Easily one of the more stylish games to grace the AppStore, Colorbind brings to the platform the fresh concept of puzzle-oriented ribbon weaving. Your objective each level is to match all the circles on screen with their respective colored ribbons and you do so by simply dragging your finger across the screen.
What makes Colorbind challenging is that each ribbon cannot intersect with another on the same plane-- they must be folded either under or over the other by creating a right angle. The concept sounds difficult in text but soon becomes second nature after seeing the ribbons interact first hand, revealing a simple elegance to Colorbind that looks incredible.
That's not to say the game isn't challenging though as Colorbind has some of the more difficult puzzles we've seen yet on the AppStore. Some levels will have you at wits end trying to unravel (pun very much intended) the correct maze of ribbon needed to collect all the various colored circles. Certainly not one for the faint of heart, but all ye puzzle fans and lateral thinkers will definitely get a kick out of Colorbind.
In any case, be sure to check out the free Lite Version for a hands-on with the gameplay.
Shaun Inman has posted a video of his upcoming iPhone platformer that was created with partial assistance from a Makework Grant which funds artists to work on their "someday-I’d-love-to” projects.
Inman's proposal involved creating a faux 16-bit game engine which aspired to create multiple worlds, various unqiue powerups and hand crafted pixel graphics. Inman explains his appreciation of pixel art:
Good pixel art strikes the perfect balance between appreciable craftsmanship and the gestalt. A single pixel out of place, one too few or too many, ruins the illusion. There’s an unmuddied, economy of expression, the thankless result of the limitations of cartridge-based consoles.
The premise of Mimeo is that of a Mario clone but where power-ups affect the entire game world, not just the player itself. Powerups will take you from a 2-bit world to a 4-bit, then 8-bit and ultimately 16-bit scene. Enemy behavior and level behavior changes between the modes so there is an element of puzzle-platforming involved.
Inman's video explains and demos it well (Vimeo link):
The developer hopes to have the game released in time for the 2010 holiday season.
Nimblebit has made a name for itself in the App Store as provider of simple casual games in nicely polished packages. They are responsible for likes of Scoops, Textropolis, Sky Burger and Moon Drop.
Their newest game Dizzypad perfectly fits into that mold with a simple one tap mechanic. The goal is to simply get as far as you can while jumping from lily pad to lily pad. Each lily pad is spinning in place, and a well timed tap on the screen will launch you forward. The trick is to wait until you are facing the right direction and off you go. Sounds simple, eh?
Of course, like with any good game, it's harder than it looks and does a good job keeping you trying for higher score. Global scoreboard lets you see how you compare to everyone else. Jumping past a lily pad gives you an extra life, and achievements unlock cosmetically different frogs you can use.
The game is set in a nicely animated koi pond environment with some very nice touches. Nimblebit's fans have taken an early liking to it and I've had a really good time with it as well.
As a followup to yesterday's inteview with ngmoco CEO Neil Young, this morning we spoke with Freeverse President Ian Lynch Smith to hear what the recent purchase of Freeverse by ngmoco means to them. The full audio is attached below, but here is a summary of the talk.
Originally founded in 1994, Freeverse's earliest titles were Mac shareware games. They later branched out in to games for Windows, XBOX Live Arcade, and most recently the iPhone. Freeverse's MotoChaser was one of the few 3D games that launched with the App Store. Also immediately available were Big Bang Sudoku and Jared. They then went on to release a catalog of great iPhone games, both developed in house and and by outside developers published by Freeverse.
Since the surprise announcement yesterday of ngmoco's purchase of Freeverse, what we've all been wondering is what is going to change. Ngmoco has recently shifted gears to an entirely free to play business model, while Freeverse has been happily releasing massively successful 99¢ games like Skee-Ball and Flick Fishing while working on highly anticipated games such as Warpgate.
