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Archive for May, 2009

The 'Zenonia' Review - An Epic Action RPG

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

720410_5jpgFew iPhone games have been as highly anticipated as Gamevil's latest epic RPG, Zenonia [App Store]. Our forums have been swarming over it since we first caught wind of the game at GDC '09, and things only got worse as the beta started and its App Store release approached. But does Zenonia live up to months of hype? There's no question it stands alone in providing over 40 hours of faithful 16-bit era action RPG gameplay, but Zenonia certainly isn't perfect.

I'm reluctant to spoil too much of the plot, but it touches on several RPG cliches. You play as a mysterious child unsure of his identity in an adventure that takes place during a conflict between the Dragon Clan and Holy Knights. Along the way you're able to make choices that change both your alignment and the direction the game takes through the story. Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are plentiful, and even insignificant characters often have amusing things to say if you talk to them enough times. Grammar mistakes are abundant in Zenonia's English localization, but more often than not I felt these just added to the humor of the game.

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It's nothing we haven't seen before on other platforms, but Zenonia brings welcome change to the App Store in providing  an insane level depth that most games seem to lack. Ironically, it's this same level of depth that will most likely leave casual gamers either frustrated or taking a pass on Zenonia entirely.

720410_4jpgZenonia comes packed with an item and character upgrade system unlike anything I've played on the iPhone. As you gain experience by completing quests and killing monsters, you're able to increase your statistics as well as spend points making your way down skill trees very similar to talent trees in games like World of Warcraft or Diablo which can grant both active abilities and passive bonuses. Abilities can be assigned to the action bar on the bottom of the screen to quickly have access to them, and after leveling up and spending points to gain a few different skills, combat actually stays pretty fresh instead of just mindless button smashing.

The depth of Zenonia continues as you complete quests in a game world that has both day and night cycles, allowing for quests or quest objectives that only appear at certain times of day. There are ten different slots for your character to equip gear in, a ridiculous amount of potions, power-ups, and a detailed magic item upgrade system that focuses on combining items to create more powerful ones.

Items degrade over time, requiring repairs, and your character even needs to eat regularly. While I suppose these things could aid the immersion of hardcore RPG gamers, it seems like they just serve as a needless time and gold sink. You can pick up five quests at a time, and most quests will generally have you heading to the same area, but more often than not you have to run back to town to eat and repair before you can complete all quest objectives.

img_0029On top of this, there are several points in the game where grinding is absolutely required to earn enough experience to be a high enough level to stand a chance in the next area. Experience points usually come quick, and while the combat is generally fun, grinding still feels like an unnecessary chore rather than an entertaining gameplay element.

Zenonia is controlled using an on-screen D-Pad and buttons, similar to other Gamevil games and I honestly feel this is the game's biggest flaw. Absolutely everything in the game is controlled using the virtual D-Pad, including navigating menus. It's no secret that Zenonia on the iPhone is a port of an extremely popular Korean cell phone game built with cell phone hardware in mind, I just wish Gamevil would have made some attempt to (for lack of a better term) make the iPhone iteration of Zenonia a little more iPhone-y.

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It seems extremely archaic to navigate through the various submenus that make up your character's information, inventory, equipment, and skills, especially after seeing how Underworlds [App Store] handled this so well using a touch interface. Saving your game is also done using these same submenus, which seems really unnatural for an iPhone game.

img_0030Your character also can't move diagonally, which is a major pet peeve of mine, and I felt the controls took an awful lot of getting used to. Zenonia would be many times more enjoyable to play if instead of a rigid Up/Down/Left/Right D-Pad it controlled more similar to iDracula [App Store], allowing you to move in any direction. Even after having hours of gameplay clocked in to Zenonia I still find myself occasionally moving in the wrong direction or accidentally dashing forward. Thankfully, tapping the attack button will always make you face any monster in range of your character so the clumsy D-Pad doesn't hinder combat that much.

The graphics are excellent, and it's not hard to draw visual comparisons between Zenonia and classic 16-bit RPG's. Combat animations are colorful and often come with screen flashes and other fun-to-watch graphical effects. Since the game weighs in at under 10MB, music and sound effects are fairly limited. The combat sounds get repetitive quick, and while there seemingly is a large variety of music, most of the tracks consists of loops that only last a few seconds.

