Hairy Tales "I absolutely love how involved Hairy Tales works as a puzzler." - TOUCH ARCADE (4/5) "A vibran… TouchArcade Rating: $1.99 Buy Now Watch Media Details"I absolutely love how involved Hairy Tales works as a puzzler." - TOUCH ARCADE (4/5) "A vibrant, quirky world ripped seemingly out of an off-brand fairytale, a jaunty folk soundtrack, and a complete lack of sleazy monetization all add to the rock-solid puzzle mechanics." - GAMEZEBO "There's plenty of ingenuity on show in the level design, and quite often you'll need to think fast to ensure you don't plummet to an untimely death ." - POCKET GAMER (Silver award) "You’re playing something unique and creative." - SLIDE TO PLAY "Hairy Tales is simple enough to understand, but so maddeningly complicated so that you’re addicted to the challenge, and what a challenge it is." - ARCADE SUSHI "A smart take on puzzlers of its sort... packs a legitimate challenge." - APPOLICIOUS ABOUT HAIRY TALESCombining tile-dragging mechanics with fast furious action, Hairy Tales is a puzzle action game about the zany adventures of a group of not too bright folk spirits, as you help them puzzle out evil conundrums in their mission to save their tile-based world from sickening corruption. It stars the Hairys, an excitable group of fairy folk who are so eager to clear their world of corruption that they simply don't watch where they're going. It's up to you to lead them to safety by placing tiles and power ups in their way. It has 72 levels split across three distinctive worlds, where players must simultaneously save the Hairys from falling off the edge of the world by re-arranging the tiles on each level, while acquiring power ups, magic mushrooms and destroying evil enemy Kikimoras and their three powerful end bosses. Information Seller: Genre:Adventure, Puzzle, Strategy Release:Oct 25, 2012 Updated:Nov 30, -0001 Version: Size:0.0 TouchArcade Rating: User Rating: (2) Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal This is one of my absolute favorite pathway puzzle games, and I'm sad to see it go free, even for the day, but hope that the publicity makes it worthwhile for the developer. This is definitely worth checking out if you haven't already! dclose Well-Known Member Nov 20, 2011 1,866 0 0 #2 dclose, Mar 9, 2013 Creator Ricardo J. Méndez tweeted that Hairy Tales will be free until Monday, and the price change should show up very soon. Arges Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2011 78 0 0 Game Developer http://hairytalesgame.com/ #3 Arges, Mar 9, 2013 Hi Diane! Many thanks for the kind words! I'm happy to have more people experience the game, and since we recently integrated video recording so that people can share their own solutions to stages, I'm very curious to see what approaches people come up with. Cheers, syntheticvoid Well-Known Member Jun 20, 2010 14,504 124 63 Musician & factory worker. a[V-O-I-D] http://apparentsymmetry.bandcamp.com #4 syntheticvoid, Mar 9, 2013 Definitely a MUST OWN for free. This is a great hardcore puzzler! Capricornman Well-Known Member Dec 8, 2011 2,993 0 0 #5 Capricornman, Mar 9, 2013 Since you're recommending this game I know there won't be any tangles or split ends syntheticvoid Well-Known Member Jun 20, 2010 14,504 124 63 Musician & factory worker. a[V-O-I-D] http://apparentsymmetry.bandcamp.com #6 syntheticvoid, Mar 9, 2013 =oP hehe Drummerboycroy Well-Known Member Apr 2, 2012 4,172 0 36 Clinician Maine! #7 Drummerboycroy, Mar 9, 2013 No. Just no. Bad Capricornman! Bad! Oh, and GET THIS GAME! DBC Capricornman Well-Known Member Dec 8, 2011 2,993 0 0 #8 Capricornman, Mar 9, 2013 You make me sound like I'm your pet dog shedding too much hair on your sofa PS: just dl'd the game Arges Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2011 78 0 0 Game Developer http://hairytalesgame.com/ #9 Arges, Mar 9, 2013 Thanks for the comments everyone, I'll be hanging around so do feel free to shoot any comments or questions you have! Eddie Well-Known Member Apr 14, 2010 229 0 16 #10 Eddie, Mar 10, 2013 I think this game proves once again that what a puzzler needs first and foremost are crystal clear graphics, and putting a 2d puzzler in 3d is never a good idea. Issue #1: it's really hard to say which way is the hairy facing. More often than not, I'll just kill him first time just to confirm the initial movement. Issue #2: due to the perspective, I sometimes trigger starting the level when all I want is to move a tile around. Issue #3: again due to perspective, I'm never 100% sure the fences will direct the hairy the right way. All above issues (+ the control issues with selecting the wrong tile or registering an extra tap now and then) are way more pronounced on the iPhone, due to the small screen big fingers combo. I wish all puzzle makers would not just play Cut The Rope, but also understand why it's been such a massive success... Arges Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2011 78 0 0 Game Developer http://hairytalesgame.com/ #11 Arges, Mar 10, 2013 Hi Eddie, Thanks for the notes. If you have any suggestions as to how to improve it, I'd very much love to read them. I'm aiming to make sure our next game is significantly easier to just read at a glance, which likely means a simpler visual layout to begin with. Quick question: if you pinch to zoom out and get a mostly overhead view, does that perspective make