Welcome
A bit later than I wanted to, but finally issue 6 is ready. This time there is not a big article about a gaming-related topic, but there will be one next month again. I am still playing around with the format of the zine since I am not satisfied with how to add all the content I want to.
This month we have: News Game recommendations Free Python game Mini Walkthrough of a Previous Python Game. Top 10 Humor.
Enjoy reading.
News
Open Source game news
Deer Portal 0.9.3 (2025-07-15)
Deer Portal
Deer Portal is a hybrid board/card game for four players driven by the four classical elements. The game takes place in an ancient world where the Almighty Deer God is protecting all the compassionate creatures.
After the long time 'game dev being on pause' I am still taking an extra time to organise build system and overall deployment infrastructure. New version 0.9.3 introduces:
Come back of AppImage Linux version - would be great if someone could test it, unfortunately I ran out of Linux boxes ATM,
Windows ZIP version - for someone who does not really want to play with installer.
Happy testing.
AAAAXY 1.6.252 (2025-07-08)
AAAAXY is a platforming game with strange geometry. Explore and get lost in a colorful world of puzzles and labyrinths.
Changes since v1.6.252:
- Menu: when language switching, do not switch to game.
- Mobile: also provide per-arch APKs.
L'Abbaye des Morts 2.0.5 (2025-06-26)
L'Abbaye des Morts
Gameplay
a 2D exploration platformer made by Locomalito, released on September 10, 2010. The game was originally written in a proprietary engine, but its code was rewritten and open sourced by MoonWatcher, spawning ports to many platforms such as GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, Wii, ZX Spectrum, C64, PSP, XBox, Nintendo 3DS and Pokitto.
- Added Mac support
- Fixed build in non-Debian distros (& FreeBSD)
Tux! Version 20250628 (2025-06-28)
Build your own penguin!
The Penguin Mafia
a 3D platform game featuring Tux made by LucKey Productions using Dry and other open source software.
This version adds character customisation to the game. Instead of only having the choice between playing as either Tux or Trixi, you can now add characters, pick their name, gender, colours, hairstyle and clothing. The character menu can be accessed by clicking the portrait at the bottom of the Sardine Run menu.
Licar version 1.0 (2025-06-25)
Licar is a public domain 3D stunt racing game made completely from scratch (including the 3D rendering engine, 3D physics engine and all assets) and programmed in a relatively minimalist way.
Indie game news
Ambrosia Sky Preview—A Cosmic Puzzle Shooter with Heart and Soul
Promotional Art
Gameplay
Gameplay
In Ambrosia Sky, you play as Dalia, a cleanup specialist deployed to the moons of Saturn after the fungus people were cultivating turned deadly. It’s your job to visit derelict spaceships and planetary outposts to tidy up the disasters left behind by the mysterious Ambrosia project. But this is no ordinary janitorial assignment—Dalia is also somewhat magical, tasked with collecting the final words of the dead and helping the project uncover the secrets of death itself, along with what went wrong with the fungus. Ambrosia Sky is surprisingly complex.
Drill Core is an incredibly addictive colony sim meets tower defense strategy game
Gameplay
Drill Core blends aspects of tower defense, colony sim, and roguelite, with heavy doses of SteamWorld Dig and Deep Rock Galactic, into a tightly balanced strategy game. Oh, and a dash of satirical late-stage capitalist humor never hurt either!
The Drifter blends pixel art nostalgia and noir storytelling
Going under
A pulp adventure thriller, The Drifter has a faster, punchier pace than a typical adventure game, especially when it opens with your titular protagonist Mick Carter waking from a boxcar to witness a murder before he escapes from gunfire, only to wind up getting chained down in a reservoir to drown. A lot more adrenaline-pumping than your usual inventory-puzzling and chatting to NPCs for clues, though that does still exist.
SHADE Protocol is an Indie 2D Metroidvania
Game Art
Earlier this year, the new studio Little Legendary announced its debut project, the 2D cyber-fantasy metroidvania SHADE Protocol.
New Base-Building Survival Sim Warranted Humanity Arrives In July
Warranted Humanity
- Warranted Humanity launches on Steam, blending zombie survival with 2D base-building gameplay.
- Players manage mental health, morale, and resources as they build and protect their shelter from threats.
