Web sites are still finding time to review KamiCrazy, with the latest being AppCraver that has given it a glowing 8/10.
Some quotes that we liked from the review: “KamiCrazy is a great puzzle game that capitalizes on the finger-swiping ability of the iPhone/iPod touch”
“Graphics were excellent and made the game a pleasure to look at while playing. Overall, KamiCrazy is a great challenge and was a nice mix between the puzzle and platform genres.”
If you spot any other new reviews then please let us know…
Due to the high number of levels and the amount of tuning needed for each level to get the gameplay right we decided to opt for a automated level-terrain system that did not need to be hand drawn in order to save development time and allow us to effortlessly add more levels. We also needed the terrain to stand out so that player could clearly see where the Kami’s can run but still keeping the terrain in a style that would match the hand drawn art over a large number of levels.
Toon Shading Filter
So we opted for a solution where we use a paint program to draw a simple 2D mask where we want the terrain as shown to the right. The game then automatically creates shapes from this mask, adding edges and cracks to give a 3D effect, but still retaining a 2D feel that is essential for gameplay using filters and shaders. Lighting is added to achieve stylized highlights and shadows and it is then ‘toon shaded’ which is where it only uses a small number of colours to give the appearance that it has been hand painted. The level designer can then add objects into the levels such as the level start and end points, traps and switches, as well as hand drawn graphics such as grass, bushes and trees.
The end result is a mixture of great looking terrain with lighting and shadows and hand drawn cartoon artwork that fit together seamlessly to give the game a large number of varied levels. Below is the background baked out before the details and level elements are added.
That’s right, only 15 days ago we recorded our 100,000 download of KamiCrazy and now we have sped on to reach a prestigious 500,000 downloads, and counting, in a little over 3 weeks. To put this into perspective in the UK only three artists managed to sell over 1/2 million singles in 2008 and we’re hot on the heals of Alexandra Burke, Duffy and the X-Factor crew and look likely to top their figures in the coming weeks. Although we’re still a long way off Grand Theft Auto IV, the top selling game in 2008 with worldwide sales of an amazing 6million+
All the developers of the game are very thankful to everyone that has played the game, it’s a great feeling to know you’ve reached so many people around the world. We’re hard at work on still more improvements to the game and extra levels that will be coming your way soon.
We’ve just heard from Apple that KamiCrazy Lite update 1.71 has been approved that has a whole host of new features, included improved controls, updated levels, a new icon and animated instructions.
There’s even more to come, with an update to the full version on its way that has even more improved controls, better sound playback and graphical tweaks. Seeing as there is a Christmas Sale on and you can currently get it for 1/2 price, what are you waiting for??
We reached a major milestone yesterday a lot faster than we thought with over 100,000 people downloading KamiCrazy from the App Store throughout the world in just 8 days. We’re currently shifting through the data and we’ll get some pretty graphs up here soon once we’ve made sense of it all ourselves.
We’re excited that so many people have been able to enjoy our game and we want to stress we’re listening to the feedback and we’ve got some tasty improvements to the game coming very shortly that should make the game even more enjoyable!
We’re happy to announce that KamiCrazy has been approved by Apple and can now be found on the App store worldwide for both iPhone and iPod Touch users.
The game can be found here, so please take a look and give it a go. Once you’ve played it, lets us know what you think here.
Happy Gaming!
