New Rasta Monkey Gameplay video

[Noam]

Hi Everybody,
My Name is Noam and I am the founder of Nitako games studio. We already submitted our first iPhone/iPod touch game, Rasta Monkey. The game is waiting for apple approval, and were really excited about it.
The community here is truly awesome and after being contacted by mike lane (known here as le'deuche123) who suggested we talk on the forums more often, we decided we need to be more in touch with you people. So from now on we will keep you updated with all of Nitako's activities.
Any questions or suggestions will be more than welcomed.
Here is a link to a new gameplay video we just released
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGQFBG2xr9c
It was set to private on Youtube until a minute ago, and you are the first to see it
Good Vibes to ya all:)

lGQFBG2xr9c

[Ph4ntom4]

Woah! I was wondering where this got to, and now it's been submitted. I guess it'll be released in a few weeks then. Good luck with it!

Any info on the controls?

[pante]

i love sway, but i will probably try it out.

[pante]

oh, now this game looks more like rolando then sway in fact :)

[don_k]

Looks great! how much would it cost? Any intro price?

[IAmAlive]

AHH! That looks amazing. The monkey reminds me of a spider though. A Jamaican spider..

[Noam]

Thanks! as to the price, there will be an intro price which I cant reveal at the moment, but I can assure you it will be really affordable.

[gd3]

Looks like the pot leaf is gone from the end level pole.

[Owl]

Horray. Can't wait to play it :D

Also, are there any unlocks to be unlocked perhaps?

[nightbeaver]

oh yeah!! i like monkeys and i am very tolerant of rastafarians so im thinkin im gonna like this game cant wait. well i guess have to wait but its still difficult

[eriathien]

Everything is so happy! *warm fuzzies*

[Noam]

Horray. Can't wait to play it :D

Also, are there any unlocks to be unlocked perhaps?

You will have to find out:)

[Coral]

Is it possible to lose? If you don't make it to a branch or something?
The game looks great. There are so many unique and fun games coming out for the iPhone!

[le'deuche123]

Hi Everybody,
My Name is Noam and I am the founder of Nitako games studio. We already submitted our first iPhone/iPod touch game, Rasta Monkey. The game is waiting for apple approval, and were really excited about it.
The community here is truly awesome and after being contacted by mike lane (known here as le'deuche123) who suggested we talk on the forums more often, we decided we need to be more in touch with you people. So from now on we will keep you updated with all of Nitako's activities.
Any questions or suggestions will be more than welcomed.
Here is a link to a new gameplay video we just released
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGQFBG2xr9c
It was set to private on Youtube until a minute ago, and you are the first to see it
Good Vibes to ya all:)

YouTube: video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=lGQFBG2xr9c)

Thanks for the shout out Noam!!! I'm really excited to see this game. For those who haven't played it...think Sway meets Rolando mixed with a very "special" ingredient:D

[Noam]

Thanks for the shout out Noam!!! I'm really excited to see this game. For those who haven't played it...think Sway meets Rolando mixed with a very "special" ingredient:D

Thx Mike, my pleasure:)

[Ph4ntom4]

Is it possible to lose? If you don't make it to a branch or something?
The game looks great. There are so many unique and fun games coming out for the iPhone!
You can fall off the bottom of the screen.

[CandyNJ66]

This looks like a cute charming game. I'm not sure if it's for me but it looks like a real positive game! :)

[nickels]

Hey Noam,
Most of the developers here have their Company name in their Sig so that people know you are a developer. I went to your site last week and tried to play the online version, but it never got past the intro screen after loading the plug-in.

Looks good - I'll play it just for the music!

[Donburns99]

Looks really nice. ^ ^

I definitely saw some Loco Roco elements in there.

[Noam]

Thx for the advice, Ill add that to my signature.
As to the web version, The Unity player sometimes has issues with some explorer browsers (no definite pattern here) and there is nothing much I can do about it. It sometimes gets solved after cleaning the browsers temp files and you can also try to use firefox browser instead. hope that helps:)

Hey Noam,
Most of the developers here have their Company name in their Sig so that people know you are a developer. I went to your site last week and tried to play the online version, but it never got past the intro screen after loading the plug-in.

