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I Am Bread to land butter side up on iOS 'later this year'
Surgeon Simulator developer Bossa Studios has revealed that its latest bizarrely engrossing experiment in virtual physics, I Am Bread, will reach iOS devices following its PC debut. Before you start seeking metaphorical meanings, the game's title is literal: I Am Bread casts players as a piece of bread attempting to toast itself. That's easier said than done, however, as bread isn't very mobile, so players must flip and flop their weirdly pliable square of carbohydrates through complex stages first. If you need a visual aid, you'll find a gameplay trailer past the break. "I Am Bread for iOS will feature all the new content Bossa is adding to the Steam Early Access version, including this week's major update – an all new garage area in which to find more innovative ways of turning golden brown and Cheese Hunt mode starring Crispbread," Bossa Studios claims. No release date for the iOS version of I Am Bread has been nailed down, beyond a vague "later this year." Bossa plans to first finish the PC version of I Am Bread, before turning its full attention to the iOS game. [Image: Bossa Studios]
Devs butter I Am Bread for December 3 Early Access launch
Developer Bossa Studios (of Surgeon Simulator fame) has revealed plans to launch its next stab at turning awkward movement into a game when I Am Bread reaches Steam Early Access on December 3. While Early Access is just that - it offers a pre-release version of a game to truly dedicated fans willing to overlook the bugs that would be removed for a final, official release - the video below the break demonstrates that I Am Bread should be familiar territory for players of Surgeon Simulator. Here we have a relatively normal situation, in this case a piece of inexplicably ambulatory bread apparently attempting to toast itself, that is rendered both entertaining and tense by intentionally awkward controls and physics that make wrecking the nearby world as fun as making it into the toaster. I Am Bread obviously features less arterial spray than Surgeon Simulator, but you also don't have to worry that launching your slice of sustenance off a table will result in some hapless patient losing a lung. Bossa Studios has yet to reveal an official launch date for I Am Bread, but the launch price will likely match the $10 price tag attached to the Early Access version of the game. [Image: Bossa Studios]
Surgeon Simulator team tackles loaf life in I Am Bread
The warped minds behind Surgeon Simulator 2013 explore another unexpected branch in the simulation genre with I Am Bread, a game in which players assume the role of... an ambulatory slice of bread. In Bossa Studios' I Am Bread players use the bumpers, triggers, and face buttons on an Xbox 360 controller to guide the glutenous star on its quest to be toasted and served at breakfast. The game's mundane premise and setting really help sell it as a work of pure ridiculousness, and the bread can wind up in all sorts of misadventures on its way to the dining room table. "How did it get up on the ceiling fan?!" is something you may find yourself thinking while watching the above trailer, followed soon after by "Oh, no not the toilet, ewwwwwww gross." A release date for I Am Bread was not announced, and target platforms (including toasters) are not yet known. [Video: Bossa Studios]
Surgeon Simulator dev expands curriculum in Twelve a Dozen
Would you trust Bossa Studios, developers of the questionably-medically-accurate Surgeon Simulator, to teach basic math skills? Educational organization Amplify did, and the result of their collaboration is Twelve a Dozen, a puzzle-focused platformer that subtly teaches simple calculations and the order of operations. In Twelve A Dozen, players guide Twelve and her companion Dot in an effort to save Twelve's family as a disaster descends upon Dozenopolis. Twelve's lesson plan spans 30 levels' worth of puzzles, with more coming in an eventual update. The App Store description notes that Twelve A Dozen is meant to support the curriculum of those aged 10 - 14, but all iPad users can brush up on the basics for $4.99 (£2.99). Just ... don't go thinking you're a few hours away from practicing heart surgery once you can do algebra in your sleep. [Image: Bossa Studios]
Surgeon Simulator plays doctor on Android tablets next week
Come August 14 - two days after its PlayStation 4 debut - Bossa Studios' hilariously gory Surgeon Simulator will spill blood on Android tablets, according to a new trailer. If you've yet to experience Surgeon Simulator, think of it as a light-hearted glimpse into the daily life of the world's worst surgeon - you. Ostensibly the game simulates proper surgery, only thanks to overtly uncooperative controls, players portray a doctor who is either drunk, supernaturally clumsy or thinks blood-stained scrubs are a solid fashion statement. Most virtual doctors will kill more patients than they save, but performing surgery with the manual dexterity of a toddler is surprisingly engaging and a solid complement of in-game challenges keeps things fresh. So far there's no official word on how much Surgeon Simulator will cost on Android, but if it falls in line with the iOS release, expect the game to feature a $6 price tag. [Image: Bossa Studios]
