Tag: GDC 2014 »

Mutants: Genetic Gladiators from Kobojo is a monster battling/breeding game that looks like it might make a fair number of waves. It's sort of like a combination of monster training games like Pokemon and the battle system from games like Final Fantasy VI, with a really nifty art style and some pretty crazy-looking characters.

As your mutants battle they'll level-up and store up energy that they can use to 'breed' with other mutants in order to (potentially) create stronger fighters. It has a lot of player-versus-player elements to it, but there's also a fair amount on hand for those who'd prefer to avoid fighting other people. There's a pretty hefty collection aspect to it, with most of the available mutants sporting three or four different forms/skins. That's all in addition to the planned monthly rare recipe additions and player tournaments.

Mutants: Genetic Gladiators should be coming to the App Store as a universal release in mid-April, for free.

The original Ruzzle was quite the cool little multiplayer word puzzle game. So it stands to reason that a follow-up would be on the way. Hence Ruzzle Adventure: a solo rendition of the familiar Ruzzle formula, with a few changes of course.

Ruzzle Adventure spreads wordly challenges across 100 levels (probably double that once it launches in the US), and lets you see your friends' progress as you move through the map. Gameplay is also a little more varied this time around, with multiple game modes involving trying to clear special blocks with a limited number of turns, racing against rising water, or just trying to make a lot of words.

At the moment Ruzzle Adventure isn't available in the States, but once it is it'll be free to play and universal.

Talisman: Prologue was a pretty great adaptation of GamesWorkshop's rather popular board game, but many seemed to view it as incomplete. I mean it was purely a solo affair, so that sort of makes sense. However, now Nomad Games is getting ready to release Talisman: Digital Edition and appease those who were hoping for a more multiplayer-driven affair.

Talisman: Digital Edition will still let you play against AI if you'd rather keep things solo, but it also offers asynchronous play. In case you're wondering how that works with spell interrupts, it basically uses a combination of push notifications and a timing window for players who want to try and counter an opponent's casting. Nomad also has plans for continuous support by adding new cards every few weeks, making new expansions available every few months, and even offering a curated library of user-created content.

You should be able to find Talisman: Digital Edition on the App Store for the iPad at the end of April for $7.99.

Ravensberger has been busy! The board game/puzzle designers have been hard at work on several new projects lately.

The item on the list is the SmartPlay, which is an intriguing device that you can use in conjunction with your iOS device in order to make it act as the rule keeper/game master for a physical board game. You just attach your device to the stand so that the camera has a view of the board and the app will keep track of piece movement, dice rolls, rules, and so on. The SmartPlay will be releasing in Europe this September (so probably next year in the US) in conjunction with three games (one of them is a reprint of King Arthur!), and will most likely be adapted to work with older games down the line.

Microminds is a similar idea, only it's a self-contained game for kids. A bunch of little aliens have crash-landed on Earth and need help with fixing their ship and getting home. Kids will use the game board, cards, and tokens - along with their iOS device's camera - to find and scan the appropriate elements in order to create new ship components, and hopefully get the lost little guys back to their home planet in the process. Microminds is also due out in Europe this September.

Finally there's Ravensberger Puzzle, which is a rather large (and ever-growing) collection of digital jigsaw puzzles. You'll have your own personal collection to play around with, and the app will track your completion percentages and times for you. Lots and lots of puzzles are available across lots and lots of themes, and you can easily change the number of pieces used for a given image using a slider (all the way up to 500, with no duplicate shapes). Ravensberger Puzzle will actually be available as a universal release in the App Store next week on March 27, and will sell for $2.99.

13th Lab has launched a Kickstarter for their upcoming Rescape accessory for first-person shooters on iPhone. This rifle-esque accessory is built for quasi-ARG applications: the game uses the gyroscope and camera attachment, and the software can map out real world areas to be turned into game levels. As well, the software can be implemented into existing games - the prototype allowed players to play with a prototype of Quake at their GDC booth. The 3D printed prototype lacks the planned d-pad on the controller and the Kickstarter is looking for $150,000 at a $129 buy-in for the prototype and SDK access for developers with the demo Office Defender game.

Expect to some some really pretty, graphically rich, 3D Flappy Bird clones soon.

Epic announced today a move that makes the Unreal Engine development kit available to all, at only $19 per month. In a risky move to counter other 3D engines in the mobile space, Unreal Engine 4, launched today, is available to anyone that wants to pay the $19 per month fee. That engine can be used to deny games to both desktop and mobile games. Previously the engine that powers Infinity Blade would cost millions and require a negotiated deal.

Unreal dies require that developers that make money from games developed with The engine, from premium, free to play, or ad supported, to pay a 5% gross license fee.

The engine is available to download now at http://www.unrealengine.com/.