monsters ate my birthday cake
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Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake, and I'm ok with that
It's rare that a game can be charming enough to turn an otherwise very standard gameplay idea into something worth $4.99, but that's just what Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake manages to do. The game is all about puzzles, but without introducing any groundbreaking new game mechanics, it ends up feeling totally original and extremely addictive. As the title suggests, the game's plot is all about monsters and birthday cake. You play primarily as Niko, a kid whose birthday breakfast was ruined by a missing birthday cake. Starting from a home village, Niko sets off to find the cake in question, only to discover that monsters are responsible for its disappearance. From there, the game is broken up into levels - each of which requires you to find bits and pieces of the cake in order to advance. Some levels contain bonus objectives like freeing random caged prisoners or unlocking chests. There's an in-game currency that you can use to buy outfits or items, but the game puts very little emphasis on this option, and there are no in-app purchases or tempting shortcuts to worry about. It seems not all monsters are bad, as Niko comes upon several helpful creatures during his adventure, all of which warn of the dangers of the actual cake culprit, the Boogin King. Every stage is filled with puzzles that require you to press switches, break open pathways, and use the abilities of your monster friends to snatch each chunk of cake. These puzzles are made more complicated by the ability to switch between Niko and his monster companions at will, and figuring out what tasks each character needs to perform can be downright tricky. Replaying levels to beat them faster offers a small bit of replay value, but overall you'll have little reason to revisit the puzzles you've already completed. Still, the game's lengthy main quest makes the $4.99 price tag easy to swallow, and any puzzle fans should definitely pick this one up without delay.
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake dev accused of stealing artwork [Update]
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake has been accused of copying its map artwork from another artist, Athens, Greece-based Ilias Sounas. The illustrator posted a blog comparing art they completed in 2012 for Karios Games' MonsterUp Adventures to that of SleepNinja's game, which was funded on Kickstarter to the tune of $26,096 in February 2013 and just launched this week on iOS and Android. "My dispute is over the game map, not the mechanics and overall style, which is identical to the world I had created for MonsterUp Adventures," Sounas told Joystiq. The blog compares the two games' monsters and overworlds, each being an island with markedly similar features such as trees, hills and shadows. Sounas began uploading his creations for the game to the Dribbble design community site in April 2012 as well as the Behance portfolio site in July 2012. Sounas said he contacted both SleepNinja and publisher Cartoon Network regarding the allegations and "their replies are pending." Likewise, Cartoon Network replied to an inquiry from Joystiq, noting the publisher is "looking into this" and "will be in touch with a response."
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake out now for Android, iOS
SleepNinja's top-down puzzler Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake launches today on iOS and Android via Google Play and Amazon's app store. Since its release date was announced earlier this month, the game's price on mobile devices has increased by one dollar to $4.99. The "environmental puzzle" game, which draws its inspiration from traditional Legend of Zelda puzzles, will also arrive on Steam next week on July 1. The PC version will cost $14.99, though it will be discounted by roughly 20 percent at launch. Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake gained ground on Kickstarter, earning $26,091 on the funding platform in February 2013 prior to receiving publishing assistance from Cartoon Network in April. Cartoon Network plans to publish "more than 10 mobile titles and at least four on Steam," of which Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake is its first original IP for the PC game distribution service. [Image: SleepNinja]
Monsters will eat your birthday cake next week on mobile, PC in July
SleepNinja Games' top-down environmental puzzler Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake will launch next week on iOS and Android via Google Play and Amazon, publisher Cartoon Network confirmed to Joystiq today. The colorful Zelda-inspired game will first arrive on Thursday, June 26 before making its way to Steam for PC and Mac on July 1. Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake stars birthday boy Niko, whose delicious cake is stolen by Boogin King and his shadowy minions on the island of Gogapoe. It was initially pitched by SleepNinja as a puzzler with a "16-bit aesthetic without relying on pixel art." The game hauled in $26,091 on Kickstarter in February 2013 before being picked up by Cartoon Network in April. It will cost $3.99 on mobile and $14.99 on Steam, though the publisher said the Steam version is expected to be discounted at launch by roughly 20 percent. [Image: Cartoon Network]
Cartoon Network publishing Kickstarted Zelda-like Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake
Indie developer SleepNinja will get a little help to bring Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake to Steam and mobile devices later this year, as it agreed to a publishing deal with Cartoon Network Games, the publisher confirmed to Joystiq. The developer earned $26,091 on Kickstarter in February 2013, enough to reach a stretch goal that will bring the game to Android in addition to PC, Mac and iOS. "Cartoon Network have been great to work with and have definitely kept our backers in mind," SleepNinja Creative Director Justin Baldwin said via email. "Our publishing deal with them will not affect our backer's rewards; everyone will still be getting what was promised, and the game they were promised." Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake is an "environmental puzzler" in the same vein as Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series that features a colorful 16-bit aesthetic that "doesn't rely on pixel art." While Cartoon Network Games primarily focuses on games related to its current properties such as Adventure Time, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake will be its first original IP on Steam. Cartoon Network said it plans to publish "more than 10 mobile titles and at least four on Steam." [Image: SleepNinja]
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake hits funding goal, gets Android support
With its Kickstarter deadline passing today, SleepNinja Games' Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake surpassed its $15,000 funding goal, tallying up $26,091 in support.The environmental puzzler will appear on Android right next to its originally-intended PC/Mac and iOS versions, as the funding initiative achieved its $20,000 stretch goal. Funding for the project fell $4,000 short of its "maximum polish" stretch goal. SleepNinja has an August 13 release date planned for the game, according to its latest update. %Gallery-176790%
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake might be the cutest game on Kickstarter
Arguably the world's most adorable Kickstarter project sprouted up this week in Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake. As a PC/Mac & iOS dungeon-style puzzle game akin to Zelda games of old, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake will have players controlling a boy named Niko whose birthday cake was definitely eaten by monsters.The "environmental puzzler" takes on a "16-bit aesthetic, without relying on pixel art," but is instead inspired by Japanese pop art. The game's soundtrack is being composed by Disasterpeace, the artist behind the tunes from games such as Fez and Shoot Many Robots. Developer SleepNinja is seeking $15,000 in funding by February 16 in order to pay for the game's Unity engine and licensing costs. Should the project reach its $20,000 stretch goal mark, the game will also come to Android.[Thanks, Broc!] %Gallery-176790%
