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.

New songs
From the community:
4EverfreeBrony - Chant of Mirth
4EverfreeBrony - Giggles and Gumdrops
AcousticBrony & Mysteriousbronie - It's OK
AcoustiMandoBrony - A Long Way from Equestria
BlackGryph0n, Baasik, Michelle Creber - Zero Gravity
BroniKoni - Keep On Running
Cherax Destructor - The Rescue
dBPony - Oh Sweetie Belle
Dekko DePony - Ponies on My Mind
Derpy - Nyan
donglekumquat - Hoofdachest
Donn DeVore - Luna
Donn DeVore - She Can Fly
EileMonty - I Am A Parasprite
Exiark - Equestria
Griffinilla, SoGreatAndPowerful - 40 Winks
Griffinilla, Toastwaffle - Love Letters
&I ft. Chichi - Into the Green
Jackle App - I Love Everything
Kenny9807 - Apples to the Core (Rock Version)
Kenny Allen - Everybody's dressed like ponies at the Holiday Inn
Lectro Dub - Fallen
Level None - Fly
Mandopony - Horse Famous
MandoPony & Silva Hound - Wild Fire
Matthew Mosier - My Cadence
Metajoker feat. Fluttershyay - Universe
Mush - The Changeling (Remix)
PonyFireStone - Flight
PrinceWhateverer ft. Dreamchan & Scrambles - Destabilize
Replacer, Megabyte Brony - Finding My Way (Back Home)
SlyphStorm - Soldiers of the Night
Warbalist, EileMonty - Already One Year
WoodenToaster - Tough Luck
Woodlore - Let The Magic Feel Your Soul
YourEnigma - I'll Come Running

From the show (and extras):
Awesome as I Want to Be
Better Than Ever
Let's Have a Battle
Perfect Day for Fun
Rainbow Rocks
Shake Your Tail
Shine Like Rainbows
Tricks Up My Sleeve
Under Our Spell
Welcome to the Show
My Little Pony Friends
Network Musical Ensemble - Giddy Up
Wander Over Yonder - The Box

My Little Karaoke: Additional Content Disc

My Little Karaoke

 For those of you who are into karaoke and ponies, My Little Karaoke must be practically a godsend, and you'll be pleased to hear that they've released an additional content disc with a bunch of new songs for you to sing along to. It includes "the Equestria Girls soundtrack, silly things such as PFUDOR, and the first S4 song (Hearts Strong As Horses)", along with some performance improvements and general bugfixes. There may or may not be some other things, but I wouldn't know since I haven't really looked into it that much.

Will I play this myself? Probably not, since I'd rather keep my terrible singing to my goofy Skype calls, but if you enjoy being humiliated by a computer program criticizing your voice, this is for you. One can download it at http://www.mylittlekaraoke.com/index.php?pages/Game-download

 Your average Canadian day in a nutshell.

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.

Review: Stroll

Stroll

I know what you're thinking: "A Pinkie Pie Platformer? I've played hundreds of those. Give it a rest, already." Well, hold your horses, so to speak. Just recently, Silly Mare Games released Stroll, which strives for an artsy, open-world feel rather than following in the hoofsteps of the rest of the genre. Does it find a successful niche, or is it just a bunch of walking around? You know where to click.

In the first few minutes of playing the game, I was struck by two things. First off, the game sounds like something you might play to fall asleep: rather than the customary bouncy electro remixes of pony songs, you're greeted by soft hoofsteps, mellow nature sounds, and the whistling wind. Walking around is a relaxing experience. However, I was initially a little put off by suddenly being dropped into the sandbox - I'm the kind of gamer who purposefully walks through a dungeon picking out the tunnels least likely to be the correct path, so I can make sure I haven't missed anything before continuing. Massive open worlds are intimidating.

After walking along for a few minutes, I began to get bored. I'd already found one of the ponies hidden in the game world, and I wasn't sure what to do next. The scenery was quickly becoming repetitive, and I had already been confronted by a couple of dead ends. If you're a fan of rapid-fire action games, this is probably not your cup of tea. 

Lyra doesn't sleep the way one might expect her to.

