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Alien Hominid: PDA Games adds new trial levels
We get it. In this tough economy, it's hard to scrape together cash for a game sometimes, even if it is only a buck. And so you've been rationing the trial levels in Alien Hominid: PDA Games. Well, today The Behemoth has added more trial levels for its frugal fans. You can download the free version over on iTunes and, should you change your mind about that buck, you can purchase the full game in-app. The full version sports 20 different achievements across 500 levels.
BattleBlock Theater's prisoners step into the spotlight
We imagine incarcerated people the world over aren't very fond of spotlights -- at least during escape attempts -- but perhaps the opposite can be said for the inmates of BattleBlock Theater. The Behemoth has unleashed videos focusing on ten different playable characters in the game and they don't seem concerned with the extra attention. Some inmates are decidedly less blocky than others, but each is a unique individual that, at least to us, doesn't look like much of a criminal -- unless being too cute is a crime.
Alien Hominid: PDA Games holds iOS devices at laser-point
The Behemoth has brought the Alien Hominid PDA games to iOS devices with a pile of updates and shiny new things, including fresh art, 23 new achievements, 60 FPS, high-definition graphics and a pause feature that shows a run-through of your past 20 levels. The Alien Hominid: PDA Games app is available now in the App Store, with 15 trial levels for free, and all 500 levels for $0.99. The Behemoth is steadily working on BattleBlock Theater, and Alien Hominid is a great way to ease the waiting period and get a glimpse of the gameplay that inspired the cat-crushing prison drama that is BattleBlock Theater.
Battleblock Theater player-to-player trading system channels Buffalo Bill
The Behemoth has let the cat out of the musty prison cell with details about Battleblock Theater's's trading system, which was inspired by the hacking of weapon drops in Castle Crashers. Battleblock Theater players will be able to collect the faces of other prisoners by freeing them with green gems found in co-op levels, and weapons by distracting their feline foes with balls of yarn. All weapons and strangers' faces for you to wear as your own will be randomized, and there are no duplicates of any one item, meaning trading will play an important role in collecting the pieces you want. If you see an item -- let's say, a face -- on another player online, rip off your face and throw it at him, and if he returns the gesture, you've traded. Sounds painful simple enough. There are over 100 unlockable weapons and faces in Battleblock Theater, with more in the works before launch, which is scheduled for later this year. We recommend stocking up on lotion (or hoses) now.
The Behemoth had the best gaming booth at Comic-Con
If you were impressed by the arcade machine Sony brought to Comic-Con for Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, you ain't see nothing yet. Indie developer The Behemoth went all out: They had a booth full of custom-made and designed arcade machines, playing both Castle Crashers and the upcoming Battleblock Theater, complete with all of the requisite joysticks and buttons for four or two players. The Behemoth (and Newgrounds) co-founder Dan Paladin told me in between signings that the machines were hand-crafted by the company, in a project overseen by The Behemoth's John Baez. And they're even cooler than they appear -- Paladin said that the big screens up on top of the machines were controlled remotely, and could move in and out of the units mechanically for transportation. If you missed these at Comic-Con, Paladin also said that they'll be on the road with the company, both at PAX Prime and the Tokyo Game Show later this year. The whole enterprise was very impressive; it's no wonder the booth was full all week long.%Gallery-129046%
Battleblock Theater prologue is very chatty, Hatty
Remember the delightful puppet theater magic captured by the Battleblock Theater introduction? You'll be happy to know it carries right over into the game's prologue, throwing in some wonderful hats and terrible cats in the process. We suggest you brighten your day by watching it right now.
New BattleBlock Theater video throws a little surprise party
It's been a while since we last saw The Behemoth's Battleblock Theater in action, so if you're forgetting all of the pertinent deets, let us remind you: The game, by the creators of XBLA superhit Castle Crashers, throws a few players with strangely-shaped heads into a theater run by cats and tasks them with navigating a maze of traps and troubles for the cats' presumed entertainment. You can see some of that entertainment in this brand-new video, which features Prisoner 10321 and the game's co-op "throwing" mechanic, which allows players to launch their frienemies across gaps, into portal-like devices ... or into spikes and pits, if they happen to not be so fond of them at a given moment. The official Behemoth blog says there's complexity here, too: you'll go farther when both characters are facing the same way, or not as far if they're facing apart. And while players can slide tackle each other while fighting, the throw move can cancel that out, blocking the slide and instead sending the slider into danger. We tell you that now so that when it happens in the game, you're not actually thrown for the proverbial loop.
The ocean was all, like, 'psych' in BattleBlock Theater's intro
The Behemoth sets the scene for BattleBlock Theater casually, with an intro movie that doesn't even really seem sure of what happened. Find out approximately how Hatty Hattington and his round-headed, nameless friend got into their predicament after the break.
Battleblock Theater preview: Uncooperation
When checking out games on the show floor of a convention like PAX East, there's a strange phenomenon that occurs with surprising regularity -- you're paired up with a stranger to play along with you in a much anticipated, co-op focused game, and by the end of your demo, the two of you are as thick as thieves. The goodbyes you share as you leave the demo station are as painful and poignant as that fateful farewell ceremony on the last day at Camp Golden Friendships. My demonstration for Battleblock Theater was not one of these magical instances -- not due to the nature of my unacquainted co-op partner, but because of the many, many ways The Behemoth's latest allows you to royally screw your accomplice. With so many annoyances at his disposal, I can't really blame him for his malfeasance.
