Julius

Julius is an open source re-implementation of Caesar III. It will stay true to the original while bringing the game to new systems as well as improving the UI and adding support for widescreen resolutions. This version should even be compatible with save files from the original game! As usual, asset files are required to run it, but since the current release is at version 1.0 it should be rather complete.

I found no screenshot from it, but this unofficial video shows the game:

Pioneer

Old-time readers know I like to follow the game Pioneer. There's something massive and cool about this open-ended space game. It was over a year since the last release, so a lot has happened. There's a new mission, new star systems, new ships, new weapons, new music, new sound effects, overhauled icons, a flyby camera view, improved starfield rendering, audio alarms and so very many other things I could go on the rest of this day. (Read the entire changelog here.) There is also a fun option to remove the UI when taking screenshots, something I can imagine will be useful as the game has many breathtaking views.

Indeed a breathtaking view in Pioneer.

Platform Game Engine

The Platform Game Engine project is exactly what it sounds like, a game engine and toolkit for creating platform games. It seems very complete and feature-filled, with an advanced editor with all sorts of tools as well as advanced game features such as warps, doors and world maps. Long story short, if you want to create a platforming game without coding, this might be a good place to start!

Editing backgrounds in The Platform Game Engine.

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup 0.23

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup has been featured here a few times before, and this classic roguelike still keeps up the regular releases. This version has an overhaul of the trap system, refreshed monsters, UI improvements and many other things I'm not sure I fully understand as a non-initiated observer. ;)
 

I really like the log describing what is happening in Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup. Very immersive!

Azimuth

Azimuth is a really nice looking metroidvania inspired by greats such as Super Metroid. Fly around freely with your ship exploring the insides of a huge planet while fighting enemies and uncovering the story. The game is at version 1.02 and looks really polished, complete with bosses and many other challenges. A genre I really can't get enough of, so this should be worth a try!

Aurora

Aurora is a roguelike space exploration game, in part inspired by Star Control 2. There are loads of features already implemented, incluing randomly generated galaxies, various star systems with planets and ships, simple space combat, planetary exploration, research, a dialogue system, quests, a global story, a diplomacy system and more. It looks really well-made and I appreciate the huge variation in gameplay elements that it's built around.

Planet exploration with combat in Aurora.

The Dark Mod - 2.07

Impressive stealth-game The Dark Mod has got a new update. It's primarily a stability release that improves many of the new things introduced in the last release, such as soft shadows. There are also various smaller improvements to gameplay and a few new assets. As before, this is a very polished and nice looking game!

Sneaking around in The Dark Mod. Notice the impressive shadows!

Dead Ascend

I believe I have mentioned Dead Ascend a long time ago, but it has got several updates since then so I thought it deserved another post. It's a hand-drawn adventure game where zombies have got you stuck in an old radio tower which you'll have to climb in order to get rescued. Played like a classic point and click adventure you'll have to brave various puzzles on your way through the games environments. The game has got several fixes and new translations since last time, so if you missed it then here is a new chance.

Brave mind-boggling puzzles in Dead Ascend.

Unknown Horizons

The description of Unknown Horizons from it's official page describes the project very well:

A 2D realtime strategy simulation with an emphasis on economy and city building. Expand your small settlement to a strong and wealthy colony, collect taxes and supply your inhabitants with valuable goods. Increase your power with a well balanced economy and with strategic trade and diplomacy. 

The game certainly lives up to that and I can attest that it is really fun to play. The game recently got a new release called 2019.1, which follows up from the gigantic release made in 2017. I've been following the progess of development and have been impressed by how much that has been done with this game during the last few years. This new release has, among other things, an isometric mini-map that shows the same rotation as the main game view and ambient objects that makes the world more varied and nicer to look at. There are of course also many internal improvements and fixes of all kinds. A great time to give this excellent game a go!

A nice little settlement in Unknown Horizons.

FAR Colony

FAR Colony is a space strategy game that can be played both in realtime or in a turn based fashion, depending on what the player prefers. It's complex and in-depth game where lots of thought has got into every part. I have mentioned it a few times before, but it was quite a while ago now so I thought it deserved a heads-up. Development still seems very active, with something new almost every week. If you are looking for a really grand space strategy game, this might be where to look!

An overview of a settlement in FAR Colony, showing a Nuclear Fission Reactor.

Wyrmsun - 3.5

Wyrmsun keeps up the regular releases, this time with a winter theme. This classic-styled RTS now has seasons that passes as the game goes on, making this a winter-release in more ways than one. Seasons change the terrain and the day/night cycle, adding new aspects to this tactical game. As always there is a ton of other changes too, so make sure to check this excellent title out.

