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B-Side gaming Zine #2

Welcome

This is the second issue of B-side gaming zine. The idea for doing this came from the user
PerfectDark who does something similar to this for the Steam deck and games communities.
I really enjoy PerfectDark's work and I often wondered myself if I could create something like a
small magazine. So I figured I give it a try now that I have my own community here. The last issue
had mostly links to news about Foss and indie games. This time, I decided to add more stuff and
add some personal flair to make it feel less dry. Though I still think the writing feels often dry, I will try to improve it more in the future, but writing is not my strong suit even though I enjoy it.

(Dyslexia is not helping)
So beyond the news, this issue includes the First part of the history of Adventure games, focusing
on text adventure games. The article is based on Wikipedia and other wiki entries, and additionally,
it includes some tools that can be used to make your own text adventure games. Following that are
the 10 Indie games recommended for newcomers.
Next, I decided to link indie hardware reviews
for each issue. For this one, it is the Playdate by panic.
I also thought it would be neat to include a game with the Zine, and since adding a link to a free game is a bit less unique and I cannot afford to give out game keys for commercial games, I decided
to further back in time when magazines did come with physical media and had code written on their
pages, and you had to type it into the code editor yourself.

I have included a game in Python written
by me; do not expect something fancy with super dumper graphics; it is just a simple Rock, Paper,
Scissors game.

Finally, I added the corner of fun. Where you can find memes, jokes (They are kind of meh though),
and comic strips I found about making indie games.

Indie game news

Hermano and Chante

https://bleedingcool.com/games/hermano-chante-released-as-classic-game-boy-cartridges/

ModRetro has released two new retro-like games that are available as Game Boy cartridges, as you can get Hermano and Chante today

WILL: Follow The Light

https://80.lv/articles/explore-a-stunning-northern-wilderness-in-this-first-person-adventure-puzzle-game/

TomorrowHead Studio has released the first gameplay reveal trailer for WILL: Follow The Light, a story-driven, first-person adventure puzzle game created with Unreal Engine 5.

The Outlast Trials

https://bleedingcool.com/games/the-outlast-trials-releases-the-season-2-1-update/

The Outlast Trials dropped a new update for the current season, bringing a new limited-time event, anniversary plans, and more

Airlock Arena

https://bleedingcool.com/games/co-op-roguelike-airlock-arena-released-for-steam/

Airlock Arena has officially been released on Steam this week, giving players a new co-op roguelike adventure set in space

Dead as Disco,

https://gamerant.com/hi-fi-rush-sifu-dead-as-disco-similar-how-rhythm/

Brain Jar Games' upcoming debut indie, Dead as Disco, appears to be the perfect blend of Hi-Fi Rush and Sifu, meaning it's something which players should keep an eye on if they're a fan of
martial arts and rhythm-based gameplay.

Wanderstop

https://fingerguns.net/reviews/2025/03/26/wanderstop-review-ps5-a-good-cuppa/

Tea making cosy adventure, Wanderstop, is out now. But is it a storm in a tea cup, or just not our keep of tea?

The Pantaloon Label,

https://mcvuk.com/business-news/pantaloon-has-announced-a-new-indie-label-for-bold-and-bizarre-games/

Newsletter creator Pantaloon has announced The Pantaloon Label, a new indie publishing imprint that describes itself as ‘a home for misfits’, and says it is looking to sign and publish ‘peculiar’,
‘plucky’ and ‘punchy’ games.

These games were indie smash hits but what happened next

https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/mar/27/these-games-were-indie-smash-hits-but-what-
happened-next

The developers of Thank Goodness You’re Here!, Frog Detective and Consume Me discuss burnout, ‘second-album syndrome’, erotic fan art, and the other highs and lows of having a breakout
success

Cave 1.2 Engine

https://unidaystudio.itch.io/cave-engine/devlog/913341/cave-engine-12-is-out

Cave 1.2 focuses a lot on your experience, to make sure that the engine tech provides you all the
necessary tools and features to create realistic and advanced games, taking advantage of modern
rendering, animation and terrain features and much more. It brings major improvements to
rendering, editor usability, performance, and Linux support.

