There is this very unfair and prejudiced phrase in the Polish language called "kocia muzyka". You can roughly translate it to "cat's music". It means that this particular music doesn't sound too great, that it's more like a loud racket than real music.

But, dammit! It's not true and it's racist as hell! First of all, we cats are very talented and devoted to our music. You can say it's like second nature to us! Second of all, I know what you are thinking. Paws would be a bit problematic if one were to dream of becoming a world famous instrumentalist. Alas, overcoming adversity is our forte! Nothing, I say nothing is impossible for a committed cat with a well defined objective in his life. Are you familiar with the Keyboard Cat? No?! And you call yourself a fan of music? You probably don't even know Catman John either.

Regardless of your naivety, we have done everything in our power to ensure the soundtrack for The Chronicles of Nyanya would be the most epic, purrific and engaging OST you've ever heard. The tracks were composed by the one and only Marcin Maślanka – renown sound designer, composer, musician, keyboardist and cat lover. Some tracks are so touching, they make our inner cat purr. I’ve even brought you a small sample – listen:

THE CHRONICLES OF NYANYA - OST PROMOMIX

The Chronicles of Nyanya will be out on 16th Furrbruary, so purrease add it to your wishlist to enjoy the game and the soundtrack in all it's full orchestral glory!
 

You're still alive, little one! That's quite an unusual development. I must admit that even though you’ve shown some potential and your abilities can manifest in times of need, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in your success. I'm quite impressed, lad. But enough of the sweet-talk, what brings you back to my humble abode?


Hansel and Gretel

Oh, so you've seen things or... beings and you need some answers? The fairy tales aren't as whimsical as one would think and they certainly are more real than fables. All I say is true - believe me! Lack of faith can bring you impending doom. Hansel and Gretel encountered the witch indeed, it's all historically accurate fact! The Youth did, in fact, go forth and learn what fear wasand Beowulf is not just a mythical hero.


Grendel (Beowulf) 

The story of Pinocchio, The Wonderful World of OZ and even Dracula – it's all true, little one, it's true! And although some of the tales end on a surprisingly optimistic note, no one lived happily ever after and there’s one particular reason for it – the transcendent and magical Lady Death, who binds time, space, lives and fairy tales together. Finding her is your goal, isn't it? So be prepared, my poor child, for she will use every available means to stop you!


Pinocchio

Dracula

If wicked tales don't scare you enough, please add Dream Alone to your Steam wishlist and be prepared for further announcements!

Although our game is kinda Greek-themed, the origin of nonograms goes further east than you might think! Nonograms originate from a design competition held in Tokyo in 1987, which was conquered by none other than Non Ishida. You don't know who he was? Emm... he was a graphics editor. He wasn't famous at all really, but he figured out that it's fun to design grid pictures using skyscraper lights that were turned on and off.

Ishida started to do more and more puzzles which gradually started appearing in Japanese magazines. The first ones were called Window Art Puzzles, published in 1988 and subsequently, release more and more of them. Finally, in 1990, James Dalgety from the Sunday Telegraph called them Nonograms for the first time ever and started publishing Non's puzzles on a weekly basis. 



So, nonograms are just Non's puzzles. Not exactly mysterious, but catchy nontheless. 

NONtheless, get it?

I'm sorry.

But hey, you can check out our Nonograms Prophecy in just a few weeks! The game's coming out on 22nd February, so don't forget to add it to your Steam wishlist!

Oscar Wilde once said, “Art is the only serious thing in the world. And the artist is the only person who is never serious.” This quote embodies the ideals behind Sand is the Soul: to give the game a classic animated feel to the presentation, with the characters standing out against rather obscured backgrounds.



Sand is the Soul began as a game designed more or less in the same vein of Sinless, my previous visual novel/point 'n' click hybrid. The game was supposed to have beeen expanded by beat'em up and dungeon crawling elements (inspired by classics like Eye of the Beholder or Lands of Lore) and built on the modified Cocos 2DX Framework. Sometime around May 2016, I made the decision to make significant changes and overhaul the gameplay. That, in turn, resulted in switching engines to Construct 2.