Malpractice your skills on Aug. 12 in Surgeon Simulator PS4
Serious medical edutainment software Surgeon Simulator: Anniversary Edition is coming to the PlayStation 4 on August 12 in North America and August 13 in Europe, developer Bossa Studios has announced. Anniversary Edition features such new "what could go wrong?" levels as eye and teeth examinations, new environments, stat tracking and more. Watch a trailer celebrating how frantic the game can be after the break. The slicing and dicing simulator, which features such easy-to-learn surgery techniques as extracting a brain with a hammer, will be available for $12.99 (€10.99, £8.99). Despite its authenticity, four out of the five doctors we didn't actually ask said being awarded a platinum trophy in the game is not equivalent to earning an MD. Sounds like another industry afraid of new media, if you ask us. [Images: Bossa]
Thomas Was Alone updated for iPad with new friends, jetpack
Minimalistic, story-driven platformer Thomas Was Alone received an update on iPad today that brings the Benjamin's Flight content to the device for free. The DLC previously launched on PlayStation systems, and includes three new characters and 20 levels. Creator Mike Bithell told Joystiq the DLC will arrive on desktop systems "very, very soon." The new levels give players additional puzzles to solve using the jetpack attached to Benjamin, a young square in search of the Fountain of Youth. Benjamin's Flight offers a "new story about hope and the wild impetuosity of youth," but honestly, we were already sold on the jetpacks part. Bossa Studios is offering Thomas Was Alone at a discount to celebrate the free update for a limited time; it is currently $5.99 (£3.99), down from $9 (£6/8 euros) when it launched on iPad in May. [Image: Bossa Studios]
Thomas was Alone wasn't on iPad, but now it is
The rectangle platformer is on the rectangle system, and the world can rest in appropriate harmony. Mike Bithell's Thomas was Alone and its cast of personality-infused polygons are available now on iPad, courtesy of Surgeon Simulator 2013 dev Bossa Studios. If you want to provide some company, it'll set you back $9 in North America, or £6/8 euros in Europe. Thomas was Alone started life on PC and Mac before leaping and rolling onto PS3, Vita and Linux last year. While it may have a minimalist look, its sales have been maximal with over one million copies sold across all platforms. Bithell showed us his latest creation, Volume, at GDC in March. [Image: Mike Bithell]
Surgeon Simulator on iPad's got your tongue - and 12 others
Surgeon Simulator on iPad has received its first update, turning the purposefully-awkward game about a terrible surgeon into a purposefully-awkward game about a terrible surgeon and linguist. The update adds new languages to the game, while also paving the way for an alien patient DLC, which will be added free of charge "soon." The related press release also gave a glimpse into just how many people in the world should never be trusted with sharp medical instruments: 28,400 Surgeon Simulator Touch videos were uploaded to YouTube during its launch month. While that's not necessarily a 1:1 ratio of players to videos, even one amateur surgeon cracking open ribcages with hammers is plenty. [Image: Bossa Studios]
Surgeon Simulator to save or ruin lives on iPad tonight
Surgeon Simulator will launch on iPad tonight, providing the game follows the common trend for UK and US iOS app releases that hit the same day as New Zealand. The game is out now for New Zealanders, and has players guiding the shaky hands of returning surgeon-of-sorts Nigel Burke through operations on "the world's unluckiest patient, Bob." The game includes a multiplayer mode, the heart and double-kidney transplants from the bloody PC version of the game as well as new teeth and eye transplant objectives. Given the game's new touch controls, developer Bossa Studios opted to hack away Nigel's left arm, so it no longer floats around the operating room in the iPad version. Those with iPad 4 devices or better can also record and upload their surgeries for the amusement of others. Surgeon Simulator will cost $5.99 for US players and £3.99 for wannabe doctors in the UK, according to Pocket Gamer. [Image: Bossa Studios]
Surgeon Simulator dev teases a brutal trip to the dentist
With Surgeon Simulator 2013, Bossa Studios managed to make horrific medical malpractice entertaining. If a newly-released teaser is any indication, the developer now hopes to do the same for ill-advised dental surgery. Though actual gameplay footage is scant, the above clip clearly shows a sedated patient being repeatedly bludgeoned by what appears to be a heart rate monitor. The developer pictured in the video then shoos the camera away, sparing viewers from what's almost certainly an even more horrific fate for our poor patient. It's unknown what exactly this video is teasing, though the final moments of the clip feature the Surgeon Simulator logo, then claim that whatever we're watching will be "coming soon to an iPad near you." This suggests the above periodontal nightmare is coming to the iOS incarnation of Surgeon Simulator 2013, though when and in what capacity remains to be seen.
