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Nicalis' NightSky coming to Windows on January 6
Nicalis, best known for releasing Daisuke Amaya's Cave Story on the Wii and DSi, has announced that it will be bringing the 2D physics-based platformer NightSky to Windows on January 6. The title, by Sweden's Nifflas, was originally scheduled for release on WiiWare as well. Nicalis says it hasn't "given up on consoles" for the game, but the PC and Mac releases will arrive first. The game looks intriguing -- you can see a short launch trailer after the break. There's no word on price yet (or where you'll be able to get it, other than the official website), but assuming the game arrives as planned, those who want to get their hands on this 2009 IGF finalist will finally be able to do so.
Interview: Nicalis's Tyrone Rodriguez on Cave Story, La-Mulana, and more
Nicalis, the developer of the anticipated Wii remake of the indie hit Cave Story, briefly noted in a Christmas Eve blog post that the WiiWare game had been delayed into 2010. It seemed like a good time to check in with Tyrone Rodriguez, head of Nicalis and producer on the title. Rodriguez spoke to us a bit about the progress of the remake, as well as Nicalis's other projects, Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren's physics-based platformer NightSky and another WiiWare remake of a retro-style cave exploration platformer, La-Mulana.
Night Game's 'Hard Mode' explained, kind of
In an interview with Nintendo Life, Nicalis's Tyrone Rodriguez offered numbers indicating the size of WiiWare's Night Game: "There are 10 levels--or worlds, each with about 13 areas--and two difficulty modes," he said. "Right now they're called Normal and Hard, but we have to rename the Hard one to encourage people to try it."Apparently, Hard-or-whatever mode will "change the topography of the levels a lot" and offer different puzzles. In a game built entirely around environmental puzzles like that, with no enemies, that's about the only way a hard mode could be instituted without awful time limits. "It's more like playing a new set of levels than getting the normal ones in a harder format," he said. It sounds like some alteration of the base levels to create new challenges. Maybe Hard Mode is the regular game, inverted? Although looking at the above screenshot, maybe not.
How Night Game got to WiiWare
The silhouette-style puzzle platformer Night Game represents the first WiiWare release from Knytt creator Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren. Nifflas and Tyrone Rodriguez from developer Nicalis spoke with Gamasutra (specifically, Joystiq alum Eric Caoili!) about the new game and about its home on WiiWare.Surprisingly, Night Game, which still isn't its final title, wasn't intended for WiiWare at first. Rodriguez made the call to put Night Game on WiiWare early in development. Nifflas told Gamasutra that "I've always wanted there to be a PC build of (Night Game), since many of my fans have been waiting for this game. I however respect Tyrone's decision here." Adapting the game concept to the Wii Remote led to a change in control mapping that "would have been an advantage even on a PC version. "It was GoNintendo's RawMeatCowboy, according to Nifflas, who put him in contact with Nicalis, and therefore indirectly led to Night Game becoming a WiiWare title.
Trailer brings Night Game to light
The first trailer for Nicalis's Night Game is out, and we find ourselves utterly charmed. The sleepy-time color scheme and sedate music gives the game a mellow feel that should make it relaxing even if the puzzles prove challenging -- sort of like Soul Bubbles, which is a nice thing to say about a game.Night Game appears to be a platformer starring a rolling ball, which, we're guessing, is controlled by tilting the Wiimote. It's a simple concept, but even the amount of variation in the objects seen here with which to interact -- hanging chains, see-saws, wagons, etc. -- combined with whatever the ball controls are should make for an interesting experience. Especially at a WiiWare price!
IGF-nominated Night Game is WiiWare exclusive
We've heard intermittently that Night Game (working title), the Independent Games Festival award-nominated action-puzzler from Knytt Stories' Nifflas, would appear on WiiWare -- an IGN interview with composer Chris Schlarb called it a WiiWare and PC game. Nintendo's huge press release this morning has made it official: not only is Night Game coming to WiiWare, it's a WiiWare exclusive. Night Game involves maneuvering a ball through (the silhouettes of) various environmental puzzles.Nifflas is directing Night Game -- which has "no enemies and no violence" -- for developer Nicalis, which you may know from another high-profile WiiWare project: Cave Story. Neither company has dated Night Game. For that matter, Nintendo didn't mention Cave Story in its press release outside of the blurb about Night Game. Hopefully that's still on track!
