Cthulhu Saves the World Message Board

The story of Zeboyd is a strange one, but perhaps a slightly familiar one. Creating a bit of buzz around their Lovecraftian RPG Cthulhu Saves The World on Xbox, only to find that to be a cold and uncaring land, things were a lot rosier for the subsequent PC release. That in turn led to the opportunity to tackle a new game for the even-tempered and all-embracing fellows over on Penny Arcade, which in turn led to a sequel, and now they’re at the point where the announcement of their new game creates headlines. As well as having a most excellent title, Cosmic Star Heroine will include “turn-based RPG gameplay that takes the best elements from our past games while adding a few new ideas.”(more…)

Lovecraftian horror turned counterculture icon Cthulhu will attempt to reclaim his ability to destroy all of mankind once again this Thursday, June 28, when Cthulhu Saves The World launches on OSX, iOS and Android, according to Touch Arcade.

Each version of the game will run you a smooth $1.99, making these releases $1 cheaper than the PC version on Steam and $1 more expensive than the original XBLIG jam. It's unclear whether the game will be a Universal iOS app, or if iPhone/iPad specific versions will be released at $1.99 each, though the game's classic JRPG-style interfaces should adapt well to touchscreen devices either way.

Launching on additional platforms has worked out well for Zeboyd in the past; it'll be interesting to see if the game's street cred translates to success in the indie-saturated mobile market.

Indie gem Cthulhu Saves the World has helped more than 150,000 people enact tentacled justice on XBLIG and PC since December 2010, and it will expand its reach with a release on Mac, iOS and Android devices in Q1 this year, developer Zeboyd Games announced.

Zeboyd's Robert Boyd tweeted that he "waited until the ports were almost done before making the announcement," which marks a novel way of conducting game-release announcements, wherein developers wait until they're sure the game will be released before announcing that the game will be released. Revolutionary.

Cthulhu Saves the World also got a price drop on XBLIG, to 80 MS Points ($1), effective right now. So go! The world won't save itself.

Too many indie sales! THERE ARE TOO MANY INDIE SALES. Some of us poor PC journalists need to have dinner you know, but noooooo, here comes another announcement about bargain-priced electronic entertainments of most excellent quality. Back to the internet with you, Meer! This time around, the good tidings of money-saving are the third Indie Royale collection, aka The Really Big Bundle, and it’s a bit of a cracker.(more…)

Zeboyd Games' Cthulhu Saves the World bundle, which includes both the humorous Lovecraftian romp and Breath of Death VII, has moved over 100,000 downloads since its July release on Steam. The developer is "ecstatic" about the milestone, saying that "the days of worrying over whether or not we could support our families while making games we would want to play ourselves are behind us." He adds, "There is obviously a definite audience for quality console-style RPGs that are aggressively priced on the PC."

Meanwhile, the two games haven't faired nearly as well on their original platform, Xbox Live Indie Games. Breath of Death VII, available since April 2010 on XBLIG, has moved 55,000 downloads to date, while Cthulhu, available since December 2010, has only generated 20,000 downloads. Readers will recall that the PC bundle actually outperformed a year's worth of Zeboyd's XBLIG revenue only a week after its release.

Zeboy's next title will be the resurrection of the once-canceled Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 3, though the studio also has other projects -- including "RPGs as well as games from other genres" -- in the pipeline.

So here’s a bit of unexpected news. It comes out of leftfield for us to learn that Penny Arcade’s Penny Arcade Adventures episodes are to get a third and final episode – since it was abandoned by Hothead to work on Deathspank – but it’s even more surprising to learn that Zeboyd (they of lo-fi RPG treat Cthulhu Saves the World) are making it. Really? Apparently so. Zeboyd say: “Zeboyd Games is pleased to announce that we are currently working on Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rainslick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3. Yes, we’re serious.”

Expect something 16-bitlike, by the looks of it.

Dark gods and mystical powers. Helpless citizens in need of a hero. An unlikely group of adventurers drawn together to vanquish those attempting to do the world harm. Zeboyd Games' Cthulhu Saves the World, originally an Xbox Live Indie title and now available on PC, has all the elements of a classic...

You may remember that last week we suggested Zeboyd’s launch of their RPGs on Steam had gone a lot better than expected. It turns out that was something of an under-estimation.

In less than a week on Steam, Zeboyd’s Cthulhu Saves The World (see our review here) and Breath Of Death VII have already made more than they did in over a year on Xbox Live Indie Games. Let me repeat that: More in under a week on PC than in over a year on Xbox.

