What’s up Year Walk steam

Hello! Just a tiny update of how the work is going with the pc/mac/beep-bop/steam-version of Year Walk.

Last week was the first time we could play the game from start to finish, with all the puzzles and new menus 100% done. It’s a really nice feeling to be able to get the full picture of the game.

While it still is and feels like Year Walk, the feel of the game is somwhat different now with the new controls and everything in the companion contained within the game. But, we’re happy to report that it feels great and natural. It doesn’t feel inferior, or much like a port at all. It is it’s own thing! It’s quite hard to explain, but basically we think our decision to not make a straight port has paid off.

Now with the added menus, map and hints and all that, we don’t think some well-thought out steam-achievements would feel out of place. So, if we can come up with some that we find interesting, and not just checklist type (“you completed the game, congratulations!”), we will probably add some. Maybe?

We still have a few visual-touch, tweaks, optimisations and polish to make, but then it’s on to implementing steam stuff, testing testing testing and hopefully we can get back to you soon with a release date!

DEVICE 6 IGF nominated in four categories!

… And an honourable mention in two. So, a little bit of DEVICE 6 in every category. What!?

The game is up for Excellence In Visual Art, Excellence In Narrative, Excellence In Audio and Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the IGF Awards on March 19th in San Francisco.

EDIT:

And we just learned that the game is nominated in the Game Developer’s Choice Award that very same night. Innovation and Handheld/Mobile!

2014 + 200 000 + More

It is 2014 and we are back in the office! We think a little recap (and what’s happening at the moment) is in order.

So, let’s start by looking back over what happened while we were out of the office:

• On the last day of 2013 we got some amazing news; Year Walk had reached 200.000 sold copies on the App Store!

• Simogo was one of the three studios in The Edge awards 2013: “studio of the year”-award (it’s in issue 262 and online right here).

• Both DEVICE 6 and Year Walk were on a lot of best of 2013-lists. Some of the notable include:

DEVICE 6 was nominated for game of the year in the Best of 2013 at IGN, also for Story, Innovation and Puzzle.
– Both games were on Pocketgamers 10 best iPhone and iPad games of the year.
– DEVICE 6 was on Kill Screen’s 2013 list!, which featured some really nice illustrations for every game.
– DEVICE 6 was Gamezebo’s second best game of the year.
– DEVICE 6 made Joystiq’s Top 10 of 2013 as number 7.
– Simogo and DEVICE 6 was mentioned a few times on Telegraph’s Video Game Awards 2013

• As part of 148apps’ 2013 wrAPP up, they posted a nice piece called “Simogo’s Twin Masterpieces”.

• We chatted a bit with Pocketgamer about this and that and CiNG games. And recapped 2013 at Pocketgamer.biz.

• We also talked to Killscreen a bit about controllers vs tablet gaming.

Let’s move on to what’s happening now and in 2014 then!

• We are finishing up Year Walk for Steam. We are about 75% done before starting external testing. Not quite ready to commit to a date or month, but it should hopefully make the first quarter of 2014.

• We are hoping to give you an update of DEVICE 6 posters we mentioned a few weeks ago soon. They should be available before Year Walk for Steam, we hope!

• We should update our site and give it a fresh new look. Sigh …

• And in all of this we are also starting to think about, talk about and plan the next thing … Nothing has been set in stone, we have a few ideas we are toying around with at the moment. Exciting times!

Here’s hoping 2014 will be at least half as great as 2013! Cheers!