Blastoid! A game inside a game?!
I’ve always liked it when game developers do these things and put little arcade mini games in their games. I think the first time I discovered anything like it was in Space Quest 3 which came out in 1989. The arcade game was called Astro Chicken. It was a very simple game where you have to try to land a chicken on a trampoline. The arcade game “Blastoid” in Earth Taken 3 is also very simple and small. I’ll keep the rest of the game a mystery until release. This is a first for me, and I’ve always wanted to do something like this, so yay!

I made this little game in 4 days for my girlfriend's birthday. She had a dog called Bruno that she loved very much, and I decided to make Anna and Bruno the stars of this game.

The game is a simple, endless runner where you jump from platform to platform, collecting presents, birthday cakes and doggie treats for points, while trying to avoid thorny bushes and falling.

I know this is not the best game out there at all, but it has a lot of meaning and sentimental value for me, and I was hoping this game could find a permanent place here on Newgrounds.

So go play and vote on Anna and Bruno's Birthday run HERE!

I’ve been spending the last week drawing car wrecks, trash heaps and random junk while making Dan’s Scrapyard, one of the many locations in the game. Levels are bigger than in the previous two games with multiple paths and several exits to other areas. I’m trying to make this game a bit less linear to give the player more freedom, so it takes more time, but I’m getting there :)

Earth Taken 3 screenshot #3!
My character is actually hiding behind that big pillar, just to bring the focus more to the surroundings. Background characters like these two survivors hanging out at a fire, will often have little conversations with pop-up text like this. They will talk about things like their general mood, their current situation with the alien invasion and so on. They will warm themselves at the fire, drink, cough etc. This is all mostly for atmospheric purposes and I feel like it makes the whole game and the people in it feel a bit more alive.

Oh, this is a part of Greenhill shelter by the way, a safe haven located underground in a subway station.

Screenshot #2 of Earth Taken 3! Coming soon.
Check out my first post about this game for descriptions of new game features here.

First screenshot for Earth Taken 3! Coming soon.
Check out my previous news post for detailed descriptioms of new game features here.

THE INVASION CONTINUES!
I’ve been working on Earth Taken 3 for about a month now. There’s still much to do, I just wanted to be sure that this game was actually going to happen before I announce it.

I’m taking a bit of a break from Enter The Flesh Again until Earth Taken 3 is ready, which should be before christmas. Lately I’ve been super inspired by post-apocalyptic stuff, and I guess it’s about time a third Earth Taken shows up :)  Below are descriptions of some of the features you can look forward to in Earth Taken 3. I’ll keep you guys posted. Happy Friday!

CHOOSE YOUR APPEARANCE
When you start the game, you will be able to choose your appearance. This includes the ability to change your face, shirt, pants, backpack, eyes, mouth, your skin colour as well as your gender. Yes, there will finally be women in the game series! You can even be a woman yourself and choose your outfit and what you look like from a whole range of options! This is purely for aesthetic reasons and doesn’t really affect gameplay,

AN OPEN WORLD WITH FREE ROAMING
Instead of complete linear gameplay, you will be able to revisit previous locations/levels at any time. You will be able to freely move around the game world. There will be different paths and you will be able to choose when and where to go. There will still be a main storyline, but you can decide when to continue it. You can spend as much time as you like exploring previous locations for more supplies, secret locations or just to experience it again. Previous levels will not be exactly the same when you revisit them. You will usually enter the location from where you came from, effectively playing the level backwards. Items, enemies and certain events will be different. So it won’t be as if you’re just replaying the same level. The game remembers that you have already been there.

REWARDS AND GRATITUDE FROM RESCUED SURVIVORS
Just like the first 2 games, you will be able to locate and save other survivors by bringing them to a safe house, but this time they won’t just be gone when the next level starts. They will instead thank you for your help , give you some supplies and then leave you by running in the direction of the safe house. The reward can be anything from gas mask filters, food, different kinds of ammo and anti-rad meds.

PERMANENT COMPANIONS
You will be able to have up to 2 permanent companions in the game. These companions will be able to talk to you and help advance the main storyline. They will also accompany you from level to level and fight by your side until they die or until you tell them to leave. You will be able to dismiss them at certain locations in safe houses. When a permanent companion leaves your party, they can easily be found and recruited again at designated locations.