Chronicles of Vaeltaja

https://www.indiedb.com/news/islands-of-the-prophets-part-2-update-released-for-chronicles-of-vaeltaja

Chronicles of Vaeltaja's latest content update 'Islands of the Prophets Part 2' was released on Sunday
March 16th. The update brought a new main story dungeon the 'Temple of the Prophets' and the last
underground area of the 'Islands of the Prophets'. It also unlocked the abandoned houses in the main
island and added a new tool, Grappling Hook, which lets the player climb holes in the floor and
ceilings. A new enemy was introduced in the form of Phantom Knights, who are spirit beings
guarding the main dungeon, and some new weapons and armour.

Rain World

https://gamerant.com/rain-world-watcher-dlc-interview/

Rain World won over fans of indie games back in 2017 with its unique environments, procedural
creature animation, and dynamic world. Now VIDEOCULT is back with a new expansion, poised to
take Rain World to new heights.

Top New Indie Games Coming in April 2025

https://www.analyticsinsight.net/games/top-new-indie-games-coming-in-april-2025

The indie gaming landscape has been continuously flourishing over the years. The strength of indie
games lies in their rich storyline and innovative experiences. Interestingly, implementing these
features often enables them to push boundaries of conventional game design and create something
stunning for gamers. It’s almost the end of March 2025, and April is only a few days away. So, it’s
high time to check out the indie games that are coming in April 2025.

Honeycomb: The World Beyond Announced For 2025 Release

https://bleedingcool.com/games/honeycomb-the-world-beyond-announced-for-2025-release/

Discover a thrilling sandbox survival game set on the alien planet Sota7 in Honeycomb: The World Beyond.

• Master bioengineering skills to adapt and thrive against the ecosystem's unique flora and fauna.

• Build, explore, and innovate with advanced equipment to ensure your survival on this uncharted world.

• Unravel mysteries and harness alien resources in a journey filled with discovery and strategic planning.

The Rise of Indie Gaming

https://ourculturemag.com/2025/04/02/the-rise-of-indie-gaming-how-independent-developers-are-changing-the-industry/

Across the whole iGaming sector, games are changing. Rather than players focusing on games from major studios, there has been a surge in indie games. These studios are often small teams with
limited funds, but capture the imagination of the game-playing public through innovative game features, unique stories and creative influences. So what has sparked this and how are things
changing?

2025's Tokyo Indie Game Summit

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/2025s-tokyo-indie-game-summit-is-the-biggest-yet-attracting-23000-attendees

Tokyo's digital and in-person indie game event - the Tokyo Indie Game Summit - saw its third event
more than double last year's attendance.

10 Indie Games That Aged Like Fine Wine

https://www.dualshockers.com/indie-games-aged-like-fine-wine/

There is a long history of video games collaborating with movies, television, and other brands to create meaningful interactive media and gaming experiences. In the 80s and 90s, building out a
video game associated with a major film release was a great marketing tactic to reach new audiences. This brought us titles like Goldeneye 007 on N64, Aladdin on SNES, or the infamous
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on Atari. While there has always been some level of official licensing of
popular brands in video games, the frequency is far from what existed in the early years of gaming,
mostly from a decline in the overall quality within those licensed games. Recently, though, there has
been a resurgence of officially licensed games and it’s coming from the indie gaming scene.

Indie Studios Are Breathing New Life Into Classic Franchises

https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/indie-games-old-franchises-new/

Every console generation, you'll constantly see Sony and Nintendo re-releasing their old games in a
new way, and a new wave of appreciation for the classics that still hold up. That doesn't happen for
indies.

Usually, indie game releases come into the world, and people talk about them when that happens.
The wave of appreciation dies out as new things come along, which means tons of heavily
polished, great games go underappreciated.

10 Most Iconic Indie Game Heroines

https://www.dualshockers.com/most-iconic-indie-game-heroines/

While heroines are certainly not the exclusive realm of indie games, the smaller studios have done a pretty great job over the years of giving us a multitude of leading ladies.

