"A casual game with fangs."
- Adam Niese, Pixelsocks
"The Digital Eel guys have done it again: another outrageously retro, tongue-in-cheek, weirdly beautiful, and very inexpensive video game. As if Brainpipe weren't enough, now it's Data Jammers: Fast Forward. What Atari might have produced if they had had a sense of humor and a better CPU. I don't normally flack video games, but these guys' imagination and polish consistently impresses me -- and there's only three of them."
- Ernest Adams, Facebook post
"Data Jammers: FastForward is reminiscent of all that is good in the world. Or at least some of the things that are good in the world, like Tempest and speeding through cyberspace."
- Adam Smith, Rock, Paper, Shotgun
"The colourful, vibrant wireframes, and hypnotic collage of abstract 3-D models screaming past at a million miles per hour is very satisfying on an aesthetic level. If ever there were calls for examples of videogames to be considered as legitimate art, Digital Eel's creations would be amongst the first I'd proffer."
- Steve Blanch, Bytten
"What makes the game a real pleasure, however, are the two things as which Digital Eel always excels; the use of code to produce trippy graphics, and the excellence of the music. Playing Data Jammers is like being at a rave, with glowing Tron-like visuals and a danceable techno score; indeed, weaving and gyrating through the game feels a lot like dance as well."
- Greg Costikyan, Play This Thing!
"Audio is superb, as we've come to expect from this developer. It's a kind of eclectic mishmash of electronica and ambient noise that is, although not quite as good as the brilliant soundtrack of Brainpipe, still light-years ahead of most of its peers."
- Steve Blanch, Bytten
"The enemies and effects are imaginative, and the controls very smooth."
- Greg Costikyan, Play This Thing!
"A lot of thought went into righting the wrongs from the arcade era, and it pays off in smooth play."
- Adam Niese, Pixelsocks
"The game has virtually no lag even when the screen is full of objects. An absolute must for a game this fast paced."
- Patrick Gibbons, GDN
"The gameplay is intense, immediate and chaotic... or is it? Data Jammers is definitely one of those games where you can suddenly just “feel in the zone”."
- Steve Blanch, Bytten
"Speed freaks and high score nuts alike will defiantly be able to appreciate this game."
- Patrick Gibbons, GDN
"A precision machine: well-crafted from sound principles. This is a game to get if you’re looking for a solid action title."
- Adam Niese, Pixelsocks
It didnt have enough time to-- Leave me alone! Noooooooooo. Whoa. Slow it down. Time to react... Go! Slow it down... Yeah! No idea what that was... Ahh... Slow it down. --Balls! Nooooooo! There's so many!!
- Weldaar, The Spotlight
ATTENTION SPACE ALIENS
Now you can explore the galaxy in 20 minutes or less on your iPad!
Thanks to Adam Hunter and Turnabout Studios you can play the original Strange Adventures in Infinite Space game anywhere you want to and as easily as a fingertip touch. Train, bus, plane, during a lunch break-- the perfect places and times to push off into deep space, collect weird artifacts, battle disgusting aliens and save the galaxy --or at least your starship's rear end! Ascend to the ranks of great captains of legend or retire as a lowly robot maintenance worker, it's up to you. Engage!
December 24, 2011
December 23, 2011
Hey, It's the “I’m So Indie I Made My Own Bundle” Bundle!
How does it work? Well, it’s not like you get an extra discount by buying these Steam-enabled games together, BUT you CAN get these dozen awesome indie games at discounts of up to 75% off until January 2 -which means that Data Jammers: FastForward costs less than a burger at Mac & Don's. Yum! And there's lots more. Just click on a thumbnail image to go to the game’s Steam page:
Digital Eel wishes everyone, gamer and game maker alike, peaceful happy holidays!
DIGITAL EEL SWAG AND STOCKING STUFFERS
FOR THE DISCERNING COUNTERCULTURE GEEK
November 23, 2011
The Holiday Party Sales Continue!
This just in: Save 66% on the Steam version of Data Jammers: FastForward. No kidding! That puts the cost of the game at... *blush* Too low to even say! How can we do this? Because everybody is crazy here. Go see! Note: this offer ends on November 28th.
November 21, 2011
The 2011 Shrapnel Games Holiday Sale-bration!
A Merry Month of Gaming Goodness and Special Savings!
Data Jammers: FastForward is a racing and destruction game set in a Tron-like retro world of impossible racetracks. Get the "unwrapped" version here. - Brainpipe: A Plunge to Unhumanity is a tubular psychedelic obstacle course that lulls you to bliss even as it reveals your alien brain. Get BAPU here. - Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space is a star-spanning saga that combines exploration, story elements, collecting and combat into a game that is different every time you play it. Get WWRIS here. - Note that if you participate in Shrapnel's extended download service, each game receives an additional 20% off. Also note that quantities are unlimited, so act now!