the stages easier to read for you? What do you think of the puzzles and gameplay? Thanks again! EfratBarTal Well-Known Member Mar 5, 2011 2,351 17 38 Female CEO Tel-Aviv #12 EfratBarTal, Mar 10, 2013 Oh yeah, I'm definitely grabbing this! Eddie Well-Known Member Apr 14, 2010 229 0 16 #13 Eddie, Mar 10, 2013 Zooming out? I never thought about it (after checking it in-game) Yup, moving the camera slightly towards a more top-down perspective is better. I generally like these kinds of puzzlers where you create a path for your robot/mouse/sleepwalker/hairy to cross; Hairy Tales' innovation seems to be the ability to move tiles while the character is moving. I didn't get that far (tutorial + a dozen levels, I guess) so I'm not sure how many more types of tiles there are. From what I played, I'd love to see an alternate way to direct arrows, cause it takes too long to tap tap tap on the same tile until the arrow is correctly positioned. Maybe tapping with two fingers at the same time would work? (sliding from the arrow's tile towards the intended arrow direction clashes with moving tiles around) Arges Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2011 78 0 0 Game Developer http://hairytalesgame.com/ #14 Arges, Mar 11, 2013 Thanks, I'll consider making it the default camera view. At the very least I'll indicate during the tutorials that you can change it. I won't spoil it for you. If you're curious, there's several showcased on the trailer. Right now tapping with two fingers turns the tile counter-clockwise, but it's hard to accomplish on the smaller iPhone screen. We did try that approach to drag-a-tile-in-a-direction to rotate, but it was difficult for players to get it right vs. dragging-for-repositioning, so we ended up sticking with the current approach (it's something that works better if players are on OSX with a mouse, but at that point they can shift-click too). Cheers! metalcasket Moderator Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze May 24, 2010 11,064 1,340 113 Deepest Circle, Hel #15 metalcasket, Mar 11, 2013 Dude, this game should not be free! Glad you came to your senses and put a price back on it Arges. That said, ugh...I know the App Store can be a brutal, brutal place. I really hope Hairy Tales got some exposure and that sales are going well. Arges Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2011 78 0 0 Game Developer http://hairytalesgame.com/ #16 Arges, Mar 11, 2013 Hey Metalcasket, Thanks for the good wishes! It definitely can be a brutal place, and keeping in mind Tim O'Reilley's assertion that obscurity is a much bigger threat to creative endeavors than piracy (or in this case, being free for a day), so I decided to experiment and see if it helps getting more people involved. By the way, I'd love to see video of your level solutions. Eddie Well-Known Member Apr 14, 2010 229 0 16 #17 Eddie, Mar 11, 2013 What I meant is tapping one finger on the arrow tile, and the second finger on the tile you want the arrow to point to. Like I already said, those two were obviously clashing. Here's an even bolder experiment - give the game for free completely. Have the first 5 levels of every world available, then put a big "did you like it? unlock all the levels of all the worlds for the fabulous amount of $2" advert at the end of each world. Also, put the classic "developer's tip jar" somewhere in the credits area - give people the chance to spend more if they really want to. There are some games I like so much I'd be eager to send money to the devs, but I just can't (no DLC at all). Arges Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2011 78 0 0 Game Developer http://hairytalesgame.com/ #18 Arges, Mar 11, 2013 Ah, interesting approach, it hadn't occurred to me. Thanks! I've been wondering what a free Hairy Tales would look like. I was considering having only the tutorial levels as a demo, but as you mention adding in the first 5 levels could be a good idea. Not sure about throwing in the first five from the Swamp as well, since those already require a familiarity with the mechanics and enemies, but likely the first five of Forest and Desert are doable. Or players could just get them anyway and experiment with the new tile types. The tips will be there. Sounds good. Someone else had suggested that as well, but I wasn't sure if it's something that annoys players or not. I'll think of some perk I could give fans who do it - maybe access to a character/concept art gallery. Thanks! Capricornman Well-Known Member Dec 8, 2011 2,993 0 0 #19 Capricornman, Mar 11, 2013 I'm having a problem in Forest, level 14 Garlic Breath. Can't figure out how to get Hairy to the garlic before he goes through Any other clues? The island that has the garlic can't be moved to another location. It can rotate but I can't see how to get him there Arges Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2011 78 0 0 Game Developer http://hairytalesgame.com/ #20 Arges, Mar 11, 2013 This is probably a bit of a spoiler, but there is a solution shared on Everyplay: http://everyplay.com/videos/22447 If you'd like just a more general tip... you'll need to move the arrow tile as he's running. Cheers! (You must log in or sign up to post here.) 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Creator Ricardo J. Méndez tweeted that Hairy Tales will be free until Monday, and the price change should show up very soon.