(more…)

No matter what I write about Zeboyd‘s Cthulhu Saves The World, even if I were about to launch into a scathing attack on the RPG, it still wouldn’t be able to combat the price. This game costs $3/£2. Except, actually, for that price you get two games, the other being Breath of Death VII: The Beginning. And both are RPGs. Big, detailed RPGs. Price doesn’t affect quality, but when it’s less than the price of a bottle of water for two full length games, it’s a competitive factor. So, despite the fact it barely matters at that price, here’s Wot I Think of Cthulhu Saves The World.

(more…)

If you thought jocks versus nerds was a war you left behind in high school, we've got some bad news: It's followed you to a new, less predictable battleground. Yup, Xbox Live Indie Games. Seemingly provoked by a harmless call to action by the developers behind College Lacrosse 2011 on their Facebook page -- they even said, "Please remember to not rate other games low to help CL11" -- some developers have noticed a drastic drop in their XBLIG rankings.

"After hanging out around the #6 top rated slot for a month or two, our game's rating started to drop very quickly," Cthulu Saves the World dev Robert Boyd wrote on Microsoft's App Hub Forums. "In less than a week, we went from being #6 top rated to our current spot of #11." And how are the lacrosse games doing? "In contrast, the Lacrosse games which were in the middle of top 20 best rated (I don't remember the exact positions) are now ranked #4 & #5," Boyd observed.

For its part, Microsoft's XNA Creator's Club has acknowledged the possibility of manipulation, tweeting, "We are investigating a possible misuse of ratings on #XBLIG titles. We'll announce more information here as it develops."

The real issue is how easy it is for a group of individuals (take the 177K fans of College Lacrosse's Facebook page) to influence the popularity of games on the service: Users can rate games on Microsoft's website without owning an Xbox, purchasing a game, or even playing a demo. When download numbers are as tied to rankings as they are on the Indie Games marketplace (just like on the iOS and Android marketplaces) this issue is really critical in maintaining the fairness of that ecosystem.

Zeboyd Games has announced that the already attractive Cthulhu Saves the World is about to get even hotter. Officially titled -- wait for it -- Cthulhu Saves the World: The Super Hyper Enhanced Championship Edition Alpha Diamond DX Plus Alpha FES HD - Premium Enhanced Game of the Year Collector's Edition (without Avatars!), the updated edition packs in loads of new content.

Specifically, the, erm, "Collector's Edition" includes the new Cthulhu's Angels mode, in which the Lovecraftian god sends three new playable characters -- we particularly like the sound of the "Were-Zompire" Molly -- to save the world. The mode also features new music, dialogue and abilities.

Additionally, the Collector's Edition will include director's commentary, rebalanced gameplay, a new dungeon and a new "Insanity" difficulty setting. It will apparently replace the original game on the Xbox Live Indie Games platform when it's released this spring, and current owners will be upgraded for free. A PC version will also be released at that time.

Feeling a little altruistic? Here's a great cause that's worth supporting: The great and terrible destruction of existence at the hands of Cthulhu, who reigns high on his obsidian throne in the dark, nightmarish dwellings of R'lyeh. Oh, wait -- the money you're donating is actually going to Zeboyd Games, who needs funds to help bring its game, Cthulhu Saves the World, from the Xbox Live Indie Games platform to the PC. Yeah, that makes way more sense.

The fundraising is taking place on Kickstarter, which is offering quite a few savory prizes for any and all big spenders. For instance, folks who donate $750 or more can end up as townsfolk in the charming indie RPG. That's a small price to pay for virtual immortality, isn't it?

Crowded as Xbox Live Indie Games is with farting massage simulators, it can be hard to find worthwhile titles. That's why we sift through all that rough to unearth a few gems. That way, you get the skinny on quality games and we get to indulge our secret passion for fart machines. This week, we take a look at the Zeboyd Games retro RPG romp, Cthulhu Saves the World. Let's just start with the premise of Cthulhu Saves the World: You take control of Cthulhu, the squid-faced, winged god created by H.P. Lovecraft. Cthulhu emerges from the sea after centuries of slumber only to find his dark powers immediately sealed away by a mysterious holy wizard. A narrator then informs the player that the only way to break the curse is to become a true hero. Quickly breaking the fourth wall, Cthulhu informs the narrator that he was eavesdropping and now knows how to break the curse.

Thus begins his quest to become a true hero, but only so he can restore his world-rending powers and wash the earth in a tide of insanity and despair. Oh, it's also an RPG inspired by the 16-bit adventures of yore.

#xboxliveindiegames Cthulhu Saves the World is an old school turn-based roleplaying game starring the high priest to the Great Old Ones, now available on Xbox Live Indie Games from Zeboyd Games. Such glory must be chronicled in song. More »

A retro 8-bit RPG coming to Xbox Live Indie Games from Zeboyd!