Who doesn’t love a good indie game? Much like the plucky underdog heroes in so many stories, everyone can derive a certain amount of relatable satisfaction when we see an independently developed game succeed. Without the backing of big name corporations, or the media contacts readily at their fingers, eager to give their game a smattering of press coverage, it’s undeniably difficult for some indie games to get their name out there.
Indie developers are enveloped in a certain mysterious glamor. They take on identities of passion, of determination, and sometimes a tooth-and-nail scrappiness. In the case of the Aussie team of League of Geeks and their debut game, Armello, we saw fair amount of positive praise back with their release in September 1st of this year, with The IndieGame Magazine applauding the game’s art style, comparing it’s quaint and magical nature with that of Studio Ghibli. Twinfinite praised the game’s presentation, as well as the “deep gameplay” and “wide variety of characters.”
The game is seeing its first major update with Armello Roar, now readily available on Steam–meanwhile PS4 fans can expect their updated versions of Armello on Nov. 10th. Fans of the fantasy adventure digital board game will see a change in the House Rules (something IGN had thrown some shade at in their review), which now enables players to customize rules for each game. League of Geeks also improved the game’s pacing with the addition of a fast forward button, as well as improvements in stability and multiplayer security, several new items including five cards, new weapons and armor, and an Easter egg for fans of Darkest Dungeon.
Developers seemed to have put forth a strong step forward to make improvements where critics pointed out chinks in their armor. “Our intention has always been to keep improving Armello with feedback from the fantastic community,” said Trent Kusters, founder and director, League of Geeks. “The new update addresses the many requests we received for more customization options and house rules. We look forward to continuing our dynamic relationship with Armello fans, improving Armello in concert with our community as we have since the start of our Kickstarter campaign.”
Overall, if you enjoy grim Narnia-esk fantasies, find excitement in quests, taking risks and rolling die, grabs a few friends and give Armello Roar a try. The DRM-free version was released on Oct. 1 and is currently available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Armello Roar update will be available for PS4 on November 10th. Armello is available on Steam, Humble Store and the PlayStation Store for $19.99.