Sorry to post in a pretty much dead thread... I doubt this game will ever receive another update or anything, but I just got done playing through it again (for the 4th or 5th time now), and was kinda wondering if anyone else still plays this? It's... definitely one of my favorite games (in any genre) on the iPhone. If I can keep this iPhone 5 around after I upgrade (I've got a MOGA controller... that only fits the 5... it'd be such a waste to get rid of it...), it's never leaving. =oP
I don't have it, but maybe you can tell me how dies this one compare to Momoko. I wanted to buy Momoko but it's iOS8+ Unfortunately. Does Incoboto have freedom of exploration of the different planets? Are there structures/buildings as in Momoko?
I... Have no idea. I'm still on 7.1.2 =o/ But there are a lot of different planets... It's more of a puzzle platformer, with the emphasis on puzzles. But the story, presentation, graphics, ect... Is all so incredibly well done. I really can't praise it enough. There are starcharts that are scattered throughout the game, adding another goal to go after... The controls work very well and even though everything in the game can be done with one finger (with the original/non-vpad control scheme), the puzzles you have to solve definitely have the potential to make you really think (dependant on your... Hmmm.... comfortabless [i don't know if this is exactly the word I'm looking for] with the genre). Keeping in mind that they can all be solved with one finger does help limit your options (with some of the harder puzzles, I was very glad this was the case). =oP You collect stars, opening portals to other planets, solve puzzles to get more stars, open the next portal, repeat... But there's gadgets/items you'll get along the way, adding to the mechanics, opening/making accessable places in previous levels. Oh, and hidden items... There's more to it, but I'm kinda rambling...
Let me add one thing: Incoboto was my favorite game of 2014 -- on any platform. It's beautiful, challenging, at once funny and painfully melancholic, as polished as a Ninetendo classic. This is the game that explains why I get angry when the mainstream gaming press chooses to pay attention to the latest ridiculous free-to-play game instead of the genuine artistry that's coming out of the mobile platform. But that's just one man's opinion .
That's so lovely to hear. FWIW I'm still making games, and will update this if it ever stops working (just let me know). My latest game is on PC/Mac, and free. Not 'free', but actually free: http://gamejolt.com/games/spellrazor/123648 It's quite a different kind of game, but I'll be back with melancholic puzzle stuff soon once I return to 'BeMuse'.
Thanks for the info. Even though it seems quite different to Momoko, it sounds a quite good game actually. I might give it a try.
That would be me. Unfortunately, I never finished it on my iPad 3 and my iPad 3 got sold over 2 years ago. The tablet itch came back and I bought an iPad Air 2 near the end of 2015. One of the first games in the batch of "going to finish this all the way through" was this amazing game. And. I finished it! Finally! I remember advising Dene to upgrade the quality of the music when it first came out (it was encoded with a very low bitrate, causing serious artifacts and "hollowness" in the listening experience) and he actually did! And to this day I am so thankful he did, because the ambiance really pulls you in and I personally always play with headphones for full immersion with titles such as this one. Don't have the Mini version for my iPhone, but I hope it's a direct port with the same quality audio assets as the iPad version.
Yup, Pony. It's a 90% straight port with the original soundtrack (as I remember). It runs slightly slower (on purpose), and some of the levels were slightly tweaked to allow for the smaller screen to make sense. Pain in the ass, it was, too.
Oh that's so awesome to hear!!! I'll have to check that out tomorrow... and it's SO SO SO SO awesome to hear that you're still planning on finishing BeMuse. Those screens you shared on your Fluttermind blog always looked so friggin fantastic. Anyway... yeah... nice to hear I'm not the only one who still has this on their phone. Personally, I consider it an AppStore classic. One of those rare games that EVERY iOS gamer should play through at least once. I can't tell you how glad I am that you did an iPhone version. I sold my iPad years ago (actually probably about a couple months after this mini version came out) - so thank you very much for your additional work on the game, bringing it over to the smaller screen. Oh yeah... I downloaded it a long time ago, but the soundtrack is still up on Bandcamp... https://denecarter.bandcamp.com/album/incoboto-the-soundtrack Thanks for that too! =oD
Playing through your game on iPad already back on my iPad3, I was quite surprised to suddenly see the Mini version pop up. No doubt this must indeed have been quite the design challenge to translate the entire experience on a much smaller screen. Is there a chance you will develop something for iOS once again somewhere in the future by the way?
There is a chance of me making BeMuse on mobile, but it's tough. The reason I stumbled so much with BeMuse is that I wanted: a) To make a game about exploration b) To NOT make another platformer c) To create a control scheme so elegant they'd work ANYWHERE. On any target. Any situation. This led to a node-based navigation/movement system which meant than moving wasn't even remotely fun. For me, that's death. I tried thinking "I'm a good enough designer to ignore that. The game isn't about traversal, after all. It's about experimenting with the world and... ...it still felt like crap even after the self-justification. SO! At the moment, my plan is to start the landscape engine again, far simpler, and then put all the complex mechanics back in. That probably means a joystick/keyboard combo, and I really don't want to do a floating joystick game if I can help it. I hate them! As a side note, t's really hard to justify focusing on mobile games these days. The ones that *are* good are all designed from the outset to work with a touch-screen, which means a necessary reduction in movement/tactile control. And even making those is a bit of a lottery in terms of actually making enough money to live. I'm ultimately an arcade-game designer. It's what I do really well. I can make things *feel* really good. I'm struggling to find a way to make that work on touch devices. Inco kind of worked, but I probably lost more review points because of the controls than anything else. Sorry for the long answer. TLDR: Maybe, but getting the game right comes first. - Dene
@syntheticvoid Thanks for the kind words. If you liked Inco's music, you should check out my Songs for One Black Star album. Similarish style. It's free, so this is less of a 'plug' than a 'share'. https://denecarter.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-one-black-star
Good luck with the game Dene but wherever you end up releasing the game, I'll be getting it as Incoboto is one of my favorite game ever on mobile.
=o) Yeah, I check it out yesterday after I posted the Incoboto Soundtrack link. I love it... and Dust. All 3 are great. hehe. =oD
Yeah... 'Dust'. All of 'Dust' was performed live on a modular synth... while I was in a really weird mood. It's also really harsh and... not to everyone's taste. @killercow That's so lovely to hear. Thanks.
Not at all. A very interesting read and can totally relate to what you are saying here, but I just had to ask. And no worries, this won't stop me from looking into your other games just because they are outside of iOS. Primarily I am still a PC -and occasional console- gamer.
I'm sorry, I don't know where the appropriate place to ask this is, as the HD build of the game was included in the GameClub updates and I can't seem to find that thread - but.... The virtual control option (where you actually see the movement arrows and jump button) seems to still be set up for the old 3.5 inch screens. Is there any way that they could be moved further out, closer to the edges of the screen? Or maybe even give us an option to place them wherever we like? It's VERY uncomfortable playing with them as it is right now....
Yeesh. That’s kind of awful, isn’t it? I’m no longer maintaining the game, so I literally *can’t* fix it any more, only GameClub can. You could try to prod them via Twitter? If I think of a better avenue I’ll let you know.
