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ID@Xbox trailblazer Nutjitsu hits Xbox One
Nutjitsu is the second ID@XBox game to make it onto Xbox One, and you can grab the self-published offering now for $6.49. Developed by Keflings studio Ninjabee, the game's a top-down stealth puzzler in which you use ninja wiles to squirrel your way around samurai fox guards. Ninjabee released it on Windows Phone 8 last year, and this week's arrival on Xbox One represents its console debut. April saw the ID@Xbox program pump out its first game in Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut. To name a few, other games on the way include Super Time Force - that's out next week - Guacamelee: Super Turbo CE, Divekick: Addition Edition, 1001 Spikes and Roundabout. [Image: Ninjabee]
Keflings dev's Nutjitsu coming to Xbox One, says Microsoft exec
Stealthy puzzler Nutjitsu is in the opening batch of ID@Xbox games, according to Microsoft corporate VP Phil Spencer. Developed by A Kingdom for Keflings studio Ninjabee, Nutjitsu is a top-down affair in which you guide an adorable ninja squirrel through mazes guarded by equally cute samurai foxes. Ninjabee released it on Windows Phone 8 last year, and if Spencer's tweet is accurate, it's sneaking onto Xbox One shortly. Spencer also name-dropped a Worms game as one of the "first shipping" through the self-publishing ID@Xbox program. Worms dev Team 17 and Ninjabee are both confirmed as participating ID@Xbox developers, and Ninjabee's already said it's bringing Nutjitsu to a new platform for the studio, so the nuts stack up on this one. We've reached out to Team 17 for more details on the Worms game. Last we heard, ID@Xbox's debut was set for Q1 2014, and closer to March 2014 according to program director Chris Charla. Update: Team 17 announced its ID@Xbox game as Worms Battlegrounds, and it's also coming to PlayStation 4. Its due on both systems sometime this year. [Image: Ninjabee]
A World of Keflings coming to Wii U in next couple of months
Giant Miis should have A World of Keflings in their hands by the end of March, according to developer Ninjabee. The province-building follow-up to A Kingdom for Keflings was lined up to hit Wii U last year, but Ninjabee now says it's due in the next two months. While Ninjabee's first news of the year is for an old game, the indie studio says it's got plenty of new things in the pipeline. Last week it posted images from four concepts doing the rounds at its Utah office, and they're certainly intriguing. Three of them look to be for action-orientated games, with one featuring a sword-bearing demon in a city's downtown, and another a band of modern-looking adventurers taking on a colossus-like monster. "Some of them are more developed than others," says Ninjabee's Michael Purser. "Not all of them will become finished products, at least not in any recognizable form. But they all represent the beginnings of something wonderful: the genesis of NinjaBee's next game." Expect to hear more on that around August and September time, because Purser says Ninjabee's bringing one of those properties with it to PAX Prime. [Image: Ninjabee]
World of Keflings dev NinjaBee to debut 'Nutjitsu' at PAX East
Developer NinjaBee (makers of XBLA hits like Cloning Clyde, A Band of Bugs and A World of Keflings) is revealing a brand new game at this weekend's PAX East show, titled Nutjitsu. That title is all we have so far; NinjaBee says it'll be playable at the show (booth #599, if you're going), but doesn't say anything else about what it is. It's kung-fu fighting squirrels, right? Can it be kung-fu fighting squirrels?In addition to the new game, NinjaBee is also showing off A World of Keflings for Wii U and the recently released version for Windows 8. It's also giving away prizes, including a free copy of Kingdom of Keflings for PC to anyone who plays any of the demos, and 1600 Microsoft points to the high scorer on Nutjitsu every day. If you can't be at the show, don't worry, because we will. Stay tuned for coverage this weekend.
A World of Keflings breaks ground on Windows 8; Wii U 'later this year'
A World of Keflings has expanded its borders to Windows 8 today, providing your Avatar a passport to the PC for $6.99 starting today. The press release announcing the news past the break also mentions an impending Wii U port, due "later this year."A World of Keflings is a city-building game from Utah-based NinjaBee that originally launched on Xbox Live Arcade in 2010. Our own review lauded its "steady dopamine drip of sweet accomplishment" but recommended short play sessions over extended hours of construction.
