This week’s pay-what-you-want Humble bundle all come from Positech Games, the one-man force behind the likes of Gratuitous Space Battles.
Developer Cliff Harris quite nicely posted a video to go along with this sale, explaining the ins and outs of each of his indie hits for those a little unsure of his output. Whilst they may all look like 2D decision-based stratergy games, there is actually quite a wide selection of genres here. Diplomacy 2 is as hard-core as they come in regards to management; as president of the country you have to make decisions on anything from income tax through to drug legalisation. Kudos 2 is a social simulation, where you must weigh in the pros and cons of what TV shows you watch and who you hang out with.
The two Gratuitous games may share a title, but bear almost no resemblance to each other. In Space Battles you must develop a fleet of ships, plan and attack, and watch as that plan inevitably goes bottoms up and all your frigates burn amongst the stars. Tank Battles on the other hand is a tower defence game, where you can attack the towers should you so wish.
The American Red Cross and Barefoot College are Harris’ chosen charities, which as ever you can donate more or less money to by cranking the slider in the appropriate direction. You can donate whatever amount of money you want and receive you games over at the Humble Weekly Sale website. Democracy 2 will require a minimum donation of the average spend, though, which currently stands at $2.86.