- A unique morale system means choices like sparing or killing impact your psyche and long-term strategy.
Project; Virai: Doomer's Life Escape
Project; Virai: Doomer's Life Escape
- Project; Virai: Doomer’s Life Escape horror RPG launches in Q4 2025 for PC, blending life sim and thriller.
- Experience Hicha's isolated, anxiety-filled world through a mix of 2D pixel and surreal 3D visual styles.
- Shape the story with 10 unique endings, tackling themes of depression, parasocial bonds, and virtual reality.
- ARG elements and hidden post-punk tracks deepen the lore and atmosphere for attentive, curious players.
Bee Simulator: The Hive Announced For August Release
Bee Simulator
- Bee Simulator: The Hive launches with a major new expansion and enhanced gameplay features.
- Build, customize, and manage your own beehive colony with new mechanics and interactive buildings.
- Explore a semi-open world inspired by Central Park, filled with secrets, mini-games, and resources.
- Enjoy split-screen co-op for up to four players.
Cosmic Waves Announced For Late July Steam Launch
Comsic Waves
- Cosmic Waves brings a fresh twist to brick-breaking action.
- Control a super-powered paddle, unleash force waves, and tackle dynamic space-themed levels.
- Team up with heroic wolves and a robot sidekick on a quest to save the universe from new foes.
Dream Walking Simulator Nidana Receives a Release Date
NIDANA
- Nidana is a surreal first-person walking simulator set within a mysterious dreamscape.
- Experience a completely text-free journey, exploring geometric and abstract dream worlds.
- Uncover hidden mysteries by immersing yourself in the fragmented dreams of the protagonist.
- Developed by lvl374, Nidana launches on PC via Steam in July.
‘Little Corners’ Lets You Create Worlds Using Stickers
Gameplay
Little Corners is all about putting stickers of objects in various different locations in order to create your own world.
Ra Ra BOOM Blends Genres With Incredible Style
Ra Ra BOOM
Gameplay
Gameplay
Ra Ra BOOM is set in the distant future where a rogue AI has devastated the Earth, sending the remnants of humanity fleeing into the stars where they’re forced to keep looking over their shoulders, hoping it won’t catch up with them.
Post-Apocalyptic RPG Artis Impact Arrives in Early August
Artis
- Artis Impact is bringing a post-apocalyptic, story-rich RPG adventure to Steam.
- Play as Akane, exploring a human and AI world with classic turn-based combat and deep storytelling.
- Hand-drawn pixel art and comic style visuals deliver a unique blend of retro and modern RPG charm.
- Upgrade your home, enjoy daily life activities, and uncover secrets in a cozy yet dark future world.
One Man's Trash Confirmed For Steam Release This Month
- One Man's Trash launches on Steam this month, inspired by a real-life Bitcoin landfill hunt.
- Play as a desperate miner digging through junk to recover a lost digital fortune called "PitCoin."
- Unique vacuum-based gameplay: suck up trash, discover bizarre treasures, and upgrade your gear.
- Solo-developed indie game packed with satirical humor, mysterious secrets.
Mystery Visual Novel And Roger Receives July Release Date
- And Roger, a mystery visual novel from TearyHand Studio, launches in July via Kodansha.
- Investigate your father’s disappearance through a surreal, point-and-click adventure.
- Play as a young girl unraveling secrets after waking to find a strange man in her home.
- Experience a story-rich journey with interactive choices and hand-drawn visuals.
Plan B: Terraform Announced Late-August Release Date
- Plan B: Terraform exits Early Access with its official release set for late August 2024.
- Transform a barren planet into a living world by managing factories, cities, and climate systems.
- Craft sprawling supply chains using vehicles like trucks, trains, drones, and ships on a massive hex-based planet.
- Enjoy a calm, science-driven simulation offering realistic environmental management and city-building.
Atmospheric Pixel-Style Game That Delves You Into Quiet Melancholy
Melancholic gameplay
Long night of Melancholy
Deep Pixel Melancholy is a visual novel brought to life by a talented duo: Dmitry Bogolyubov crafted the art, while Maxim Senkin wrote the story. The narrative centers around the idea of being stuck in a time loop inside a somber, soulless city.
The Dark Queen of Mortholme Secures Mid-August Release
The Dark Queen
- The Dark Queen of Mortholme releases mid-August, letting you play as the all-powerful final boss.