The short answer of what is going to change initially is almost nothing, with very little changing in the future aside from the shift in payment models. According to Ian Lynch Smith, they wouldn't have done the deal if it wasn't for the shared vision between both companies, as each of them focus on the iPhone and iPhone OS. This doesn't mean they're abandoning the Mac games, applications, and everything else they do either. Freeverse will remain its own company in Brooklyn, just as a wholly owned subsidiary of ngmoco.
In addition, Freeverse will continue to publish the works of other iPhone developers, with the same level of quality and care we've seen in the past. As Smith put it, "[Ngmoco] did not buy Freeverse to make radical changes. They bought us because of our success, and they bought us because of what we've been doing right."
From Freeverse's perspective, the main motivation behind agreeing to this deal is the immense potential for growth. Through the years they've done everything they could to reach a larger audience, originally starting with shareware, then making the jump to retail shelves, then bringing their games to both the PC and XBOX, and finally jumping on the iPhone.
In regards to ngmoco's recent push to "freemium" games, Smith said, "We wouldn't have done this if we didn't think there wasn't more growth and more possibilities to reach more people in the free to play model." He cites people (now teenagers) who have grown up playing high quality free flash games as well as the massive successes seen in Asian markets as proof that the free to play model works.
Ian seems open to all forms of free to play games currently, including a one-time purchase to unlock all the features and functionality of a game-- Something often requested by forum members regarding ngmoco's TouchPets and Eliminate. Freeverse has no intention of "nickel and diming" gamers, and plans on just being smart about how these things are implemented.
While he was reluctant to comment on future game development, when asked if they were still going to provide substantial gameplay experiences for gamers to enjoy instead of Farmville-like games, Smith simply responded "Yes" and mentioned a "substantial game" being discussed behind the scenes.
Freeverse admits they have much to learn about the free to play world, but with the combined expertise of ngmoco, they hope to release compelling games that can be played at no cost to the player, while providing optional in-game purchases for players who spend hours a day playing. They're hoping this will result in games that see the same exponential growth that the iPhone in general has enjoyed, instead of the current linear growth patterns Freeverse sees now.
Prior to this recent acquisition by ngmoco, Freeverse has never had investors and has been profitable on their own for the last 15 years. According to Smith, the main motivation for agreeing to the purchase was to "swing for the fences" and feels we're at a major moment in time, an inflection point, where we're going to see an explosion of mobile gaming.
"At the end of the day, we are just trying to sell our games in a way that lets us grow and continue making more games," Smith explained.
We recommend listening to the entire interview yourself, which is included here.
Three games we recently previewed all have since made their way on to the App Store. If you've been looking for some games to get your kiwi flying, hockey playing, zombie shooting fix, look no further.
In Fly Kiwi Fly, you play as a small yellow kiwi who wants to fly, much like the unrelated YouTube hit video "Kiwi!" (which you should really watch if you haven't seen it before).
Motivated by watching the Space Shuttle on TV, you take flight and somehow earn money by constantly jumping off a cliff. This money is then spent on upgrades in the in-game shop that will allow you to jump higher off the start, briefly glide, or even rocket forward among other things.
I shot my own hands-on video of early gameplay, but this recently released trailer gives you a much better idea of what the game is like once you buy some upgrades:
Stinger Table Hockey effectively duplicates the same insanity of a real hockey table, and while the controls are still in the process of being tweaked, I thought they worked pretty well. Basically, dragging up and down on a track moves that player back and forth, and swiping right or left on the same track causes the player to spin around. It's pretty intuitive, and works well enough to be fun.
There is a single player mode that allow you to play against an AI opponent which is a little on the lame side since the fun part of hockey tables were always playing with another person. Thankfully, Stinger Table Hockey has both bluetooth and wifi multiplayer that I can't wait to try out. There are also tournament modes, and skill tests that feature shootouts and other challenges.
