Games

Exocolonist logo

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

A narrative deckbuilding life sim.

Sarah worked with a fantastic team to create this RPG about growing up on an alien planet. It’s heavily narrative, with crunchy stats and a card-based combat engine. It won the 2020 IndieCade award for Procedural Design, and reached an Overwhelmingly Positive 98% review score on Steam.

Published by Finji and available on Playstation, Switch, and Win/Mac/Linux via Steam and other stores!


Fantastic Contraption logo

Fantastic Contraption VR

Our first steps into virtual reality.

We teamed up with Radial Games to bring Colin’s 2008 building puzzle game into THE FUTURE… of room-scale VR on the HTC Vive. Use simple tools to build massive working contraptions with your hands, then watch your creations lumber off into a surreal world to push, pull, fling or somehow get a ball across the level to the goal area.


Deep Under the Sky Logo

Deep Under the Sky

A psychedelic one-button arcade game by Rich Edwards and Colin Northway.

In the clouds of the planet Venus, a strange species of jellyfish thrive and reproduce among the great space whales. Launch, jet, swing and roll through an alien landscape and propagate your species.

Deep Under the Sky is available on Steam for Windows and Mac, iPhone/iPad and Android.


Rebuild Logo

Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville

The third game in Sarah Northway’s post-apocalyptic strategy series Rebuild.

Manage survivors of the zombiepocalypse and reclaim a destroyed city from the undead, one building at a time. Face off against rival gangs while you scavenge for supplies, secure your defenses and rebuild society.

Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville is available on Steam for Windows and Mac, iPhone/iPad and Android. Or buy it direct from RebuildGame.com.


Incredipede logo

Incredipede

A physics puzzler by Colin and Sarah with art from Thomas Shahan.

Join Quozzle the Incredipede on her quest through the jungle. Stretch and shape her limbs into anything you can imagine, then control her movements to walk, tumble and fly through sixty official levels and thousands of player-made creations.

Incredipede is available on Steam for Windows and Mac, and on iPhone/iPad and Android.


Word Up Dog logo

Word Up Dog

A digging spelling game by Sarah Northway with art by Sara Gross.

A lost puppy must dig his way to freedom while spelling words with the letters he finds. Find your way to the bottom of 7 unique levels, collecting items and bonuses and meeting a crazy cast of hip-hop slang-slinging animals along the way.

Word Up Dog is available for iPhone/iPad and Android.


Fantastic Contraption logo

Fantastic Contraption

Colin’s original physics puzzle game that started it all.

Design a machine using several types of rods and wheels that will push, pull, fling or somehow get a ball across the level to the goal area. Fantastic Contraption was released in 2008 as a free Flash game with a $10 level editor.

54 thoughts on “Games

    1. I’m hoping you scraped together the money for it. It’s worth every cent. If you’ve been a fan of their games, pony up the cash. Sarah, her husband, and their whole team work hard at these games. They are super nice folks, as I’ve had a chat with Sarah herself. Good work deserves a good pay. I still play 1 & 2 for the value those games have in and of themselves. They have a different vibe altogether.

    2. Exocolonist is an amazing masterpiece. Keep doing RPG-life simulator games like this, that’s your market section and the best way to make Northway Games to grow up.

      ¡ÁNIMOS!

    1. Loving Rebuild 3 and am quite the fan of the second. The original is a CLASSIC and will never die…it will only be rebuilt! Yeah…see what I did there ;)

  1. Type: [Message]
    To: Northway Games
    From: Anonymous Fan

    Hello id like to bring up an interesting topic about Rebuild 3 relating to a possible “MMO” Game for rebuild. I believe that the fact players can build large gangs and or clans, Or alliance’s would have a perfect place as and “MMO” Game. If you would consider making this into an Online game i believe it would do very good on either the google play store and or apple store.

    If you make this into an Online MMO you would need to add a huge map of the current World for players and keep the usage of expanding your Gang to “Rebuild Humanity” During this players will have the choice to ally or war with other players gangs in the massive seed Generated Map. Your gang will be able to expand across the the globe and make friends along the way. But one issue is caused by this, Your expanding wouldn’t be limited but in fact unlimited. You would need to create either more servers or things to attack players aka the Zed which is already in the game but they would be well edited Or Some “NPC” Gangs to balance out strong players and also fix the disasters to be a bit more difficulty. You would also need to add more things about allies like Ally, Nap, Vassal, Puppet Ect.. . You would obviously keep rss around for expansion and survival. I think you should keep the ability to die if your gang is destroyed and have to start over. You would need to add upgradable buildings and New! Buildings Like Airports, Bases For your HQ which is in the game but needs to be modded. At the start of joining You should Have the ability to Teleport and or spawn to Your starter location Twice until your first movement. The map should be a massive but Generated using algorithms. This is just a little starting help if you do wish to create a “MMO” Game Via Rebuild.