- Face off against a relentless hero in this unique, macabre, second-person pixel art indie adventure.
- Your choices change the story—will you crush the hero or understand their purpose through dialogue?
- Defeat the persistent hero, and experience a haunting, emotional soundtrack.
Homebrew News
Squid Game: Game Boy Demake
A fully playable Game Boy adaptation of Squid Game Season 1, made with ❤️ in GB Studio by 64 Bits.
Experience the deadly children's games on your actual Game Boy (or emulator). Includes 3 endings, a secret hard mode, and a lovingly crafted manual you can print and fold yourself - just like the old days.
Herra 47, For c64
Gameplay
Gameplay
Herra 47, a man recently facing the harsh reality of unemployment, finds himself in a predicament. The annual Midsummer Festival is fast approaching.
Undeterred by this financial setback, Herra 47 resolves to overcome this obstacle with characteristic resourcefulness and perhaps a touch of audaciousness. No task is too small, no opportunity overlooked as he diligently seeks out various odd jobs and freelance gigs around town.
Rubber keyed-Wonder for ZX Spectrum
Level
Music room
Music Level
The world has been cursed, all the instruments have been stolen and dwell in a far away parrelled ZX 48k Spectrum universe somewhere, Our Brand New Hero 'Speccy' has heard the news via online whisperings that a new movie about the amazing Zx Spectrum has been made and there's no way in 8Bit hell he's going to let this movie happen without a sound-track! Its now up to you to bring back all the instruments, save the world, get the girl and take her back to see this epic movie so we can all live happily ever after!
Game Recommendations
This time we have 10 games that are unusual or unique in their own way.
1. CSS Clicker
a game made entirely in HTML and CSS about building a website you can actually customize in-game .
2. VA-11 Hall-A
Gameplay
You are a bartender at VA-11 HALL-A, affectionately nicknamed "Valhalla." Although it is just a small bar downtown, it attracts the most fascinating people this side of dystopia. Keep your clients lubricated and you will be made privy to the most interesting stories.
3. Game Over – A Musical RPG??
Gameplay
Gameplay
Not your average indie game. It’s strange, soulful, and stuffed with personality. With its unique blend of rhythm combat, moral choice, and off-kilter humour, it’s bound to become a cult favourite among fans of unconventional RPGs. If you’re into games that play with genre expectations and don’t mind a little weirdness along the way, give it a shot.
Gameplay
Crypt of the NecroDancer is an award winning hardcore roguelike rhythm game. Move to the music and deliver beatdowns to the beat! Groove to the epic Danny Baranowsky soundtrack, or select songs from your own MP3 collection!
Gameplay
Date Everything! is a sandbox dating simulator set in the comfort of your own home, featuring 100 fully voice acted datable characters! Let the romance flow between your bed, smoke alarm and… Overwhelming Sense of Existential Dread?
6. Pizza Tower
Pizza Gameplay
Pizza Tower is a fast paced 2D platformer, with an emphasis on movement, exploration and score attack. Featuring highly stylized pixel art inspired by the cartoons from the '90s.
Guide workers through Farming, Unloading cargo and Pushing gigantic stones to build a mighty Pyramid, in pure ASCII delight!
Pyramid Builder is a God simulation game where you grow a civilization, strengthen your delivery fleet.
A dystopian document thriller. The award-winning, critically-acclaimed border inspector game.
9. Inkulinati
Inkulinati is a turn-based strategy game straight from medieval manuscripts, where a rabbit’s bum can be deadlier than a dog's sword. Become a master of the Living Ink, build your own bestiary, defeat medieval superstars and collect perks to unleash hidden powers.
10. CSS Minecraft
Minecraft clone where all the logic is made 100% with pure HTML & CSS.
Free Game Python
Another mini escape game I wrote in python. A little bit more complex than the previous one.
