Else Heart.Break() is in a Humble Indie Bundle!

A pretty epic bundle it is, check it out!

Else Heart.Break() Release Date and Trailer

Big news – Else Heart.Break() is done and ready for release! It will be out for Windows, Mac & Linux on September 24th. We will sell the game on Steam, Humble Store, and www.elseheartbreak.com.

There is also a soundtrack with 56 songs by various artists including El Huervo, Hello World, Sasac, Shelby Cinca, Tor Bruce and Philip E Morris! You can pre-order the soundtrack over at the Swedish Columbia Bandcamp page.

Finally, here’s a new trailer showcasing some more things from the game:

 

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Advent Calendar

This year I’m doing an advent calendar – one little thing every day until Christmas. It can be found here.

Cheers,
Erik

Chasing the Whale

Me and my good friend Andreas Zecher have started a new podcast! It’s called Chasing the Whale and is about making indie games and things like that. Today the third episode is out, the topic this time is game design books that we’ve read over the years.

The podcast can be found at iTunes and www.chasingthewhale.cc. Our plan is to release one episode every week. Feedback and thoughts are appreciated! (here or on twitter)

Erik

More Nordic Game Program Funding!

I’ve got some AWESOME news to share! The Nordic Game Program has granted us more funding for ‘else { Heart.break() }’. 300 000 DKK to be precise! We are super happy and thankful for this since it will really help us finish the game. Our plan is to basically get the whole thing done by the end of 2013. There will be some more waiting after that until the release (we have to do translation, testing, website, etc) but at least we are starting to sense the final goal of this long project.

Excitement and love!

Erik

 

Nicolai Troshinsky, Astigmatismo & my card game!

In my last post here on the website I was looking for an artist for my card game and I found one!

His name is Nicolai Troshinsky and the best way to get to know more about him is to check out his website at www.throshinsky.com. It contains Illustrations, Animations, books, games and other art projects that he has done. His stuff is truly great so I’m very excited about this collaboration!

I met Nicolai two years ago in San Francisco during Game Developers Conference where he was showing his very fun (and unusual) iPad game Loop Raccord. Recently he has been working on an animated short film called Astigmatismo. The film has its own website at www.astigmatismo-shortfilm.com and you can even watch the whole thing for free there. Actually I think you should do that now!

Podcast

Me and my friends (and co-creators of several games) Niklas and Oscar have launched the first episode of our podcast ‘Den bottenlösa dammen’. Here is a page with all the info you need to find it. Please note that the podcast is in Swedish.

The Clairvoyance Beta has Launched!

We have launched the Clairvoyance paid beta over at www.gameofclairvoyance.com/buy

The game costs $5 while it’s in beta, we will increase the price when version 1.0 is ready. It’s very much playable right now though, so please try it out if you’re interested. Here’s the trailer:

For more information, bug reports and other inquires there is a twitter, facebook page and email. Finally we want to thank the Humble Bundle people for their nice Humble Store Widget that we use for selling the game!

<3 <3 <3,
Erik

Jams

A game jam is an event where game developers come together and make small games during the span of a few days (sometimes just hours). It’s usually both fun and stressful in a strange mix. It’s also a great chance to try out ideas since you don’t have to feel that you should continue working on the project after the event. Unless it turned out really great of course, but that’s OK too  :)

I’m helping out organizing two game jams this summer so I thought I’d write about them here:

Enterhake

This one happens here in Gothenburg June 8 – 10 (that’s soon!) The indie game scene in Gothenburg is really coming together right now but we have never had a jam, so it’s definitely about time. People from other places are very much welcome to come also, of course (we can help with arranging accommodation). The theme for the games will be ‘Camera’ so hopefully that will lead to some interesting stuff being made. More information (in Swedish) can be found at www.enterhake.se.

No More Sweden

This one has been around since 2008! It seems like a lot of people are coming from all over the world so that’s very exciting. Apart from the jam there will also be talks and presentations. This year it’s going to be in Malmö, July 19 – 22. All the information can be found at www.nomoresweden.com.

else { Heart.break() }

After more than 1 year of pre-production, plus another full year of actual production (supported by the Nordic Game Program), I feel that it’s really about time that I reveal something about the project I am currently working on together with some friends.

It is called else { Heart.break() } and will be a kind of adventure game. Here’s an excerpt from the initial description I wrote for the game:

else { Heart.break } is a game about being able to change reality. It is set in a mysterious world made up of computers and their code; a place where bits have replaced atoms. The player – who is assumed to have no previous knowledge about programming – gets access to the code and is taught by other characters how to modify it. As the story unfolds the possibilities of what can be reprogrammed, hacked and controlled increases greatly. Eventually the inner parts of the gameplay code are revealed and the barrier between our own world and the game starts to dissolve.

The idea is to create opportunities for truly creative gameplay that goes beyond the kind of puzzle solving and stats improvement normally seen in games. Ideally it even allows the player to free herself from the designer of the game! The goal is an experience that borders the metaphysical, and to create a kind of game where thoughts and knowledge mean everything.

An arcade machine at 'Bar Yvonne'

Besides the programming aspect, we also focus on creating great possibilities for interactive drama. The game world will be inhabited by characters living their own little lives. Talking to them and becoming part of their world is a big part of the game and just being in the world should be a fulfilling experience in itself.

We are a team of five people working on the game: me, Johannes Gotlén (programming), Oscar Rydelius (sound design), Tobias Sjögren (graphics) and Niklas Åkerblad (art direction, music and graphics). Here are some drawings that Niklas has made for us:

So far, work on the game is going well but there is still a ton left to do though, so we won’t be finished for another year at least. Hopefully we can share some videos and smaller demos soon. Come back again for more information!

Best regards,
Erik

PS. For readers of Swedish, here is an interview we did about the game last spring: http://www.blogemup.se/?p=11588

Announcing: TRI-TRI-TRIOBELISK

My latest collaborative project TRI-TRI-TRIOBELISK is out on the App Store today! It’s is a faster and more extreme remix version of my previous creation Shot Shot Shoot. The new game features tons of music and art by the super-talented electronic music artist Triobelisk and you can get it here for the special launch price of $1!

But first, let’s look at the trailer:

Hope you like the game!

Take care,
Erik

It’s party time!

My favorite game magazine together with my favorite game collective are arranging what will probably be my favorite party of the year. Info and tickets here!

To Stop You Must Die

My friend and partner in crime Niklas Åkerblad just released an album on the underground label Swedish Columbia. All the music from ‘Kometen’ are in there together with ten other awesome songs (you can listen to them in the player below). Get it on iTunes or Amazon!

Nordic Game Program gives us a grant!

Me and Nicke at the ceremony dinner yesterday

A couple of months ago Niklas Åkerblad (the artist who I made ‘Kometen‘ together with) and I applied for a grant to make a new game together. The wait has felt long but now it’s official – we got the money!!! Needless to say we are both totally psyched for getting this great opportunity and we really feel it’s going to be something special. We will soon release some information about the game, but until then I’ll just say that it’s a very ambitious and exciting idea that I’ve wanted to make ever since I released ‘Blueberry Garden’.

Finally I want to thank the Nordic Game Program for their work and that they exist and that they believe in us! THANKS!!!

Erik