So proud to share this news with you. Western Australian Indie games company STIRFIRE will release their game on STEAM tomorrow. We interviewed Garth Pendergast a while ago when Freedom Fall first came out.

PRESS RELEASE

Freedom Fall Levels Up for Steam Release
Bigger, More Beautiful, More Steam

Perth, January 9, 2014 — Freedom Fall, the delightfully diabolical down-scrolling indie platformer, hits Steam on January 10 with all new content and features.

It’s a fast-paced action game wrapped around a surprisingly layered tale of guilt and innocence, colourful taunts, twisted humour, a princess and a rogue, deadly contraptions and swooping dragons.

The Steam release delivers two new levels (taking the total to 14), updated animations for slicker hand-drawn action, smarter camera movement, achievements to earn, added trading cards, badges and emoticons to collect, and now you can pit your best runs against your friends on the new Freedom Fall leaderboards.

The two new levels in the game are The Garden and The Undersea Lair. The Garden is set early in the game, while The Undersea Lair is a super hard level unlocked after completing the game.

Freedom Fall Artist, Writer and Designer Lisa Rye says, “We wanted to do something special for Steam. I’m most excited to see how players react to the two new levels, but I’m also really glad I had this chance to go through and give the whole game another level of visual polish to get it closer to how I picture it in my head. You never quite have time for everything you want to get into your game, so something like this is a great thank you for everyone who voted for us on Steam, as well as the team.”

Freedom Fall was developed in Perth, Australia, and won the 2013 West Australian Screen Award for Best Videogame, and reached the final round of the Australia-wide Game Developer Awards in two categories: Best Game and Design.

It will be available on Steam January 10 for US$6.49, and will be US$9.99 after the launch sale ends. For more information, art assets or interview opportunities with Lisa Rye please contact us.

reviewed by Jamie Marriage

Set upon islands floating above a forsaken world, The Brightest Light, by Scott J. Robinson, is a classic action adventure story with plenty of surprises. Within a fast paced world of organized crime and seemingly endless chaos; Robinson has set the stage for a twisted tale of violence and redemption.

The Brightest Light is the first novel I’ve been able to comfortably categorize as ‘CrystalPunk’. Many fascinating universes exist within speculative fiction; some are cybernetic, some are steam or clockwork powered, and some breath diesel fumes, but the Brightest Light is the one of the few that stand tall and proudly proclaim “Because… crystals”. This is a great thing. By establishing a technological basis for his work, Robinson has been able to fully explore culture and intrigue without delving into the heady waters of scientific detail that often detracts from the action. And action, there is a plenty. Barely a chapter passes between gun-fights, back-alley chases or poisonous political corruption. This makes for a novel difficult to put down.

Story and character design is solid and consistent. Kade, an criminal turned honest citizen after his last job turned bad, is called back after a decade of exile, for one more big theft. Unbeknownst to him his criminal revival is less to bring him back to the fold of the Skyway men, and more to frame him for an even more important crime. Every island he travels to with his police officer companion, Lana, brings forth new challenges and dangers, but also new opportunities. Morals and money are loose in the Skylands. Kade is reminded of this when he encounters crooked police, corrupt politicians and plenty of everyday people happy to take him for all he’s got, while he’s attempting to clear his name and take back something that could put all the skylands at risk.

The Brightest Light is a heady and enjoyable read from cover-to-cover, at worst suffering for its frenetic pace, but made up for with lashings of strong characters, imaginative scenes, and well choreographed action.

Kindle link for US http://www.amazon.com/Brightest-Light-Scott-J-Robinson-ebook/dp/B007XCWAEW/
Kindle link for Aus http://www.amazon.com.au/The-Brightest-Light-Scott-Robinson-ebook/dp/B007XCWAEW/ Paperback Link for amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Brightest-Light-Scott-Robinson/dp/1479393185/

Paper back link for Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Brightest-Light-Scott-J-Robinson/9781479393183

Acapella was one of those songs I kept hearing on the radio and couldn’t get out of my head. When I finally tracked down the song video, I fell instantly in love with it. It really pops; the music, the dance, the film editing, the lighting, the wardrobe.

From what I’ve read, it’s a homage to the 90’s videos that the duo Karmin (Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan) grew up watching. Wiki cites  Busta Rhymes,Missy Elliott, TLC, Brandy and Destiny’s Child as their main influences and the clip is the end result of good choreography and a strong vision.

I can’t help but compare it to the DJ Havana Brown’s video for WARRIOR, which seems to have a muddy vision and some awkward costuming that does little to enhance the song. Have a look at both of them and tell me what you think. I’ll be interested to see what Karmin offer up next. 

• Songwriting – Amy Heidemann, Nick Noonan, Sam Hollander, Martin Johnson
• Production – Martin Johnson, additional by Kyle Moorman and Brandon Paddock
• Mixing – Serban Ghenea
• Engineering – Kyle Moorman, Brandon Paddock

Warrior by DJ Havana Brown