itch.io page. The game is a hybrid point-and-click adventure and visual novel that takes place in a rain-soaked and neon-lit city. The gameplay itself takes place in a particularly depraved district affectionately called The Gutter.
The acid rain washed the city’s neon blood into the Gutter; home for those who ran out of options. The Gutter wasn’t just a cliche metaphor, it was the city’s most ruthless and dangerous district. Few chose to live there willingly; when your credits ran dry, there was nowhere else to go. When Danni Ashton went missing, her worried father came to you for help. Can you find her before it’s too late?
-NEONnoir Itch.io PageIn NEONnoir you play as a private investigator hired by the father of Danni Ashton who went missing somewhere in The Gutter. You are asked with finding her and, presumably, bringing her home to safety. But obviously, as this is a cyberpunk game, you’re going to encounter all sorts of sketchy types during the course of your investigation which will undoubtedly make things very difficult for you.
I used to want a Commodore Amiga when I was a kid in the 90s. It looked so cool and had a whole bunch of interesting games. However like the Commodore 64 before it, the Amiga never really caught on in America. It was similarly far more popular in the UK and other parts of Europe. Had a game like NEONnoir been released for it back then I would have gone out of my way to get one.
NEONnoir looks visually stunning and I’m looking forward to diving into it. It looks a lot like Amiga games of the 90s except a lot better. This I attribute to the magic of homebew. Being a cyberpunk game helps too, of course. If you’d like to see more about this game, YouTuber Saberman has about twelve minutes of gameplay you can check out below.
If this is the kind of thing that seems like your jam, you can grab it now. You can name your own price too. And while you can make that zero, you can help this talented developer make more cool stuff like NEONnoir.
[Source: Indie Retro News]
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90s Arcade Title Osman Is Getting Ported to Switch and PS4
Osman is an arcade platformer developed by Mitchell Corporation and released in arcades in 1996. Since its release it has never seen any sort of re-release or port. It looks like that is going to change in 2023. It’s been announced that the game is going to be ported to both Switch and PS4 sometime in 2023. The port is going to be released by ININ Games who has also just released a trailer for the game. Check it out below.
Osman’s development team apparently consisted of several ex-Capcom staff. Among these was Kouichi Yotsui, who served as the games designer and director. Yotsui was the designer for the arcade version of Strider and Osman was designed as an unofficial sequel or spiritual successor to Strider.
Osman’s setting is a futuristic neon-lit Arabian world with a cyberpunk theme. This set the game apart from both its predecessor and just about any other arcade title at the time. Like Strider however the game is a 2D action platformer and shares many other gameplay characteristics introduced in Strider.
I’m honestly surprised Osman has remained as obscure as it has been all these years. Especially given the pedigree of those involved in its development and design. I have heard a lot about the game over the years but have never had a chance to play it. It looks like that’s going to change next year!