Looks good - I'll play it just for the music!

[Kamazar]

Looks much better than the last video you posted. Gonna post anything on the control scheme, though? I'm curious.

[dudehuge]

This be good with ganja mon.

(Translation: This is great I'll be getting it 1st day. . . then smoke some doobie)

[le'deuche123]

This be good with ganja mon.

(Translation: This is great I'll be getting it 1st day. . . then smoke some doobie)

Awesome...That's exactly how I'll be celebrating release day...

@Noam- Video looks awesome I really like the new bad guys they look really good especially the second one in the video. UFO's WTF!!! that's so insane....I love it!!

[turakm]

When I got my touch and I looked at a video for this game, it instantly became the one game I wanted most on my iPod, I'm so excited for this!! What date was it submitted? Is the game pretty long?

[superbad]

looooove it!

[gscal]

I bet the controls are a lot like Sway, but I can see that the graphics are a lot like Rolando.

[Spitfire3775]

What is the price? I need to allot my money so I can get some of the following: Kyper, Oregon Trail, CJS, or Rastamonkey

[inferi22]

It looks like sway with rolando graphics ;)

[brighteyes74]

This game looks great and looks like it plays great plays great but i want to c how the controls work

[turakm]

yes, clue us in on the control scheme?!?! please!

[Hello]

the idea of swinging monkeys doing drugs just excites me. i neeed this app

[Crowing]

the idea of swinging monkeys doing drugs just excites me. i neeed this app

haha i second that!
its called pineapple expresssssssssss
(no relation)
im excited for this game

[Noam]

Thank you all so much for caring, and for taking the time to write. It's so much easier to try to take off when you have such positive wind pushing us forward.

Now Ill try to answer all of the questions asked here. First about the controls, in response for all of your requests to see the how the control scheme work, we are now shooting a video that will show all of the major controls used in Rasta Monkey. We will post it here in a few days from now.
One thing you should know about the controls is that even though the game mechanics of Rastamonkey and Sway might look similar to some of you who watched the videos, the controls and the gameplay are very different (I know because I just bought a copy of Sway and played it for the first time, great game).

As to the release date, the game has been submitted and we are now waiting for approval so I cant tell you an exact date, only that it will be out real soon.

As to the price, I cannot yet reveal it, but I can tell you that there will be a very affordable introductory price.

[Donburns99]

Already submitted? Fantastic news. ^ ^

[Owl]

Soo... When exactly was it submitted again?

[Noam]

Hello people,

For all of you who wanted to see how the 'Rasta Monkey' control scheme works on the iPhone, we created a short video that exemplify all of the game's basic moves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YUqU5RI2O0

Please add any suggestions you might have.
Good Vibes to ya all

[don_k]

The control looks great. When was it submitted?

[Noam]

Thx! about a week ago.

The control looks great. When was it submitted?

[arono]

Thx! about a week ago.

That's great news and the controls look awesome
So that means we're waiting for a release today
Oregon trail was submitted on Friday and it's already out
I will buy this one at the moment it comes out

[don_k]

That's great news and the controls look awesome
So that means we're waiting for a release today
Oregon trail was submitted on Friday and it's already out
I will buy this one at the moment it comes out

I also want to, but it depends on the price. I'm waiting for some big titles supposedly released in March so I must spend wisely.

[le'deuche123]

I don't think it will be out today but if it is...I will purchase no even at $5.99 I really have no problem forking over 5-6 bucks for an awesome game...

[don_k]

Hi Noam, a few questions:
1. How many levels will there be?
2. Will all the levels have similar scenery with same trees, same background and just different layout of obstacles and path? Or would the levels be different like Mario? eg: Mountain, Desert, Sky, etc?

[Noam]

hi donkei
We dont believe in giving a lot of levels which are short and have repetitive elements, so Rasta Monkey will include 10 long levels, with each level having new game elements in it. All in all it will provide hours of gameplay in a very affordable price.