Escape the attic
def main():
print()
# Initialize game variables
loop = True
room = 'title'
inventory = {}
# Main game loop
while loop:
if room == 'title':
# Display initial game description
print(" Escape from the")
print(" █████╗ ████████╗████████╗██╗ ██████╗\n"
"██╔══██╗╚══██╔══╝╚══██╔══╝██║██╔════╝\n"
"███████║ ██║ ██║ ██║██║ \n"
"██╔══██║ ██║ ██║ ██║██║ \n"
"██║ ██║ ██║ ██║ ██║╚██████╗\n"
"╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═════╝\n")
print(" You were exploring an old abandoned house.")
print(" When you entered the attic, you were surprised")
print(" to find that it was not empty.")
print(" As you step inside, the door slams close behind you.")
print(" You try to open the door, but it will not budge.")
print(" You are trapped!!! Hopefully you can find a key to")
print(" open the door.")
print(" Enter 1: To continue, Enter 0: exit")
print("\n \n \n")
if room == 'attic':
# Display room ascii art
print("█▓████████████████████████▓▓ \n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ _________________\n"
"█▓████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ | ___________ |\n"
"█▓██▒▒██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ | | | |\n"
"█▓██▒▒██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ | | | |\n"
"█▓████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ | | | |\n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ | |___________| |\n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ |_______________|\n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒░░▓▓██▓▓ 3.Portrait \n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓██▓▓\n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ ___________ ______________.\n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓▓██▓▓ |__o__|__o__| /_/---------/_/|\n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ |_____o_____| ( ( ' ' ' ' ( (|\n"
"█▓████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ ______ |_____o_____| (_( ' ' ' ' (_(|\n"
"█▓██▒▒██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ |_/__\\_| |_____o_____| / /=========/ /|\n"
"█▓██▒▒██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ || || |_____o_____| /_//________/_/ |\n"
"█▓█████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ || || |_____o_____| (o|:.........|o) |\n"
"█▓██▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓ ||==|| || || |_|:_________|_|/'\n"
"█▓█████████████████████████▓ || || || || | | \n"
" 1.Door 2.Stool 4.Drawers 5.Armchair")
print(" Enter the number of the object you want to examine or 0 to exit.\n")
if room == 'end':
# Display Ending room
print(" You use the key on the door and it unlocks")
print(" You escape.")
print("\n \n \n \n \n \n")
print("████████╗██╗ ██╗███████╗ ███████╗███╗ ██╗██████╗\n"
"╚══██╔══╝██║ ██║██╔════╝ ██╔════╝████╗ ██║██╔══██╗\n"
" ██║ ███████║█████╗ █████╗ ██╔██╗ ██║██║ ██║\n"
" ██║ ██╔══██║██╔══╝ ██╔══╝ ██║╚██╗██║██║ ██║\n"
" ██║ ██║ ██║███████╗ ███████╗██║ ╚████║██████╔╝\n"
" ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝╚══════╝ ╚══════╝╚═╝ ╚═══╝╚═════╝ \n")
print("\n \n \n")
print(" Enter 0 to exit")
command = input(" Command: ")
# Process commands
if command == "0":
loop = False
if command == "1" and room == 'title':
room = "attic"
elif command == "1" and room == 'attic':
if "key" in inventory:
room = "end"
elif "s_key" in inventory:
print(" The small key does not fit in the door.")
else:
print(" The door is locked.")
if command == "2" and room == 'attic':
print(" You examine the stool carefully but find nothing.")
if command == "3" and room == 'attic':
if 's_key' not in inventory:
print(" It is a portrait of an old man.")
print(" You find a small key hanging at the portrait frame.")
inventory["s_key"] = 's_key'
else:
print("You find nothing else")
if command == "4" and room == 'attic':
if "s_key" in inventory:
if "knife" not in inventory:
print(" You unlock the drawers.")
print(" There is a small knife in one of them.")
print(" The other drawers are empty.")
inventory['knife'] = 'knife'
else:
print(" You find nothing else.")
else:
print(" The drawers are locked.")
if command == "5" and room == 'attic':
if "knife" in inventory:
if 'key' not in inventory:
print(" You cut open the armchair pillow and you find the door key.")
inventory['key'] = 'key'
else:
print(" You find nothing else.")
else:
print(" You examine the armchair carefully. You notice that there is something")
print(" hard inside the pillow. You have no way of getting it out.")
main()
Walkthrough
A quick walkthrough of previous escape game I posted on Issue #3.
add the numbers in the following order into the promt to finish the game.
ENTER 1 to start the game
ENTER 2 to find a lighter.
ENTER 3 to light the candle, find the coin and finish the game.
You can look inside the vase, by entering 1 anytime after starting the game but you will not find anything.
