Lovely piece of work - they really nailed this. Only quibble is no pause button which really does suck. Please... add a pause to the game! Jamie
Couldn't agree more, there is some genius to create something immersive out of so little. But it's shallow. I played this online, and to be honest I think I'll leave it at that. I'll buy Ovenbreak instead this WE. I hope other devs will take a second to see what's great here, and see how that can be used to lift other game concepts to a higher level.
When the App Store opened over a year ago, most games were not $0.99, granted there weren't a lot of them at the time. But then more and more devs started releasing games and before we knew it the App Store was flooded with way more games than actual apps. By that time the average game (even indie game) was not priced at 99c, and if it was a quality game (or just popular for some reason) it would still do very well. Meaning that MANY people bought games that were 3, 4, or 5 dollars, and sometimes higher, and the games were therefore, successful. This 99c trend (that it appears you're a big fan of) didn't start until sometime this year, and is the reason so many devs are struggling to at least break even. But hey, if you expect every game with a simple concept to be 99c, that's your right. Just know that that attitude is going to result in fewer and fewer quality games, and even fewer solid updates. No, money. Which is the reason behind most people's gripe with the game.
I am going to attempt to write a serious review of this game because I think it deserves the effort. What we have here is my favourite kind of game. I am going to compare it to two of my favourite things at the moment. District 9 and Elbow's song Grounds For Divorce. Both of these things are crafted in such a way that they "just click" with my brain. District 9 completely sucked me in and when I left the cinema I felt not like I was returning to the real world but that I had in fact just spend the last 2 hours in the most real world imaginable. Canabalt does achieve this effect in me. It sucks me in and I can play it for hours and hours without really thinking about anything other than jumping at precisely the right time. Everything contributes to this. The graphics, the almost flawless sound design the background detail. It all adds up and oozes atmosphere. The biggest contributor to this is of course the music. Which is where the comparison to Grounds For Divorce comes in. I am not a huge fan of Elbow. I like them but I don't think I would actively chose to listen to them. This song on the other hand is so perfectly paced. The build up to the dramaticness is so flawless it "gets" me every time. The music in Canabalt is very similar. It draws me in and chews me up emotionally and eventually leaves me a gibbering wreck. For me this game is an incredibly personal experience. I feel like Adam has reached into my brain and pulled out my perfect timewaster. Except I wouldn't call it that because I do not feel at all like my time has been wasted when I play this game. I guess this wont really mean anything to anyone else I just thought I would try to clarify why this game is so good and so important to me. It genuinely is just one of those experiences in life that I don't think I'll ever forget. I wouldn't complain about online highscores though. Lets get that update out ASAP .
Yes. But that's only true of a very small handful of the tens of thousands of games on the store. In your opinion, completely unsupported by any facts. I see more quality games coming out that I can keep up with, to the extent that I can afford to ignore games as good as Canabalt because I can buy three equally-good games for the same price. It's not because I can't afford another three bucks. It's that my days annoyingly only have 24 hours in them, and by the time I've played those other three games I have no more time left in need of filling. Says you, apparently using psychic mind-reading powers to discover that people's expressed reasons for not buying the game are in fact not what they really think at all...
Excellent mate. Thanks for the thoughts. I'm a big chance to pick this one up now. Been playing the flash version all night so I almost feel as if I owe this Adam fella. You're a good writer
I'm currently at work, I sadly am unable to take in the audio experience the game apparently seems to offer (when trying the Flash version), but I'll take people's word on it being good. I loved all the little details - birds flying up as you zoom by, things shaking as buildings crumble underneath.
Yeah the music is definitely worth listening to. You actually mention something that reminds me of possibly the only thing missing from this game... The birds don't make any sound. I for one love the sound of confused pigeons and think the game could only be improved by the introduction of such a feature.
From an interview I read I believe that was the idea... lessee if I can find a link http://www.gamingdaily.co.uk/2009/adam-atomic-on-canabalt/ thar. I love the white birds... I just also like the sound of confused pigeons. I guess maybe in this case they should not be combined.
. Totally agree. I expected this to be 99 cents and sit atop the best sellers list. And no online leaderboards is just as baffling.
Well, is not an outrageous price to me, i'm a big fan of the flash ver. But is not avaiable in my country! -_- Too bad.
Yeah, it's not available in mine as well. I sent the dev an email asking why wasn't it available and here's the reply I got. So hopefully we'll see it in a day or two. (Must be the same problem with Super KO Boxing not appearing in some stores)