Hi Noam, a few questions:
1. How many levels will there be?
2. Will all the levels have similar scenery with same trees, same background and just different layout of obstacles and path? Or would the levels be different like Mario? eg: Mountain, Desert, Sky, etc?

[don_k]

hi donkei
We dont believe in giving a lot of levels which are short and have repetitive elements, so Rasta Monkey will include 10 long levels, with each level having new game elements in it. All in all it will provide hours of gameplay in a very affordable price.

So it's more like Mario and Sonic, isn't it? I agree with you, I also prefer long levels and each level should be different so it feels progressive, not repetitive.

I long for those old platformers days on my Sega Genesis: Sonic, Bubsy, and even Disney games were pretty good back then!! (Lion King, Aladdin)

[Noam]

Yeah, we really love those old platformers too! and that was the kind of feel we were hoping to combine with a more physics based gameplay. I forgot to answer your other question though - Right now we have two different skins to the levels and we hope to add more once we solve some memory cleaning issues.

So it's more like Mario and Sonic, isn't it? I agree with you, I also prefer long levels and each level should be different so it feels progressive, not repetitive.

I long for those old platformers days on my Sega Genesis: Sonic, Bubsy, and even Disney games were pretty good back then!! (Lion King, Aladdin)

[le'deuche123]

Hey Noam, I wanted to ask....does the Rasta Monkey have a name???

[Noam]

We kinda thought that Rasta Monkey is his name, but you might have a point here. Lemme think and get back to you on this one.
Hey Noam, I wanted to ask....does the Rasta Monkey have a name???

[le'deuche123]

We kinda thought that Rasta Monkey is his name, but you might have a point here. Lemme think and get back to you on this one.

What about: Jah-mon....get it.... Jamming....I'm dumb sorry Noam.

[don_k]

Yeah, we really love those old platformers too! and that was the kind of feel we were hoping to combine with a more physics based gameplay.
Hearing that is enough to convince me buy your game :)

I forgot to answer your other question though - Right now we have two different skins to the levels and we hope to add more once we solve some memory cleaning issues.
Please do. It would be great to travel around the world with Rasta Monkey. I have such a fond memory of how beautiful it was to explore the world with Bubsy – MY first platformer game (I did play many games on older consoles before that, but they're my cousin's or my sis', not mine).

and btw, what's with the title? sorry, but it might sound a bit racist to some extent?

[Noam]

Hey, I remember Bubsy before he went 3d:) real fun game!
As to the title, I'm very surprised that people think its racist. We adore the Rastafarian culture and music (all the music was created in-house by our band) and we were actually trying to idolize it by making the likable hero of our game a rasta.
I'm pretty sure a Rastafarian would not consider this game racist, on the contrary.


Hearing that is enough to convince me buy your game :)


Please do. It would be great to travel around the world with Rasta Monkey. I have such a fond memory of how beautiful it was to explore the world with Bubsy – MY first platformer game (I did play many games on older consoles before that, but they're my cousin's or my sis', not mine).

and btw, what's with the title? sorry, but it might sound a bit racist to some extent?

[Noam]

lol, youre far from dumb, and its actually pretty good name, thx.
What about: Jah-mon....get it.... Jamming....I'm dumb sorry Noam.

[le'deuche123]

Hey, I remember Bubsy before he went 3d:) real fun game!
As to the title, I'm very surprised that people think its racist. We adore the Rastafarian culture and music (all the music was created in-house by our band) and we were actually trying to idolize it by making the likable hero of our game a rasta.
I'm pretty sure a Rastafarian would not consider this game racist, on the contrary.

Awesome. I'm a huge Reggie/DUB/Roots fan and the reason I was so drawn to the game was the "vibe". I honestly hadn't thought about it being a race issue until someone on the forum brought it up. I think that is an example of the negative effects of the current "politically correct" culture we live in. The whole monkey comparison is just hyperbole. Personally I love monkeys....and I love the Rastafarian culture....and that's where it should end.

[don_k]

@Noam:
Yes, Bubsy was super fun! Too bad the 3D version killed it for good :(

Re name, I was telling my friend about this game and he said, "what? calling us rasta monkey!?". He was only joking though, heheh. Maybe it's the word 'monkey'. I remember him telling me how in elementary school his friends called him monkey because he's black.