So do I recommend Zenonia?

At $5.99, it is an unbelievable value for the amount of gameplay you're getting. At over 40 hours per play-through, three classes, along with the good and evil alignment system, Zenonia should provide for at least a second fresh play-through as you choose the opposite alignment of your previous game. There really isn't anything like it on the App Store, and if you're looking for a solid RPG to settle in and sink your teeth in to, look no further than Zenonia.

img_00151However, if you consider yourself more of a casual gamer and only play iPhone games in short bursts, chances are you won't get very far in Zenonia. The game's objectives revolve around accepting and completing short quests, but needless tasks like equipment repairs and character hunger along with required grinding between areas will likely grow tiring for the casual gamer long before you get close to completing the game.

Gamevil has already submitted Zenonia 1.1 to the App Store, and they've proven in the past that they'll continue improving a game until they get it right. Baseball Superstars [App Store] has gone through an amazing transformation through updates, and I expect Zenonia will do the same. Despite my criticisms, as a fan of more classic RPG's than I can even list, I'm enjoying Zenonia immensely.

Game Details
Name: ZENONIA (v1.0) Price: $5.99 [Buy]
Developer: GAMEVIL Inc. Size: 9.6 MB
Device: Tested on iPhone 3G
While the controls take some getting used to, classic RPG fans looking for a deep and lengthy adventure to sink their teeth into will certainly enjoy Zenonia. More casual gamers, however, may be put off by some of the more tedious gameplay tasks that are required of them.
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'Moonlights' Preview - a Tower Building Physics Puzzler

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

This morning, first-time iPhone game developer Jean-Philippe Sarda shed some light on his upcoming game, Moonlights. While the App Store is absolutely overloaded with tower defense and match threes, there is a distinct lack of structure building physics games. Aside from Tiki Towers [$0.99 / Lite], there really isn't any noteworthy competition.

In its current form, Moonlights comes with 33 levels with one of two objectives- In some levels, players will either need to build a structure both high enough and stable enough to stay inside of each of the pulsing moon lights for three seconds. The other objective is collecting stars. On these levels, players create structures to either swing or fall across the screen to come in to contact with all of the stars. Both gameplay modes are shown in the above video.

img_0021Moonlights seems to tip its hat at World of Goo, and really, it's hard to come up with better inspiration for a game like this.

Jean-Philippe is still working hard on Moonlights, and even though it isn't submitted yet he already has ambitious plans for the future including more levels, in-game items, and an online level editor.

He isn't sure what will make the final release and what will come with updates, but needless to say, Moonlights is a game we're going to keep an eye out for.

ZodTTD Brings Stylized Shooter 'Noiz2sa' to the App Store

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Noiz2sa screenIndie developer ZodTTD has brought an iPhone port of Kenta Cho's abstract shooter Noiz2sa [link] to the App Store.

Noiz2sa is a stylized, touch-controlled vertical shooter with simple objectives: avoid the bullets, kill the enemies, and pick up the released items to rack up points.  The game features simplistic, geometric character graphics set atop a basic, scrolling 3D backdrop with a boss at the end of each stage.

Noiz2sa exists for a wide range of platforms and was previously ported to the iPhone as a jailbreak app by Lazrhog.

Those who want to try before they buy can download the free, Windows original.

See our brief gameplay video showing the first stage of the game.


[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

App Store Link: Noiz2sa, $.99

'X2 Football 2009' to Deliver Another Sports Title for the iPhone

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

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Football (U.S. Soccer) fans should be pleased to hear that mobile developer Exient is bringing their sport gaming expertise to the iPhone with X2 Football 2009. Exient has been responsible for a number of high profile DS titles including FIFA 09, Madden NFL 09, and PSP/PS2 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09.

Exient sent us this gallery of screenshots (embedded below) while Pocket Gamer managed to get some hands on time with the upcoming title.