Then, after scrambling my way up a mountainside and between several precarious floating platforms, I was rewarded with another hidden pony. At this point, the game's central mechanic became clear: find your way into the game's most secluded spots, and you'll be rewarded with ponies and other secrets. Now that I'd determined my challenge, I was hooked.

There are 11 ponies, and several more easter eggs, hidden around the surprisingly expansive map. Although there's nary a cutscene, the trek from Ponyville through the Everfree forest to the outskirts of Canterlot still feels like a journey. For those of you  who like more low-key adventuring, this game provides a meditative experience: I certainly didn't expect to spend as long with it as I did, although I'm not disclosing the amount of time.

Here's the bottom line: this game doesn't possess universal appeal, and some of you will quickly find you'd rather spend time on something else. However, it's unique among the fan games I've played, and I expect it to win itself many charmed fans. Final verdict: 7/10.

My Little Pony RPG: The Elements of Harmony

MLP RPG: The Elements of Harmony
Update 2: the link now points to a game version with some initial feedback implemented.

Man, you guys just keep cranking out these RPGs of epic dimensions! With 20-25 hours of advertised gameplay, Nurse Dashie has put together a game I'm not even ashamed to say I haven't finished yet. All you fans of pony games which you can really sink some time into: listen up! This might be just your cup of tea. More after the break!

A quick heads up after you download the game: read the ReadMe first! It contains important information on control, and how to get the game running - which I missed the first time through. Whoops.

Fluttershy used Snak!

The game doesn't get going immediately: in the tradition of classic RPGs such as Pokemon and Golden Sun, there's several mundane quests before you reach your first fight. However, once you get into the story, there's a lot here: you're gradually sucked in as you explore a massive world to recover the Elements of Harmony.

The game does suffer from 'RPG Maker graphics syndrome' - which is to say if you've seen the environment graphics from one game, you've seen them all. They're not lacking, but they get repetitive if you've seen them before. Then again, that's not the focus of the game.

The game allows you to play as all of the Mane 6, which is a treat. Additionally, some of the spell names and attack patterns are borrowed from Final Fantasy I, which is pretty cool. Fans of the game should check out the steam group (accessible via the link above).

MLP: Online Sprite Sheet Dump

A little while ago, I got a chance to commiserate with one of you over the gradual disappearance of Desktop Ponies. Although I'm saddened that MLP:Online came to such an abrupt end, it's cloud has a silver lining: enough free pony sprites to power an army of fan games. Find them here!

To Urimas, and the rest of the MLP:Online team: thanks for your generosity. You deserve a salute from all of us here at EQG. To the rest of you: what are you waiting for? Get to work!

MLP: RPG Part 1

MLP: RPG

Good afternoon/evening/morning, fillies and gentlecolts! If you've already recovered from your Pinkie-induced highs, then listen up. For the last several months, the DarkkyShadow team has been hard at work upon the bluntly named MLP: RPG, an open world ponies-on-earth role-playing game. More about the project after the break!


MLP: RPG is certainly still in its development stage, with many game aspects unfinished. However, much of the game framework has been completed, and there's certainly plenty of world to explore.

The game starts off promisingly, with a clear menu interface and a flashy intro sequence. With characteristic impetuousness, everyone's favorite lavender unicorn casts a powerful incantation at a mysterious altar, sending herself and many other ponies hurtling across space and time to earth.

The game starts out a little slowly - at the beginning, when you're limited to a low-level Twilight Sparkle, most battles consist of spamming the attack button until all your enemies have folded. Soon, battling becomes more diverse: multiple attacks and enemies lend some needed variety. The mining skill is similarly button-mashy, but it's currently a minor part of the game. At the beginning, hold the shift key to walk more quickly, and make sure to obtain some antidotes before plunging into the abandoned mine.

Seriously, it's like the Viridian forest in here.

The game's strengths lie in its length and its usability, specifically its fully fleshed-out equip system, bestiary, and comprehensive list of achievements. The game uses vocal music from various brony artists instead of more traditional background fare, which can be a plus or a minus depending on your taste in music.

The game continues to grow more interesting as you add more ponies to your party and unlock more locations to explore. However, at higher levels, fighting is often severely unbalanced - enemies can be killed three times over with many special abilities but shrug off normal attacks without taking damage.

