We haven't forgotten our Wrap-Ups, but we have been busy... or sick... or a combination
of both.
Excuses aside we're starting to get in to the meat of the year and the releases are
coming hard and fast.
Lets check out the news from the last week and how it will affect you in our Friday News
Wrap-Up for the 8th of March, 2013.
Ahhh the good ol'e puzzle adventure game - who didn't waste a school holiday or a handful
of weekends in mute frustration at the brain-ticklers preventing you from advancing the otherwise
mediocre plot?
As much as I mock it, I do love the 7Th Guest series and with word of a third title, rumored
to be set in the Stauf mansion once again (though this time as a museum dedicated to
the evil toy maker), the developers are seeking funding and may even have a Kickstarter campaign
next month.
When we first caught wind of The Other Brothers we got a little excited - aside from its appealing
and quirky visual style, the 16-bit platformer gives a nod to the genre's most well known
'brothers' and then runs off in its own direction.
Better still, the game is going to be out soon, like this month soon.
After having tried the game for ourselves, we can safely say we're still excited!
While these screenshots may be from the PC version (or so we can only assume), it does
show that Full Control are well on their way with their update to the Space Hulk franchise
from Games Workshop.
We're looking forward to seeing how the game handles and looks in the iOS version, but
seeing as this is the team behind Tactical Soldier - Undead Rising, we have faith that
it will look and feel great.
When a developer like Devolver Digital says 'we want to help make your game a reality',
you know you've got something great on your hands.
Indie developer Cube Roots have been working on Dungeon Hearts for a while now, and even
with the trailer I can safely say I'm still not sure how the three-match mechanics work,
but one thing is for sure - I'm going to grab it as soon as it's out on the 28th of March.
What say you?
Being visually distinct is not the same as having a good game idea - while you may stand
out from the crowd in a literal sense, without the gameplay to back it up you're just a pretty,
but shallow time waster.
Knitted Deer by Mandragora fits in to this category, and though its ideas are sound,
in execution the player is left feeling frustrated time and time again.
Ostensibly the game emulates the earliest of consoles, replacing pixels with stitches
to animate its auto-runner gameplay.
Jump and shoot - these are the controls on offer, but both never really feel satisfying.
The latter is hard to predict at times as you're never 100% sure if you've landed on
a surface before jumping again, potentially burning a double jump instead; and the former
is never really used for anything other than spamming bullets to kill the plethora of enemies
that casually wander on to the screen.
Knitted Deer's hook comes in its Heaven, Hell and Earth levels - the player starts on Earth,
avoiding fairly typical hazards, but should they collect all the letters to spell 'HEAVEN'
they'll be transported to a land filled with coins; should they die, they'll go to hell
and need to avoid even deadlier traps and enemies in an attempt to boost their high-score
ever so slightly.
Unfortunately none of it snaps together - hell feels like it has frame-rate problems, making
a hard stage even harder; getting to Heaven is as much a matter of luck than anything
else as the letters appear without rhyme or reason; and power-ups have no time-gauge so
you could potentially face-plant or shred your deer as he becomes corporeal in the middle
of a pillar he can't jump on/over.
Beautiful as it is, Knitted Deer is exactly the same as a handmade knitted sweater made
by someone who doesn't even know you - it may be a nice idea, but it just doesn't feel
right.
Without a doubt this week has been dominated by the polished brilliance of Penumbear by
Taco Graveyard.
With its silky smooth performance; controls that feel almost too good to be true for iOS
devices; and a wonderfully fresh concept, it's the total package.
Better still, while completing the game is challenging in itself thanks to the many light
and shadow based puzzles, finding all of the hidden bears (including the secret golden
bears) makes for a satisfying challenge, keeping you coming back for more every day.
Definitely add this to your collection if you're a platformer fan.
And that's the news for the week - feel free to help us out by liking and subscribing,
or better yet help to pimp us out by sharing us on your feeds; it's even easier if you
head to our Twitter or Facebook page, or grab the links from our site.
Until next week, have a great weekend!