    1. I think that this could be a great idea! However, due to it being a city, and cities not being infinite in size, my recommendation would be to generate a city that is locked in a day-by-day time cycle that gives each player a certain amount of time to set their survivors to different tasks. Games could be generated for maybe up to 4 players, with a couple of NPC factions thrown in, and they could play against each other. I’m sure that there are ways to mold Rebuild into an MMO in the style of Clash of Clans or other games, but in my opinion it’s not quite in keeping with the style of the Rebuild series. Still, it could be kind of fun!

  2. I have some hype for Rebuild 4. I’d recommend a similar style to 3, but with more features, character design, events, constitution options (like the Children decision, or the straight up constitution), and thats just a few recommendations, but i’ll leave it to you guys. you’ve done so good so far!

    1. Rebuild 2 had seasons, and unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your taste) the kickstarters picked “character relationships” instead of “seasons” as a kickstarter milestone reward, so seasons was scrapped in 3; if this game is continued in the future, I hope the seasons make a return!

  3. I’ve gotta say, I love a lot of your work! I started with Rebuild, which is by far one of my favorite series of strategy games, and I also love Fantastic Contraption and Deep Under the Sky. I do have one thing to suggest for Rebuild, if you ever decide to do a fourth game. The only thing that I thought was lacking in Rebuild 3 is human interaction. Both with survivors in your own fort, and with other factions. I think that the events that feature infighting in your own fort would be great if they were more frequent, varied, and difficult to solve, and your decisions had lasting effects on the survivors involved. I also think that the other factions should have the capability to fight each other. Other than events like The Rotten v The Government, I’ve never seen an NPC faction battle another, not even the Last Judgement and Granville Riffs, who are some of the most militaristic and are the biggest rivals. I think that the game could be more interesting if the other factions could fight with each other, or become allies against you. That would make some of the interactions a lot more fun. To me, the only dangers ever came from having a lot of zombie mobs to deal with early on or spawning too close to the Last Judgement fort, and it was always either too easy because the zombies were easy to kill, or too difficult because they spawned at insane rates and I couldn’t get anything done. I think that with more human-based events thrown in it would become as perfect a game as it could be. Rebuild 3 is one of my favorite games, definitely worth the $15 it costs on Steam, I just hope that, if you decide to follow it up, you can make it even better. Keep making awesome games!

  4. I still play Rebuild 3 on my iPad after what, 3 years? Fun!

    Hoping Rebuild 4 uses VR or multiplayer in some way. Just please don’t do the ‘in app purchases’ thing, or the timed build thing. Games that make me wait are annoying. Waiting is not a strategy its a punishment.

    Rich

    1. I also still play the game. I am really hoping for news on Rebuild 4 soon. I do not play many multiplayer games and VR is not my thing either. I would like to see more of the same. The only problem I have is some repetitivity.

      The generated survivors are not unique enough and the recruitment events are very limited, especially with a good leader. I would like more difficult decisions, not a perfect solution for those.

      The diplomacy is better but could use a lot of refinement. Have factions remember you between maps, have a threatening/retaliation mechanic against raids and sabotage. Maybe different leaders within a faction for diversity. And Gustav needs to remember you.

      It does not make much sense to have to research everything from scratch every time. Maybe have a global research tree and one local. The global one can take more time and is for the knowledge. The local one is for things like installing better walls, cartography, electricity, water, and so on. Maybe policies as well or a separate tree for those, so leaders are more useful.

      The survivor stories are a nice touch, but they also get repetitive and many of them are a bit too outlandish. I would like more standard stories with some randomised text-blocks to spice things up. Someone who had to kill their sister/mother/grandfather/niece and escaped his hometown in a boat/car/bus, they ran out of fuel, then they had a fight in their group because of alcoholism/low food/an accident and so on. Especially children need more variety, depending whether they grew up in the camp or joined later. (I want to be able to name them, by the way. And they should not be equipment.)

      Minor things:
      -More buildings are always welcome. A cinema, which you can restore for additional happiness, big mansions which survivors can argue about, et cetera.
      -More uses for leaders. Teaching to give a camp wide skill boost, more useful bar-tending (a ‘drinker’ trait like ‘devout’, some events for that).
      -Improved relationships. More events. People getting to know each other without the same duties. Small pop-ups would already be great (like the “X became devout” messages – “X and Y enjoyed a beer after work”).
      -I miss the old subway, with which you could cross the map and start rebuilding at the other end of the city.

      I really could keep writing for hours. It is such an amazing game. The concept is great and the game improved a lot already. I will keep playing for at least another three years, and after that I can hopefully move on to part four.