In Zombie Cannon Carnage, zombies from outer-space have crash landed on Earth. Instead of sticking around to endlessly munch on succulent Earthling brains, they decided to build a makeshift cannon from spare circus parts to fire themselves back in to space. With semi-randomized gameplay, various purchasable power-ups, all kinds of obstacles to run in to, and tons of explosions, Zombie Cannon Carnage is one of the better (and substantially more hectic) cannon firing games I've played recently.
Gameplay is similar to other cannon firing games in that you aim your cannon, fire, and see how much stuff you can hit. Each zombie is equipped with a jet pack that has a limited amount of fuel which is capable of sending you flying forward for a brief period of time. When you finally crash in to the ground, you can self destruct for even more points.
Aside from the official trailer, we also shot some gameplay footage:
Disney has pulled a proverbial rabbit out of its hat (or hole?) by surprising us with a timely Alice in Wonderland [App Store] puzzle-platformer to tie-in with the upcoming film release.
Our early impressions from playing through the first few levels are definitely positive, with a range of puzzles providing some fresh if challenging gameplay elements. Alice in Wonderland - An Adventure Beyond The Mirror, the game's full title, pits you in the shoes of Alice who finds herself back in Wonderland on another inane adventure. By tapping on Alice you are able to change between four other characters including the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare; each with their own abilities to help Alice navigate through the various puzzles you'll encounter each level. The game's write-up and feature list as provided by Disney is as follows:
Play as Alice and solve a series of puzzles with help from the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit and other memorable characters from the movie. Explore a world filled with whimsical settings, optical illusions, challenging puzzles, and formidable adversaries.
Master unique abilities with the help of Alice's friends:
Freeze time with the White Rabbit
Make objects appear or disappear with the Cheshire Cat
Use the power of Telekinesis with the March Hare
Transform objects from one world to another with the help of the Mad Hatter
Unlock Hidden Objects in Alice's Journal with your GPS, Camera, Photo Library, and by playing the game!
100's of puzzles and challenges to complete
The graphics in Alice in Wonderland are a rich, cell-shaded affair that bring out the child-like madness of Wonderland beautifully. In a way they remind us of the hit multi-platform indie game Braid (most definitely a welcome thing), which is fitting as some of the gameplay elements are very Braid-esque too, with stopping and starting time and objects featuring heavily from the get go.
Our review is still cooking but we'll have it hot out of the oven for you shortly. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Lite version which offers up a brief tutorial level to give you a taste of the gameplay.
IGN posted some video and impressions of the upcoming Street Fighter IV for the iPhone. The game is expected for release in March.
The iPhone version of the game allows you to play as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Blanka, M. Bison, Abel, Guile, and Dhalsim. According to IGN the move set is "roughly the same" as the console version and includes local multiplayer as well as AI battles. Gameplay, of course, is controlled by on screen joystick and virtual buttons as shown here:
A second video shows the on screen menus. Street Fighter IV is coming out in March for $9.99.
Just a couple of days ago we reported that IUGO's Daisy Mae's Alien Buffet game was pulled from the App Store as part of Apple's new policies blocking adult-themed content.
It seems Apple had a change of heart, as the game was quietly reinstated today -- without any changes from the original version. We emailed IUGO's Sarah Thomson who says they have gotten no contact from Apple explaining the return of the game. Surprisingly enough, Apple has even featured Daisy Mae in their game section -- perhaps as a nod for the mishap.
So, if you kicked yourself for missing out, or are wondering what all the fuss is about, here's your chance.
Ngmoco's CEO Neil Young took some time to speak with TouchArcade about their just-announced acquisition of Freeverse. The response to the acquisition in our comments and forums has been very lively both about the overall move as well as the adoption of the freemium model.
In the interview, we addressed their choice of Freeverse as a target, as well as their move into freemium content. The full audio recording is included in our podcast format, while a summary is transcribed here.
Addressing why they choose Freeverse, Young was very complimentary about the company and described them as "wonderful people" who shared their vision and values while also having a pool of talented people and intellectual properties that complemented Ngmoco. Freeverse will remain functionally independent and retain the Freeverse brand. According to Young, to the outside world, things won't look very different initially.
