It's a steal of a deal!

The Adventure Apes has just been put up on IndieGameStand! It's a pay-what-you-want type sale (of course, bonuses are made available if you pay above the average), but it's only up for four days!

One of the really cool things about this deal is that 10% of all sales goes towards supporting a charity, and I chose Doctors Without Borders. So, even if you don't like the game, but like chipping in to help do a little good in the world, pick up a copy would you? :)

New Screenshots!

It's taken a little while, but there has been quite a bit of stuff done on the game. Weapons have been added (wavebeam, ice cannon, missiles and bombs), upgrades to each weapon too! Since it is a super-casual game, I wanted each experience to be new, so all background elements are randomly generated, as well as the spawning locations for the enemies and asteroids.

The next thing I'm going to tackle is the variety of enemies. There are currently only two coded, but am thinking of adding several more (and redoing the current ones) to give more variety. The plan is to have different species and variants of species spwan based on the difficulty level you choose.


Here are a couple screenshots to tide you over while I work away on the game...first one is a WIP, nearly done though. The second image shows a new HUD and a plethora of asteroids begging to be blasted!

Game Key Giveaway!!

Hey guys, just a quick note to let you know that 10 game keys have been made available through Slushy Previews Youtube Channel!

There's nothing to it. Just watch his video playthrough before this coming Friday, and if you want to be entered into the draw, post a comment. He'll announce the winner the following week, so if you've played the game, but aren't sure you want to plunk down $3, now is your chance to score a free copy:)


SlushyPreviews Youtube Channel

Step up and place your votes!

Out of the blue today I got some good news; The Adventure Apes and the Mayan Mystery has made it to a list of the Best Indie Platformer of 2012 at jayisgames! It was pretty awesome to see this pop up, because after seeing some reviews of the game, I had doubts that it would ever see the light of day again. Sure it's cliché, to to even make it on the list is an honour!

Looking at the list though, I'd say the odds are stacked against the Apes, but you never know, right? Actually, that's where you can help Mitch and Otis (and me!) out.

Jayisgames lets people vote once per day for the duration of the event (it ends on January 23rd). So if you played the game and liked it, or haven't played it, but like voting for the underdog, or even if you just think that poor ScaryPotato schmuck could use a sympathy vote, then make your way over to the jayisgames website and cast your vote. Over and over, and over again!

Don't think of it as me telling you to vote for the Adventure Apes so much as suggesting it, subtly.  You might notice once you are there, that the Adventure Apes is at the top of the list. Alphabetical order aside, it must mean something that it is at the top of the list ! :P

TL;DR
If you click this link, vote Adventure Apes!
Best of 2012 Indie Platformer List

Closing Out 2012

It was a pretty big year this time around! With the Mayan Mystery finally completed, I was fortunate enough to have it hosted on some websites, as well as have it part of a recent Indie Royale bundle, and (will also be) part of IndieGameStand and their excellent promotions! The game has also been entered in the 2013 Indie Game Festival. It might be a bit of a long shot to win anything, but you never know unless you try, right?

Of all the things I learned while creating the Mayan Mystery (and the list is very long!), probably the most important thing is to not shoot for the stars on your very first attempt. I wanted to go all out with the Mayan Mystery, and while being ambitious is fine, setting goals really high when you're just starting out can be murder! What I'm planning on doing in the next game, is to tone it back a little bit. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest is that I really want to keep making games, and starting a project that is too much above one's skills will generally end in disaster.

So, what's next?

If you've followed the blog, you'll see that in the beginning, the focus was on an illustrated story more than a video game. The story was intended to be a series that follows Mitch and Otis as they try and track down Horatio Hawk before he can steal any more priceless or magical items. I'm not going back to the storybook, but I am going to follow the same overall concept. That means that there will be a continuation to the Mayan Mystery...and am currently working on a little game that takes place during the Mayan Mystery.
If you recall, Mitch and Otis were called into Dr.A's study with urgent news, but Otis hit his head and was forced to recover, while Mitch went off on the Mayan Mystery. Otis' recovery didn't take too terribly long (mostly due to the fact that his brain is tiny, and head trauma doesn't affect him like it does the rest of us), and was soon sent on a mission of his own!

For this particular game, I've decided to change things up and use hand drawn graphics instead of the retro-pixelated graphics in the Mayan Mystery. I love drawing, and if I can incorporate more of it into my games, that's what I'll do:) Anyhow, here is a recent screenshot of the upcoming game...




I'm thinking of redoing the HUD to something a little easier to understand, as it is rather cryptic right now...

Adventure Apes and the Mayan Mystery is Released!

A little over four years ago, I had the idea to make a video game that would follow along a series of illustrated stories. Each story would have its own theme, but the main plot line would remain the same: The Adventure Apes try to stop Horatio Hawk from stealing various treasures/magical/mythical items from different eras and locations. Soon after I began, the reaction to the video game was stronger than that of the story, so I switched gears to focus on the game, during which time the goal of the game changed a few times. It was just last winter when I began this latest (and final) version of the Mayan Mystery, using all I had learned along the way to make what I hope is an entertaining game! It has been a very long time getting here, but I can finally say that the Mayan Mystery is complete and ready to be played! The past month or so has been a hectic time. Although the game was done, I needed to set up a way of selling the game, as well as try to make some inroads with people who work in the (indie)gaming scene to get a little exposure. It is most definitely a learning experience, but so far the reaction has been pretty positive, and am hoping that what other exposure there is will help build a decent base of people who enjoy the project. Right now, I have the game available through three sites:

The Adventure Apes website

 Indivania

IndieCity




The hope is to have the game land on a few other sites, as well as get bundled up in packages for a little extra exposure! I hope that you've enjoyed watching this project progress over the years, and am sure that like me, you're ready to see something new in the works. I'll be starting the next game soon, so keep your eyes peeled (double potato reference intended) for what's next!

Instruction Booklet Doodles!

I thought that a new instruction booklet was in order. There previously was one with super detailed drawings of each item and bad guy, but it didn't quite jive with the overall theme of the current iteration of the video game. This time around, I went for large, colourful and cartoony drawings with a nice simple presentation that I hope will prove easy on the eyes :) The majority of the images are what you see below, and the instruction booklet even includes little maps of each level to help players out a little. If you want to see how the finished product turned out, feel free to download a copy here!