@le'deuche123: I quite like your name suggestion :D

[le'deuche123]

@le'deuche123: I quite like your name suggestion :D


Thanks donkei, I was half serious when I said it....but now I think I like it:D

[Noam]

Awesome. I'm a huge Reggie/DUB/Roots fan and the reason I was so drawn to the game was the "vibe". I honestly hadn't thought about it being a race issue until someone on the forum brought it up. I think that is an example of the negative effects of the current "politically correct" culture we live in. The whole monkey comparison is just hyperbole. Personally I love monkeys....and I love the Rastafarian culture....and that's where it should end.

Of course you like monkeys! Once all men were monkeys:)

@Noam:
Yes, Bubsy was super fun! Too bad the 3D version killed it for good :(

Re name, I was telling my friend about this game and he said, "what? calling us rasta monkey!?". He was only joking though, heheh. Maybe it's the word 'monkey'. I remember him telling me how in elementary school his friends called him monkey because he's black.

@le'deuche123: I quite like your name suggestion :D

Yeah, 3d, killed a lot of good games that were not supposed to be 3d in the first place:)
As to the title, we can't do that now, it's too late and I think it will also attract more negative attention. The story about your friend is awful, people can be so harsh sometimes. I still hope he will understand that this is definitely not the case here.

[le'deuche123]

Of course you like monkeys! Once all men were monkeys:)



Yeah, 3d, killed a lot of good games that were not supposed to be 3d in the first place:)
As to the title, we can't do that now, it's too late and I think it will also attract more negative attention. The story about your friend is awful, people can be so harsh sometimes. I still hope he will understand that this is definitely not the case here.

Just to clarify....I love the Rasta Monkey Title, and have no desire to see it changed:) I agree trying to change the title would cause more harm than good.

EDIT: I was just trying to name the monkey not the game:D

[cazure]

Oh, I really, really think that this could be great. I tried the online version, and it was pretty good...but price and reviews will be what makes it for me. :)

Can't wait for this to come out!

[arono]

So noam I have a new question
Will this be released everywhere?
I don't want that happens with this game what happened with the oregontrail I was excited about it and now I can't buy it

[renton]

@noam are you on twitter? i like to follow devs that update their twitter with goals about their games, and also stuff about what makes them tick... ect..

this game is going to be good with a nice spliff and some dubstep.. like burial, djg, appleblim... the dubstep that is more 'roots' connected..

[don_k]

Yeah, 3d, killed a lot of good games that were not supposed to be 3d in the first place:)
As to the title, we can't do that now, it's too late and I think it will also attract more negative attention. The story about your friend is awful, people can be so harsh sometimes. I still hope he will understand that this is definitely not the case here.

3D almost killed Sonic too. It's still alive, but plays nothing like the original Sonic.

Re name, sure he understands, and I'm sure everyone would understand too once they actually play the game (not just hear the title).

I like your idea about Rasta culture, exploring it might add some unique elements to the game. eg: Sonic has rings, loops, those little robotic creatures. Mario has pipe, bricks, mushrooms. Now you can have your own elements, eg: certain kind of hats, accessories, etc. Or is it too late to give any suggestions now? :p

[arono]

I wonder why this is taking so long it's been over a week!!
Mmmmmmmmm... Maybe apple is taking forever... Don't know why, this hasn't EVER happened:rolleyes:

[Kamazar]

3D almost killed Sonic too. It's still alive, but plays nothing like the original Sonic.

Have you played Sonic Unleashed on the 360/PS3! What the night stages are total s***, the day stages are freakin' amazing. It plays better than the original Sonic, IMO, but others may not think so since they still have nostalgic value tied to the original genesis game (which needs to die... at least for a while).

[le'deuche123]

(which needs to die... at least for a while).

Why does it need to die??