      Thanks for your amazing work and best wishes for the future,
      Patrick

  5. Greetings, Creators of Rebuild 3, would just want to say that you made an incredible game that has lasted for many years, been playing rebuild since it first came out, both mobile and as the flash game on my computer. Possibility that maybe Rebuild 4 may be in the works?? As a concept? Or some sporadic behind the scenes development to it?? Can’t wait to see it come out!

  6. Im a huge fan of rebuild seris. Been playing since the 4th and would love to see a 4th title. I also would love to see more interation betweem owned characters for risk and reward. Hoping to hear an announcement for the 4th title.

    1. Rebuild 3 and og rebuild is the best mobile game I’ve played and replayed for years and me and my sister still love it! Still haven’t gotten the good ending though lol.

  7. Just take my money if there’s a Rebuild 4 in the works!
    Especially if it has VR support. But I also want it mobile. So I can play it at work. Nintendo switch or smartphones.

  8. I love the rebuild series and the gameplay, and still occasionally play it to this day! I wish there would be a 4th installment of it, or some other new game with similar mechanics and building possibilities

  9. Super excited for life as a teenage exocolonist! I played rebuild when I was a latchkey teenager, and I always thought the tone and mechanics were great.

  10. I’m a Fan since Rebuild (Armor or kong I forgot), now I’m waiting anxiously on Steam for Exocolonist <3 <3 please make it happen soon!

  11. Rebuild is one of the best, must addicting games I’ve ever played. Holing for rebuild 4 someday! It wouldn’t be polite to tell you how much I’d pay What about a kickstarter or something? Let me know, I’m in! Thanks for all you do!

  12. I have some ideas on rebuild 3.
    1:it would be great to have a way to cure the members that become a cultist. God knows how many people I’ve lost to those weirdos.
    2:could you make it that more complicated buildings like power plants or water treatments could also be built? Like a skill you unlock and after that you can build them with more materials or even special parts and equipment? It’s just a little annoying that I can only get these buildings where they are.
    3:the dating process is nice, but after getting married it gets too simple. A little married life challenge would be nice. Like jealousy or sickness or arguing over something that doesn’t really matter.
    4:upgradable equipment and weapons can be good too. I know it would make waging wars too easy but if this upgrades (and the ones that are already in the game) could be used by the enemy and allies too, then it would make things A LOT more interesting.
    Just some thoughts. Think about em.

  13. I’m not sure who did the music for the video for Rebuild 3 on steam, the first video that’s on there. But I love it so much! Is there a sound cloud post or somewhere I can listen to the track?

  14. You should upload some of these games on Steam, I’d definitely purchase them, especially the first Rebuild game.

  15. exocolonist is the best game i have ever played!! i hope you guys make more amazing games like that and continue doing rpgs with relationship options

  16. I loved what you did with “I was a teenage exocolonist”, I’m thankful for you presenting a very rare kind of game to us. As a gamer who adores making choices in games, romancing other characters, and creating your personal character with detail, I’ve cherished every minute while playing it.
    Now that it’s approaching its anniversary, do you have any plans to add DLCs or any other additional contents? I would like to see it more and more. Lastly, maybe it’s a little bit early to say, but do you guys have any plans for the sequel? I would like to see it have a sequel or any game like it where we can interact with many characters, make meaningful choices, and forge our own paths. I couldn’t help myself from asking about it. Sorry if I sound too ambitious. Please don’t stop making games like “I was a teenage exocolonist.” Thank you!

  17. Sarah – you have 8 years of people asking about Rebuild 4; maybe by the time a decade comes around there could be a special announcement about a sequel, or other survival resource management in the same world as Rebuild?

    It sounds like you have been busy with other games, but as one of your UberTesters, I will definitely help test the crap out of a sequel, should you choose to make it :)

  18. I was a Teenage Exocolonist is so good that I pirated it off seeing it by chance, getting a chance to go through one full life, and then being devastated that my computer broke and couldn’t play anymore. Bought it for PLAYSTATION 5 and I already have more than 50 hours of playtime on my 8th or 9th life and I’ve got many more to get my play trophy. This will be my 5th plat, fittingly. I’m at 32/51 trophies at 52% and I can’t wait to get the play trophy, even then I will revisit this game because it’s so fun and has incredible replay ability. If NORTHWAY Games makes a narrative life sim similar to this one, maybe in an apocalyptic world. I’d pay Mortal Kombat type money for another game. I’d spend $60+ on another game like this. It’s one of a kind. Good work devs.

  19. Just bought the Rebuild 3 DLC pack and I LOVE it!!! Used to play 1 and 2 on kongregate endlessly so I’m happy I finally have enough spare cash to support y’all! Excited to play more of your games in the future – great work team!!!

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