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Posts Tagged ‘Tiny Barbarian DX’

SANTA ANA, Calif., October 10, 2017—Nicalis Inc. (publisher and developer of the Switch hits The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ and Cave Story+) is proud to announce the official release of Tiny Barbarian DX, the company’s latest retro-inspired neo-classic for Nintendo Switch. The game is available now for $29.99 as a physical game card in North America or as a digital download from the Nintendo eShop in both North America and Europe.

A tour de force of 2D platform-game excellence, Tiny Barbarian DX uses pixel art, chiptunes and time-honored gameplay mechanics to tell an incredible story in four exciting chapters. The protagonist is a savage swordsman in search of treasure, a hearty flagon of mead and the warmth of a fair maiden by the fireside. He may be tiny in relation to the gigantic boss characters he encounters or the epic scale of the game’s ultra-widescreen presentation, but there’s nothing tiny about his prowess, his ambition or his heart!

“If the Barbarian isn’t your favorite archetype already, it will be after playing this game.” says designer Michael Stearns of developer StarQuail Games. A huge fan of sword-and-sorcery pulp fiction and 16-bit-era video games, Stearns prefers to let his creation speak for itself. “But since it can’t talk,” he volunteers, “I’ll just tell you: Tiny Barbarian DX is the only game that matters this year.”

First run physical retail copies of Tiny Barbarian DX will also contain a deluxe full-color instruction manual and a branded microfiber pouch with a chibi Tiny Barbarian PVC keychain inside. The packaging artwork was created by legendary illustrator Susumu Matsushita, best known as the cover artist for hundreds of issues of Japan’s weekly video-game magazine Famitsu.

Developed by StarQuail Games in collaboration with Nicalis Inc., Tiny Barbarian DX is available now on Nintendo Switch and Steam for $29.99. The digital version is also available now in Europe for 29,99€ (£26.99 in the UK).

To view the Tiny Barbarian DX Launch Trailer, please click HERE

About Nicalis, Inc.
Based in Southern California and founded in 2007, Nicalis, Inc. is currently celebrating its 10th year as a leading developer and publisher of highly polished, retro-inspired video games. Its best-selling recent releases include Cave Story+ for Nintendo Switch and The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ for Switch and PS4.

About StarQuail Games
Founded in 2006 by two longtime friends, Lynnwood, Washington-based StarQuail Games strives to create highly polished games with great replay value.

SANTA ANA, Calif., September 11, 2017—Mark your Hyborian calendars! Nicalis, Inc. hereby announces that Tiny Barbarian DX—the retro-inspired sword-and-sorcery extravaganza for Nintendo Switch™—will be available on October 10 for the suggested retail price of $29.99. The game will be available as a physical Game Card and digitally via the Nintendo eShop.

A tremendously satisfying platform-jumping/sword-swinging 2-D adventure from developer StarQuail Games, Tiny Barbarian DX is easy to learn and hard to master. “I’m not saying I hate tutorials in video games,” says designer Michael Stearns, “but this game starts out by telling you the functions of two buttons and then sets you on a mountain surrounded by enemies where you will surely die.”

The presentation may be pixel-art perfection, but Tiny Barbarian DX is not afraid to take a few liberties with the retro-gaming aesthetic. You might see the occasional transparency effect or hear more instruments in the soundtrack than you probably remember from your old 16-bit game cartridges…and the super-widescreen aspect ratio is an obvious concession to modern displays. But it’s all done with great taste and supreme reverence for the games that paved the way—some of which are directly referenced in the level designs or gameplay.

The initial print run of physical retail copies of Tiny Barbarian DX will include several free bonuses, including a full-color instruction booklet and a PVC keychain of the Tiny Barbarian in a microfiber pouch branded with the game’s logo. As previously revealed, the game’s box art was created by Susumu Matsushita, the beloved cover artist for hundreds of issues of Famitsu, Japan’s leading video game magazine.

Developed by StarQuail Games and published by Nicalis, Tiny Barbarian DX will be available for Nintendo Switch on October 10, with the complete Steam version to be released soon after. Suggested retail price is $29.99. The game has been rated E10+ by the ESRB.

