We’re always talking about how game development is a tricky business where no matter how well you plan ahead things can still not go how you hope they do. Delays are practically par for the course, and often a game’s development can spiral out of control to the point the game never even sees the light of day. Sometimes, though, a development hits a series of seemingly insurmountable bumps and somehow still manages to find its way to the finish line. Steam Panic is a puzzler that’s been in development for 7 years, which equates to several hundred lifetimes in the world of mobile. Despite a number of life-altering setbacks, developer NOD Group finally did finish their device-rotation-controlled puzzler and it’s set to release this week. This trailer is close to two years old, but should still give you a good idea of what’s in store for Steam Panic.
Some time after starting the project 7 years ago, the lead programmer left the group and the game’s designer Kirill Zolovkin took it upon himself to learn to program himself and completely rebuilt the game in Game Maker. That’s a gargantuan task in itself, and in the midst of this Zolovkin was also forced to face the sudden loss of his mother to a stroke. This pushed Zolovkin to want to make something his mother could be proud of, and also shaped the story of Steam Panic. Beyond the harrowing behind the scenes stuff, Steam Panic also looks like a very interesting puzzler, and as Mallow Drops ($2.99) recently taught me actually physically turning your device around to play can add a lot to the gaming experience. I’m always happy to see a project fraught with problems find its way to the light at the end of the tunnel. Steam Panic will set you back $3.99 with no ads or in-app purchases when it launches this Wednesday, July 26th.