Happy Holidays!
November 9, 2011
Strange Adventures Update!
Special hyperwave transmission to all Mac space cadets: Strange Adventures in Infinite Space is now available FREE for Mac OS X Lion*! Now everyone can enjoy the retro splendor and explore the galaxy...in 20 minutes or less! Get it here from Shrapnel Games and engage!
"A casual game with fangs."
- Adam Niese, Pixelsocks
"The Digital Eel guys have done it again: another outrageously retro, tongue-in-cheek, weirdly beautiful, and very inexpensive video game. As if Brainpipe weren't enough, now it's Data Jammers: Fast Forward. What Atari might have produced if they had had a sense of humor and a better CPU. I don't normally flack video games, but these guys' imagination and polish consistently impresses me -- and there's only three of them."
- Ernest Adams, Facebook post
"Data Jammers: FastForward is reminiscent of all that is good in the world. Or at least some of the things that are good in the world, like Tempest and speeding through cyberspace."
- Adam Smith, Rock, Paper, Shotgun
"The colourful, vibrant wireframes, and hypnotic collage of abstract 3-D models screaming past at a million miles per hour is very satisfying on an aesthetic level. If ever there were calls for examples of videogames to be considered as legitimate art, Digital Eel's creations would be amongst the first I'd proffer."
- Steve Blanch, Bytten
"What makes the game a real pleasure, however, are the two things as which Digital Eel always excels; the use of code to produce trippy graphics, and the excellence of the music. Playing Data Jammers is like being at a rave, with glowing Tron-like visuals and a danceable techno score; indeed, weaving and gyrating through the game feels a lot like dance as well."
- Greg Costikyan, Play This Thing!
"Audio is superb, as we've come to expect from this developer. It's a kind of eclectic mishmash of electronica and ambient noise that is, although not quite as good as the brilliant soundtrack of Brainpipe, still light-years ahead of most of its peers."
- Steve Blanch, Bytten
"The enemies and effects are imaginative, and the controls very smooth."
- Greg Costikyan, Play This Thing!
"A lot of thought went into righting the wrongs from the arcade era, and it pays off in smooth play."
- Adam Niese, Pixelsocks
"The game has virtually no lag even when the screen is full of objects. An absolute must for a game this fast paced."
- Patrick Gibbons, GDN
"The gameplay is intense, immediate and chaotic... or is it? Data Jammers is definitely one of those games where you can suddenly just “feel in the zone”."
- Steve Blanch, Bytten
"Speed freaks and high score nuts alike will defiantly be able to appreciate this game."
- Patrick Gibbons, GDN
"A precision machine: well-crafted from sound principles. This is a game to get if you’re looking for a solid action title."
- Adam Niese, Pixelsocks
It didnt have enough time to-- Leave me alone! Noooooooooo. Whoa. Slow it down. Time to react... Go! Slow it down... Yeah! No idea what that was... Ahh... Slow it down. --Balls! Nooooooo! There's so many!!
- Weldaar, The Spotlight
Attention psychotronic music lovers! Digital Eel presents Data Jammers: FastForward Tracks, a downloadable sampling of sound and music created for their brand new game, Data Jammers: FastForward (see the October 24 post below). Listen online. Ear candy and audio antics by Rich C. & Phosphorous!
October 24, 2011
The Deep Grid. The Wilderness. You've heard hushed rumors about a "network behind the network"; a sub-cyber matrix of covert datastreams utilized solely by the Dark Powers of the world...
Now, after several risky excursions beyond vast Pulsor City, you know the truth --Ouroboros exists! In defiance, you have trained to work for the Good Guys to preserve Freedom by defeating its devious Grid Guardians, thereby exposing the sinister secrets of those evil villains who use it to conspire and oppress.
You are a Data Jammer, an elite virtual commando tasked with a single purpose: Infiltrate the data vaults of Ouroboros, the superdupercomputer controlling the entire Military Industrial Complex, and crash The System!
Digital Eel presents DATA JAMMERS: FASTFORWARD, a continuously moving three dimensional driving and destruction game set within a retro wireframe world of impossible race tracks. Prowl twisting bitstreams amidst bizarre geometrical environments enhanced by otherworldly soundscapes as your nimble avatar encounters more dangerous denizens, hazards and boss guardians along the way!
DJFF features Zen-inducing frenetic arcade gameplay, arresting 3D visuals, transcendent audio and mindbending race tracks. Each level introduces new environments, critters and hazards, and each episode features a unique boss critter to defeat. DJFF is easy to learn and play with a superquick hands-on tutorial. (We don't even think you'll need it but go for the achievement!) It allows brisk play sessions too, and has great replay value. DJFF supports keyboard or stick control, and mouse selection.
