Inindo - Way of the Ninja

Something I've always felt interesting looking on the past of gaming,
is that there were many kinds of games, for many kinds of people,
and they were made by many kinds of developers, sometimes
created in a very specific way for a very specific public and
created by people with very specific angles and tastes.

It was possible because in the past, it took less money to
make stuff and be profitable, which let companies of all sizes
to create stuff that your developers might feel passionate about,
even if it's not going to put the world on fire, as they say.

That is not to say it doesn't happen nowadays, far from that, but in
the interconnected and global industry we live with today,  things like
trends, focus group testing, a much larger consumer base and the search
for the "lowest common denominator" in order to maximize the money you
make have changed not only how games are made, but which ones are made
and what your average consumer wants (and flat-out ignores) in a game.

Specially if we talk about middle to big companies, where the business
mentality has grown so much that in the eyes of higher ups and investors
anything that does not give you an assured certain amount of profit is seen
as a risk, a problem that also plagues the music and movie industries.

That's probably why small studios and indies have become such a beloved
part of the industry for many game enthusiasts. They can bring stuff you
want and the bigger guys don't care about. They can take more risks,
and they also can make way more specific and niche experiences
that scratch some itches your typical blockbuster stuff just can't.

Now, you may be asking why the hell I'm saying all this.
Well, you see, the game I'm talking today is such a strange and specific beast that
I can hardly look at it without thinking this was a passion project that only their
biggest fans would give it a chance blindly, making it a rather risky product...
Yet it was green-lighted, and it managed to get localized.
I don't see it having such luck in these times.

So today I'll take a look at Inindo - Way of the Ninja.

And if you think this introduction is too long, wait to see the rest of this entry.

Tomb Raider I - Featuring Lara Croft

How much patience do you have?

Do you adapt to specific control schemes?

Or are you incapable of trying non-standard controls?

Are you able to keep your cool when failing?
Can you try again and again with calm after that?

Would you forget what you did five minutes ago?

Will you get angry when you do end forgetting?

Those questions and more are what my mind thinks about the game 

I'll talk today, a type of game that defines the concept of "Trial & Error".

An experience as frustrating as it can be satisfying.

And a type of game that I simply do not see going 

successfully in this day and age, much to my dismay.

But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it today.

Let's talk about the original Tomb Raider.

Flying Hero - Bugyuru's Adventure

Do you gravitate to certain genres depending on the time of the year?

It's kind of a weird question, but when I stop and look, I usually spend Summers
playing many light and fast-paced games way more than playing long and slower ones.

While I'm more of a cold weather type of person, Summer always makes me think
about those sort of experiences. And there's few things more true to that than
the genre of Shoot'em Ups, specially the cartoony and colorful ones.

So I thought it was a nice moment to talk about an obscure game that's
quite fun and will do wonders to scratch that itch I have right now.

I'm talking about Flying Hero - Bugyuru's Adventure!

Elemental Master

In a time where people look for more and more bloated experiences

and companies try to design games to trap us for large periods of time

in hopes for consumers to keep giving them money, the quick and fun

games with easy replayability keep getting more desirable to my eye.

Those games are usually related to colorful, lighthearted visuals,

accompanied by charming music and comfortable difficulties.

...But it does not necessarily have to be like that.

The game I'll talk today is a short and fun ride, but it's also 

set in a dark-themed universe with a headbanging soundtrack,

things that would make it a fantastic cover for an 80's metal band.

Not to mention it can easily kick your sorry behind.

Let's talk about Elemental Master!