Earlier this month we profiled Mad Monkey Studios, a mobile developer that indicated they were beginning the development of iPhone games, but only those that would take specific advantage of the advanced capabilities of Apple’s new iPhone 3GS hardware.
A few weeks later, the studio posted a video that showed a 3D shader-driven visual technique. The technique is somewhat reminiscent of the cartoon stylings in the ’80s a-ha video ‘Take On Me.’
Early this morning, a simple game based on the demo, Sktech Hop [link], was released in the App Store and, as promised, is only compatible with the iPhone 3GS.
Sketch Hop is a simple and free “2.5D" side-scrolling jump-the-obstacles platform game that challenges the player to take a bouncing ball as far down a scrolling row of logs as possible, without falling into the gaps. It’s a tap to the screen to jump (the longer you hold, the higher / farther you’ll jump), and that’s pretty much as complicated as it gets. As a game, it really just stands out more as an example of 3GS-specific game making from a studio that, when it comes to the iPhone platform, is dedicated solely to Apple’s flagship device.
See a reader’s video (which lacks audio) of the game in play.
It’s a simple free download for 3GS users, but non-3GS users aren’t really missing out on much… yet.
App Store Link: Sketch Hop, Free