Source: PR Email

SANTA ANA, Calif., July 19, 2017—Nicalis, Inc. announced today that physical copies of Tiny Barbarian DX, the company’s upcoming sword-and-sorcery platform game for Nintendo Switch, will feature a dynamic cover illustration by world-renowned artist and character designer Susumu Matsushita. The game is currently scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2017 with an MSRP of $29.99.

Mr. Matsushita is best known as the legendary artist who created cover art for hundreds of issues ofFamitsu, Japan’s longest-running and most highly respected video game magazine. He is the creator of Necky the Fox, Famitsu’s mascot who appeared as a playable character in Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker via the Mario Costume mechanic.

Tiny Barbarian DX is an action-packed side-scroller that combines platform jumping with sword swinging, expertly blended with retro pixel art and loincloth-stirring chiptunes. After seeing gameplay footage and studying the production art created by StarQuail Games, Mr. Matsushita agreed that his immediately recognizable character rendering style would be perfect for the game’s box art. “Tiny Barbarian DX is a game I’d like to play,” he says, “and it’s been a while since I felt that!”

In addition to magazine covers, Mr. Matsushita’s acclaimed artwork has graced the packaging of many other video games over the past 40 years, including Motor Toon Grand Prix, Maximo and even the original Hudson’s Adventure Island for the NES and TurboGrafx-16. His Tiny Barbarian DX illustration shows the Tiny Barbarian and his counterpart Tiny Barbarina riding on the fearless Wasteland Wildcat while enemies from the game surround them on all sides!

Retail copies of Tiny Barbarian DX will also contain a full-color instruction manual that includes a featurette on the making of the box art. It describes Mr. Matsushita’s creative process, details his preferred art supplies, shows photos of him working at his drawing table and even identifies the 1960s rock instrumental that he listened to while he created the cover!

Developed by StarQuail Games and published by Nicalis, Tiny Barbarian DX is planned for release on Nintendo Switch in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Source: PR Email

LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 12th, 2017—Independent publisher/developer Nicalis, Inc. is revealing four upcoming console games during the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The announcements are sure to please fans of recent Nicalis neo-classics like The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ and Cave Story+.

The company’s 2017 line-up includes Tiny Barbarian DX (Nintendo Switch), Ittle Dew 2+ (Nintendo Switch), Blade Strangers (Switch and PlayStation 4) and The End Is Nigh (Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4).

• Inspired by heroic fantasy fiction, Tiny Barbarian DX is the action-packed adventure of one Barbarian’s quest for vengeance. Developer StarQuail Games has combined engaging 2D platform action and combo-based hack-and-slash combat with retro-style pixel art and a pulse-pounding chiptune soundtrack for Nintendo Switch. The game offers two-player cooperative action, unlockable game modes and multiple homages to classic 8- and 16-bit games in each of its four lengthy episodes.

• Sassy adventurer Ittle and her reluctant flying friend Tippsie return in Ittle Dew 2+, an upgraded and expanded Nintendo Switch version of the action/adventure puzzle game from developer Ludosity. Stranded on a mysterious island and armed with a few weapons as well as a magical map, our heroine explores the three-dimensional landscape in search of valuable loot and the eight scattered pieces of a raft that could be her ticket home.

• From veteran Japanese developer Studio Saizensen comes Blade Strangers, a hardcore old-school fighting game with online multiplayer battles for the Switch and PS4. Its refined four-button control scheme makes it easy for beginners to jump right in, but tournament-caliber players will relish the intricate combos, counters and specials. The fighter roster includes characters from previous Studio Saizensen games (like Code of Princess and Sayonara Umihara Kawase), Nicalis games (like Cave Story+) and other surprise entrants.

• The brand-new game from The Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, The End Is Nigh is a sprawling adventure/platformer. Players control Ash, a little black glob trying to make a friend out of the body parts he finds scattered throughout a post-apocalyptic world. As Ash leaps his way through a never-ending onslaught of decaying, mutant creatures, he can collect assorted tumors and hidden video-game cartridges that unlock fully playable mini-games.

All four games are planned for release in 2017, with Tiny Barbarian DX, Ittle Dew 2+ and The End Is Nigh scheduled for Q3 and Blade Strangers appearing in Q4.

Source: PR Email