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Game development is a curious field to say the least. All that consumers really know is that cool ideas come in and fun games come out, with very little insight into the tedious process that ultimately forms the final product. Even on a platform like iOS where the overhead to actually producing a game is far smaller, taking a game from conception to completion requires the time and effort of several tremendously dedicated individuals. But why would you take our word for it? We have enlisted the help of the team over at Toy Studios, who generously gave us a brief glimpse behind the curtain of their newly released puzzle game, Squishy’s Revenge.
Toy Studio is a fairly small developer based out of Chicago Illinois made up of fifteen folks that share a common thread of passion for creating quality videogames. When asked about the origins of studio’s unique name Studio Director Christian Arca stated confidently:
“What does everyone consider fun? Toys. You'd be extremely hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't think a toy is fun at some point in his or her life. The only purpose of a toy is to be played with, which is key to having fun. Toys stimulate the imagination and take you to a magical place only you can see. So we wanted to emphasize play and fun, not just in our games but the studio culture itself.”
Despite only having been in existence since September of 2009 the team working behind the scenes at Toy Studio have been hard at work, churning out an impressive thirteen games in that short span. Having successfully released titles on both the Nook Color and Facebook, it seemed like the next logical step was to transition into the iOS space.
The process of learning to develop for a completely new platform is not necessarily an easy one, even for the most talented of squads. So why would a team want to go through the hassles of trying to come up with a whole new game design, when they already have thirteen successful templates already in their quiver. After careful consideration and deliberation amongst the group, it was decided that the best way to introduce themselves to the iOS world was with their Nook Color game, “Monster Slider.”
Stay tuned for part two and three next week!
Apps mentioned in this post:
:: A FLEETING LOVEKatamari Amore is a freemium version of the Katamari series, available as a universal app.
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Playtime: Rating: 0.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 2.88 out of 5 stars
One of gaming’s strangest franchises returns to iOS with the new freemium release Katamari Amore. The goal of this game is the same as other Katamari games – players control the Prince of All Cosmos, who must roll around levels picking up items, trying to get as large as possible, steadily growing in size as new size milestones are reached. There’s a time attack mode where the goal is to get as large as possible in the time limit, an exact size mode where the goal is to make a Katamari of a certain size, an endless mode, as well as a story mode where players must roll up a certain item in order to complete the level and unlock a new one.
The elements that make this series what it is are in play here. Everything from the whimsical style, to the massive sense of scale that the game provides as the Katamari gets more massive are here. Fans of the Katamari series will be instantly familiar, and newcomers to the series will quickly catch on to the game, thanks in part to the game’s new simplified single-joystick option. Experts will prefer the tilt or dual-stick controls, though.
Now, approaching Katamari Amore as a freemium game is a dire mistake. This is more of a Lite version with the ability to upgrade to the full version built-in, as the only content that comes from the free download is a single 2-minute time attack stage. Otherwise, it costs $3.99 for the initially available level pack, which comes with 6 standard levels, and a Pac-Man bonus stage. Yes, there’s a brilliant extra stage that is the Katamari take on Pac-Man, as players collect pellets, avoid ghosts, and eat power pellets to eat the ghosts. Other level packs will be made available in the future, according to Namco.
The thing is, I don’t quite see what’s so different from other Katamari games. A lot of the mechanics are identical to what they were back in the original release of the game; I don’t just mean the original iOS version, I mean the original Katamari Damacy on the Playstation 2! The Pac-Man stage is probably the most original thing in this game, especially considering that even the graphics and menu art are directly lifted from I Love Katamari. This game does have Retina Display and universal app support, though.
While fans of the Katamari series who can’t get enough of the gameplay will love this one, and newcomers will get a chance to see why these strange little games keep getting made, this is hardly fresh. For a series that’s so original in design, isn’t it time to toy around a bit with the game design? Just mixing up new levels isn’t going to cut it.
:: OFF THE WOODWORKFIFA 12 is the latest installment in EA Sports’ long-time soccer franchise.
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.63 out of 5 stars
Football season is finally here, as non-Americans would say. FIFA 12 is now available on iOS, bringing EA’s most recent take on “the beautiful game” to players. The standard list of features are here: soccer teams from countries and leagues that even the average soccer fan hasn’t heard of. Several modes are here, from standard friendly matches, to a Manager mode, penalty shootout, and a daily challenge mode.
The controls are what will make or break this game for players. There are a wide number of commands to fit on to the touchscreen, especially the smaller screen of the iPhone and iPod touch. The controls have been mercifully culled down to a three button control scheme, with each button having different context depending on the situation, and different mechanics when sliding up and down. It leads to an amazing amount of control over time, but it also makes it difficult to learn the controls because so many options are available. As well, this means the screen can get very cluttered, and aiming shots is often difficult on the iPhone and iPod touch. The iPad controls are much easier to navigate due to the additional screen space.
As for the gameplay itself, it plays a lot like a console version of the game, in both good ways and bad ways. A lot of actions need to be performed well ahead of time, in part because of the shot power meter, which also seems ridiculously overpowered. Light taps are needed for most passes and shots, lest they go wildly out of bounds or straight into the willing body of a defender. The difficulty seems to go on a curve from “way too easy” to “some resistance but not a huge challenge” to “Good luck even getting shots on goal” to “Here there be monsters.” Most players will want to settle on Amateur for a fun casual experience, while those looking for serious gameplay will want to move along to higher difficulties. The game has no wireless multiplayer at all; the iPad version has multiplayer with two iOS devices used as controllers, but the controller app can’t be used for single player play. Oh, and the goalkeeping is absolutely atrocious, no matter what difficulty the game is set to. Falling down is not defense, silly goalies!