MLP:RPG is still in development, and thus not at a place where I'll review it as a finished title. Submitted as is, I'd give it a sturdy 6 or 7, as there's already a lot of promise. If you're a fan of RPGs and projects under development, get it while it's hot!

MLP Online: First Contact Impressions and Screenshots

MLP Online

I wanted to call this post "First Contact First Impressions," but it came off sounding strange. As I'm sure most of you know, the first episode of My Little Pony Online (a little misleading, given that it's currently a single-player download) was released just yesterday. I've played through a part of the game, and found a few amusing glitches along the way. Check out the rundown after the break!

Initial problems with downloading the game have been mostly resolved: I was able to successfully run the installer through the zip file, which their web site currently recommends. Other modes of download can be found here, although the direct download may be unmanageable for those with slower internet connections and the torrent resulted in a crashy installer on my computer. 

The crew of MLP: Online has released a handy tutorial here for those new to the game. To their credit, the game interface is intuitive and is easy to master with or without it.

The game opens with a strange explosion, jolting Twilight Sparkle out of her slumber on an otherwise quiet night in Ponyville. Before running outside to investigate, press the 'E' key to highlight nearby objects available for inspection and check out the various books in Twilight's home for some hidden buffs.

After finishing the royal guard cutscene, I came to the conclusion that I might have downloaded a buggy older version of the game. I encountered a few weird texture glitches (see below) and a variety of places where I could warp partially through objects on the screen. I managed to crash the game twice (warning: do not click on dialogue options marked "DEBUG" before saving) and ended up unable to finish the demo. 

While I might have simply obtained bad files, I find a twisted pleasure in exploiting terrain glitches. Unfortunately, a review won't be forthcoming until I've gotten to the bottom of the problem - but until then, have some screenshots!

 The installer, loading menus and intro sequence are all very professional. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the game's current level of development, but it's a good omen for the future.

Diagonal walking sprites... for everypony! 

Unfortunately, you can't actually get up here except by walking behind the scenery and taking advantage of a faulty z-order bug.

Vinyl Scratch is into some quality tunes. She'd fit right in here.

Apple Cobbler's got an impressively well-defined personality in this game. Overall, the dialogue I encountered was very clever and enjoyable. 

Suddenly, Discord.

These seem to be all of the dialogue vectors included in the game's resources. At the least, it's a heads up of who we'll get to talk to later in the game.

Things just got worse from here...

Well, what did you think of the game? Tell me in the comments!

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.

MLP: Rise of the Clockwork Stallions Demo

Rise of the Clockwork Stallions Demo

This morning, Dark Era studios released a demo version of their latest title, My Little Pony: Rise of the Clockwork Stallions! I've had a chance to play through the first few levels, and the polish at this early stage is frankly quite impressive. It's not a tiny demo, either - a significant portion of the full game is available to play.

Check out their trailer video here, and download the demo via the link above!

Game Maker Compilation Post #3

Guess what time it is! Filly Twilight knows... Anyhow, I'm not feeling particularly verbose today, so I'll get right down to it. 

From projects bordering on professional to amateur fan games put together in basements late at night, the Game Maker comp has it all! Four today, hit 'em up after the break!

Project Dash Demo

Okamikurainya's Project Dash is a promising Rainbow Dash platformer that might just soon outgrow the confines of this post. Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge your way through a couple of neatly styled levels at the beginning of what will eventually become a much larger world map. Collecting gems fills the meter at the top of the screen, giving you the power to fly and eventually perform a sonic rainboom. The most recent project update occurred earlier today, so head over and be one of the first to try out the newest release!

Bonus: hitting the insert key on the world map screen and typing "MLP8BIT" allows you to replay levels from Adventure Ponies!

---

End of Chaos

Chocolate rain, Dali's bunnies, and Twilight Sparkle blasting things with lasers. I really don't think I have to do much more than that to pitch this one. ToCoool's End of Chaos is one of the most reviewed games to come out of My Little Game Jam - play and comment on it via the link above!

---

Key of Darkness - the Toothblade

Ooooh, Game Maker Studio. Fancy stuff, this. Created with custom resources of all sorts, influxWishdream's My Little Game Jam submission is artistically quite a feat for 48 hours. With your trusty toothblade at your side, venture forth to the gates of Tartarus as Colgate!