Haunted House Renovator Will Come Out in Mid-April

https://bleedingcool.com/games/haunted-house-renovator-will-come-out-in-mid-april/

Transform haunted homes by banishing ghosts and renovating interiors in Haunted House
Renovator, out April 2025.

•Immersive first-person gameplay with magical tools; banish spirits gently or with radical
methods.

• Discover and tame unique paranormal entities like a mischievous gremlin and a Shiba Inu ghost.

• Experience a dark atmosphere and influence the storyline with your moral choices and
creative renovations.

Upcoming homebrew for Game Boy 2025

YearGameSystemPublisherLink2025Alentejo: Tinto’s LawGB/CLoading StudiosLink2025Black Tower EnigmaGB/COgre PixelLink2025Cake KeeperGBCXeifLink2025ChanteyGB/CModRetroLink2025Cosmo Knight ZiONGBCZeichi GamesLink2025Cronela’s MansionGB/CStraynusLink2025Do you like/?GBCnanuLink2025GBS WindowsGBCRubenRetroLink2025Ghoul TrasherGBMagic Quest MediaLink2025Hermano (Re-Release)GB/CModRetroLink2025Jelly BoyGBLimited Run GamesLink2025Luft GearsGBCestmir KocianLink2025Metal MiracleGBCPat Morita TeamLink2025Ophide Snake RebornGBStudio 40ALink2025Orpheus: To Hell and BackGB/CStudio Loading ProductionsLink2025Project S-11GBCModRetroLink2025Self SimulatedGBC2nd Law GamesLink2025SnoutGBCsaanLink2025Squirrel FallsGB/CBitmap SoftLink2025Tools of NexauraGB/CSLG StudiosLink2025UnearthedGBCLimited Run GamesLink

Source: https://dmgpage.com/homebrew-releases/

Featured article: History of Adventure games

An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in
an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The first games in this genre were
text adventure games, in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the
environment.

Part 1: Text adventure

Colossal Cave Adventure (1976), written by William Crowther and Don Woods, is considered to be the first adventure game, and it had a significant influence on the genre's early development.
Crowther was an avid caver and role-playing game enthusiast; he wrote a text adventure based on his own knowledge of the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky.
The program, which he named Adventure, was written on the company's PDP-10 and used 300 kilobytes of memory. The program was spread through ARPANET (the precursor to the internet,
yay), which led Woods to modify and expand the game, eventually becoming Colossal Cave Adventure.

Following its release on ARPANET (the precursor to the internet, in case you forgot. ;) ), numerous variations of Colossal Cave Adventure appeared throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, with
some of these later versions being re-christened Colossal Adventure or Colossal Caves.
The genre gained commercial success with titles designed for home computers. Scott Adams
launched Adventure International to publish text adventures, they released 12 adventure games,
including an adaptation of Colossal Cave Adventure, while a number of MIT students formed
Infocom to bring their game Zork from mainframe to home computers, and it was a commercial
success.

Infocom later released Deadline in 1982, which had a more complex text parser, and more NPCs
acting independently of the player. Also, innovative was its use of "feelies," which were physical
documents unique to the game itself that aided the player in solving the mystery, which also
resulted in the higher cost of the game at the time of its release relative to other text adventures.
These feelies would soon become standard within the text adventure genre.

When personal computers gained the ability to display graphics, the text adventure genre began to
wane, and by 1990 there were few if any commercial releases, though in the UK publisher Zenobi
released many games that could be purchased via mail order during the first half of the 90s. Non-
commercial text adventure games have been developed for many years, mostly as indie games by a
small team or solo developers.

Tools to Build Text Adventure Games are still being developed. Here are some examples if you want to try building your own game or just play around with them just for fun:

1. Twine

https://twinery.org/

You don't need any coding experience for simple, basic stories, which is where Twine comes in.
Giving you the tools you need to start creating your interactive fiction, Twine runs on desktop and
in your browser.

Simply use the app to create your interactive stories and export them as web pages. When your
story is finished, upload the HTML files to a web server and share them with the world.