Surgeon Simulator developer launches Time to Live demo
After ... uh, proving their capabilities in tense medical situations, Bossa Studios is moving on to the realm of deathmatch-oriented game shows with a project called Time to Live. The demo features a hexagonal game board that brings in special areas as the match continues on. Coin deposits and health regeneration spaces are common resources, and racing players to a sparking, incoming space on the grid is frequent. They're not all races you want to win, however - getting too hectic with clicks can lead an unfortunate contender onto electrified trap spaces. You won't be able to just shrug off a chunk of lost health, either - players slowly lose health as the match progresses, so utilizing game spaces and the items purchased in shops is essential for a victory. While Bossa describes Time to Live as being in an "alpha stage of development," you can try out a round of the game show from the future by loading up the demo. If you can't find friends or strangers willing to blow each others heads off for the sake of an audience, Time to Live's demo will fill your match with bots.
Surgeon Simulator may hack away on iPad in 2014
Developers of the surprise hit Surgeon Simulator 2013 are currently working on a tablet version that could see release in 2014, Joystiq reports. The game -- which gives players the chance to operate on patients using intentionally sketchy controls -- became an overnight hit in 2013 and eventually found its way to Steam via the Greenlight program. It's unclear at this time whether a tablet iteration would simply attempt to replicate the existing procedures offered by the Steam version, or if new surgeries would be included -- tooth pulling, for example. Joystiq's Sinan Kubba saw a version of the game running on an iPad firsthand, but it's still a toss-up whether tablet gamers will actually get a chance to play it. If developer Bossa Studios decides to move forward, the game will likely see release sometime in 2014.
Surgeon Simulator 2013 exploring possibility of tablet transplant
Bossa Studios is prototyping for a tablet version of game-jam-creation-turned-hit Surgeon Simulator 2013, although its release isn't a certainty at this stage. I got to spectate (and discuss) their latest operation over the weekend in a themed ambulance parked outside the Eurogamer Expo. Knowing Bossa and its happily "100 percent medically inaccurate" sim, I shouldn't have expected anything less. I saw a prototype build that had been cooked up in just two days, in which Bossa's Luke Williams grabbed, chucked, and slammed various parts of the patient's innards across the iPad screen. This apparently was the sixth control iteration of the tablet version, now supporting a Z-axis that automatically adjusted with every tap, click, or swipe. This allowed Williams to maintain precision across the 3D operating table as he thoroughly took apart the patient's diaphragm, which was clearly asking for it. Bossa isn't definite about bringing out the tablet version but is seriously considering it, not just because the British studio believes tablets offer more direct, weightier controls, but also because the devices lend themselves to new surgeries. One idea Bossa has involves cracking teeth, pulling them out, shoving new ones in, then chucking the canines away, maybe down the patient's throat - you get the idea. Although, as Tom Jackson notes, this wouldn't be called dentistry: "Probably a tooth transplant," he laughs. If a tablet version goes ahead, it's unclear if it'll hit this year or next. Jackson seemed to think this year was a bit unlikely, but the rest of the Bossa team suggested otherwise. "Potentially, a few more sleepless nights, Tom, and I think we could do it," Williams joked as Jackson laughed, almost mournfully. Ah, the endless strain of the medical profession.
Surgeon Simulator 2013 takes a stab at Oculus Rift
Surgeon Simulator 2013 doesn't look any easier on Oculus Rift than it is on PC – and that's awesome. As a game that's a basically QWOP for wannabe open-heart surgeons, the more precarious the controls, the better the game. With this build of Surgeon Simulator in Oculus Rift, the player controls the hand and arm only, while field of view is dictated by the player's head moving around. Just like a real surgeon. Kind of. Maybe. Bossa Studios announced Oculus Rift and Razer Hydra support for Surgeon Simulator earlier in June, and we're happy to report that it appears none of the game's ridiculous charm has dissipated with its virtual reality form.
