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
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,
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
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
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
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
| Year | Game | System | Publisher | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alentejo: Tinto’s Law | GB/C | Loading Studios | Link |
| 2025 | Black Tower Enigma | GB/C | Ogre Pixel | Link |
| 2025 | Cake Keeper | GBC | Xeif | Link |
| 2025 | Chantey | GB/C | ModRetro | Link |
| 2025 | Cosmo Knight ZiON | GBC | Zeichi Games | Link |
| 2025 | Cronela’s Mansion | GB/C | Straynus | Link |
| 2025 | Do you like/? | GBC | nanu | Link |
| 2025 | GBS Windows | GBC | RubenRetro | Link |
| 2025 | Ghoul Trasher | GB | Magic Quest Media | Link |
| 2025 | Hermano (Re-Release) | GB/C | ModRetro | Link |
| 2025 | Jelly Boy | GB | Limited Run Games | Link |
| 2025 | Luft Gears | GB | Cestmir Kocian | Link |
| 2025 | Metal Miracle | GBC | Pat Morita Team | Link |
| 2025 | Ophide Snake Reborn | GB | Studio 40A | Link |
| 2025 | Orpheus: To Hell and Back | GB/C | Studio Loading Productions | Link |
| 2025 | Project S-11 | GBC | ModRetro | Link |
| 2025 | Self Simulated | GBC | 2nd Law Games | Link |
| 2025 | Snout | GBC | saan | Link |
| 2025 | Squirrel Falls | GB/C | Bitmap Soft | Link |
| 2025 | Tools of Nexaura | GB/C | SLG Studios | Link |
| 2025 | Unearthed | GBC | Limited Run Games | Link |
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 choices
import random
def 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
came here from browsing all where i saw the ‘how’s your community doing’ post on fedigrow, wanted to let you know this is about the highest effort, highest quality post i have ever come across, thank you for doing it and i will look out for your future works
also the terrible jokes reminded me of the man’s daddy from digitiser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitiser#Regular_characters
Thank you. I am not familiar with Digitiser but from the Wikipedia description, yeah, I can see why the jokes reminded you of man’s daddy. If I can find Digitiser in some form online online, I will check it out.
no bother, i haven’t finished reading and following all the links yet but seriously this is great stuff
i’ve no idea if digitiser is funny without the nostalgia element but it’s probably still interesting? there is an archive at https://www.superpage58.com/digitiser-vault-teletext-screenshot-image-archive-index.htm
Well, it is lots of stuff, so take your time. It will probably take some time until I finish another issue. Thanks, I found it myself too, at the bottom of the Wikipedia page was a link. Though I do not have nostalgia for digitiser, I grew up with computer magazines, so I have general nostalgia for them, and I might get future ideas from it.
I’m dead tired but can’t sleep, so browsing new Lemmy posts. I say this to justify my very skimmy approach to reading this.
My favorite section was the text adventures. The Talos Principle does a good job espousing the unique strengths of this medium and really reminded me how great those games are. It would be awesome to see a revival of them. Perhaps there’s already a big text adventure scene I’m simply unaware of, if so I’d love to know. I’ll have to check out some of the sources you gave that seem to have built in communities. I appreciate the effort it took to compile the tool options available for making them. I’ve researched this a bit before but you found some I hadn’t heard of, which is great.
I think Lemmy may be a challenging medium for a zine to seem really non-dry, since a lot of the fun of a zine comes in layout and graphics. I feel this is pretty nice given your constraints. I enjoyed the Corner of Fun precisely because of the cheesiness you alluded to. I think it’s a feature.
I am too lazy and tired to actually look at the games you mentioned, just being honest lol. I haven’t heard of them (not that I really follow the gaming world that closely these days) but from my perspective this brought curated light to things I don’t expect I’ll hear about from major publications, and I love that. A few of them sounded interesting enough that I’ll revisit this post later.
Overall, while I admit I haven’t read this super closely, I think this is delightful to see on Lemmy; brought a lot of topic diversity to my feed. I love tech and political posts too, but we need more posts on other topics as well!
Some thing that definitely helps with willingness to click on game links is a picture. It can give me an idea of the gameplay, or at least of graphical style. I usually heavily prefer text-based mediums video but given video games have images, aside from interactive fiction it’s really helpful to see pictures.
Thanks for all your effort in writing the writeup, especially with dyslexia. We need cool original content on the Fediverse too!
Thank you. You right about picture I will try to add some more pictures.
Thank you for your kind words, it helps to keep being motivated and continue. As for text adventure communities I only know of https://textadventures.co.uk/ and the Choice beat zine, which focuses on interactive fiction in general but has a lot info about text adventure games. I will try my best to make the next issue interesting and even better.
I enjoyed reading through this, it’s great to see more inspired content. Thank you!
I’ll also second mfed’s comment about preview pictures, that would be really nice to see. The indie game section was great to browse through.
I also really appreciate that many of the links/sites in general are are small/indie sites. Very cool vibes.
Other than that, I’d say that some of your links could work better if they were more integrated/parsed.