The most notable thing when you first pick up the game is the controls, which consist of an onscreen analogue joypad for movement and passing, and three buttons: pass, shoot and through ball. Helping you understand what you're doing is an arrow that shows where you're going to pass the ball, or where your player is going to run to.

Responding to the analog nature of the touch screen's controls, Exient has adjusted the game design to accommodate it with player animations to reflect the non-digital controls.

In balancing the cost of licensing, Exient has chosen not to take on that additional cost for this first release. Realistically, they are looking to build up their reputation on the iPhone side before pursing these expensive deals.

The game is awaiting approval and should appear soon. No pricing has been announced.

Freeballin' Update Brings New 'Toy Bot Diaries'-Themed Level

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

freeballin_03At the risk of posting yet-another-pinball related story, I felt it would be negligent to not mention the 1.3 update to IUGO's Freeballin' [App Store] game which introduces a free Toy Bot-themed table.

Toy Bot Diaries, of course, was IUGO's first game for the iPhone. The physics platformer was one of the first true iPhone games that seemed to take good advantage of the iPhone's unique control systems.

This latest free update adds a Toy Bot table to IUGO's stylistic pinball game Freeballin'. A promotional video shows the new table in action:

App Store Link: Freeballin', $1.99

A Video Roundup of 8 Upcoming iPhone and iPod Touch Games

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

primary_rtmiWe've received a number of interesting new video previews for upcoming iPhone games. Many of the videos are new previews for games we've covered before, while a few are from games we've never talked about. All the videos are worth a look, so check them out.

Games We've Discussed

  • Star Defense - Ngmoco's long anticipated 3D Tower Defense game appears to be getting closer to release. A new hands on video from Ngmoco shows more of the game's controls.
  • Return to Mysterious Island - Inspired by the Jules Verne novel, this 3d adventure game offers over 15 hours of gameplay. TetraEdge Games and Chillingo have released this new trailer video showing off more of the game and controls.
  • Blimp - The Flying Adventures - Craneball Studios has released an actual "hands on" gameplay video of their upcoming Blimp game which we previewed in April. The video should address questions and concerns about the control system the game uses.
  • Circuit Strike One - One we've been keeping an eye on since January, Circuit Strike One also appears to be near release. Chillingo has released a number of new gameplay videos today: Video 1, Video 2, Video 3
  • Monster Pinball - A stylistic pinball game with 6 interconnected tables. The graphics and animations were poorly captured in the previous gameplay video, so the developers released a much higher quality gameplay video recorded off the computer.

New Games

  • Minigore - A new survival shooter by Mountain Sheep and to be published by Chillingo. The teaser trailer shows a bit of gameplay.
  • Ground Effect - This is described as a free-roaming Ekranoplan racing game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. See the impressive video and forum discussion with the developer.
  • Bluebird - Fans of Nimblebit may be excited to see this new video for their upcoming Bluebird game. Nimblebit is also responsible for Scoops and Sky Burger and seems to have a very dedicated fan-base.

'Westbang' - A Casual and Very Fun Tap Shooter

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Rake in the Grass, the developers of the highly rated Archibald's Adventures, has released their second game into the App Store: Westbang [App Store].

Westbang is a reaction tap-shooter in which you have become sheriff of a small town and your job is to take out the bandits. But, don't just dismiss the game as just another tap-shooter, as Westbang successfully manages to leverage its simple mechanic into a very enjoyable game.

The game offers 25 different levels set to a storyline of you as sherrif. The goal is to survive as long as possible shooting bandits while avoiding innocent bystanders.

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Armed with a six-shooter, doors will swing open randomly revealing either bandits or bystanders. Shoot the bandits and avoid the bystanders. You're allowed 5 mistakes before the game ends and your final score is tallied. Complexity is added with the need to manually reload and properly identify your targets. You can't just shoot bandits arbitrarily, however... as sheriff you must wait until they draw their weapons before firing. Wait too long, and they'll get you first.

Later levels add bandits that will draw their weapons after different periods of time, and some may or may not draw a weapon at all. These constant changes in gameplay elements manage to keep you interested and wanting to try "just one more time" (like all good games).