Team Fortress 2 goes under the knife in Surgeon Simulator 2013
A free update has been issued in Surgeon Simulator 2013 through Steam today, adding a new Team Fortress 2 scenario to the purposefully awkward slice-em-up. Playing as the TF2 Medic, Surgeon Simulator 2013 owners can now get a peek at the Heavy's innards – while we haven't played the update ourselves, we're just going to assume he's filled with Scout.%Gallery-192078%
Surgeon Simulator 2013 adds support for Oculus Rift, Razer Hydra
Surgeon Simulator 2013 will soon support the Oculus Rift and Razer Hydra peripherals, adding a new layer of immersion to Bossa Studios' PC medical malpractice sim. In Surgeon Simulator 2013, players attempt vital organ transplants from a first-person perspective using an intentionally awkward control scheme. It suffices to say that if you're squeamish, head-tracking and motion-sensing peripherals won't make the experience any less nauseating. The peripheral-enhanced version of Surgeon Simulator 2013 will be playable at Rezzed 2013 in Birmingham on June 22 and 23. An update adding official support for the Oculus Rift and Razer Hydra will be released to the public "soon." Show full PR text YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE YOUR EYES. BE NIGEL, ON OCULUS RIFT! Bossa Studios puts meat on the bones: Surgeon Simulator 2013TM now supports cutting-edge peripherals, playable at Rezzed show this weekend London, 17 June 2013 - Bossa Studios announced today that Surgeon Simulator 2013 will soon support the hotly anticipated Oculus Rift™ and the Razer Hydra®, taking surgery to the next level of mayhem and creating the most immersive operating theatre experience ever. In addition, the game will be playable with the hardware at the Rezzed Show at the NEC in Birmingham on June 22 and 23 2013. Released on Steam in April 2013 at £6.99 (or equivalent), Surgeon Simulator 2013 has quickly become nothing short of a phenomenon. The original prototype – developed in just 48 hours at the 2013 Global Game Jam in January 13 – challenged players to complete a heart transplant using a combination of keyboard and mouse actions, armed only with an arsenal of clumsy and inappropriate tools and a hapless hand that was diabolical to control. Set to release soon and with development kits already with Kickstarter backers, the Oculus Rift allows players to step into game. It was one of the big hits at this year's E3 show in Los Angeles, impressing the audience with its stereoscopic 3D experience and a huge field of view. For additional information on the game, please visit the following links: Official game site: www.surgeonsimulator2013.com Twitter: @surgeonsim2013 Facebook: www.facebook.com/OfficialSurgeonSimulator2013 Steam: http://steamcommunity.com//app/233720 About Bossa Studios London-based Bossa Studios is led by a team of veterans from the worlds of gaming and entertainment. Proud creators of BAFTA-winning Monstermind, and the BAFTA-nominated Merlin: The Game, Bossa Studios has revolutionised the social gaming market. Its achievements of developing and publishing innovative games resulted in it being awarded the Develop Excellence Award for best 'New Studio' in 2012. As part of Shine Group, the Studio is also developing new transmedia experiences. www.bossastudios.com
Surgeon Simulator 2013 transplanted to Steam tomorrow
Surgeon Simulator 2013 will be available for download on Steam tomorrow, April 19. It started out as a cheeky (and wince-inducing) game jam project by four developers made in just two days, and was later approved as a full release by Steam's Greenlight program. You can still play the original jam result online for free, but the full release includes more surgery scenarios, including an operation in the back of a moving ambulance. The physics have been improved, too, and the developers say it'll work on Windows, Mac or Linux on day one.Upon its launch on Steam, the game will cost $9.99 - way cheaper and less grueling than years of medical school.
Surgeon Simulator 2013 tries its hand at open-heart surgery
Heads up to all the future surgeons, medical professionals and car mechanics out there: Play Surgeon Simulator 2013. A team from Bossa Studios whipped up Surgeon Simulator 2013 in two days for the Global Game Jam, and it's a mix of QWOP and nightmares. Just like real surgery.
Last Guardian executive producer resigns, joins Bossa Studios
The employment status of The Last Guardian designer Fumito Ueda is still in question, but we have received official word that another producer on the title has departed from Sony. Executive producer Yoshifusa Hayama has left Sony to join UK social game developer Bossa Studios as creative director. Hayama was a VP at Sony Computer Entertainment from 2007 until his departure (according to his LinkedIn profile), credited on a variety of PS3, PSP and Vita projects including LocoRoco 2, The Eye of Judgment, and even the Torne DVR project. He previously worked at Sega's AM2 division, Square Enix, EA, and then Sumo Digital -- which helps explain his connection to the UK game industry. "The future of gaming is definitely online and thanks to recent developments with Flash 11, there is no reason why a social game can no longer be as visually stunning and as compelling as the big console titles," Hayama said in the announcement of his appointment (after the break). He added that Bossa plans to bring games with "3D elements" to Facebook and other social networks.