---

Legacy of the Pony

Noon Anna has unfortunately ceased development on Legacy of the Pony, a black and white Legend of Zelda-themed dungeon crawler. However, what remains is still an impressive example of what can be accomplished in Game Maker. There's plenty of game here, and it's certainly worth downloading if you're a fan of the retro style.

---

Want to see a game featured in the next Game Maker comp? Email me directly, or hit it up our submission page. Happy gaming!

Rainbow Dash Pony Disaster Playground Demo

Rainbow Dash Pony Disaster

 The wonderful folks that brought you Waiting is Magic and TWALAGHT SPARKUHLZ REVEHNGSHE are currently working on a game titled Rainbow Dash Pony Disaster, and after surprisingly little ado decided to release a tech demo for their project. I'm quite impressed with the game so far, although the combat needs quite a bit of work and adding a little shading to the vectors would work wonders for the overall look. We'll be sure to review this for you when it comes out, but in the meantime why don't you give it a try, eh?

On a somewhat related note apparently our author Enigma is providing vectors for Penta Studios and is listed as a team member on their website. This isn't the first time he's worked on a fangame (his only released one being Click the Twilight Sparkle so far), but it's nice to see that he's contributing to the project.

Colors Of Time

Colors of Time

Hang on, Discord's stopped time. That's rarely, if ever, a good thing. Right now, JCity's Colors of Time is a fairly short, basic platformer - however, its mechanics are nicely polished and the art very pretty for a 48-hour game jam. He's hinted that he may continue the project in the future - I, for one, would love to see it blossom into something unique. Link to the MLGJ page above!

Corruption

Corruption

You guys never cease to amaze me. Complete with custom animation, creepy musical styling, and some slightly mind-bending visuals, The Oddwarg's Corruption is certainly one of the most colorful games to come out of My Little Game Jam. It's a little shorter than what I'd normally review, and borders on creepypasta, so I held off from grading it. Find the rundown after the break!

To be honest, the level styling of Corruption reminds me a lot of the Luna Games, which I'm a huge fan of. Using keyboard controls to move while controlling a magically levitated lantern with the mouse, the player attempts to guide Twilight through a shadowy underground maze. 

The unique art style and enveloping nature of the game mask the fact that there's not a lot of discernible story. There are a few clues - Discord smirks at you before the game launches, and Celestia greets you with Smarty Pants after the game's conclusion, but overall, the plot is indecipherable. 

However, I can't really fault a chaos-themed game for confusing me. I won't spoil the penultimate scene with a screenshot - rather, I'll leave you with the knowledge that I found it awesome and that it borders on creepypasta. 

Lots of insanity, and then... this. Well, that was anti-climactic - perhaps there's a secret ending?

The game might have begun to bore me had it dragged on longer - however, it was short enough that the mechanics remained fun. Aside from using your lantern to prevent Twilight from falling into numerous pits, variety was found in moving glowing balls and platforms to solve puzzles within the cave.

Overall, I think this game could go far if expanded - there's certainly a lot of unique potential here. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for creepypasta. Either way, it's quick and certainly worth playing!

Xtux's note: despite the author's claims you can run this game on Mac OS X by downloading the latest version of Java from http://java.com/en/download/mac_download.jsp and not through the Software Update utility.

Sunset Defender

Sunset Defender

Man, four whole days without a post? This needs to be remedied, stat! Fortunately, Amethyst Air has just the thing. This little game was created for My Little Game Jam, but missed the deadline by a couple of hours. Help Cadence and Shining Armor defend Equestria from changeling missiles, chain reaction-style! 

Letting a couple of locations be destroyed at the beginning proves to be the most effective strategy, as you can then focus your fire on the last remaining area. Waiting to click until the missiles are close to impact is a quick way to clear the board, but a little risky - if you miss, you're doomed. I couldn't get past level 13... if you beat me, feel free to disparage my skills in the comments!

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.

Game Maker Compilation Post #2

It's that time again! If you guys continue to appease me, I'll grant you more posts full of games. 

For those unaware, the Game Maker Compilation Post shows off games created with the engine Game Maker. While the program has it's limits, and the free version makes it difficult to package and distribute games online, it's easier interface offers great opportunities to new game developers. This compilation is dedicated to showing off every game, without the harsh critiques we sometimes give in reviews - however, many of these games are impressive in their own right.

