QatQi - (by ZWorkbench) - Universal App

[Echoseven]

NZ Release info :

The Game is out in New Zealand. It should be out in US at about 11 PM EST and Europe at around 12 AM UK time. Size of the app is 46 MB.

Price in NZ is FREE

Requirements : Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (2nd generation), iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

iPhone Screenshots

Lose yourself in the world of QatQi (pronounced “cat-key”), a gorgeous and meticulously crafted word game that pleases the senses and tests the limits of your lexicon. Frustrated with the lack of innovation in other word games, indie designer Chris Garrett developed QatQi to freshen up the genre with never-before-seen gameplay, an elegant interface, dazzling art, and otherworldly music that changes as you play. In a word, it’s INSPIRED (161 points.)

QatQi offers more than just laying down tiles and reaping the rewards. Game puzzles form a “map” for players to explore, uncovering bonuses and avoiding barriers as they link letters together. It’s easy to learn, but offers a new kind of strategic depth for the genre. Bolstered by robust statistics and enticing social features, QatQi is a complete package for word game lovers eager for something new.

Beyond the innovations in gameplay and scoring, QatQi is an audiovisual tour de force with art and music that can be appreciated even without words. The game’s puzzles will have you racking your brain, but its ethereal aesthetics will leave you in a state of zen.
QatQi features:

➣ Novel “map” mechanics — Explore each puzzle by laying out tiles to spell words across increasingly intricate rooms and corridors. Special squares offer big bonuses, but require some smooth wordsmithing to reach.

➣ Smart, scaling difficulty — Sunday levels can be brutal, but QatQi eases players in with simple puzzles and an intuitive tutorial. If you’re backed into a corner — sometimes literally — take another try with an Undo.

➣ Size up your spelling — Compare your performance with players in your city or across the globe using QatQi’s cater-made scoring system. Post automatically and view full breakdowns — all without disruptive logins or passwords.

➣ Vaunt your vocab — When you top the charts in your area or drop a high-scoring word like MOUNTAINEERING (461 points), QatQi will make a personally framed screenshot for you to boast over Facebook, Twitter, email or SMS — all from within the game.

➣ Data to die for — To boost your scores, explore a beautiful interactive stats page that provides key metrics after each puzzle. Even as a novice word-slinger, QatQi’s granular breakdowns will give you something to aim for.

➣ Fresh content, always — QatQi offers new levels every day of the week, scaling up in difficulty from Monday to Sunday. Past levels are archived for access anytime.

➣ Audiovisual bliss — Artist Kun Chang, who created the artwork for the hit game Osmos, lends a striking sensibility to the game board and menus. Complementing the looks is an original, spectral score that builds in complexity as you move through more difficult puzzles.

NZ Release info :

The Game is out in New Zealand. It should be out in US at about 11 PM EST and Europe at around 12 AM UK time. Size of the app is 46 MB.

Price in NZ is FREE

[Fractalrock]

This looks really interesting. Any chance for a gameplay trailer?

[slewis7]

I found a interesting video demo of the game narrated by the developer here:

http://pockettactics.com/2012/11/12/...ore-this-week/

Since the game is free, I presume it includes IAP to unlock all the features. I can't wait to try it.

[slewis7]

This game is pretty interesting and has a very cool aesthetic. The word game play seems very fresh to me. Everything appears to be unlocked for free; the IAP is for extra undo moves, which at least for the easy puzzles I have been playing so far appears to be totally unnecessary.

The detailed statistics in this game are great. There are leaderboards for every level and if you provide your location, they are broken down by various geographical regions. Unfortunately, there is no Game Center support in QatQi.

Highly recommended!

[czgarrett]

Hi all,

Dropping in to join the conversation. Thanks for the positive feedback!

Game Center support is somewhat tricky. High scores aren't possible, because there are so many levels and Game Center only allows 25 different high score lists. We effectively have tens of thousands of high score lists, because each puzzle has its own list, and that is in turn broken down into geography.

That said, we could probably use Game Center just to show friends who are playing the game, and tie it into our own score server somehow. We're going to be talking about it this weekend when the team gets together for our launch party.

Glad you're enjoying the game!

Chris Garrett

[slewis7]

Thanks for popping in, Chris!

You could do some cumulative totals with Game Center. For example: stars collected, levels completed, highest score for each difficulty level. In any case, it will be a plus to be able to see which friends are playing.

Other then Game Center support, there is little you can do to improve this game.