After much nominating and deliberating, the votes for the 7th Annual Best App Ever Awards have been tallied and the results are in. Congratulations to ustwo and Monument Valley for being selected at this year's Best App Ever!
:: SKIN-DEEP BEAUTY :: Read Review »In Monument Valley, ustwo's Apple Design Award winner for 2014, you are Princess Ida exploring the gorgeous world and doing your best to outsmart the Crow People. In the game's newest update, Forgotten Shores, you can play through eight new chapters with even more illusions and graphical beauty.
You can download Monument Valley for $3.99 on the App Store, and the update is available as a separate in-app purchase for $1.99.
:: SKIN-DEEP BEAUTY :: Read Review »
The trick the game pulls, similar to an M.C. Escher painting, is that real-world perspective is essentially useless. Mainly, if a place looks like it can be traveled to, then it can. So when manipulating objects, don't consider their absolute position, consider where they are relative to Ida. This is often the key to many puzzles: moving an object in one spot where according to its perspective, Ida can reach it, then moving it with Ida on the object, to where she needs to go. This is the backbone to the majority of the game's puzzles.
Remember that the key rule to interacting with Ida is that she can only move where you can see her, so if a path is hidden to you, it's likely that it is not the right path - at least for this perspective. Maybe a quick rotation will do the trick? Don't be afraid to experiment - there's no way to die or otherwise fail at the game.
If a location can be traveled to, it will illuminate with a circle around it. This doesn't mean that Ida will travel to it, just that it's actually possible to go there. This is worth keeping in mind if one gets stuck.
The crows can be tricky, but it's often just a matter of timing to get out of their way to let them pass. Remember that objects can be moved while the crows are on them. Ida is the only character in the game who can cause parts of the level to be non-manipulatable. If the mechanism doesn't change into an unworkable state (the handles on cranks will retract if Ida is on their manipulatable portions) then it can be manipulated.
We've talked about Monument Valley in the past. I got a chance to sit down with some of the development team at GDC last week to get an update. The game is looking even better than the last time I got my hands on it. I can't wait for the release. And the good news is it's going to be released next week on April 3rd!
Monument Valley, the upcoming puzzler from London-based ustwo, has raised quite a lot of interest since first being teased a few months ago. It's uniquely MC Escher inspired interactive 3D puzzle style has piqued the interest of many. It seems to be on-track to be the next indie hit for iOS. I recently had a chance to sit down with Dan Gray, Producer, and Neil McFarland, Director of the game to discuss and play through the game. Let's find out if all of the early accolades are deserved.
Monument Valley takes a slightly cleaner, reserved aesthetic over Whale Trail, though it maintains a very oddball game mechanic. In this game the main interaction is rotating parts of the screen, mechanical or otherwise, leading to illogical optical illusions that create new paths for the characters to travel. It's these unique puzzle elements that require that you put what your mind thinks of as spacial reality on hold. Swinging platforms and stairways connect in seemingly impossible ways by rotating the entire structure or small sections on screen. It seems illogical, but when it fits, it's genius.
The game is designed with flat colors and intentional lack of detail that lends perfectly to the logic defying geometric puzzles. The lack of color and detail is almost the exact opposite of what would be expected for a game that moves in this way and stresses perceived logic so greatly. Where detail is given in the game, it is intentional to draw the eye to an available action or clue to how to progress. Tremendous thought has been given to the many levels of puzzles in this game. Maddening levels of trial and error have lead to some of the most unique puzzle and maze elements I have experienced.
Ustwo takes pride in making unique and interesting games and it shows in Monument Valley. We can expect to see it released at some point this spring or early summer. It will be a premium game, priced reasonably the developers tell us.
:: SUBSTANTIALLY INSUBSTANTIAL
:: SPREAD THE COLOR :: WHALE OF A GAME :: Read Review »
For those who purchased the game in the past, and are potentially angry about that $0.99 game they bought shifting to free, well ustwo is hoping to soothe those fears by giving previous paid users a big bag of krill for their trouble. Just what I always wanted! Dr. Zoidberg should be excited too. ustwo are hoping that this update turns the game from a Succailure™ into a just plain success. The update is due to hit in the coming weeks.
:: WHALE OF A GAME :: Read Review »
The new update to the game adds 32 new levels which transform the game from just an endless runner into one with level-based challenges as well. The new levels challenge players to try and navigate set levels, collecting blubbles along the way. Reaching certain point scores nets more stars (true false fact: it is now possible to earn more stars in iOS games than it there are stars in the universe), which helps unlock future levels. Those who are too lazy to perform well to unlock those levels, or who want to help mills and the rest of the folks at ustwo come closer to profitability, can pay $0.99 or local equivalent to unlock them all at once.
Of course, the same endless mode is still in there, so those who like their games to never end never have to. This release is obviously another risk taken toward profitability, but ustwo are hoping that between this PIVOT 180°™ and the in-development Android version, Willow the Whale can go from succailure to just plain success. The update is now available on the App Store.
:: WHALE OF A GAME
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:: JOYFUL :: Read Review »British design studio ustwo is making their first iOS game, Whale Trail. This is a charming endless high score game where players control a whale who is flying through the sky. The goal is to collect bubbles that extend the eponymous whale trail that powers this flying whale, which also extend the points multiplier. Evil dark clouds line the sky as well, and these must be avoided in order to keep the multiplier and whale trail up. Holding down on the screen causes the whale to fly upward, eventually performing loop-de-loops.
One part of the game design that becomes apparent is that sessions last longer than the average endless/high score game. Failure is not an imminent threat like in other games like Jetpack Joyride; bumping into a cloud is not a death sentence, and refilling the whale trail bar is easy, though the bubbles do become more sparse over time. This was an intentional design decision.
As according to ustwo's co-founder and "Chief Wonka," a man who goes by the single name of Mills, "Whale Trail is about creating a longer gameplay experience - it's about manifesting an almost endless/neverending gaming experience. You can't appreciate this wonder if the game ends quick...you can't rush beauty." However, he adds that the game is meant to also appeal to a wider audience, including those who want to go for high scores: "It's there to be enjoyed on the most simple and subtle of levels if you're that way inclined, or to be enjoyed on a more serious and competitive level, for those who really want to push it to the limit and just focus on achieving the highest scores possible." However, he reiterates the ultimate goal of the game: "This game is all about the joys of flying."
Whale Trail will set sail on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on October 20th. Those looking to get their hands on this game right away can visit ustwo's Whale Trail Facebook page and become eligible to test out the game for themselves before the game's final release.
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Fridays are the perfect time for reflecting on the past week...and Fridays at 148apps are no exception. Here are five interesting apps released in the past week for your perusal!