One hot topic amongst our readers is Ngmoco's recent move towards a freemium model -- where games are free to download and revenue is generated through in-app purchases. The reason for this move was a combination of factors according to Young. Despite the running speculation, the move was not in response to the high piracy rates on the iPhone.
Instead, there were two main factors. First, they felt that there was a large pool of App Store customers who only participated in the free-download side of the store that were not being captured in the traditional model. Young cited download numbers 10-20x higher for the top free apps compared to the paid apps. And, second, in looking into the future of the App Store, they saw a general trend away from higher priced premium games, and towards these type of games that can be played over time.
Interestingly, Young admits that the first incarnations of their freemium models for Eliminate Pro and Touch Pets Dogs were somewhat "clumsy" and "1.0" versions of the model (and to be followed by 2.0, 3.0 etc...). Part of this is attributed to the fact that neither game was originally conceived to be freemium. Young said, however, they have continued to learn and made ongoing adjustments to the model for their upcoming games including God Finger and We Rule, and beyond.
Finally, Young confirms that Freeverse's existing games including the upcoming Warp Gate won't be affected by the acquisition, but that future games will be designed around the freemium model.
We recommend listening to the entire interview yourself, which is included here.
Ngmoco's acquisition of Freeverse was the big surprise news tonight. The move has generated a lot of questions and concerns regarding the direction of both companies. We have interviews set up with Freeverse's VP Colin Smith tomorrow and Ngmoco's Neil Young tonight.
In the meanwhile, Freeverse Senior Producer Bruce Morrison assured us that they are not making any major changes to their existing games or their much anticipated game Warpgate.
We are not making changes to our current titles (well adding Plus+ awards and leader boards to a lot that need them). The current titles you know about, the stuff about to come out (Zombie Cannon Carnage and Warpgate) are not changing and are going to be the games we promised.
We'll have more news and information to come soon.
With an additional $25 million in funding recently secured, it was revealed mere moments ago that ngmoco acquired Freeverse, the developer/publisher responsible for many different games that have wound up in the top iTunes charts including Skee-Ball, Flick Fishing, and others. Freeverse was originally founded as a Mac shareware company in 1994 but has made a very successful transition to iPhone game development. This new round of funding brings ngmoco's outside investment total to $40.6 million, a staggering amount of money for an iPhone game startup to be fueled by.
With the previous acquisition of Miraphonic, creators of Epic Pet Wars and other Epic Wars games, ngmoco has set their sights on the "freemium" market and have already seen two major successes in both TouchPets and Eliminate. Both games have been installed 9 million times and are played by hundreds of thousands of people every day.
Ngmoco plans on moving Freeverse's games to a similar free-to-play model, then make money off various in-app purchases much like ngmoco's upcoming games We Rule and GodFinger. They plan on releasing around 20 new games this year, and expect Freeverse to produce just as many.
We have an interview scheduled with Freeverse VP Colin Smith first thing tomorrow morning, and plan on getting to the bottom of what (if any) major changes we will see from Freeverse aside from switching to the new payment model. Freeverse was responsible for recent iPhone games Parachute Ninja, Zombie Cannon Carnage, and NBA Hotshot.
Tag Games is on a roll lately between the recently released B-Boy Beats [App Store] and the upcoming Astro Ranch which was submitted last week and is expected to be approved and appear on the App Store any time now. Since our last look at the game, I've been able to spend a considerable amount of time with the pre-release version and as a fan of both Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing games, I'm digging Astro Ranch.
The basic premise of the game involves the character you choose at the beginning crash landing in to a neighborhood filled with aliens who surprisingly enough are more than willing to get you started with a house to live in, a barn to keep all your stuff in, and a plot of land for you to raise your various crops and livestock. The interface is all touch driven, and works surprisingly well with how many different things in the game are controlled with very similar gestures.