Indie Royale offers up five NinjaBee titles for PC at one low price
Indie Royale has posted its latest bundle, and this time it's developer NinjaBee that's getting the spotlight. NinjaBee is probably most known as a developer for Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade service, but this bundle includes PC versions of its biggest games, including the recent Ancients of Ooga puzzle platformer, XBLA classic Cloning Clyde, sandbox builder A Kingdom for Keflings, space station simulator Outpost Kaloki, and a bonus title, the strategy RPG Band of Bugs.That's a solid oeuvre for sure, and at the current bundle price of $3.44 (remember, these indie bundles raise in price over time, or go back down if someone kindly pays over the minimum), it's an excellent deal as well. As is usual with these things, all of the titles are DRM-free, but they're only available for a limited time -- the Ninja Bee bundle will end in just a few days.
A World of Keflings can't decide: Candy, pirates or graveyard DLC
A World of Keflings developer NinjaBee has some new DLC in the works, but it isn't sure what kind yet. NinjaBee wants Keflings players to decide the theme of its new DLC -- Graveyard, Candy or Pirate -- and it plans to "Kefling-ize" one fan, with that character to appear in the game. "I mean, who doesn't want to be turned into a tiny, chipper peon and forced to eternally work for free?" Brent Fox of NinjaBee asked, referring of course to the Kefling-ization of one fan, and not to the free decision-making provided by peons fans in the DLC poll. Of course. Keflings fans can vote in the poll on PlayXBLA now through 12 a.m. PST on Friday, Jan. 20, and the winning theme will be announced the following Monday on PlayXBLA as well.
Kingdom for Keflings coming to OnLive with touchscreen controls
NinjaBee's decidedly adorable city-building game, A Kingdom for Keflings, is the latest arrival on the recently launched OnLive mobile streaming application. As part of its welcoming celebration, the title will run players $2.50 (down from $9.99) through midnight on Monday, December 12. Better yet, anyone who bought the PC version of the game directly through NinjaBee's site are eligible to receive a free OnLive copy -- just email Swag@NinjaBee.com with the subject "Keflings OnLive," including the name and email address you used to buy the game. The OnLive version is one of few games on the platform to be altered to include native touchscreen controls, making it a nice fit on tablets like the iPad 2 and Android devices. Keflings, you see, are meant to be poked and prodded, not manipulated with cold, unfeeling joysticks.
World of Keflings alien DLC crash lands Oct. 26 for $4
Ninjabee has revealed the launch date for the upcoming "It Came from Outer Space" downloadable content for A World of Keflings. The DLC is set to be released on Wednesday, October 26, just in time for your (incredibly short) Halloween marathon of all the good Aliens movies. The content sports two to four hours of extra gameplay and increases the game's content by "more than 30 percent." The asking price is 320 Microsoft space bucks (four earth dollars). %Gallery-136198%
Aliens to invade A World of Keflings in upcoming DLC
Well, more specifically, they will crash land. After all, nothing in A World of Keflings would be so violent as to invade anything. Thus, the new "It Came from Outer Space" DLC will see players helping a group of marooned aliens repair their mother ship and return to their (undoubtedly adorable) home world. The DLC will include a new alien-themed kingdom as well as new resources, buildings, characters and, if the above teaser art is to be believed, space blazers. No price or release date have been announced. %Gallery-136198%
April Fools: A World of Keflings becomes A World of Deathlings
Ninjabee has gone a step further in pursuit of April Fools Day funniness and has actually patched a joke into A World of Keflings on Xbox Live Arcade. According to the press release, the patch adds combat to the game, thus making it more akin to violent RTS games like StarCraft, Age of Empires and Team17's classic Orcs, Orcs, Orcs!. We downloaded the patch to give it a try, and it certainly does add violence to the game. It adds the worst kind of violence, as a matter of fact: emotional violence. You can see it yourself after the break ... if you think you've got the stomach for it.
Steam copies of Cloning Clyde available this spring, Ancients of Ooga to follow
NinjaBee's pleasantly odd combination of platforming and genetic duplication, Cloning Clyde, which originally saw release on Xbox Live Arcade in 2006, will finally arrive on the PC via Steam this spring. The company hasn't offered a specific date or price, unfortunately, but did confirm that the game's follow-up, Ancients of Ooga, would also be available on Valve's service "shortly after." We're hoping both games get the Steam Play treatment so they include a Mac copy, too. Speaking of copy, you can read the full press release after the break.
