FANTASTIC ARCADE PRESENTS JUEGOS RANCHEROS: THUNDERBEAM EDITION (W/ BONUS J.S. JOUST-ING!)
Here we go again: this Sunday, June 5th, at 4PM, we’ll be kicking off the second edition of JUEGOS RANCHEROS at The Highball, in partnership with Fantastic Arcade! This time around, we’ll be getting a closer look at THUNDERBEAM, the psychedelic, open-ended iPad adventure game coming soon from brand new Austin indie studio Karakasa Games.
[ RSVP FOR THIS EVENT AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE! ]
For a debut game, THUNDERBEAM comes with a lot of pedigree: it’s directed and designed by Wiley Wiggins (who you may recall from his starring roles in DAZED AND CONFUSED & WAKING LIFE), is being animated using the same rotoscoping technology behind both WAKING LIFE & A SCANNER DARKLY (from Flat Black Films), and will feature sound design and an original soundtrack by THE OCTOPUS PROJECT.
Inspired as much by classic games like ANOTHER WORLD, PRINCE OF PERSIA, MANIAC MANSION & EARTHBOUND as it is by 70’s science fiction, Karakasa promises THUNDERBEAM will be a game that “eliminates busywork, rewards ingenuity, maximizes randomness and emergent play” in “a grown-up world where death is an immediate, irreversible and oddly-funny reality.”
Wiggins, Flat Black founder Bob Sabiston & The Octopus Project will all be attending to present the art, sounds, technology and ideas behind the game from 4PM, and all will be on-hand to sign limited edition THUNDERBEAM posters!
And that’s not all! Following the THUNDERBEAM presentation, JUEGOS RANCHEROS will be featuring the worldwide debut of a PlayStation Move-enhanced version of JOHANN SEBASTIAN JOUST, a new game imported direct from Denmark devs COPENHAGEN GAME COLLECTIVE — the same team behind the Independent Games Festival finalist B.U.T.T.O.N.
JOUST just might be the most unexpectedly theatrical & amazing videogame you’ll play in 2011: a three-player game where your only goal is to be the last person standing in a dramatic round of baroque slow-motion dueling. Each player holds a PS Move controller and tries to keep it as still as possible, as you and your opponents try to sneakily tip each others’ controllers to count them out of the round, everything paced by a Bach piece that’s constantly shifting its tempo.
It’s a game better experienced than it is described (see: the video above), and was the surprise underground hit of the recent Nordic Game Conference & Arcade Boat 2011 party (which you can see beautiful footage of here). Trust us: you’re going to love it.
Everything will be kicking off Sunday, June 5th, 4PM at The Highball, 1142 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704! Come hang out, enjoy the Highball’s Happy Hour drink specials, and say hello to the people changing the way you think about games!
[*PS: Hey everyone! Bring your 3DS again! We all still need more StreetPasses!]