Walking around in game is just a matter of touching where you want to go, and entering a house just involves tapping on the door. When you get down to business and need to interact with the various tools required to farm, managing your inventory is just a matter of tapping a button on the lower right corner of the screen, then from your inventory you can equip anything you can use. Using the equipped item is a matter of touching and dragging a button on the top right corner of the screen and drawing a line with your finger ending on whatever you want to interact with in the game world.
These basic controls can be seen in the following gameplay video, which is just me completing the first parts of the tutorial:
From the time I've been able to put in to it so far, Astro Ranch seems to be a surprisingly deep game. I have yet to master the in-game economy which seems to be completely dynamic, and my farming output is fairly pitiful right now, but appears to be progressing nicely. Mini-games and silly quests your alien neighbors send you on serve as excellent distractions for when you tire of farming, and it always feels like there's something to do.
As mentioned previously, Astro Ranch is expected to appear on the App Store any day now. Tag Games is only waiting on Apple approval, and shortly thereafter the game will be available for download for $2.99.
We're not quite sure just how we missed it, but while Touch Arcade was at Macworld 2010, Gameloft posted a short teaser video spreading the news that Ubisoft's classic (and cuddly) platformer Rayman is on its way to the iPhone and iPod touch.
Rayman made his debut in 1995 on the Atari Jaguar and MS-DOS, followed closely by Playstation and Sega Saturn releases. The 2D platformer featured some of the most lavish console graphics ever seen at the time and was immensely playable. I, personally, threw several weeks of my life into the game, glued to my shiny new Playstation back in early 1996. And, while the game was followed up by a number of 2D and 3D sequels, it's really the first that feels the best, and which we believe (and hope) is the version that's headed to the iPhone.
The game's backstory is as amusing as its colorful, cartoony graphics.
In Rayman world's, nature and people live together in peace. The Great Protoon provides and maintains the harmony and balance in the world.
Sorry Folks, this apparently can't last.
... one fateful day, the Great Protoon is stolen by Mr. Dark, an evil being! The Electoons who used to gravitate around it lose their natural stability and scatter all over the world! Troublesome, isn't it? (and untidy, too!) In this now-unbalanced world, strange phenomena begin to occur: freaks and hostile characters appear, capturing every Electoon they can find! They definitely need a HERO to save them now, don't you think?
Rayman must recapture the Great Protoon from its mysterious kidnapper, free the Electoons and reasseble them all to restore the world's harmony. But will the bad guys let him do it?... After all, he doesn't have arms or legs... but don't panic, neither do the bad guys.
Have a look at a bit of gameplay from the Playstation version of the game.
We'll be sure to let readers know when they can expect to begin their own iPhone-based search for the Great Protoon as soon as we get further details.
As we reported late last month, Touch Arcade had the opportunity to visit Gameloft's Manhattan offices and spend a bit of hands-on time with their upcoming WWII-based first person shooter, Brother in Arms 2: Global Front. Tonight the game landed in the App Store and, after spending a few days with this final build, we have some thoughts to share on Gameloft's latest.
When the first Brothers in Arms title for the iPhone landed in the App Store back in November 2008, it was a highly notable release and almost certainly the most complex 3D game to be released for the platform at the time. It was (and is) a well executed iPhone take on an extremely popular console / PC franchise, wowing most but drawing criticism for a "difficult" control system.
Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front, designed from the ground up specifically for the iPhone, comes to us over a year later. So what has a year brought us in the sequel to such a bold initial platform release? Quite a bit, it turns out.
Brothers in Arms 2, weighing in at over three times the filesize of its predecessor, brings to the iPhone a much larger game experience. This time around it's a first person affair, as opposed to the third-person, over-the-shoulder experience that is the first title. Actually, when in duck-and-cover mode, BIA2 does jump out to third person -- and that's something you'll see often, as using crates, walls, and tanks for cover is pretty much par for the course in this title. That is, when you're not sprinting across the battlefield, manning the turret in a jeep or tank, or piloting a "glider" through heavy flack. Yea, it's pretty intense.