A World of Keflings review: Community organizer
A World of Keflings is one of two things, I haven't made up my mind as to which. It's either a charming parable about the joys of working together to build a thriving community ... or a terrible warning about the dangers of modern industrialism. I'll go out on a limb and assume developer Ninjabee was probably shooting for the former, but it's up for interpretation. The fundamentals haven't changed much since A Kingdom for Keflings. Your Avatar stands as a giant among the tiny Keflings, and it's your job to help them build their kingdom and, ultimately, a castle. To do this, you must gather resources, train your Keflings and construct various houses and workshops to produce the goods you'll need to build more advanced houses and workshops, and so forth. For task-oriented thinkers, A World of Keflings may just be productivity poison.%Gallery-112087%
Video: A World of Keflings' musical cannons
You've conquered A World of Keflings. You've built every building, tamed every wild frontier. What's left? Just the best endgame feature ever: Musical cannons. Over 80 cannons can be unlocked by game's end. We can't wait to cover completely inappropriate songs. First up? Anything by GWAR.
World of Keflings trailer debuts tiny man cannons
Lording over your Keflings in A Kingdom for Keflings was easily one its most amusing aspects. Watching this trailer for the sequel, A World of Keflings, confirms your duty has risen to a whole new level. Really, why would you help them build things when you can just stuff them into cannons?
Puzzle Quest 2 and Ancients of Ooga hit XBLA June 30
It's pretty much accepted that none of us here at Joystiq are good people. We have to wonder, then, just what we did to deserve a much-desired sequel and a new NinjaBee game in the same week. It's a mystery for sure, but Major Nelson has announced that both Puzzle Quest 2 (as previously dated) and Ancients of Ooga are slated to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade next week. If you want to dip into some puzzle-fueled role-playing, you'll need 1200 MS Points ($15) for Puzzle Quest 2. Meanwhile, the gastronomic platforming of Ancients of Ooga will run you 800 MSP ($10). Check out a new trailer for Ancients of Ooga after the break.
A World of Keflings includes in-game Avatar props and pets
Ninjabee has announced that A World of Keflings will expand on the Avatar functionality of its predecessor, A Kingdom for Keflings. Specifically, the title will allow players to bring their Avatar props and pets inside the game world. Players will be able to summon their props and pets whenever they want, although the press release notes that the items won't have any extra functionality in the game. When summoned, the pets and items will simply go through the same animations seen on the Xbox 360 dashboard. That's unfortunate, as we really would have loved to smack some Keflings around with a giant cotton swab. Art director Brent Fox also offered some new details regarding the new "story-driven" focus of A World of Keflings. He noted that players will meet several new characters, including a "Kefling pirate, a witch, a princess and an inventor, just to name a few". Players will also "travel between exotic Kefling lands, assemble a robot and build an airship" -- all of which, according to Fox, is "barely scratching the surface."
Ancients of Ooga on XBLA in June, Cloning Clyde price dropped
Ninjabee and J. Kenworthy Entertainment have announced that Ancients of Ooga will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade June 16 for 800 ($10). The game serves as a spiritual successor to J. Kenworthy Entertainment's previous XBLA effort, Cloning Clyde. Based on what we've seen so far, Ancients of Ooga certainly seems to share many of the logic puzzle elements seen in Cloning Clyde, though it also adds the somewhat disturbing ability to eat certain foods and vomit them back up. In related news, Cloning Clyde has become an Xbox Live Arcade hit and has seen a permanent price reduction. Previously 800 ($10), the game has now been reduced to a mere 400 ($5). If you're a fan of puzzle platformers heavy on cloning, catapults and sheep, it's probably an instant purchase. %Gallery-85047% Xbox.com: Add Cloning Clyde to your Xbox 360 download queue ($5)
Army of Two, A World of Keflings Avatar gear now available
Cosplay enthusiasts will tell you: making costumes based on your favorite fictional characters can be expensive. Depending on how accurate a recreation you're going for, you can drop some serious duckets on materials. Not to mention the trouble of explaining to your parents who Marcus Phoenix is and why you would want to dress up like him. That's why we'd like to inform you of the latest Avatar Marketplace update, a cheaper alternative for your fixation with dress-up. Two new game styles are available: A World of Keflings and Army of Two. You can find a plethora of branded hats and shirts from each title, as well as some full body costumes -- you can see the Ninja Bee outfit above. Source - Army of Two Avatar items Source - A World of Keflings Avatar collection
Eat up the first Ancients of Ooga trailer
Ninjabee has released the first trailer for Ancients of Ooga, which features the first gameplay we've seen of the title. The game is immediately reminiscent of J. Kenworthy Entertainment's previous XBLA outing, Cloning Clyde. This should come as no surprise, as the developer considers Ancients of Ooga to be Clyde's spiritual successor. Fans will notice the familiar logic puzzle gameplay, notably the apparent goal of freeing your fellow Ooga tribesmen. Perhaps the most intriguing new feature: vomit. Ancients of Ooga is slated to hit XBLA later this year.
