Looking to line up beta testers for a new game I'm wrapping up. It's a 2.5d action game with a skinnable minecraft-style hero that can equip guns and jetpacks. The game incorporates elements from New Super Mario Bros (i.e. star coins, red coins), and powerups are loosely based on my favorite shoot 'em up, Konami's Life Force. Visuals are still being refined, but gameplay is pretty much fully baked, and I'd love to collect feedback on controls and level design. I've been told the game is "brutally difficult." There are plenty of checkpoints, and you don't lose your powerups when you die. As an incentive, any tester that defeats all 16 planets will win $10.
icon & character design Space Grunt has been in review for quite some time. I had been planning to release December 18th (this Thursday), but looks like that's going to slip. In the meantime, here's a snapshot of the current app icon.
Oorah! The game was originally rejected because it included "gun and shooting related activity." After an appeal, it was again rejected, this time because the art style was too similar to Minecraft. I ended up adding additional polygons to the hero's limbs, and giving him an always-displayed open-face helmet. All's well that ends well, and Space Grunt is finally approved and scheduled for a Jan 1st release! For the curious, here's the before & after trailers: Rejected
Final Update! "Earth's been invaded! Use jetpacks and guns to battle machines, monsters and alien bosses. Screen is divided into three zones (retreat, advance, and jump/jetpack)." Space Grunt is powered by Box2D for collisions, ragdoll physics, and particle effects. While Space Grunt is obviously a mashup of existing genres ("if Jetpack Joyride and Contra had a baby"), it has a few unique aspects I haven't personally seen duplicated elsewhere. 1. "Fair View" camera skew algorithm ensures consistent lookahead on wider/narrower devices. It didn't seem fair to let players with wider aspect ratios see further ahead, and I hate letterboxing. Basically, a slight perspective effect is used to give a consistent look-ahead on all devices. All devices benefit from 2.5d scrolling worlds, but iPad users (for example) will see a more pronounced perspective skew. 2. Space Grunt supports an "arcade cabinet" portrait mode. Portrait mode is handy on larger devices or when playing surreptitiously. Space Grunt's portrait mode uses an alternate layout that avoids the need for your touches to overlap gameplay. Space Grunt will be (at least initially) a free app, supported by two in-app purchases: coin doubler and 2500 coin pack. I've played the game completely through without these, so I think it's safe to say that the IAP is completely optional. Space Grunt includes basic MFI support (in-game only, not yet in menus) Other bits: - 1st person and side-scrolling unlock-able mini-games - store chock full with power-ups, purchase-able with virtual currency - three hidden giant coins in each world - red coin micro-challenge: collect them all before time runs out for a 10 coin bonus and replenished fuel - two alternate unlock-able heroes, and support for importing custom skins