Hi Diane! Many thanks for the kind words! I'm happy to have more people experience the game, and since we recently integrated video recording so that people can share their own solutions to stages, I'm very curious to see what approaches people come up with. Cheers,
Thanks for the comments everyone, I'll be hanging around so do feel free to shoot any comments or questions you have!
I think this game proves once again that what a puzzler needs first and foremost are crystal clear graphics, and putting a 2d puzzler in 3d is never a good idea. Issue #1: it's really hard to say which way is the hairy facing. More often than not, I'll just kill him first time just to confirm the initial movement. Issue #2: due to the perspective, I sometimes trigger starting the level when all I want is to move a tile around. Issue #3: again due to perspective, I'm never 100% sure the fences will direct the hairy the right way. All above issues (+ the control issues with selecting the wrong tile or registering an extra tap now and then) are way more pronounced on the iPhone, due to the small screen big fingers combo. I wish all puzzle makers would not just play Cut The Rope, but also understand why it's been such a massive success...
Hi Eddie, Thanks for the notes. If you have any suggestions as to how to improve it, I'd very much love to read them. I'm aiming to make sure our next game is significantly easier to just read at a glance, which likely means a simpler visual layout to begin with. Quick question: if you pinch to zoom out and get a mostly overhead view, does that perspective make the stages easier to read for you? What do you think of the puzzles and gameplay? Thanks again!
Zooming out? I never thought about it (after checking it in-game) Yup, moving the camera slightly towards a more top-down perspective is better. I generally like these kinds of puzzlers where you create a path for your robot/mouse/sleepwalker/hairy to cross; Hairy Tales' innovation seems to be the ability to move tiles while the character is moving. I didn't get that far (tutorial + a dozen levels, I guess) so I'm not sure how many more types of tiles there are. From what I played, I'd love to see an alternate way to direct arrows, cause it takes too long to tap tap tap on the same tile until the arrow is correctly positioned. Maybe tapping with two fingers at the same time would work? (sliding from the arrow's tile towards the intended arrow direction clashes with moving tiles around)
Thanks, I'll consider making it the default camera view. At the very least I'll indicate during the tutorials that you can change it. I won't spoil it for you. If you're curious, there's several showcased on the trailer. Right now tapping with two fingers turns the tile counter-clockwise, but it's hard to accomplish on the smaller iPhone screen. We did try that approach to drag-a-tile-in-a-direction to rotate, but it was difficult for players to get it right vs. dragging-for-repositioning, so we ended up sticking with the current approach (it's something that works better if players are on OSX with a mouse, but at that point they can shift-click too). Cheers!
Dude, this game should not be free! Glad you came to your senses and put a price back on it Arges. That said, ugh...I know the App Store can be a brutal, brutal place. I really hope Hairy Tales got some exposure and that sales are going well.
Hey Metalcasket, Thanks for the good wishes! It definitely can be a brutal place, and keeping in mind Tim O'Reilley's assertion that obscurity is a much bigger threat to creative endeavors than piracy (or in this case, being free for a day), so I decided to experiment and see if it helps getting more people involved. By the way, I'd love to see video of your level solutions.
What I meant is tapping one finger on the arrow tile, and the second finger on the tile you want the arrow to point to. Like I already said, those two were obviously clashing. Here's an even bolder experiment - give the game for free completely. Have the first 5 levels of every world available, then put a big "did you like it? unlock all the levels of all the worlds for the fabulous amount of $2" advert at the end of each world. Also, put the classic "developer's tip jar" somewhere in the credits area - give people the chance to spend more if they really want to. There are some games I like so much I'd be eager to send money to the devs, but I just can't (no DLC at all).
Ah, interesting approach, it hadn't occurred to me. Thanks! I've been wondering what a free Hairy Tales would look like. I was considering having only the tutorial levels as a demo, but as you mention adding in the first 5 levels could be a good idea. Not sure about throwing in the first five from the Swamp as well, since those already require a familiarity with the mechanics and enemies, but likely the first five of Forest and Desert are doable. Or players could just get them anyway and experiment with the new tile types. The tips will be there. Sounds good. Someone else had suggested that as well, but I wasn't sure if it's something that annoys players or not. I'll think of some perk I could give fans who do it - maybe access to a character/concept art gallery. Thanks!
I'm having a problem in Forest, level 14 Garlic Breath. Can't figure out how to get Hairy to the garlic before he goes through Any other clues? The island that has the garlic can't be moved to another location. It can rotate but I can't see how to get him there
This is probably a bit of a spoiler, but there is a solution shared on Everyplay: http://everyplay.com/videos/22447 If you'd like just a more general tip... you'll need to move the arrow tile as he's running. Cheers!