The assets for Sand is the Soul were first created in high resolution. This, however, turned out to be too taxing on the game engine (the hi-res animations were absolute RAM killers in Construct
2), so a compromise had to be made. After making some pixel/retroesque inspired Dark Souls
fanart, the Nameless King turned out to be the target audience’s strong favorite, 
hence pointing in the direction to where the game‘s artstyle was to evolve.



Due to the strong influence of „Sand“, the morphine-like drug in Crosshill lore, I‘ve also added some tricked-out effects to its presentation. Most scenes are strongly based on contrasts with a very distinctive „acid trippy“ flair.



The new version of the game was showcased at a polish expo (Poznań Game Arena 2016) and was appreciated for not only the lore and gameplay, but also for the visual makeover, so the development was continued with this style in mind.



The world of Sand is the Soul is divided into two main areas: The Frontier and The
Township of Crosshill. Both vary in their style. The maps taking place in natural spaces feature softer, more pastelesque or pixelated backgrounds, whilst the sturdy, brick filled Victorian-
Gothic-Baroque inspired town features sharper, more realistic backdrops. The township itself is
divided into classes by districts. At the sprawling base of the city, the architecture will be more
akin to a simplified Victorian style with few gothic elements. The deeper the player ventures into the township, the more Baroque and Gothic elements will be featured in the surrounding buildings.

If you enjoy the disturbing atmosphere of Crosshill, please add Sand is the Soul to your Steam wishlist for more trippy, delusional art for your viewing pleasure.

Do you really want to try investigating the terrifying secrets of Green Creek? You are a brave one, mister, aren you? Before you depart, however, you should probably know about the Great One, the mysterious, mythical creator who made this place into how we see it today. All the hauntings, apparitions and paranormal activities were also put here by his hand, so the legends say. The old tomes of magic and arcane call him the Developer or Mr. Ciastku.



It is said that one day there were these weird things called "video games" which many people and other beings, even the Great Ones, were interested in. The same goes for the Developer, who adored the scariest, most chilling and most horrifying of the games. It is written that Penumbra: Black Plague and Amnesia: The Dark Descent were amongst his favorite. No one really knows how "video games" had captivated the attention of the ancient ones and led them to waste such time on them. Nevertheless, the books say that Green Creek was a creation inspired by these horrifying games which played on the the Developer's mind.



The tomes from the ages tell of many interesting stories about the mysterious Developer. You can even find some terrible sketches. They were probably unused monster concepts which didn't quite fit into his frightening visions. I brought a few of them for you. Just look at those abominations! I am indeed hoping they will not manifest in Green Creek one day...



And have you heard the stories about the places that vanish? You are aghast, but I speak the truth!There once was a mine here. One day it just disappeared and no one knows why. The local tales say that the Developer decided there was no purpose for this location to exist. If that's true, can you imagine how powerful he is?



Not scared enough yet? Then please add Apparition to your Steam wishlist to follow further developments on the investigation.

Hello Travelers!



World 3 will be the final destination for all adventurous Warlocks. It's a place filled mostly with deserts with sparse population scattered among a few cities. Terrains between those settlements are extremely dangerous due to unfriendly flora and fauna inhabiting them.



Fortunately the few people (?) of this world are pretty friendly towards Warlocks, especially when it comes to trade.



So better make sure to come by a town whenever you get low on supplies during your missions. And don't forget to bring some trophies to trade in for powerful equipment and life-saving consumables.
_________________________

If you like what you're seeing add the game the your Steam Wishlist to stay updated 

For the newest updates on the game's development outside of this community you can also follow us on Facebook, Youtube or Twitter.

Frozen District Team

In this game there's no lion, but there are definitely witches. And a wardrobe, but not what you might expect. The upcoming retro-style jRPG The Chronicles of Nyanya is full of delicious silliness.