DATA JAMMERS: FASTFORWARD is currently available for Windows in two flavors: a cool STEAMWORKS VERSION with the social features gamers around the world enjoy, and the ultrahip STANDALONE VERSION offered by Shrapnel Games that doesn't use an internet connection. Under $10 each, both versions contain the same gameplay features and achievements!
Special thanks from Digital Eel to the Fearless Testers Union #256 (Chris L., Kevin M., Duncan M., John S., James S. & Steve W.) as well as Tim B., Doug V., Scott K., Alicia F., Ichiro L., Brian U., Dave R. and Paul C. for their support and creative contributions.
D.O.O.D. Digital Operative Optical Data
October 7, 2011
M U S I C
Featured Games
Take the Plunge to Unhumanity! Reveal your Alien Brain! Independent Games Festival 2009 Award Winner! SHRAPNEL GAMES | STEAM
Happiness is a warm particle vortex cannon. Independent Games Festival 2006 Award Winner! MAC & PC | iPad
Sacrebleu! It's Le Chef and Soup du Jour for the iPad!
October 6, 2011
NEW GAMEPLAY VIDEO!
BEWARE OF THE "HIVE PLANET"
August 1, 2011
SOUP'S ON!
Soup du Jour for the iPad, that is.
It's rubbery. It's bouncy. It's spring-loaded. Sacrebleu! It's candy! Candy soup, in fact, mixed to "exacting" specifications. Whose specs? Why, Le Chef of the Sorbon-bon in Paris France, of course, the world's premiere candy soup cook!
Soup du Jour is a matching game like no other (!), with rubbery physics, stretchy sound effects and rule-breaking gameplay. Tug and toss colorful shapes with the touch of a finger. Mix and match them in a big boiling pot and watch them burst! Making candy soup is easy --until Le Chef swaps pans (whoops!) and the Kitchen Gremlin arrives (Bombs away!).
It was 10 years ago today when our first game, Plasmaworm, was unleashed on the internet and on CD by Cheapass Games. Since then we've tackled rubber soup, disgusting aliens, psychedelic brains, multiplying blobs and other "things" that decorum prevents us from mentioning here. Obviously we never wanted to make "safe" casual games aimed at a particular sex or age group. For us, creating games is an explorative experience of curiosity and discoveries, not a business model. If a game idea is fun and different, it's worth making, and that's enough. We're happy.
Anyway, there are a lot of specific folks we want to shout out to today, but before we do, we want to express our gratitude to hobby gamers everywhere, around the world, who have purchased our CD's, downloaded our games, supported Digital Eel and helped to get the word out. You matter a great deal to us. You make us want to make better games. You make us want to go down untrodden paths and surprise you. You encourage us, and you let us get away with murder. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts!
Another way to say thanks is with DISCOUNT SALES (yay!) to get everyone's heater hot and mark this notorious decennial event. Well, we've got two lined up and oh man are they tempting. Smack! Over here, Shrapnel Games has a tasty one going that will last a few days as it ripens. Over there, Steam is serving up a piping hot one-time one-day dish. Either way, an excellent choice, so introduce yourself or someone new to Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space and Brainpipe: A Plunge to Unhumanity today!
Thank you Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Kyle Ackerman, Ernest Adams, Richard & Mindi Arnesen, Alison Barclay, Dan Bernstein, John Breeden II, Tim & Annette Brooks, George Broussard, Simon Carless, Russell Carroll, Daryle Conners, James Cook, Greg Costikyan, John Crowe, Chris Cummings, Bob Dalgliesh, Kevin Dent, Brian Eiserloh, James Ernest, Andrew Ewanchyna, Thomas & Zoe Flint, Bill Folsom, James Fudge, Stephen Heaslip, PJ Hruschak, Hunter Johnson, Wylder Keane, John Keefer, Rose Keranen, Wendi Kidwell, Scott R. Krol, Bruce Ladewig, Ichiro Lambe, Chris Laskowski, Marc LeBlanc, Bob Mandel, Kevin Matheny, Duncan McPherson, Gregory Micek, Deanna Molinaro, Adam Niese, David Nixon, Joe Pallai, Jani Penttinen, John Phillips, Kit Pierce, Jim Price, Richard Rouse III, Dain Saint, Amy Schrader, Colton Sears, Corbin Sears, Glenda Sears, Chris Siegel, Drew Sikora, John Slade, Kieren Smith, Tim Stellmach, Omaha Sternberg, James Sterrett, Howard Tomlinson, Fiona Trygg, Brian Uhrig, Matthew Wegner, Thom Wetzel and Susan Zwirble!