EDIT:

Not sure what's taking so long...and no word from Noam today:(

[Coral]

I agree that a week is too long to wait for approval but in comparison to some waits this is just nothing. If any of you were around the forums during the fall you remember the wait and buzz around Trace, that free platform game. It must have taken it 2-3 months to get approved and the thread grew monstrous with people waiting for it to come out. Obviously Apple has improved on this front and are getting things done much quicker.

I hope Rasta Monkey comes out soon, it really looks great.

[gscal]

Nowadays, the longest we wait for a game is a few weeks, and even then people complain about it.:rolleyes:

I just hope that Rastamonkey comes out soon so we don't see a lot of angry posts in this forum.

[treehuggerflem]

i wish i never looked at these forums. i just find myself getting all hyped up for a game i really am looking forward to, then apple wants to take their sweet time. its fine though i can wait for this awesome looking game.

[gscal]

i wish i never looked at these forums. i just find myself getting all hyped up for a game i really am looking forward to, then apple wants to take their sweet time. its fine though i can wait for this awesome looking game.

That's true, but if you never went on these forums, you might not ever buy the game. We don't want that, do we? ;)

[treehuggerflem]

That's true, but if you never went on these forums, you might not ever buy the game. We don't want that, do we? ;)

exactly

[gscal]

I wonder if this game could add more Rasta characters, such as a girl monkey, in future updates... that would be cool.

[Forerunnerz]

I wonder if this game could add more Rasta characters, such as a girl monkey, in future updates... that would be cool.

+1 .

[treehuggerflem]

I typed in "rast" into the app store app on my iPod touch and rasta monkey pops up As a choice but nothing shows up when I click it. Maybe it means it's hours or minutes from releasing!:D

[gscal]

I typed in "rast" into the app store app on my iPod touch and rasta monkey pops up As a choice but nothing shows up when I click it. Maybe it means it's hours or minutes from releasing!:D

That means the app has been approved by apple, but the dev hasn't put it on the app store. Same thing w/ metal gear solid touch.

[ibelongintheforums]

They are in a different time zone. I'll bet they not up yet.

[gscal]

They are in a different time zone. I'll bet they not up yet.

Who do you mean by "they"? :confused:

[ibelongintheforums]

Noam. Nitaku. The developers who press the magical submit button.

[gscal]

Noam. Nitaku. The developers who press the magical submit button.

Oh, ok. Can't wait! :D

[turakm]

please come out

[gscal]

It is already approved by apple, I wonder why they're waiting...

[don_k]

It is already approved by apple, I wonder why they're waiting...

can I ask something? if it's approved by Apple, isn't it automatically available to purchase? or does the dev have to click something again for it to appear?

[gscal]

can I ask something? if it's approved by Apple, isn't it automatically available to purchase? or does the dev have to click something again for it to appear?

When an app is approved, the dev can either put it out in the app store or wait until a certain time to put it out. Either the devs of Rastamonkey are waiting, or it's been approved in their timezone and we still have to wait.

[gscal]

Should out in maybe 12 hours or so ...

[renton]

well hope its out this weekend... as well as a few other updates. got nothing to do!

[Noam]

Hello People,
Thanks again for showing such interest in the game, you guys are incredible. My late response is due to the fact I'm also moving to a new house, so please accept my apology:)
Ill try to answer all the questions but first, I understand some of you has found Rasta Monkey in the iTunes search, and were wondering about that. Let me just say that Rasta Monkey is basically at the end of the approval process, and will be released somewhere around the middle of next week. Please be patient and I promise I will personally let you guys be the first to know when it comes out.
Now for all the other questions people asked here (and I hope I didnt forget anything):

3D almost killed Sonic too. It's still alive, but plays nothing like the original Sonic.

Re name, sure he understands, and I'm sure everyone would understand too once they actually play the game (not just hear the title).

I like your idea about Rasta culture, exploring it might add some unique elements to the game. eg: Sonic has rings, loops, those little robotic creatures. Mario has pipe, bricks, mushrooms. Now you can have your own elements, eg: certain kind of hats, accessories, etc. Or is it too late to give any suggestions now? :p

donkei, its never late to give suggestions, especially good ones, so please keep them coming! I think you are right and we should have more of these elements, so we will try to do that in the future.
BTW, some of the elements we did use in the web versions, were removed after some forum members here warned us that apple will not approve them:)

So noam I have a new question
Will this be released everywhere?
I don't want that happens with this game what happened with the oregontrail I was excited about it and now I can't buy it

Yes arono, we submitted the game world wide so you should be able to get it without any problem. Still, please let me know if you do encounter any problem since its the first game we submit to the store and we might be surprised.

