Hot Ronny Rumbles

The Hot Ronny Rumble is a semiannual indie game tournament series held at Babycastles Gallery in Manhattan, New York. For the most part the games featured are competitive games that are so new or so indie most people haven't played or even heard of them before. The events themselves also tend to be quite insane. In 2015 I curated and hosted John and Zara’s Rumble with Zara Steadman. In 2016 I was the lead tech coordinator for the Super Hot Ronny Rumble which was hosted by Frank DeMarco. The Super Rumble added more events including a robot beauty pageant, a marshmallow eating contest, a piñata, and a foot race to a helicopter ride.

John and Zara’s Rumble Lineup (2005)

Clashing Code (Beta)
By Glenn Pham, John Pham, Kristi Loo, & Travis Tran
This 8 player smash-esque brawler combines an eclectic group of characters, ranging from a giant pigeon to demential portal manipulating popstar. The final version is coming out for the PS4 in the near future but the beta has already gained a cult following in the Bay Area.

Knight Light
By Pandamonuim
This 4 player arena combat game adds a stealth element to the genre. Use the darkness to disguise your movements and outwit your opponents. Knight Light recently debuted at the 2015 NYU Game Center Student Show. I was there. It was hard to get a turn.

I Love You but You Kiss Like a Girl
By Marek Kapolka
The original 2 player tongue on tongue makeout fighting game. Score hits by making your tongue long, block hits by making your tongue short, try to force your opponent off the screen to win the kiss! Originally created as a Glorious Trainwreck, this final version fist debuded at Indiecade as part of Metagirlactic Bones Battle at the Edge of Time!!, Anna Anthropy and Daphny David's rogue gameart / spacebonerart show.

Samurai Gunn
By Teknopants
This well renowned 4 player lightning-fast Bushido brawler needs no introduction. Warning: Violence and Samurais.

Sports Ball
By TOO DX
This new 4 player indie title for the WII U is Soccer + Joust with a neo 80s throwback vibe. You can ride a giant chicken and hit balls. Why did it take so long for someone to make this!?

Super Hot Ronny Rumble Lineup (2006)

Game descriptions by Frank DeMarco

Videoball
By Action Button Entertainment
A 2-6 player action e-sports game where teams trade blasts in an attempt to nudge, dribble and fling three balls into their opposing team's goal. Clear a path and slam dunk your way to victory as you witness and pilot momentum as you've never seen or felt before!

Particle Mace
By Andy Wallace
An arena match between four ships towing deadly loads that swing and drag players into a constant flail. The battle to pilot one's ship against the weight of its mace can be channeled into a weapon that devastates the playing field in its entirety.

Star Versus
By Studio Dustmop
An all-new NES game set in a galactic arena where four alien races battle extinction using their best war ships. The art of balance between offense and defense and near and far combat is your key to taking a match in this new take on the classic shoot 'em up.

Yo Fight My Mans
By Prashast Thapan
A 1v1 fighting game where members of the Chillin' Island crew face-off in familiar NYC locations like a bodega and the F-train. For a game featuring brutal hand-to-hand combat, what surprisingly stands out about it is the charm of its style and settings. In a meta twist, you'll be able to brawl in virtual Babycastles while standing in real Babycastles.

BANG BANG BANG!
By Sophie Houlden with music by Dave Dexter
A four-player, old west shootout that takes place on a grid of nodes in the desert. Get an angle on your target, but don't get caught between gunslingers while traversing the grid. Mix your slow shots and quick shots wisely if you're interested in surviving.

Chirp Club
By Mike Lazer-Walker
A massively multiplayer swarm vs. swarm that combines elements of Joust, soccer and Flappy Bird in a game where flocks of birds attempt to steal a ball and flap their way toward the goal. Join in on-the-fly with your phone's web browser and head for the ball.

Snacats
By Sparklin Labs
This game invites us into a world where the classic game Snake replaces its eponymous character with four elongating cats that spit bones at each other. Swerve, slither and out maneuver your opponent to the food, then overwhelm them with your long body!

Hecticube
By Graham Reid
This gane pits player against player on a rink where they compete to knock a puck into their opponents goal by tapping projectiles into existence that fly straight across the screen. The game's serene and strikingly minimalist graphics stand in stark contrast to an intense face-off of willpower.

Brolly Folly
By Alexander Perrin with audio by Dom Willmott
A duel between food cart umbrellas in a tranquil courtyard. Players propel their umbrellas at one another while corralling the game's impressively accurate and unpredictable flying umbrella physics. The first person to spear their opponent five times wins!

Links

Super Rumble Official Site
New York City’s strangest video game tournament - Polygon
At Babycastles ‘Super Hot Ronny’s Rumble’ Will Feature Real-Life Helicopter - Bedford and Bowery