For more complex narratives, Twine supports features like variables and conditional logic. It also
supports JavaScript, CSS, and images if you want to present your story as more than standard
interactive fiction.

2. Quest

https://textadventures.co.uk/quest

While you don't need programming experience to
use these text adventure makers, it can help with
Quest. It features a built-in scripting language for
handling complex logic and supports the addition
of sound, images, and video.

Available for Windows or in your browser,
completed Quest games can be exported to the web
and played online. Furthermore, there are no
commercial restrictions, so you can even sell your
Quest games if you want to.

Quest is open source under the MIT License, which means you can download the source code and
modify it. You probably won't do this, but forking the project remains a possibility if you don't like
the Informdirection Quest takes in the future or if you are just curious about the code behind it.

3. ADRIFT

https://www.adrift.co/

ADRIFT is one of the oldest functioning options for creating your own text-based games. Its unique
selling point is pretty clear: absolutely no programming experience needed, even if you want to create non-trivial narratives.

The beauty of ADRIFT is that everything is driven by the GUI. This means drag-and-drop
selections, folder navigation, drop-down menus, etc. All characters, events, objects, variables, etc.
are click-to-set-up, making ADRIFT one of the easiest systems to use.

The only downside is that ADRIFT games can only be played through the ADRIFT Runner application. The good news is that ADRIFT is cross-platform, so it's not too much of an
inconvenience.

4. Inform

https://ganelson.github.io/inform-website/

A free app that uses a programming language based on
English, Inform features two built-in books to help you learn. These are a tutorial, Writing With Inform, and The Inform Recipe Book.

Using the tutorial, you can ease yourself into the software; the recipe books shows you how to
control objects in your text adventures.

In addition to Windows, macOS, and Linux, versions of Inform are available for FreeBSD and
Raspberry Pi. Nice!

5. Squiffy

https://textadventures.co.uk/squiffy

From the same team as Quest is the simpler Squiffy tool. While Quest is aimed at writers planning to create advanced text adventures or gamebooks, Squiffy focuses on story.

Free and open source, Squiffy outputs completed games as HTML and JavaScript so you can upload
them to the web. This can be your own site or the textadventures.co.uk community.

6. Decker

https://internet-janitor.itch.io/decker

Decker is a multimedia platform for creating and sharing interactive documents, with sound,
images, hypertext, and scripted behavior. It draws strong influence from HyperCard, as well as
more modern "no-code" or "low-code" creative tools like Twine and Bitsy.

To be continued…

10 Indie games for newcomers

1. Super Tux

https://www.supertux.org/

SuperTux is an open-source classic 2D jump'n run sidescroller game in a style similar to the original Super Mario games.

2. Stardew Valley

https://www.stardewvalley.net/

You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley.
Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life!

3. Shovel knight

https://store.steampowered.com/app/250760/Shovel_Knight_Treasure_Trove/

Dig, blast, slash, and bash your way through a fantastical, 8-bit inspired world of pixel-perfect platforming, memorable characters, and world-class action-adventure gameplay.

4. Celeste

https://www.celestegame.com/

Help Madeline survive her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain in this super-tight,
hand-crafted platformer from the creators of TowerFall.

5. Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption

https://www.hero-u.com/

Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is a humorous fantasy role-playing adventure game by Lori and Corey Cole, creators of the acclaimed Quest for Glory series. As the Rogue Shawn O'Conner, players will make friends, explore a haunted castle, and use
their Rogue skills for fun and profit.

6. Undertale

https://undertale.com/

Undertale is a 2015 role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical barrier.

7. Super Tux Kart

https://supertuxkart.net/Main_Page

SuperTuxKart is a free and open-source kart racing game.

8. Hades

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/

Defy the god of the dead as you hack and slash out of the Underworld in this rogue-like dungeon crawler from the creators of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre.

9. Black Castle

https://user0x7f.itch.io/black-castle

He set out for the warlock's black castle to free the kingdom from his tyranny.
Fight your way through four exciting levels, find secret passages, hidden Items and defeat the black warlock.