I wonder if this game could add more Rasta characters, such as a girl monkey, in future updates... that would be cool.

Again, wonderful suggestions! we had a similar idea with a baby rasta which didnt make it to this version. Let us think a little about it, thx!

@noam are you on twitter? i like to follow devs that update their twitter with goals about their games, and also stuff about what makes them tick... ect..

this game is going to be good with a nice spliff and some dubstep.. like burial, djg, appleblim... the dubstep that is more 'roots' connected..

Hey Rentom, I see you know your roots and your culture:) These are all great musicians! We felt we wanted to create the music ourselves, and we recorded it all here in our offices, after which our good friend Nimrod Sarda, edited the sessions and created songs out of them. We were actually influenced by the old Studio One artists, and tried to replicate their naive feel with an old school "gamey" midi sound, I hope it works:)
As to Twitter, I dont really use it but youre more than welcomed to become my friend on facebook, which I admit to use often. Just search for Noam Abta, or Yuval Markovich (My partner and co-founder of Nitako). In fact all of you people are invited to that:)

Hope I didnt forget anything or anybody, thanks again for being so supportive of the game, You got us really excited.

[le'deuche123]

Noam!!! It's good to hear from you. Glad to hear it's so close to coming out. This is going to be sweet.

[Noam]

Why does it need to die??


EDIT:

Not sure what's taking so long...and no word from Noam today:(

Sorry for that Mike:)

[turakm]

Can you let us know the price yet??? :)

[cazure]

Will you guys be sending promos out to review sites? I'm guessing that Rasta Monkey will be selling in the 5-dollar-ish range, and my balance isn't all that high. :D (Jobless teen, here!) I'd love to read some opinions, though of course I'll be looking at forum impressions, too. I can't wait to see how it works, and the web version looks good enough that I'll probably be going for it.

It's so nice that you're active here, and having multiple characters, signature items, etc sounds really cool. Hearing from devs is one of the things that makes the iDevices so unique.

I can really see Rasta Monkey shooting up to the top lists. Can't wait for the release! I had been wondering about the iTunes search thing, but it's happened before...like with Topple 2, which apparently came out a few /days/ before its official release, and you could actually buy it ahead of time....weird.

[inferi22]

just thought I'd mention after comment I have a new reveiw site-check it out!

[Coral]

I hope this makes it out soon. Thanks again to Noam for keeping us informed.

[Noam]

Can you let us know the price yet??? :)

Sorry, but you will have to wait a little bit longer:) Anyways there will be a very nice intro price I think you could all afford all so stay tuned...

Will you guys be sending promos out to review sites? I'm guessing that Rasta Monkey will be selling in the 5-dollar-ish range, and my balance isn't all that high. :D (Jobless teen, here!) I'd love to read some opinions, though of course I'll be looking at forum impressions, too. I can't wait to see how it works, and the web version looks good enough that I'll probably be going for it.

It's so nice that you're active here, and having multiple characters, signature items, etc sounds really cool. Hearing from devs is one of the things that makes the iDevices so unique.

I can really see Rasta Monkey shooting up to the top lists. Can't wait for the release! I had been wondering about the iTunes search thing, but it's happened before...like with Topple 2, which apparently came out a few /days/ before its official release, and you could actually buy it ahead of time....weird.

weird indeed, but don't worry, it will be out soon. Thanks for all the kind words, and yes, we will send promo codes to review sites, so you will be able to get a lot more info before investing in this game (hopefully:)

I hope this makes it out soon. Thanks again to Noam for keeping us informed.

You're welcomed, and thank you for being so supportive, I'm really happy all this conversation is going on here, Its really inspiring to talk to you guys.

[turakm]

This pumps me up