The developer's video shows the first level which is rather easy:

At only $0.99, we recommend Westbang for anyone looking for a fun and casual gaming experience.

App Store Link: Westbang, $0.99

'iLodeRunner': An Unofficial Remake of the Apple II Classic?

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

iloderunner

iPhone developer ARCTAN has released iLodeRunner [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch, a remake of the 1983 Brøderbund classic platformer Lode Runner that's virtually identical to the Apple II original.

Features listed by the developer:

  • Graphics, sound and gameplay virtually identical to the original 1983 version.
  • All 150 levels from the original LodeRunner!
  • Two control modes:
    • Accelerometer: Tilt to move, tap to dig.
    • Touch: Tap to move, swipe to dig.
  • Extra features include level select, high scores, and game speed control.
  • Level editor coming soon!

And while retro fans may enjoy the title, it seems unlikely that this is an officially licensed release.   Official Lode Runner remakes have recently appeared on the classic iPod (from Hudson) and on the Xbox Live Arcade (from Tozai / SouthEnd).  If it is indeed not an official release, ARCTAN's version will shortly be pulled from the App Store due to requests from stakeholders.

App Store Link: iLodeRunner, $3.99

Firemint Teases with New Flight Control Maps

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

mapsFiremint has posted two small teaser thumbnails on their Flight Control cloud cell site which seem to represent new maps for their popular Flight Control game.

Flight Control sold over 700,000 copies in the first 7 weeks and remains very highly ranked in the App Store. The company announced back in April that new maps and new aircraft were coming.

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Enlarged thumbnails

The two new thumbnails appear to show an aircraft carrier landing pad as well as the possibility of a water-landing airplane. There's no word on when the new maps will be released into the App Store.

App Store Link: Flight Control, $0.99

Thanks danny95

Chillingo's 'Graviton' Lands in the App Store

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

graviton 1Back in March we previewed Virtway's upcoming Graviton, an iPhone gravity game in the vein of classic Thrust.  The game has just arrived in the App Store [link], published by Chillingo.

After devastating the largest cities of Earth and extracting all of its natural resources, the Xugg'zak left behind a planet buried in debris.

As the pilot of the Graviton ship, your mission is to salvage the scarce energy spheres that the Xugg'zak have left behind, and take them to a safe place where will be processed to rebuild what's left from the human race.

In Graviton, the player is given tilt-based control of a ship equipped with a magnetic grappling hook.  The mission is to pick up a metal orb with the hook and carry it through a series of five different post-apocalyptic environments filled with a variety of obstacles, some of which are interactive (drop the orb into a moving cart, charge the orb to unlock doors, etc).

Graviton screenThe game features "2.5D" graphics and a realistic physics model that delivers gravity, inertia, and momentum, adding to the challenge of completing the objective.  In-game tutorials explain the action, three levels of difficulty help tune the game to the player's particular skill level, and on-line leaderboards add to the competitive value of the game.

I've played through several of the game's environments and find it to be a worthy take on the Thrust formula, with particularly clever obstacles.  My only real complaint with the game is to do with its hovering mechanic.  While most gravity games require constant triggering of downward thrust to remain aloft (which can be very challenging in close quarters), Graviton's ship will remain safely pinned in mid-air if the device is held at the proper angle.  It's a control mechanic that I find a bit too forgiving for my taste, but isn't reason enough for me to recommend that gravity fans pass on this challenging title.

See Virtway's trailer video.

Chillingo indicates that if the game sells well, additional levels will be provided in a free update to owners.

App Store Link: Graviton, $1.99

'Micro Mayhem' - 25 Frantic Micro Games in One

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

279234_2jpgTeam Phobic's latest release Micro Mayhem [App Store] burst into the App Store just last week and offers a fast-paced Wario Ware-like collection of micro games.

Micro Mayhem offers 25 different mini-games and only a short amount of time to complete each one. Successfully complete a game and you are quickly shuffled off into the next. You are given 3 chances before it's game over. Goal of the game is to reach the highest score possible before your chances run out.