Digital Eel is not to be trusted. They claim that the psychoactive nature of their product is purely a marketing gimmick. Don't fall for it.
- Kevin M.
A cauldron of electrical imagination goo from space, simmered into games.
- Deanna M.
scratch ouija board: yes... yes... game... good... elvis?
launch into deeply twisted space, returns seemingly same. seemingly sane.
burrow into brainstem. now deeper.
- John S.
Digital Eel is like maple syrup, if you started with aliens.
- James S.
Challenge perception
To subvert reality
Within our machines
- Scott K.
A Digital Eel is a tripartite hyperspatial parasitic being that excretes entertaining video games as a means of distracting its host. It slithers into the brains of unwary players via the fourth dimension while they are occupied with the game, wrapping itself around their limbic system. It feeds on emotions such as joy, laughter, and WTF.
There is no known cure, but no patient has ever asked for treatment.
- Ernest A.
Digital Eel makes experiences that encourage the budding oneiromancer to give up sleep in favor of that sublime state attained through 40+ hours of continuous, "just one more try"-fed play. The play feeds the dreamer, and the dreamer comes to play. Ouroboros!
- Duncan M.
February 16, 2011
NEW VIDEO TEASER!
"MACHINE PLANET"
February 15, 2011
Goo goo! It's a bundle of gaming joy!
Here's some good news. We're pleased as punch to let you know that Shrapnel Games just announced the Bundle of Fun: Four Games for the Price of One! deal. Essentially, this means 75% off on Air Command 3.0, Digital Eel's BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity, Scallywag: In the Lair of the Medusa, and Space HoRSE. Talk about bang for the buck, this is just a terrific value --and what a nice variety of indie games to boot! Check out the Bundle of Fun --a limited release-- on Facebook, at Shrapnel and here's the grabbit page!
Hot nooz! (Ouch!) VooDoo Interface, the official compilation of award-winning Digital Eel game music, is available online for free or donation. Download the entire 60 minute album including four bonus tracks, nifty hi res CD art and "secret goodies" FAH NUTHIN or show your support with a donation. It's up to you! (And no guilt trips. We just hope you'll enjoy and share the tunes.)
Voodoo interface features soundtrack music from Brainpipe (PC/Mac), Dr. Blob's Organism (PC/Mac FREE!), Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space (PC/Mac, iPad), Digital Eel's Big Box of Blox (PC/Mac FREE!) and a special guest game. (Basilisks & Biplanes? Smorbler? Shooty McGoo and the Hordes of Heck 2??)
VooDoo Interface comes in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format except hyperwave membrane and wire recorder. It's safe (mostly), contains no additives, cereal or insect parts, and has been found to be particularly soothing to alien pets and babies. So why wait? Get yours today --and pass the word! Please forward THIS LINK to all of your friends and cohorts so they can become inf-- so they can enjoy the lilting strains of "I was a Teenage Haircut", "Send in the Pods" and"Transtemporal Function Pump" too.
You asked for it. You got it! Weird Worlds for the iPad is now available throughout the multiverse!
Digital Eel and Astraware, Ltd. are happy to announce that Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space, the award-winning game of space exploration, starship battles and disgusting aliens, is ready to disembark at the App Store!
Sail the high sea of stars in your own deep space exploration vessel. Discover exotic suns and planets; seek out new technologies, artifacts and lifeforms; boldly blow up stuff where no one has blown up stuff before!
Ever do an intricate battle dance with an Urluquai? Ever enter the Garthan Red Zone? Ever find a melodium conograph and wonder what it does? Not sure? Well now you can, and at the touch of a fingertip. Weird Worlds is like an instant space opera. Endless star-spanning adventures await you. Each game is completely different, and only takes between 10-30 minutes to play. If you've never "close-encountered" Weird Worlds before, it's a lot of fun, so be sure to check it out!
Note to Mac and PC gamers --We love you too! You can always get Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space for Mac and PC from Shrapnel Games. Click here to see, and to download the free demo. And hey, why stop there? For more good space game fun, download the precursor to Weird Worlds, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space for Mac and PC here. Strange Adventures is completely free and freely distributable with no strings attached.
Holy moly! It's Infinite Space month at Digital Eel!
Now, after several risky excursions beyond vast Pulsor City, you know the truth --Ouroboros exists! In defiance, you have trained to work for the Good Guys to preserve Freedom by defeating its devious Grid Guardians, thereby exposing the sinister secrets of those evil villains who use it to conspire and oppress.
DATA JAMMERS: FASTFORWARD is currently available for Windows in two flavors: a cool 
