“My name is Arnel Baluyot, and I am a Portland-based illustrator specializing in art prints, inspired by pop culture.” A simple enough introduction from his web site, Ninjabot. One project in particular is of interest here though: Popcats Fighter, a new card game the artist is developing. (Official slogan: “Unleash The Furry!”) Here’s what he says: “PopCats Fighter is a strategic card fighting game where your inner PopCat can fight against your friend’s inner PopCat in a sweet 1v1 battle(or Tag Team 2v2 mode) by attacking them with some gnarly Move Cards until your opponent’s health goes down to zero! Unless of course they fight back with Action Cards that are designed to make the game fun, and fast! The better you do in the game, the more chances you will have to play some sweet Super Moves that will potentially make you the winner!” Got all that? Visit the web site to see more, and watch the Kickstarter campaign starting up in July.
Games
The Unicorns Are Your Friends. (Can You Trust Them?)
More strangeness we found at WonderCon. Unstable Unicorns is a new fantasy card game, which apparently was one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of last year. Now the starter pack (and some bizarre expansions) are available at their web site. “Unstable Unicorns is a strategic card game about everyone’s two favorite things: Destruction and Unicorns. Designed by the creator of TeeTurtle, Unstable Unicorns features a combination of stellar artwork and carefully calibrated gameplay for an infuriatingly magical experience.” The web site features an introduction video that makes things clearer. Sort of.
Big Cats, Little Kitties
IDW Publishing have two new feline-themed games they recently released. Roar: King of the Pride is a board game for older kids and teens. It goes like this: “In the wilds of Africa, lion prides rule over all beasts, but only one pride can rule over all the lions! In Roar: King of the Pride, three to six players compete to become the dominant pride of Africa. Managing your food supply, while expanding your territory and growing your pride size with cubs, will take strategic planning and key wits. Even the best-laid plans, however, can be interrupted by other prides’ secret objectives, or worse…the encroachment of a new, and deadly, threat.” Meanwhile for younger kids (or folks who like smaller kitties!) there’s a new card game: “In Slap Cat!, you play as a mad scientist attempting to assemble the world’s most adorable cat! Draft cards to your Cat Construction area by quickly slapping them as they are revealed. Earn bonus points for kitty fedoras, bows, balls of yarn and more. But be careful, slap too slow and you could be left with a hand full of fish bones!” Got all that?
The Lombax and his Robot
Well, okay, putting aside a movie that not many seemed to like, there’s this: The Art of Ratchet & Clank. “Dark Horse Books and Insomniac Games proudly offer a look back at the history of the Ratchet & Clank saga in a Qwark-tastic collection of never-before-seen concept art and behind-the-scenes commentary chronicling eleven amazing games and the brilliant studio that created them! The 15-year anniversary retrospective of one of the most influential PlayStation games!” It’s coming in hardcover this March.
Remember: Food Over Fighting!
Recently at CTN Animation Expo in Burbank we came across an artist named Donna Vu. She is the lead artist and art director on Dragon Roll, an on-line game published by Sleepless Skink Productions in 2016. According to their web site, it goes like this: “Fun Guo and Shiu Mae [a pair of young dragon siblings] are on an adventure to get their uncles and aunt back from their homes. After a fight, while preparing their dad’s surprise birthday party, they all go their separate ways. Now they must find and remind them of the important roll that family plays in all our lives, all before their dad gets home.” Remember to visit Donna’s web site too, as she has lots of development sketches for the game.
Block-Heads
You may recall we previously mentioned Jed Henry and Dave Bull and their proposed video game Edo Superstar, with an art style based on the ancient art of Japanese wood-block prints. Well now their web site tells us they got the game completed, and they’re also making and selling their own line of wood-block prints (copied as giclees). A close look at many of the prints will reveal some subtle (or not-so-subtle) comic book, animation, and video game subjects depicted in a new and stylized manner.
Battling the Elements
Came across this new game at San Diego Comic Con. It’s called Rivals of Aether, and it was created by Dan Fornace. From the official web site, here’s what they say: “Rivals of Aether is an indie fighting game set in a world where warring civilizations summon the power of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Choose a Rival to bring into the battlefield and manipulate the powers of the classical elements and animal movement. Untangle the mysterious conflicts of the planet Aether in Story Mode or take your combat skills online and challenge your friends across the world.” The site also includes an animated preview video. The game is available now through Steam for various platforms.
Enter The World Of Equestria
From the it’s about hoofin’ TIME department: Ninja Division has developed and published the first official role-playing game (RPG) based on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. (Several fans have previously created unofficial My Little Pony mods for existing generic RPG systems, of course.) My Little Pony: Tales Of Equestria is described as “…a storytelling pen and paper game for 2 to 6 players. Players create and role-play as pony heroes who explore and seek adventure in the various lands of Equestria. Guided by a Game Master (GM), players adventure together and use the magic of friendship to overcome obstacles as they learn more about each other and the world around them. With a full-color, hardback, 152-page rule book outlining character creation, scenarios, and play, Tails of Equestria brings My Little Pony to life for all who love the magic-filled world of Equestria. Using the rulebook, players are encouraged to create their own pony that represents them. Armed with core skills and special abilities, each player then ventures into the world with their pony peers, forging deeper friendships as they help one another in the whimsical world they create through every action they take.” The core rule book is available now on Amazon.
Island of Lost Bunnies
Recently the artist A.M. Scharf (who creates under the name Acidpluvia) put up a link to an interesting Kickstarter campaign. Acidpluvia has been asked to be the official illustrator for Rabbit Island, a card-and-tile game created by Leslie and Samantha Et Alia of Infinite Heart Games. “Play as one of the four Tribal Leaders and explore a new island every game in this light 4x game for 2-4 players. Build up your civilization using your Carrot Tokens and special Action Cards – can you conquer your opponents in 20 rounds?” The campaign page has much more in the way of artwork and descriptions of the game play. The Kickstarter campaign runs through mid-July.