The game can be played in "Normal", "Practice" and "Party" modes. The first two modes are self explanatory, while Party mode lets you pass the game around to your friends in turn to see who can get the highest score.

The developer video gives a great overview of what to expect:

For only $0.99, Micro Mayhem offers some fast paced fun.

App Store Link: Micro Mayhem, $0.99

'Crystal Caliburn' and 'Loony Labyrinth' Pinball Games Coming to iPhone

Monday, May 25th, 2009

crystal_caliburn screen

In the '90s, a development company called LittleWings's released a number of pinball simulation titles in their "solid state pinball" series of games. The 3rd and 4th releases in the series included Crystal Caliburn and Loony Labyrinth. 

Crystal Caliburn was the best seller of the series and won multiple awards at the time and aimed to be an authentic pinball simulator.

Appletel reports that both titles will be making their way to the iPhone. Loony Labyrinth appears to be completing development while Crystal Caliburn is scheduled next. The iPhone versions appear to be significantly updated with the incorporation of their Ypsilon pinball engine.

It is not a simple update but a new title in which we put lots of elements we could not inplement due to the machine power and technology in the original Loony. We added a new story of Theseus who lives in the current world as an ordinary dreamy young man. The new story should bring much more excitement.

In simple words, it will be a rock’n'roll science fiction pinball. Fujita [the developer] is applying Ypsilon [the gaming engine] for layered graphics with dramatic effects in high speed display. I’m planning to create crisp graphics which combines good parts of American comics and Japanese manga.

loony labyrinth

No specific release dates have been reported, but long time fans of the series should be pleased with this announcement.

( Screenshots from Mac / PC release )

'StoneLoops! of Jurassica' - Move Over, Zuma!

Monday, May 25th, 2009

210057_2jpgI'll admit that I'm a little late on posting a review of PlayCreek's latest game, StoneLoops of Jurassica [App Store]. I've got a good reason though... I can't put it down. They've somehow managed to re-invent the marble shooter genre to create a game that really must be experienced to fully appreciate (And at 99¢, why wouldn't you?).

When it was first released, I wrote it off as yet another clone in a long line of mediocre Zuma clones on the App Store. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Stoneloops! of Jurassica actually made Zuma look like the mediocre clone in comparison.

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The concept of the game is simple, and anyone who has played a similar game will know how to play instantly. Stones of various color are shot from the bottom of the screen, when they connect to the existing incoming line of stones to form a match of three, the group explodes. If removing that group of stones creates matches from the surrounding stones, you can score multiple combos if you're good at planning ahead with your stone placement.

There are two variations on the gameplay included in StoneLoops! of Jurassica, Classic and Grab 'n' Shoot. In Classic mode, you're forced to shoot the random  colored stone that gets loaded in your shooter. In Grab 'n' Shoot, as the name would imply, you grab a stone from the game field, then shoot it somewhere else to sort the strings of stones into matches. Both game modes are equally fun, but I've found myself leaning more towards preferring Classic mode.

StoneLoops! of Jurassica also comes with a beefy system of power-ups that can be picked up to provide assistance in dealing with the oncoming invasion of colored stones. These power-ups can assist in destroying stones, changing their colors, and either stopping or reversing their advancement.

210057_4jpgI'm happy to say that StoneLoops! of Jurassica has a well designed difficulty curve. In playing through it, I found myself only needing to redo a few levels, although I had many close calls. Aside from a solid foundation of well-executed gameplay, PlayCreek also added a heaping helping of secondary features to add depth to the game. Included is an achievement system with awards based on both performance and collecting items. As you clear the strings of stones, gems appear that can be caught with your shooter that serve for score and achievement fodder. While these sort of incentives are becoming standard in many iPhone games, the oddest inclusion is the home upgrade system.

As you progress through the game, your jungle hut is upgraded after completing sets of levels. For instance, you start with just a basic hut and bridge system, and after clearing a few levels you install some swanky hand rails. This isn't explained at all in game, but hey... who doesn't like upgrading their house?

At the current "Grand Opening Sale" price of 99¢, it's not hard to find a reason to pick up StoneLoops! of Jurassica. The game is a ridiculous value with complete soundtrack, excellent graphic design, 75 levels of incresing complexity through five different environments, achievements, power-ups, the confusing house upgrade system, etc.

