Compilation Post #1

 Hello! Sorry for letting the site go quiet for a while. Between other projects of mine and personal life things, there hasn't been much time to devote to playing through fangames to write individual posts. In an effort to bring some activity to this place regardless, I'm going to start writing little compilation posts of the smaller projects we receive in our submissions inbox. Expect a variety of content in these, from completed games to pitches for larger projects that just don't have enough information available yet to fill an entire article.

 If any of the content here looks like it should have its own separate article, feel free to leave a comment saying so!

Game: Derpy: Mystery of the Apple Thief

Derpy: Mystery of the Apple Thief

Derpy: Mystery of the Apple Thief is a pixel art platformer made by Starlight Studios where you play as Derpy and go on a quest to save Fluttershy, who has gone missing and coincidentally right after that apples everywhere are disappearing. Hmmm, I wonder why is that?

Since this is a pretty short game, I won't go into detail about it. It's a little too easy for my taste, but if you want something to relax for a good ten minutes, this might be for you.

Pony Rush

Pony Rush

 For those who need a little bit of pony on the go, Pony Rush is a simple cloud-doger game for Android smartphones. (And as clever people could figure out from the title, you play as a pony. I don't know her name.) There are two modes; an endurance mode where you fly until hitting a cloud, and a time attack mode where the goal is to reach the end as quickly as possible. There isn't a lot of depth (nor sound; put on your music library while you play, I guess), but the best scores for each mode are stored, so pursuing a new best might be a good way to kill a few idle minutes. The game ran fine on my underclocked Galaxy SII, and no special permissions are required, so it shouldn't be difficult to run the game on any decent phone.

Game: Cutie Mark Unmagic

Cutie Mark Unmagic

 Hot on the nonexistent trails of the lack of news about season 5 of that one horse show, futzi01 has another one of those Flash games he always makes. This time, the concept is six minigames centered around one-upping each member of the main cast at some part of their special talents, sending them face-first into crushing show spoilers and the endless wait for more drips of information. If all six of the minigames are beaten in one sitting, your reward is a screen ranting about the excessive commercialization of a show designed primarily to sell toys.

H.O.A.R.S.E.

H.O.A.R.S.E.

 Project H.O.A.R.S.E., created (and sent to us on Twitter) by Phirenor, is... a strange little dogfighting tech demo. You can give your horse different guns and a customized color scheme which never seems to apply right, and then send it into battle with a bunch of cloned pegasi. Everything flies around like a plane, starts smoking after taking damage, and then explodes. And if you touch the terrain at all, you have to restart the game. It's an alright way to kill a few bored minutes, I suppose, and it's not like you have to download anything (except the Unity player plugin) to try it out.

 News has been slow lately.

Demo: HorseGame

HorseGame Demo

 Hey, remember that HorseGame thing we posted about earlier? Well, the team at EquiDev has now released the demo for public consumption, which can be downloaded from their site. It contains one playable area with a variety of enemies, collectibles and spells to entertain oneself with. I've already said all about the game that I can in the last article, so I'll cut straight to the chase and post their announcement below the break.

HorseGame demo trailer and new website

HorseGame

After around a year and a half of development, the team at Equidev (formerly SprakleDev) finally has a new update concerning a new public demo of their project, HorseGame. For those unaware, HorseGame is a 3D platformer inspired by games like Ratchet and Clank, wherein you play as an unnamed unicorn and fight off enemies with various attacks and spells.

 While the demo itself isn't quite out yet, the dev team did send us this trailer to post, as well as an announcement to share, which I've placed just past the page break. Read on for more about the project and the demo!

Trotmania III Public Beta

Trotmania III Public Beta

Trotmania, the pony-themed song pack for Stepmania, is nearing it's third major release, and the creators have decided to release a public beta! So, if you want to get a sneak peak of the new songs, click above to get to the Trotmania blog.

Go below the break for a songlist!

Canterlot Siege 3: Inversion

Canterlot Siege 3: Inversion

 Hot off the queue of things that have lingered in our inbox for a depressingly long time, Canterlot Siege 3: Inversion is the latest entry in the line of Flash-powered tower defense games by futzi01 starring characters from the MLP universe. The main difference in this one is that now you're playing as the villains, trying to stop the good guys from reclaiming their home. Gameplay-wise, notable additions include the ability to place boss characters - fully upgraded attackers with special attack patterns - and additional variety in the level choices, going from the old design philosophy of different paths in a grassy field to levels with some actual variety in them, even if only visually. The game does get difficult fast - as someone not well-versed in tower defense games, I struggled to make it very far my first few rounds - but it becomes more manageable with practice.

 At this point I mostly post these things to keep a log of them. Most of the people interested in this game probably follow the author and played it months ago.

Game: Patapony

Patapony

Patapony is a rhythm-based game inspired by the game Patapon. Here you control an entire army of Pinkie Pies and lead them through a few different stages, using your drums to create three different combinations that tell the Pinkies what to do, namely March, Attack and Defend.

While there aren't many levels, they certainly were enough to game over me once or twice, and it's really fun to play. It starts off a little hard due to unfamiliarity, but once you get the hang of it everything goes a lot smoother.

Now, get out there and start drummin' so your Pinkies can follow.

Mini Game: Pony Petting Simulator: Applejack

Pony Petting Simulator: Applejack

If you feel like relaxing for a few minutes and you think Applejack is best pony, this may be the game for you. It's an interactive simulator. Maybe you've seen or played games like this before, but if you haven't, it's a game where you can interact with the character, usually by petting them or scratching their ears, trying to get them to like(or dislike) you. There aren't a lot of things to do in this one, but it does have enough interactions and the animation is good enough to keep you entertained for a good five minutes. Now go! Start petting!

