Tag: Experimental »

Cynics would have you believe that the App Store is full of Match-3 puzzle games, Endless Runners, and attempts at stealing money through a multitude of in-app purchases. OK, so the App Store isn't perfect and those games are certainly out there (and a plentiful amount of them are still fun!), but that's far from all that's available.

In the spirit of it being the end of the year and the ideal time to look back at what the App Store does so well, I took a look at some of the best experimental delights out there. These are titles that are a little bit different from the norm, either in terms of having a very open ended storyline or through offering a way to interact that's unconventional. As many of us wind down for the Christmas and New Years break, it's the perfect time to relax and try something a little different.

Luxuria Superbia

For the shy or easily embarrassed, Luxuria Superbia is a title that's perhaps best played away from less open-minded members of the family. It's a musical and visual journey requiring one to stroke and touch the petals of a flower, watching and reacting accordingly to how the game responds to sensuous touches. It's a title that could well make one blush as they play it, but it's also the perfect example of what the touch based interface of the iPad and iPhone can truly offer when experiencing something different.

Over the weekend, details have emerged regarding Peter Molyneux and 22 Can's first iOS game: Curiosity.

Peter Molyneux is a name that will be very familiar to many PC and console gamers. Known for his outlandish and over-enthusiastic statements, pre-release, he's been responsible for some of the best games out there from the Populous series to Theme Park and Theme Hospital. He's also been behind the Fable series of games, one of my personal favorites, but also a series that has been overpromised frequently.

Having left Microsoft and Lionhead Studios in March to begin work at new company 22 Cans, Molyneux has just announced details regarding Curiosity.

The title is set for release on August 22 and will focus on players hacking away at a giant cube, made out of 60 million different shapes. It's all in aid of finding out exactly what's underneath all those cubes. Initially, only the player who hits that final blow will find out what's inside, hence the name: Curiosity.

It's best thought of as a social media experiment with 22 Cans studying how this news will spread.

It gets stranger, still, with the prospect of in-app purchases funding everything. A Q&A Session at Indie conference, Rezzed, has reported that players will have to buy a limited number of chisels that will improve their tapping strength. While most of these chisels will be inexpensive, a diamond chisel will also be available, priced at an eye-watering $50,000.

It's frankly pretty bizarre stuff. Will it work? Only time will tell, but we'll be sure to keep up to date on developments as Curiosity could prove to be a fascinating experiment.

Do let us know how you feel about the in-app purchases involved. Would you ever consider spending so much on this kind of app?

[Source: Eurogamer]
[Source: Eurogamer]