I've got three for you today - one older, and two new games currently being developed. Check them out after the break!

Muffin

For some reason, this neatly styled little arcade game puts me in mind of those old car racing games where you have to reach each checkpoint before time runs out or put in more quarters. Muffin, by DoctorKitsune, features a variety of different modes centered around getting Derpy to her muffins as fast as possible, a cause I wholeheartedly support.

---

Precure Magica: Deconstruction of Discord

Dialga Brite is at it again! Although we mentioned this one during a Pon-E3 compilation post, the project has grown since. As I'm clueless when it comes to Madoka Magica, I was a little lost when it comes to the story - however, I'm assured it does indeed feature ponies. Download it above, or hit up their Facebook page for more info!

---

Luna Zero Mission

I'm sure some of you out there have been jonesing for a pony crossover game with Metroid: Zero Mission. If so, Cadance the Sniper has just the project for you! (If not, and you like blasting things with Woona-bolts, you might still be in luck.) The game's still in the earlier stages of development, so scan the ReadMe file included in the download and send him some feedback if you're so inclined.

---

As always, if you'd like to see a game featured, hit up our submission page. Feel free to send us anything: it doesn't have to be original content, although we love it when it is (obviously, don't take the credit for work that isn't yours.) Although we're not perfect about replying, we love hearing from you!

Legends of Equestria Stress Test Weekend Overview

Pictured: Partying at Sugarcube Corner on Chrysalis server

I've been playing this game for about an hour and a half (has it been that long?), and I figured I'd give you guys my first impressions before I dive back in. I think it's safe to say that even though the current version is in pre-alpha, it's one of the most impressive pony gaming projects I've seen to date.

Yes, you heard that right. More of me waffling, a couple of tips, and a bunch of screenshots after the break!

There's actually a large range of functionality already implemented - the game supports the creation of multiple custom pony characters, running, flying, wearing items, and chatting, among other things.

The sheer amount of modeling that's already been done for this game boggles my mind. Locations include a massive Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, the Everfree Forest, and an halfway-finished Canterlot.

The game's riddled with minor glitches at this early stage - however, I found most of them more humorous than troubling. A couple of notable terminal bugs to look out for include getting stuck in the Canterlot meshes and being buried (or spawning) underground. Logging out solves most problems, although for some serious cases I've had to make a new character. However, the team is very clear that this is an early alpha and not representative of any final product, so I'm confident these problems will be ironed out.

The controls aren't very clearly explained in game, so I figured I'd give you the basic rundown here. Walking is controlled using the WASD keys - 'a' and 'd' rotate you while 'w' and 's' move you forward and back, asteroids style. To jump, hit the space key, and if you're a pegasus, pressing space again in midair lets you start flying. While flying, use space and ctrl to increase and decrease altitude, and the 'q' and 'w' keys to barrel roll. Touch the ground to land.

Many of the game's features are currently only usable through the in-game chat box. Type "/help" in the chat box for a full list of commands. Most commands instruct you on how to use them - for instance, typing "/additem" will prompt you with the message "syntax: /additem <itemId> [amount]". Executing this command, you might type "/additem 17 2" to add two pairs of goggles (ID #17) to your inventory.

Without further ado, screenshots!

Ahh, Ponyville. Look at all the pretty polygons.

Flying through Equestria at twilight is a pretty awesome feeling. Also, barrel rolls.

It's a good thing there don't seem to be any laws about breaking and entering in Ponyville.

Friendly warning: after talking to this character, I was unable to exit the dialogue pane and had to log out.

Wonder who lives here?

Canterlot!

Airships make every game better. Remember that, folks.

I get the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse, but not Fluttershy's cottage? Grr.

Animal models in the Everfree!


The full inventory interface. Visible also are the chat window, emotes, and minimap.

Click here for a direct link to a Windows mirror, or hit up the team's facebook page for alternate downloads or to comment on the project. Kudos to the LoE team on their great work, now, let's flood the servers and make their test weekend a success! Remember, the demo will only be playable for a limited time. I'm off to play some more Parasprite Pac-Man in the Ponyville well.