However, this is a solid game of soccer. The daily challenge mode encourages the kind of long-term daily playing that makes a game like 1000 Heroz (now known as Thousand Heroes) so addictive. As well, the Manager mode, while daunting for newcomers, should provide a quality combination of management and gameplay for those looking for a deeper experience from this game. This game is best served for the soccer faithful who wants a deep game on the go, more than just the casual player looking for a quick game on the go.
:: BETTER
:: GRIPPINGThe latest episode to a rather special point and click adventure series.
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.31 out of 5 stars
1112 Episode 3 was quite a revelation for me. Having somehow never played the two previous titles, instead steering nearer to more obvious classic adventure games, I feel blessed to have the chance to play through all three titles, even if it is in the wrong order.
Fortunately for people like me, 1112 Episode 3 offers a summary of what’s happened previously but I’d still strongly recommend playing through earlier titles for the fun of it. The plot is a complex beast and with some great twists and turns that I’d hate to spoil. Simply put though, players take the role of Louis Everett, a Johnny Depp lookalike, who happens to suffer from bad dreams, memory lapses and a missing wife. It might sound a little predictable but it’s gripping stuff as helped by the spectacular art style and environments around Louis. As is often the way with episodic content however, don’t expect everything to be wrapped up neatly just yet. Hopefully there’ll be a shorter wait than the gap between Episode 2 and 3!
Gameplay is of the point and click adventure variety with a series of puzzles, increasingly fiendish in nature to entice. There’s no fear of hidden object sections here as so many other titles suffer from. Instead it’s all about solving riddles, conversing with other characters and generally trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Puzzles are pretty logical for the most part and all tied into the story rather than thrown in for the sake of it.
Controls are simple and effective with multi touch gestures needed such as to rotate a safe’s dial or bring up direction arrows to use to explore the environment. As expected from a title made exclusively for the iOS platform, everything just works. Graphically and in terms of the soundtrack, it’s obvious that production values are high throughout providing a memorable experience.
With a deep and involving story that goes on for a fair while (depending on the player’s ability to solve puzzles or their susceptibility to searching for a walkthrough), 1112 Episode 3 is a great purchase. Its originality is impressive and I enjoyed my time with it more than many other games within the genre. For the adventure game fan, it’s a must buy.
:: GRIPPING
Show of hands, who here sometimes likes to blow across the top of a bottle to make that vaguely musical sound? Okay, good. Another show of hands, who here either has or has considered amassing several of these bottles filled with various amounts of liquid and recreating a real song? Interesting. Well then, have a gander at Bottle Tunes.
Bottle Tunes is pretty much what I just described, only with digital representations of bottles and music rather than physical ones. Although there’s a little more to it than that. Sure it’s possible to fill up some bottles and go to town, and even save tunes for replaying or editing later, but there’s also a bit of a game here. Namely, users can adjust fluid levels and attempt to recreate a specific “bottle-themed” song.
I imagine the market for something like this is a little limited, but then again the appeal of magic bottle music is fairly universal. Plus it’s totally free, so why not download and play around with it?
:: TOP TOWER DEFENSETiny Defense takes the tried and tested tower defense genre and puts it onto a 2D playing field. It works a treat and comes out as one of the very best in its class.
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.31 out of 5 stars
Tower defense games have proven to be a hit on the iPhone. The hardware on offer works perfectly for picking up defensive structures or units and placing them onto the playing field, in a bid to defend from waves of attacking enemies. Tiny Defense falls into this category, but it’s a little different in that the isometric viewpoint has been replaced by a camera angle and terrain that looks much more suited to a side-scrolling platformer. But it works.
A short comic-like introductory scene explains exactly why a defense is needed; a planet inhabited by “Minirobots” has been evaded by the much larger robotical beings, “The Machines”. These little metallic folk are to overcome the size-difference and stop The Machines in their tracks. With just enough of an excuse there to make a game, we’re into the action — and aside from the aforementioned camera angle, it sticks to the basics of the genre. Units must first be placed down that generate resources, which in turn can be used to place various attacking or defensive types of robots. A successful defense results in some sort of reward such as a new unit or ability, as well as progression to the next level.
It reminds me very much of PopCap Games’ Plants vs. Zombies in the way it plays, and although it’s perhaps not quite to the level of perfection that I’ve personally experienced defending my lawn from the undead, it’s certainly the closest I’ve found on the iPhone to date. The visuals offer a very high level of polish, with both the units and the levels being extremely pleasing to look at. There’s also a massive range of friendly and enemy units to use throughout the game eEach has its own tricks or traits and selecting the right Minirobot for the job is crucial. The touch-controls are super-accurate and highly responsive too, which combined with 150 levels, 30 mini-games and 5 themed areas ensure that Tiny Defense feels fresh throughout. The pacing did feel a little slow to me in the early levels, but I can see it being a vital step for newcomers to the genre — and boy do things hot up in the later stages.
Fans of the genre will absolutely love Tiny Defense, it falls second only to PvZ. Those who’ve never touched a tower defense game on their iPhone should probably check out PopCap’s offering first — but upon doing so, and realising how well it works on the platform, they’ll almost definitely be looking for more. At which point, Tiny Defense should 100% be the next game on their lists.
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