Now that DEVICE 6 has been out for a few days, it’s time to do the traditional round-up blog post. First of all we would like to thank everyone who got the game, solved the mysteries … And for all your kind words as well. We’ve received loads of e-mails, tweets and comments, and we really appreciate it. THANK YOU!
The game is currently Editors’ Choice in the App Store. The game reached no. 2 on the overall charts in the US (it’s currently steady at 3!). Again, we’re overwhelmed, but most of all it’s extremely encouraging for us to see that we can make something as different as DEVICE 6 and be successful.
The critical reception has been phenomenal too, as you can see on DEVICE 6’s metacritic page.
Here are qoutes and links to some reviews and things:
“DEVICE 6 is designed to linger in the mind long after the last code has been cracked and the last sentence read. Spy stories – even traditional ones – often haunt their readers’ dreams once they’ve been completed. It’s only appropriate, really. Is that a final full-stop or a microdot? Is this the end of the affair or an invitation to go deeper?”
Eurogamer – 9/10
“In using its text both as narrative and as geography – and through its impressively restrained use of illustration and sound – it generates an almost unrivalled sense of place. It isn’t embarrassed to allow Device 6 to be a game when it needs to be, and yet it knows precisely when to let the story take over. The result is a sharp, striking mystery that is at once provocative, extraordinarily stylish and altogether essential”
EDGE – 9/10
“In turning a text adventure into a world map, Simogo has resurrected a long-dead genre with style and confidence. Great presentation and brilliant puzzles complete a stellar package”
Pocketgamer – 9/10
“Ever exceeding expectations, the developer has followed up one of 2013′s highlights with another title that can be classed as such. With a compelling story that keeps you guessing, and a pin-point utilisation of the platform, Device 6 is an accomplishment in games design, mobile or otherwise.”
God is a Geek – 9/10
“DEVICE 6 not only explores the boundaries of narrative storytelling, it also demonstrates the creative potential of touchscreen gaming”
Appspy – 5/5
“Simogo’s doing something few others are doing, and it’s wonderful that someone is both providing great experiences and testing the limits of interactive media”
148apps – 5/5
“I still have trouble trying to decide whether or not Device 6 was a text-based game or a story with video game elements added in, but neither of those choices adequately describe it. In hindsight, I realize now that Device 6 can be easily categorized with one word: art”
Arcade Sushi – 9/10
“Simogo’s come up with another unmissable game – an ingenious slice of puzzling adventure that’s as imaginative as it is stylish”
Modojo – 4.5/5
“It’s an all new art form in all honesty that is unlike anything else you have ever experienced, and it’s such a rewarding undertaking that you will remember long after it’s done.”
AppleNApps – 5/5
This one is really good, but contains spoilers so considered yourself warned:
“DEVICE 6 is a remarkable game. As puzzlers go, it’s well made and challenging. Its story is interesting, and its style is engaging. It’s got a good beat, and you can dance to it. But I think it is also thesis on the dissolution of meaning. I think it is an artfully orchestrated study on technology as agent of semiotic entropy. I think it is a story of the ways in which our own devices slowly erode our ability to trust what we know and experience”
Kill Screen
Not a review but this article with a few interview snippets over at The Verge is nice!
Oh and before you leave: YES, the soundtrack is coming very soon. It is being mastered at the moment. Stay tuned for an exact date!
That’s it for now, we guess!
THANK YOU!
Simogo needs a forum after this game!
After finishing the game I can’t help wonder if I missed some extra bits.
How high IS the games replay ability?
Ps. The game was amazing (meaning puzzling) and awesome (meaning awe-inspiring (even if it was nothing but a digital product created by a small indie game company (or was it?))).
I loved the game and I’m so glad you guys are really getting a payoff, but I would like (and please take this as a friendly suggestion) to see you guys hire a few more people and develop a longer game. The shortness of your game is the only negative I see through out reviews and I would personally love to see more of your skill in a longer game. I hope you guys are really proud of your work and I can’t wait to see more like it in the future.
Looks amazing. Any love for Android players?
Sooo, where is the android version? I’d love you for porting this <3
Are there any plans on porting it to android or html5? If not, I guess I’ll just borrow an iPad from a friend.
Also, since this isn’t technically a book, does BBTTR apply to it?
Huge fan from BSB onwards. As a small business / entrepreneur, I know what it takes to go up against the big guys, and you have it: essentially, you play by no one’s rules but your own. Great work, keep it up. Please, please release the D6 soundtrack soon …
Hi,
I love the concept here, it is great to see storytelling going that extra step forward.
My question is whether there is any way for the game/story to remember where you were when you close it. As far as I can see there is no Bookmark function to allow a player/reader to go back to the point where they left off.
Have I missed something? Or if this does not exist, I would suggest that it should be added for those, like me, with short-attention spans!