10. Crypt of the NecroDancer

https://store.steampowered.com/app/247080/Crypt_of_the_NecroDancer/

Crypt of the NecroDancer is an award winning hardcore roguelike rhythm game. Move to the music and deliver beatdowns to the beat!

Indie Hardware Review

https://www.howtogeek.com/panic-playdate-review/

Panic's Playdate has proved to be a surprise hit with gamers and non-gamers alike, offering an approachable low-tech handheld with distinctive crank. Now, more than two years later and over
70,000 handhelds sold, the Playdate is just as charming as ever, although its limitations, purposeful
or otherwise, may still give some would-be owners pause.

Free Game Rock Paper Scissors

# Import the random module to allow the computer to make random choicesimport randomdef run_game(): game_loop = True # Boolean flag to keep the game running choices = ['rock', 'paper', 'scissors'] # List of valid choices for the game # Start the game loop to keep playing while game_loop: # Prompt the player for input and convert it to lowercase user_choice = input("Enter: Rock, Paper, Scissors or Exit: ").lower() if user_choice == "exit": # Check if the user wants to exit the game break # Stop the game loop and end the game # Check if the user made a valid choice (only rock, paper, scissors, and exit are allowed) if user_choice in choices: computer_choice = random.choice(choices) # Randomly select a choice for the computer print(f"- Computer chose {computer_choice}") # Display computer's choice print(f"- {user_choice} vs {computer_choice}") # Display the matchup # If both choices are the same, it's a draw if user_choice == computer_choice: print("- Draw! Try again") # Check for all possible winning conditions for the user elif (user_choice == 'rock' and computer_choice == 'scissors') or \ (user_choice == 'scissors' and computer_choice == 'paper') or \ (user_choice == 'paper' and computer_choice == 'rock'): print("- You win! Play again") # Notify the user they won # If it's not a draw and the user didn't win, they lost else: print("- You lose! Try again") else: print("- Invalid choice. Please choose Rock, Paper, Scissors or Exit.")if __name__ == "__main__": # Check if the script is being run directly run_game() # Start the game by running the function

How to run the game

The easiest way to run the game is using and online IDE for Python, like https://www.online-python.com/ .

If you prefer running it locally, then you must make sure that Python is installed on your computer.

Open a text editor like Notepad on windows and paste the code in or type by yourself line by line.

Save with any name you want but give it the extension .py

For example rps.py

Windows:

1. Install Python:

• Download the latest Python installer from the official Python website.
• Run the installer and make sure to check the box that says "Add Python to PATH".

2. Open Command Prompt:

• Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter.

3. Run the game

python rps.py

Linux:

1. Install Python:

Most Linux distributions come with Python pre-installed.

2. Open Terminal:

You can typically open Terminal from your application menu or by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.

3. Run the game

python rps.py

Mac:

1. Install Python:

     brew install python

2. Open Terminal:

You can open Terminal from your applications or by pressing Cmd + Space and typing
"Terminal".

3. Run the game

python rps.py

Android:

The game can run on an android device but you need to know how to use termux and install python
with termux and download the files in Termux and run them. It will probably also work on newer
android devices that have their own Terminal.

Corner of fun.

https://cheezburger.com/8037900544/every-indie-game-announcement-ever

https://cheezburger.com/7802301952/do-people-who-only-play-pc-games-even-need-a-nice-rig

Why did the gamer cross the road?

To rescue the princess, of course!

Why don’t gamers go outside?

Because they have better graphics indoors!

Why did the skeleton refuse to play any video games?

Because he had no “body” to play with!

What is the favorite gaming console of the French? Wii.

Comic:"INDIE'D"

http://comics.fromdustscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/08/comics_indied_001.png

Takahe has limited support for this type: See Original Page

The European Commission sees open-source software as more than an IT tool. Policy makers are encouraging open-source ecosystems to drive innovation, autonomy and collaboration in a world where global trade is being redrawn.

This trade dispute highlights something most open-source advocates have known for years: open source is freedom. It’s freedom from monopolies, freedom from arbitrary pricing, and freedom from foreign influence.

Takahe has limited support for this type: See Original Page