My personal favorite. Monty Python famously invented the Knights Who Say Ni and now Hamstercube has created this one. Purrgli is a great Catmerian purrior who says only "yes" during the whole game. The affairs are so wonderfully wrapped around this fact that Purrgli never has to say anything else. It's like Terry Prachett's narrativium set in action; the story fits no matter what. Brilliant.



Want to know more about the game? Add The Chronicles of Nyanya to your Steam wishlist and wait for upcoming updates.

The Chronicles of Nyanya will be released in February, 2018. The game offers up to 20 hours of gameplay & multiple endings.

Running a company is no joke. At least not a good one. You need to micromanage the many various aspects of your business and doing the finances is especially challenging. Responsible administration is the key to success and even if you're more interested in screws, nozzles and oil stains, there's no way you can just ignore it. Unless you feel like you were born for a long, meaningful career as a circus clown, and must rebelliously pursue that dream to spite your father’s dream of a successful garage, you gotta put in the work.


Let's say you really want to dedicate your life to running this business the very best you can. You take your first job and the motorbike is delivered to the garage. The issue is really insignificant – a few small parts need replacing and it's good as new! Since it's your first job, you need to invest some of your own money first.



There are two ways of obtaining the necessary parts in Motorbike Garage Mechanic Simulator. Firstly, you should check the prices at the authorized retailers. Ordering from them will assure you all the parts are top notch and have come straight from the production line. As you might guess, they're also expensive, but you are resourceful. There's another way of getting parts for the job - you can look for them at the Yebuy auction service. It’s possible someone wants to get rid of the parts you need for a lower price. As it turns out, Yebuy is also useful when you need to dispose of some of your leftover junk.



Of course sometimes everything goes wrong, even when you’ve done everything you could to maintain the cash flow of your business. You can always take a loan, you know? It may not be the ideal solution, however, ‘cause you’ll need to pay it back in installments and, ultimately, you’ll pay more than you borrowed. 

But hey, there's a small clicker game on your smartphone which earns you small amounts of money for playing it. Free money! Every little bit counts, right?

If the financial aspects of running a company doesn't scare you, go ahead and add Motorbike Garage Mechanic Simulator to your Steam wishlist to stay up to date with all news.

You already know my eLEMentary inspiration story for the rusty future of Futurust. But what about the gameplay? I'm sure some of you are scratching your heads thinking, "it's 2018 and he's doing a 2D point & click game? Y tho?"

The short answer? Because they’re fun. 

The long answer: Because they're extremely fun and it's a shame that there aren’t many adventure games coming out lately. You know, I’ve always loved the fact that the experience I get from playing classic hits like The Pink Panther, Gobliiins or any of the Dizzy series, are very similar to what I felt when reading my favorite books. Those gaming adventures were so masterfully crafted, and the stories so in-depth and captivating, I just couldn't stop playing. 



Yeah, that's it! I find playing good point & click adventure games parallel to reading a wonderfully written book. If you think about it, since they are both quite alike in terms of the way they effect their audience, they may have a similar function in one’s life. I love Lem's novels and I read them from time to time, even though I can already quote his stories from memory. Why? Because the older I get, the more I discover in those novels - from a different perspective. Adventure games are the same. You finish the story, put it down for a while and come back to it after you’ve lived your life a bit and your point of view shifts because of the new experiences and your different environment at the time. 



I also love crafting fictional worlds that mirror real-life issues and helping to point them out to the audience. Games can serve as a social commentary in the same way books do, but in my humble opinion, they're more engaging and interactive due to their nature.



If you share my love, please remember to add Futurust to your Steam wishlist!


Can you spot the cameo straight from Yolkfolk? :)

Written by Dominik Gąska for Fat Dog Games

Michał Neugarten, one of the three co-founders of MGP Studios, is aware that his current project, Sand is the Soul, may be too tricky to navigate for the general public. But he’s so insistent on making a demanding, niche 2D action RPG reminiscent of the games we played in the 80s and 90s, that he’s willing to risk it.

