The iOS platform, with it’s basically nonexistent barrier-of-entry, really is a haven for indie developers; it’s just great to see so many fresh, new types of gameplay emerging for — and thanks to — the iPhone and family. One such game is the upcoming puzzle title Helsing’s Fire from Ratloop, to be published by Chillingo.
Helsing’s Fire sends you on a quest to destroy Dracula, placing you in 90 randomly generated, dungeon-like levels across three different worlds (The Abandoned Village, The Haunted Forest, The Cursed Castle), peopled by the 13 different monster types that comprise Dracula’s horde. The challenge is to eliminate said beasties by moving your torch about the screen, which casts brilliant beams of light and dark shadows about the play area. Light up as many ghouls as you can and strike with a powerful tonic, banishing them to oblivion. But, be careful — not all that dwell in The Shadow Blight are creatures of darkness, and those that aren’t must be spared. It’s a highly innovative puzzle mechanic that is best illustrated in video.
The game features both a Story Mode and a Survival Mode, only the former being available at first, with the Survival Mode opening up after a bit of Story Mode play. The three Survival arenas are based on the three game worlds. Other features include touch controls, a dynamic light and shadow system, stylized hand-drawn sprites and character portraits, and online leaderboards and achievements thanks to integration with Crystal. And, according to the developers, the great emotive audio tracks in the preview video are part of the actual game soundtrack.
Ratloop’s previous offerings include Mightier (PC/Win) and Rocketbirds (Flash), both of which were Independent Games Festival finalists. The developer has posted some before / after pics showing progress in the development of Helsing’s Fire to our forums.
Is it normal to want to drop 600 bucks for an iPad, JUST to play this game?
Hurry up and get it! :D
Am I the only person who finds Pocket God to be immensely boring? I got sick of it really quickly. All you can do is torture your Pygmies for a few seconds and then you've pretty much done everything. I've tried being nice to my Pygmies but it's even more boring, since all you can do is cook their fish and stuff. Even the minigames are boring.
I think it's supposed to be a relaxation app but it doesn't really appeal to me either.
You screwed up the first sentence, lol, it should be "Pocket God, a game that hardly NEEDS an introduction around here."
I have to agree with Cameron. I must be missing something...I could not enjoy this game at all. I'm not an egghead or elitist in my gaming tastes. I like a variety of games including Scrabble, Galcon, Angry Birds, Meteor Blitz, Babo Crash, Plants vs. Zombies, and even Fruit Ninja. I just couldn't GET this game at all.
who buys this rubbish? I know it's only 99c, but still looks worthless.
I will only consider this IF it is in fact a game. Pocket God isn't a game, it's an Entertainment App at best. I did like the concept of the mini-games in PG but still never crossed over. If PG HD ends up expanding on some of those mini-games while still keeping things random and replayable (but with tracked scores), I could finally take the plunge.
The newest minigame, the runs, Is amazingly good. If you dont like thw other minigames, try it. Its a great canabalt-ish game.
Does the game track your best scores in each of the mini-games?
yes through open feint
I don't know. $601 dollars is a lot for more Pocket God.
THATS WHY THERES CALLED AN UPDATE. GOD SERIOUSLY PEOPLE STOP HATING. ITS CALLED CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.
Looks like pocket god on itouch/phone is done for it already takes month or 2 for very simple updates. Now can we expect to wait 4 or 5?
pocket god is one of the most boring apps in the appstore
Journey to Uranus? Wow, what a clever joke, I'm sure no one's ever noticed that "Uranus" is pronounced like "your anus". Friggin' hilarious.
You're not the first one :D
Wow what Hate! Im 31, the wifes 28, my kid is almost 3, 65 on the old man, a good age range. All of us find Pocket God entertaining. The only line they crossed with me was the comic book. Maybe ya missed something?
Guys seriously stop hating. Look at the ratings. Pocket God is actually a really fun app that is unique and the devs come up with frequent updates. So if you think pocket god sucks, say it on the appstore. Maybe if you post your comment on the appstore, they'll make it "less" boring. And btw everyone started hating it on this thread because one person started to hate it. Dont deny it. Just my opinion..