Hey look, Apocalypse isn't the only undead blogger here.

War of Harmony Platformer Beta

War of Harmony Platformer Beta

A mechanics experiment by the creator of the War of Harmony series, this game has no plot and is still a bit rough around the edges, but it's worth check out if only to give the creator some feedback. That being said, the creator is currently on hiatus. Either way, nothing to put after the break. Download's up above, creator's tumblr is here.

Also hey look I'm still alive. Hi everyone.

Game: Legacy of the Pony

 

Legacy of the Pony

  This game has been out for a couple of months now, but it's never too late to post about projects, I think! Legacy of the Pony, created by DeftFunk and Noonanna, is a non-linear Metroidvania-style platformer starring Spike as he ventures through a sprawling cave system to rescue Rarity from the Diamond Dogs. To complete their journey, players will need to locate the Elements of Harmony hidden deep in every corner of the game world.. A variety of powerups and collectibles are littered throughout the game to help Spike on his quest, and a map system helps keep players from getting lost. The game has an 8-bit aesthetic reminiscent of Game Boy games, which provides a bit of charm.

 The game can be downloaded from Dropbox (with a Spanish version available for some of the international readers out there), and it has its own subreddit for discussion on the game. I've barely scratched the surface of the game so far; this post may see updates in the near future with further impressions as I progress.

Game: Unicorn Training

Unicorn Training
Demo | Full ($0.99)

 Adventures in Equica: Unicorn Training is a top-down shooter/RPG hybrid game developed by Yotes Games for mobile phones and tablets, which takes inspiration from the FiM universe but apparently manages to be distinct enough to get away with being a paid game. The game centers around a young unicorn named Clover, apprentice to Totally Not Starswirl the Bearded, as she trains in the ways of magical combat. While we posted about the project in its earlier days, when it was known as Unicorn Quest, the game finally released over the weekend for Android devices. The full version, which costs 99 cents, contains nine dungeons to explore, though only the first is available in the demo.

 While the game shows promise, my play session with the demo was disappointing; poor touch screen controls combined with tedious, monotonous fights and a dungeon that went on for too long to create an unsatisfying experience. Various bugs in movement and the interface served only to further dampen the fun. In addition, the boss at the end of the demo's dungeon simply vanished when I attempted to reload a save file, leaving me no other option but to exit without seeing whatever proper ending may have been there. An extra coat of polish and some more effort on dungeon design would greatly benefit this game; right now, I can't recommend much more than trying the demo out for a play session or two.

Demo: The Underworld's Cello 2.0

The Underworld's Cello

(Demo 2.0 download)

Note: This game contains a few mature themes, as well as some crude gore.

 Are you enjoying Halloween so far? No? Let's do something about that. Octavia in The Underworld's Cello is a point-and-click adventure game made by Herooftime1000 wherein two ponies get lost in an old mansion. Within, you'll find puzzles, alchemy, and even a few card games. The content present is a lot of fun, and the game seems to take inspiration from old LucasArts point-and-clicks in every aspect of presentation.

 Though the game is unfinished, the current content is more than enough for a good evening of fun and jump scares, as long as you make sure to save often. The puzzles present are great fun, and the mechanics help to add a lot of depth to the gameplay, though occasionally an item seemed to vanish upon pickup with a full inventory.

Poképon early alpha release

Poképon

 This one's been sitting in the inbox for a little bit while some preparations were made for the post. Poképon, made by Silverweed91, is a Pokémon-styled battle simulator featuring various ponies and other characters from the FiM universe. The current early release is a little barebones and unstable, but battling and teambuilding over the internet are fully supported. The game takes inspiration from Pokémon Showdown in its presentation and layout, for an easy transition for anyone used to that interface.

 A download link is available on the game's site, and the source code is located at the game's GitHub repository. Since there's no official game server running, I've set one up on my VPS; to connect, set the IP to lyrawearspants.com and the port to its default. There may not be anyone ready to battle when you connect; in that case, simply wait around for someone to show up.

Review: War of Harmony IV

War of Harmony IV

War of Harmony IV is an RPG created by Marshal Ruffy which has been under development for quite some time now. You may remember Tuxxy reviewing an earlier build of the game, so I'd like to begin by saying I will NOT take into account that review. I will be reviewing this as if it were an entirely new game. As always, check below the break for the review.

Horse Game and more at BronyCAN 2014

Horse Game

 The development team behind Horse Game, a 3D game about... something, will be hosting a panel at BronyCAN 2014 next weekend. The Horse Game panel begins at 3PM on Saturday, and will feature the developers as they (as described in the press release) showcase gameplay, detail the development process, and explain their goals for where this project will lead.

 Pre-registration for the event closes tonight at midnight, for those interested in attending. Other games present include Twilight Sparkle's Secret Shipfic Folder, which will be on sale in the dealers' hall, and Legends of Equestria.

Legends of Equestria running an open server weekend

Legends of Equestria

 We already posted about this when the announcement was made, but Legends of Equestria, the most well known horse MMO in the fandom, is hosting an open server this weekend to live out all of your romping around and boundary-escaping fantasies in. They've now put the client up for download, and the servers will be going up soon if they aren't already. Check out their news post for more information, or read the important bits mirrored below the break (as their site servers always seem to go down often during open servers).

Mini-Game: Hop, Skip & Jump

Hop, Skip & Jump

 If you have some time to kill but don't have enough energy to invest into a complex game, here's a more simple option for you. Leap from pillar to pillar while avoiding the off-screen hydra and collecting gems on the way that you can use to unlock other ponies and hats(YES HATZ) in this little game that could potentially rival Flappy Bird when it comes to addictiveness. Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Android!

 Since it's a rather straightforward concept there's no break this time. Enjoy!