MECH SUITS
There will be some bad-ass new opponents in the game. Some aliens will be wearing/driving these huge, mechanical suits, called Mech Suits akin to the ones in The Matrix, Avatar and District 9. They will be very strong, fast and shoot massive lasers similar to the Laser Cannon from Earth Taken 2. It might be possible to acquire and operate one of these at some point during the main storyline. You will feel like an unstoppable force kicking some serious alien butt!

UFO ENCOUNTERS
Another enemy type in the game will be big UFOs, similar to the final boss you fight in the original Earth Taken. This time they will appear more frequently with the ability to follow you around throughout the current level. These UFOs will be tough to kill, but they will be much easier than during the boss fight in the first game for gameplay reasons. You can choose to destroy them or sneak by them by hiding under cover.

SPECIAL EVENTS WITH SCROLLING BACKGROUNDS
Certain events during the game will have scrolling backgrounds as opposed to the usual method by moving the player form screen to screen. These are special events and will be encountered a few times throughout the game. Examples include a chase scene where a big UFO chases you while you shoot at it from a moving truck. When you take a metro train to a certain location for example, there will also be scrolling backgrounds.

WATER AND ELECTRICITY
I’m planning on creating two new elements in the game; electricity and water. Electricity will be a hazard and should be avoided, found in various places such as torn cables and damaged electronic objects. Water will mostly be in the game for atmospheric reasons, but when the you are walking knee-deep in water, it will slow you down slightly. When an open electric cable touches water, the results can be deadly. Water will be dirty and sludgy, found in places like sewers. I’m not entirely sure about Water and Electricity just yet, so don’t hate me if they don’t end up in the final game!

TALKING COMPANIONS
During normal gameplay, your companions will comment on certain things with pop-up text above their heads. When they see an enemy, they will start attacking like usual, but they also might say something about it. They might yell,”Die alien scum!” or “Taste this!”. There’s a whole list of options of what they might say. When you rescue a survivor, a pop-up text will appear where they thank you. When you reach a safe house they will thank you properly and give you a reward as mentioned above. Companions will comment on many different things depending on their surroundings.

MERCENARIES FOR HIRE
You will be able to hire a mercenary to accompany and fight with you. They will cost you a certain amount of food rations, but they will stay with you until they die or until you tell them to leave. Their cost will depend on their weapon, ranging from a pistol, shotgun, sub-machine gun and flame thrower. You will be able to hire and dismiss them from certain locations in safe houses. You are limited to 2 companions at a time.

ALL THE GOODNESS FROM THE PREVIOUS GAMES
Apart from all the new features listed above, the game will retain all of the goodness found in the first two Earth Taken games. Black rain, radiation, alien attack dogs (Leapers), aliens, brainwashed soldiers, and all the items and weapons including the much-loved Combat Knife and Laser Cannon.Also all the useful moves such as Stealth Kill and being able to throw enemies to the ground whenever you’re close to them etc.

These curly plants are extremely sensitive to movement and touch. Whenever they sense another moving creature, they will quickly pull themselves underground. Dingalopes have developed a peculiar pheromone that makes the plants unresponsive to them. This way Dingalopes can easily get to the sweet Black Berries at the tips of these plants. It is difficult for any other creature to get their hands on one of these berries, but with some smarts and patience or if you have some tricks up your sleeve, it is possible :) The Black Berry Plant is another one of the many different plants you'll find in my upcoming game "Enter The Flesh Again".

Forge Rock is a very hard, light blue material in my upcoming game "Enter The Flesh Again". It is used by creatures such as Tuyaos, Yuvustus and Hushin for stonemasonry to make weapons and other tools. There are ancient ruins and strange statues scattered throughout the world that include Forge Rock in their elaborate designs. Sometimes Forge Rock can be used to interact with these old structures, like opening their doors.

Black Swarms are small wasp-like creatures that live in colonies and build nests. They travel around in big groups and are extremely aggressive. Black Swarms will attack any creature that crosses their paths. These hives are another form of life in my upcoming game "Enter The Flesh Again".