Enter 0 anytime to quit the game.
Top 10
Top 10 indie games of all time based on votes Bside gaming community.
Note: Downvotes are ignored and only games that are directly linked to the community, links to game reviews or news on another site are not counted.
1. Noita
Noita is a magical action roguelite set in a world where every pixel is physically simulated. Fight, explore, melt, burn, freeze and evaporate your way through the procedurally generated world using spells you've created yourself.
2. Tiny Glade
Tiny Glade is a small diorama builder where you doodle whimsical castles, cozy cottages & romantic ruins. Explore gridless building chemistry as the game adorns your glades with procedural detail. No management, combat or goals: just kick back and turn forgotten meadows into lovable dioramas.
3. Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. It tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.
4. ANIMAL WELL
Explore a dense, interconnected labyrinth, and unravel its many secrets. Collect items to manipulate your environment in surprising and meaningful ways. Encounter beautiful and unsettling creatures, as you attempt to survive what lurks in the dark.
5. Shattered Pixel Dungeon
...
...
6. CSS Clicker
A game made entirely in HTML and CSS about building a website you can actually customize in-game .
Fight, Farm, Build and Explore Together in the standalone multiplayer expansion to the uncompromising wilderness survival game, Don't Starve.
8. Tuxemon
Tuxemon is a monster-collecting RPG created in Python using Pygame. Gameplay involves catching various monsters and training them to battle each other in a style similar to the Pokemon games.
A young girl and her loyal friend embark on a rescue mission through a colorful world full of cold machines and unfamiliar creatures. Planet of Lana is a cinematic puzzle adventure framed by an epic sci-fi saga that stretches across centuries and galaxies.
10. 0 A.D.
0 A.D. is a free, open-source, historical Real Time Strategy (RTS) game currently under development by Wildfire Games
Corner of Fun
Free Cheese
What’s the difference between a slug and a gamer? A gamer gets salty when they die, but a slug dies when it gets salty.
Two elitist gamers meet each other and discuss their favorite online games Gamer 1: "You play WoW? LoL"
Gamer 2: "You play LoL? WoW"
Why did the mushroom go to the party? Because he was a fungi.
Mames
INIDIE'D
Most lemmy instances have RSS feeds for users and communities - if you were to make a locked community where you only post these zines, sort of like an archive, users could go to read all of them in one place without having to search for each issue. At the same time, it would also allow for RSS users to subscribe to the zine very easily. You could still allow comments, just no other posts.
I'm sure there are other solutions that, after some setup, would require minimal work on your part, but I'm not familiar with the publishing side of things. At least with this solution you don't have to set anything up yourself other than a new community.
The problem now is if I subscribe to gaming b-side (the community) I will get notifications from all the other random posts, not just the zine. I do actually browse this community, but I wouldn't want to get all of that in my RSS reader every day.
Doesn't RSS Reader offer some kind of filter that so that you can filter based on title or tags?
Creating a new community is not difficult, but it feels a little spammy creating a new community that has some of the same content as this one just for the sake of RSS reading. So I am not sure I want to do that. I will think about it.
Maybe I will look into other options for creating RSS feeds if I have time.
Technically I can, but it's messy and unreliable. A change in the title format or something like that could break it. RSS is best when you can point it at a source and say "give me everything that comes through that door."
Ultimately even without rss I think it's valid to want somewhere to read all issues of this type of publication in one place without having to search for each issue in a sea of unrelated content, and a solution to that would inherently support RSS as well.
For example, the author of the Steam Deck/Gaming News posts (very similar to the format of yours just a different subject) recently started publishing on a separate site as well and I was able to subscribe to that site and get all of the articles in full in my RSS reader.
I have added download links in a comment. I am still working on an RSS feed.
Ok, I see.
I agree with you having all the issues together to read would better. I had asked in one of the previous issues if there is any interest of putting them somewhere together for easier reading but nobody replied to my question and so I assumed there was no interest. I was planning to ask again in the future when hopefully there would be more readers. So far you are the first person to ask me but I will look into it.
I have https://write.as/bside-gaming/ blog which would be maybe a nice solution to post each issue as one post but I getting blocked from posting because the many URLs trigger some SEO spam warning.
I am reading the team Deck/Gaming News posts but did not know that they being uploaded.