There is a ton packed in to this game, and while I haven't quite made it all the way through yet, I have a feeling StoneLoops of Jurassica is going to join the ranks of games on the iPhone that I can't help but finish because it constantly keeps me coming back for more.

Game Details
Name: StoneLoops! of Jurassica (v1.0) Price: $0.99 [Buy]
Developer: PlayCreek Size: 15.0 MB
Device: Tested on iPhone 3G
StoneLoops! of Jurassica sets the current standard for fantastic match three marble shooting games and is hard to pass up at the promotional price. It's incredibly fun, and comes packed with enough content to keep you busy for quite some time.

'TowerMadness' - A New Perspective on Tower Defense

Monday, May 25th, 2009

491616jpgLimbic Software's previously announced TowerMadness game has arrived in the App Store [link]. TowerMadness is an open map tower defense game that offers a zoomable 3D camera that lets you follow the action from various perspectives.

Like all tower defense games, the objective is to defend your base (in this case herd of sheep) from the waves of enemies (aliens). TowerMadness offers 16 different enemies consisting of aliens, bugs, and flying vehicles of varying sizes and strengths. Each enemy destroyed provides you more money to buy new towers and upgrade existing towers. If you let too many enemies through the game is over.

The 3D engine allows you to easily view the action from overhead or pinch all the way down for a first-person view of the action. So you can literally watch aliens walking down the path and get a close inspection of the weapons. Visually the 3D engine works well and played smoothly on both the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G, and the character graphics were adequate. While the zoomable 3D landscape works well, I'm not sure how much it really adds to gameplay. I suspect most players will simply find a comfortable zoom level and stick with it throughout the duration of the game.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

The game comes with 4 maps categorized by difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard, Madness) as well as the potential for additional downloadable content. Limbic Software has already included one additional downloadable map called "Sandbox" which allows you to test different strategies with practically unlimited funds. None of the maps, however, include an "unlimited" mode which may limit replayability once you master the included levels.

The game's controls are demoed in the above video by the developer and worked well in practice. Tapping on a location brings up a menu that allows you to select which towers to buy. Limbic also includes an extensive "Towerpedia" reference in the game which details all the attributes of each tower and their upgrades. Meanwhile, tapping and holding on a tower in-game will bring up a quick-reference. The game includes 9 different towers with 5 upgrades each, but only a subset of weapons may be offered depending on the map.

Aside from the 3D viewpoint, one somewhat unique feature the game offers is the ability to replay the games of others on the online high score list. (We've previously seen a similar feature in Jason Rohrer's Passage game.) The system works quite well with the ability to playback games at up to 8x speed. For a game like this, however, I would recommend not watching the replays, especially on levels you haven't solved yourself. Knowing the optimal solution to a map basically ruins most of the fun of playing an open-map tower defense game which tends to involve a lot of trial and error.

TowerMadness offers a somewhat fresh perspective on the tower defense genre which has become a very popular genre on the iPhone and iPod Touch. While the 3D engine is nice, we hope that they are able to somehow take more advantage of it in the future, as we're not sure it adds much to the gameplay at this time. The game, however, is well put together and for only $1.99 may be hard to pass up for tower defense fans. The feature I think that's most compelling is the fact that TowerMadness is an open-map design akin to Fieldrunners which requires you to create your own path. Most competing games offer a fixed-path map structure which some players may not find as enjoyable.

Game Details
Name: TowerMadness (v1.0) Price: $1.99 [Buy]
Developer: Limbic Software Size: 4.8 MB
Device: Tested on iPhone 3G and 2nd Gen iPod Touch
TowerMadness offers a somewhat fresh perspective on the tower defense genre with a 3D engine, downloadable content and online replays. In particular, the open-map design may particularly appeal to those who have been looking for Tower Defense game that plays more like Fieldrunners. While the 3D engine is quite nice, we're not sure how much it adds to the gameplay, but for only $1.99 it's certainly worth a try.

Big Albie also contributed to this review.