BIA2 drops you neatly into WWII as the young American soldier David Wilson on a mission to push back the Germans and Japanese and get the backs of his brothers in arms in the thick of battle. But, before long, an ominous bit of correspondence reveals that his actual brother, Eric, has been killed and was given the medal of honor -- but that medal was revoked due to uncertain circumstances. It's Wilson's additional mission to get to the bottom of the mystery and clear his brother's good name. Pretty heavy stuff, really.
The tools of the trade are many. Available weapons include bazookas, fixed machine guns, flame throwers, Thompson submachine guns, and grenades. (The default play mode offers targeting assistance, which I find helpful, but it can be disabled.) There are three different modes of play, in all, to choose from. The default is a mission to mission progression through 13 levels across five different locales: Pacific, Sicily, Normandy, Germany, and North Africa. Any unlocked locale can also be chosen for quick play in Campaign mode. And, finally, local network play is possible by way of either WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity.
The game's control system feels a bit more workable than that of the original iPhone release. This is due, in part, to the various refined methods of multitouch, onscreen controls offered, but also to the fact that, during the year that's gone by since the originals release, we've come to know a great many 3D shooters utilizing dual-stick (and the like) controls. We're just far more used to this iPhone control mechanic than we were back in November 2008. Whatever the precise combination of reasons, you're going to find BIA2 to feel more comfortable than did the original release.
While BIA brought impressive visuals when it made its debut, so too does BIA2, and that's said taking into account the significant raising of the bar that's taken place over the past year. The environment models have indeed grown in complexity, but more impressive are the subtle visual touches that BIA2 brings. Shafts of light through the trees, HDR blooms (there's an options toggle there) -- it all comes together to make for a pretty amazing looking game, very "modern console"-like (on my 3GS).
The game features various trophies that are granted based upon particularly savvy battlefield performance, as well as for finding as many "Kilroy was here" tags as possible. Performance is tracked by way of the integrated Gameloft LIVE network.
And, while the game offers excellent action, often at a frantic pace, it does have a few shortcomings. Framerate is generally quite high on the iPhone 3GS, but occasional (loading?) lags do occur, causing brief pauses in the action and studders to the audio at times. As well, in an apparent glitch where I went off the expected story line, I entered a room and wiped out everything alive, exited the room, only to find it once again full of enemies upon revisiting said room -- though this was an isolated occurrence.
And, about that room full of soldiers, or soldiers anywhere in the game, really -- the enemy AI that commands them is quite basic. If you're re-playing a scenario after having died, the enemy does the exact same thing the second time around, making it quite easy to wipe out the lot. A little more complex / varied AI would certainly add depth to the battle experience.
See Gameloft's recent trailer video for a look at a variety of in-game scenarios.
That I can pick a few nits in the title does not mark Brothers in Arms 2 a game to avoid. On the contrary, it is a highly enjoyable, action-packed shooter that offers some of the most intense battle sequences you'll find on the iPhone, making this latest from Gameloft a gaming experience that's rather hard to pass up.
We're still working on the finishing touches of out Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front [App Store] review, but the game was just released on the App Store a few moments ago. This sequel of Brothers in Arms Hour of Heroes [$4.99 / Free] comes with an even larger single player campaign, six player online multiplayer with multiple game modes, and tons of other goodies.
We posted an extensive preview article earlier, and Gameloft recently released the following gameplay trailer:
Our review will be up soon, and in the meantime, there's a very active thread on our forums with forum members discussing the game.
Easily one of the more stylish games to grace the AppStore, Colorbind brings to the platform the fresh concept of puzzle-oriented ribbon weaving. Your objective each level is to match all the circles on screen with their respective colored ribbons and you do so by simply dragging your finger across the screen.
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