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.

- RedEnchilada

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.

- RedEnchilada

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!

Legends of Equestria hosting yet another open server test

Legends of Equestria

 For those who haven't been following updates on the game's site, the Legends of Equestria team will be running an open server weekend this January, from the 24th to the 26th, to test a new server system. Just about any comment I could make about the game has already been said, so check out their news post on their site or below the break.

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.

- RedEnchilada

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.

- Strate

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.

- Strate

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.

- ApocalypseUndone

My Little Karaoke: Additional Content Disc #3

My Little Karaoke

 For the third time in a row, the My Little Karaoke team has released a new batch of songs for aspiring horsefamous singers to destroy their vocal cords to. If you've seen this project before, you'll know what to expect; if you haven't, it shouldn't be hard to guess. Like always, the new pack can be downloaded from the project's official site, and the listing of new tracks will be copied below the break.

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.

- RedEnchilada

Shattered Kingdom

Shattered Kingdom

 There are a lot of story-based games circling around the pony fandom, but not many have the strong player-influenced dynamic that Shattered Kingdom aims to provide. The project, being developed by a group known as Alicorn Games, is a turn-based strategy RPG centered around an Equestrian civil war between the Celestial Empire and the New Lunar Republic. The game will be heavily story-oriented and non-linear, with the player's actions influencing various story elements throughout the course of the game.

 The game is still early in development, and no public demo exists (at least that I can find), but a recent video of their panel at Bronycon 2014 showcases some of the team's current progress. More information can be found on the team's official blog.

- RedEnchilada

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.

- RedEnchilada

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.

- RedEnchilada

Minipost: MoonLight engine, music and general update

MoonLight Update

If you remember the game MoonLight from a few posts back, it now has its own Tumblr in case you want to follow its progress. Along with that, the creator has added a "demo" of the engine being tried out and a sample of the music that has been made so far. The engine is still in an extremely early state, but I think it gives a good feel of what the game is aiming for.

- Strate

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.

- RedEnchilada

Silent Ponyville: Echoed Sorrows is hiring

Silent Ponyville: Echoed Sorrows

 Silent Ponyville: Echoed Sorrows is a game where you dive into Pinkie's mind to uncover the cause of her constant nightmares. (Or something like that. There isn't much to go off of from their site.) The team behind the game is currently looking for a few extra hands to assist with development. Though there isn't much information about the project at the present time, they already have a trailer up, and  a GitHub repository of unfinished code is available on one of the developers' profile for curious eyes to look over.

More information, including how to contact the team, is available either on their site or copy-pasted below the break.

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.

MoonLight game looking for team members

That video thumbnail may be confusing, but rest assured the topic of the video is indeed ponies. The team working on a game called MoonLight are looking for new members to help in the making of the game. Below the break I will put the details as to what they're looking for right now.