Chillingo isn’t one to sit idly by and watch the grass grow around the App Store. The mobile game studio has a number of titles in development and has recently posted details and video of several not far from release.
Return to Mysterious Island
The upcoming iPhone port of mobile title Return to Mysterious Island, developed by Tetraedge, is expected to take the cake as the largest game in the App Store. Weighing in at 300MB, it features an onscreen interaction model somewhat reminiscent of Myst III: Exile.
The Return To Mysterious Island game is based on a strong-willed young woman, Mina, who is on a sailing voyage across the globe. Trapped in a tremendous storm, this young woman is marooned on a wild and supposedly deserted island. While exploring the unfamiliar places she discovers artifacts, living spaces and technologies that were left behind by the people who had traveled there before her.
The game, inspired by the Jules Verne novel, features a full 3D environment, 15 hours of gameplay, and a variety of minigames and mysteries. Return to Mysterious Island is expected any day, now. (Tetraedge is also at work porting Syberia, which is expected to hit the App Store in June.)
Zooloretto
Upcoming Zooloretto, developed by SpinBottle Games, won Australian game of the year in 2007. It places the player in a colorful, cartoony zoo setting and challenges them to use small, large, wild, and exotic animals and their young to try and attact as many visitors as possible to the zoo. The game involves strategy and planning, as there’s only room for so many animals in the zoo.
Up to four players at a time can play on a single device.
Features:
- Use the touchscreen to drag and drop animals and vending stalls into your zoo
- Drag the ”roller blind" from the top to gain an overview of your zoo and the zoos of the other players
- Unlock new player characters and future add-ons in the integrated shop
- 3D-view for zoos, animals und vending stalls
- Animations and sounds of the animals makes you feel like you are in a zoo
- Learn exciting details about all animals from the game in the encyclopedia
- Play against the computer or up to 4 other players (Pass ‘n Play)
“…a true Rolando killer with a 3D twist"
In a story just posted by Pocket Gamer, director Chris Byatte of Chillingo uses strong words in referencing an unnamed, upcoming title that will utilize iPhone OS 3.0’s microtransactions and will see a simultaneous iPhone and WiiWare release.
“We have several titles in the works that will use iPhone 3.0 in-app purchasing, including several multiplayer games where you’ll be able to purchase new characters and equipment. Plus we have a simultaneous release lined up for WiiWare and iPhone – a true Rolando killer with a 3D twist – it will include the ability to purchase new worlds. We also have several multiplayer games in the pipeline that will make full use of the excellent push notification 3.0 technology"
We’ll see soon enough if the game stands up to Byatte’s description. Stay tuned…