'Guru Meditation': A Peaceful, Retro Relaxer

Monday, May 25th, 2009

Ian Bogost, developer and video game theory blogger, brought an iPhone port of his retro-inspired Guru Meditation [link] to the App Store.  In an unusual twist, it's a port of his Atari 2600-based original title...that is also a new release.  While Guru Meditation is a relaxation / meditation game designed to offer the player an opportunity for clarity of mind, the inspiration of the title is largely to pay homage to the Amiga lore of the early 1980s.

Guru Meditation screen

Backstory in a nutshell:  In 1982 Larry Kaplan of Activision formed a team to create the ultimate video game machine.  His choice for chief engineer was Jay Miner, creator of the (then) highly advanced custom graphics chipset used in the Atari 8-bit line of computers.  Due to the videogame crash of 1983, the strategy shifted and the (then) enormously powerful Amiga custom hardware was adapted for release as a computer, the Amiga 1000.  A decade ahead of its time, the amazing Amiga knew no peer as far as its price / performance ratio.

boardofjoyDuring development of the system, Amiga released several joystick products for the Atari 2600 line to fund the project and get the Amiga name out there.  One of these was the Joyboard, a device the player would stand on to control games by shifting body weight.  Think Wii Balance Board -- 25 years earlier.  The Amiga programmers developed an internal game called Zen Meditation that challenged the player to sit perfectly still upon the Joyboard.  If the player moved, a "Guru Meditation error" would occurr.  Inspired by this game, the Amiga team labelled the Amiga computer's equivalent of the Blue Screen of Death "Guru Meditation."

Read Ars Technica's excellent "A History of the Amiga" series or, better yet, Brian Bagnall's superb book On The Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore, for the full story of this notable landmark in computing history.

In honor of the spirit of the Amiga, Bogost recently created Guru Meditation, an Atari 2600 game, coded in 6502 assembly language and avialable as a game cartridge, to bring the Guru Meditation expereince to players in a truly retro way.  He offers for purchase a limited package, including an original Atari 2600, an Amiga Joyboard, a Guru Meditation game cartridge, and a meditation mat featuring a pixellized, sprite-style "Om" printed upon it.

To put the game in the hands of a somewhat wider audience, Bogost has also released an iPhone version -- a faithful port of his 2600 game.

The iPhone offers a unique opportunity for a true relaxation game, since it makes such constant demands on our attention—telephone, email, text messages, Twitter, etc. Guru Meditation for iPhone literally makes it impossible to pursue other activities while playing. As such, it offers a convenient secondary commentary on the often overwhelming values of "connection" that today's portable communication devices embrace.

guru_amanda_smThe game starts with a tap to the bouncing iPhone icon at the title screen.  The user must hold the iPhone or iPod touch as still as possible, parallel to the floor, while the orientation screen appears, ensuring that there is a minimal noise level in the room (for iPhone users, where the mic is enabled).  Once the input requirements are met, a Yogi will appear and, if all you remain properly situated, will start to rise and float gently.  A timer will start and the challenge is to remain calm and focused.

Time passes subtly during the game. Clouds move. The time of day changes, roughly every hour, from day to dusk to night to dawn. You can select a different starting time of day by waiting to choose a starting point on the title screen.

If you move or a sound disrupts you, the yogi will fall and the game will end. Touch the screen to see your recorded time for this session, as well as your average meditation time across all sessions. You might consider setting a meditation target for yourself each day, and using the average score display as a way to track your goals.

Guru Meditation is about as simple as it gets.  Of course, anyone who owned/s an Amiga or already knew the backstory, has to grab it straight away.  But others, who don't find the retro graphics a plus or who might not thrill at the notion of a game that demands that the player do absolutely nothing, may want to hold onto their $.99.

Those who cared to comment in our forums are intrigued by the game.  'Jeep was particularly fond of the title.

It's a great piece of historical gaming trivia and I think it deserves a place on any iDevice because of that. And it promotes relaxation and meditation (and yoga) which is more than an added bonus. One of my best purchases from the appstore!

App Store Link: Guru Meditation, $.99


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