Wyrmsun showing a small settlement in winter.

The Legend of Edgar

I just noticed that I have completely missed to mention the nice metroidvania-like platformer The Legend of Edgar here! This exploration-focused 2D platformer with huge persistent levels, boss battles, several weapons to wield, etc. is really well made and also has the benefit of being complete, with story and all! Also you can play with a gamepad, which I always find is a big plus.

Edgar with sword in hand on his epic quest.

0 A.D. - Alpha 23 Re-release

Hasn't Alpha 23 of the impressive 3D RTS 0 A.D. already been released? It has, but now it's been re-released with several bugs and other maintenance-related things fixed. Many improvements has been made to online play and security and there are also a few other fixes. If you play this game an update is recommended while waiting for a new feature-release.

A battle at sea in 0 A.D. Notice the beautiful water!

SuperTux - 0.6.0

Legendary platformer SuperTux has got a huge update called 0.6.0. Since it was some time since the last one, there are loads of new things included. The Ice and Forest worlds has got a complete redesign, graphics have been updated and effects have been added, the rendering engine has been improved which means the game will perform better, etc, etc. This is a very fun game with lots of content, well worth it for fans of the genre.

An underground level with cool light effects in SuperTux.

Pixel Wheels

Another surprise discovery: Pixel Wheels. I really like top-down racers, and this one has a very sleek and polished presentation, several tracks and cars, bonuses to pick up, great handling and even a split-screen multiplayer mode. Highly recommended and more finished that the version number entails.

Flare - 1.08 - 1.09

The action-RPG engine Flare, with its accompanying campaign, has received another two fine updates. While 1.08 mainly brought bug fixes and translation updates, 1.09 has lots of goodies: several interface improvements, new options for mouse movement and a new alchemy system that makes the creation of potions deeper while balancing the game. Again, this is a very polished engine and the Empyrean Campaign is really well made and is well worth a try!

The new alchemy system in Flares Empyrean campaign.

Unvanquished - 0.51

After several years it seems Unvanquished is still alive and well, and proves this with an enormous new release! In case you missed it, Unvanquished is a tactical shooter with base-building elements where a team of humans fight against a team of aliens. Each team has completely different gameplay styles, creating some very interesting dynamics and variation. It looks really good and plays even better, and this new release has a massive changelog: a new launcher, many gameplay improvements, loads of work on game assets including some new player models, code clean up and performance improvements, lots of work on maps, new and improved sound effects, better bots, etc, etc. It also seems a beta release is near, so this is probably a perfect time to try this excellent and unique shooter!

A new damage indicator is another big improvement in Unvanquished.

Wyrmsun - 3.4.1

The really enjoyable classic RTS Wyrmsun still has an amazingly rapid development pace. Every day there seems to be something new. The game recently reached a new nice milestone in the form of 3.4.0, that among other things included a new civilization in the form of the Norse, several new buildings for Dwarfs, Teutons and Goblins, a few new units and a whole host of other improvements all around. If you like RTS games and have not yet tried this gem, give it a go!

A dwarven settlement in Wyrmsun.

The Dark Mod - 2.05/2.06

There really is something about The Dark Mod and how it is framed. The moonlit streets, the clockwork designs and the atmospheric font all resonate with me, saying "You will really like this game." And while stealth-games usually isn't my thing I have still played quite a bit of The Dark Mod due to it being so well made. It's also a project that really feels like it has high production values all the way through. Just look at the screen below! Since I mentioned it on this blog last time two new releases has come out with a wealth of improvements in each. 2.05 brought hundreds of new models, making scenes much more interesting and easier to create. There was also a new introductory mission, improved performance, a new AI opponent and loads of other smaller improvements. 2.06 comes with improved visuals, especially regarding shadows which can now be soft instead of sharp, EAX sound effects for all users, menu improvements, more new assets and a lot of other things including performance and gameplay improvements. All in all a very polished game with loads of content that needs to be experienced.

Soft shadows displayed in The Dark Mod.

C-Dogs SDL 0.6.6 - 0.6.8

More than a year ago since I last mentioned the classic multiplayer shooter C-Dogs! There has been several releases with lots of new stuff. Two new spooky campaigns (though I saw this a bit late for Halloween!), several HUD-improvements, semi-transparency effects, a separate key for throwing grenades (trust me, that is useful) and more. To get a full overview of all new stuff, have a look at the projects news section!

C-Dogs showing off the new grenade-button.