“Before playing the game you will need to read a 30-page digital manual. Playing the game without it can be challenging,” says Neugarten, clearly proud of this design decision. And even though it has already cost him a lot in terms of both money and his private life, he’s set on making Sand is the Soul just the game he wants it to be.


Learning by mistakes

Before Michał started working on his solo project, he had completed and released two games with the other two co-founders of MGP Studios - Grzegorz Jurczuk and Paweł Nożykowski (the G and P to his M). Michał met them relatively late in his career, years after being burnt by a potential partner. That partner was the programmer with whom he was supposed to break into the gaming industry around 7 years ago.
“What can I say, you learn by your mistakes. I started working on my first game, Sinless, with a programmer recommended to me by a mutual friend. Friendship is one thing. When it came to real work, with actual responsibilities, it turned out he wasn’t the proper person for the task,” Michał says.
That first attempt took up over a year of hard work, which eventually led him to realize that he was the only one actually getting anything done. With tons of music and design ideas, with assets finished and ready to be put into the game, the other half of the team wasn’t even able to reach the early alpha stage.
“He was supposed to show a beta, but it was an alpha at best. Of the 40 working scenes he’d promised he couldn’t even make 5 work,” Michał explains.
So their paths had to split.


Joining forces

It would be another few years before Michał meets two programmers with no previous involvement in the video game industry, Paweł and Grzegorz. Only then was he finally allowed to complete his first game. Sinless, a 2D point and click visual novel with demanding gameplay and no hand-holding was to be a love letter to the games Michał grew up with. Dynimix’s Rise of the Dragon was his chief inspiration.
“What I really liked about those games was their immense attention to detail combined with a complete trust in the player. So, for example, if at the start of the game you picked up your clothes but forgot to put them on in your inventory, you’d get arrested for indecent exposure as soon as you walked out the door,” explains Michał, adding that a very similar easter egg exists in Sinless.
Michał and the rest of the team were really happy with their work on Sinless when the game was released on Steam in the end of 2015. At least as much as they could be - you never stop thinking you could have done more. When the game didn’t achieve commercial success, something needed to change. The team had to eat. 



Going casual

Their second project, Roll’d, called for a very different approach. They had decided to make a casual arcade game with mass appeal. It was designed to be a simple timekiller in the popular endless runner genre. But even with this one they wouldn’t settle for the path of least resistance.
“Maybe I set my ambitions a bit too high with that one. Now, I believe someone who plays that kind of game doesn’t really care about the graphics or variety in the levels, but I wanted each of them to have a distinct visual style,” Michał says.
Either way, Roll’d was released on Steam in April, 2016, and it was much more profitable than Sinless. They finally felt their work made sense - not only as a hobby, but as a means of making money. Paradoxically, it only confirmed for Michał that he didn’t simply want to make money. He wants to make creations that he’s proud of.

Getting back to roots

“The basic idea for Sand is the Soul is now almost twenty years old. I did the first sketches and design ideas back when I was in college,” says Michał about his current solo project. This is the game he always wanted to make, but he didn’t want to cause problems for his partners.
“I knew they had their close ones to support and they couldn’t afford to spend the next few years making a game that might be another gamble. I, on the other hand, was already deeply involved in working on Sand is the Soul and I didn’t want to stop. So we’ve decided to part ways for a bit,” Michał explains the current state of his studio.
And boy, isn’t it an unique one! Sand is the Soul is a hardcore action RPG with a complex combat system. It requires the player to read a sizable manual before they even start playing! Michał is certain that there’s a method to this madness.

“By combining all the elements of a demanding action game with a cerebral adventure game, I hope to attract those people for whom the most important thing in gaming is the sense of discovery and wonder that we felt so often back in the day,” he says. Judging by the success of similarly attentive and well-designed games in recent years, he just may be on to something.