Seen@PAX East: The Behemoth's Battleblock Theater and Castle Crashers arcade cabinets
After experiencing Super Crate Box on the incredible Winnitron 1000 in person at GDC last week, imagine our delight to find both Castle Crashers and Battleblock Theater running on four-player arcade machines at this year's PAX East. The Behemoth booth was packed full of folks getting their co-op on and purchasing game merch as we precariously circled and snapped a handful of shots. You can find them in the gallery below. As you'll see momentarily, the cabinets weren't just fun to play on, but also quite attractive in their own right. %Gallery-118980%
TUAW's Daily App: Super Soviet Missile Mastar
Hail, comrades of Unofficial Weblog of Apple! Our kind and generous comrades at gaming developer The Behemoth (crafters of the great Castle Crashers entertainment for Xbox Live) have blessed the people of Mother Russia with a free iOS arcading game, available at the current time in your stores of Apps. Super Soviet Missile Mastar allows you to guide secret missile of Russian destiny past American helicopters, capitalist pig birds and disgusting Western airplays towards missile's final landing place on soil of dirty United States. Game is very simple, but as charming as hot chocolate vodka on cold USSR's winter's day, with extremely retro graphics and music to cheer you on to people's victory. And speaking of people, the game also has full Game Center integration, so you and other comrades can band together over leaderboards and "ments of achieving." Fly on, Russian missile of doom! Universal app is a free download for all who believe in power of Mother Russia! Thanks to comrades at Behemoth for free distraction from standing in bread lines, and great glory to USSR and her peoples!
Super Soviet Missile Mastar available now for free on App Store
So, maybe Super Soviet Missile Mastar doesn't possess the depth or polish of The Behemoth's other animated offerings, but it certainly has an unprecedented quantity of freeness. The Atari-inspired Alien Hominid mini-game is now a complimentary download on iOS devices, where, despite its simplicity, it comes equipped with Game Center functionality. That basically means that even though it's not the most sophisticated game, you'll be playing a lot of it in an attempt to usurp the scores of your internet friends. Also, make sure you check out the credits for a bracing shot of honesty, in which The Behemoth asks players, "Don't forget to play our other, better games."
Pink Knight joining Castle Crashers crew to benefit breast cancer research, PSN-only for now
Always wanted to find a way to donate money to breast cancer research, but you're (curiously) allergic to pink ribbons? The Behemoth has a solution just for you! Meet: the Pink Knight, the latest warrior for old-school-melee-em-up Castle Crashers. He (knights are usually male, right?) comes with "the Lollipop and 4 other brand new additional weapons," all for the reasonable price of $1.99. Too rich for your blood, you say? Well, The Behemoth is donating 100% of the revenue (that's all of it!) to "charities devoted to Breast Cancer Research." That's capitalized, so you know it's serious. And yes, it's true, this offer is PSN-only for now – with a February 8 release date – but it's not because XBLA owners hate women (ignore this); The Behemoth is "working hard on a title update for XBLA that will feature the Pink Knight as a playable character as well." But what do you do when life hands you (pink?) lemons? If you don't want to wait for pesky certification, you can donate to breast cancer research right here. There, doesn't that feel good? %Gallery-115713%
The Behemoth's free Super Soviet Missile Mastar targets iPhone
If you played Alien Hominid HD, you likely remember the little-commie-missile-that-could mini-game, Super Soviet Missile Mastar. In it, the motherland puts all of its hopes and dreams of crushing the Eest into one lone missile. Now that game is coming to iPhone. The Behemoth also tells us it'll be a free download and plans to launch it "sometime in the next month," which is great because that coincides with the anniversary of the Czech coup of 1948. We could hardly think of a more synergistic time to launch.
The Behemoth's 'Tournament of Champions' giving away a gold-plated Xbox 360
Take a good, hard look at your Xbox 360. Look at it, sitting in your entertainment center. It is plain. That, friend, is a pauper's gaming console. The Behemoth is offering you a chance to add some much-needed regality to your gaming experience: As part of its "Tournament of Champions" contest, the indie studio is giving away a 24 karat gold-plated 360 Elite to the top-ranked global Castle Crashers Arena fighter on Xbox Live Arcade. There's plenty of other prizes to go around, including a Castle Crashers-themed 360 Elite, and ... um, 250 squishy chicken toys, all of which go to the third place winner, which is appropriately bizarre. Check out the rules and regulations for the contest over on The Behemoth's official site!
Over two million have played Castle Crashers
We've always known that the fan base for The Behemoth's colorful beat-em-up Castle Crashers would continue to grow throughout the fullness of time -- there's something just so universal about beating the tar out of dudes in exchange for food and coins, you know? Recently, that fan base passed a major milestone across all the game's platforms: According to the leaderboards, over two million players have taken up arms in the name of princess rescuing. Will this impressive number carry over some steam to The Behemoth's next project, Battleblock Theater? It's hard to be sure -- both seem to have the same level of polish and oddball humor, though the studio's upcoming project doesn't appear to have quite as much diarrhea-stricken forest wildlife, so it's really anyone's guess.
Castle Crashers' Red Princess now decreeing TomTom directions
There are plenty of homebrewed, game-themed voices for the TomTom GPS platform, but not many real developers take the time to turn their games' characters into tiny, digital cartographers. That's why we love The Behemoth: The studio recently made a TomTom voice out of Castle Crashers' Red Princess.
BattleBlock Theater's curtain to rise in 2011
The Behemoth's BattleBlock Theater has apparently gotten away from the team and won't make it to XBLA this year. The "confession" was made on the developer's site, in which The Behemoth said that the game is "becoming so much more" than the team had expected and that there's "a little more R&D than we thought and lots of new ground to break." Following the impending, November 25 release of Castle Crashers on PSN in Japan, the team hopes to focus on getting more BattleBlock Theater videos and details together to share publicly. We're good with waiting for a quality product ... just so long as it has functional online support at launch. [Thanks, Blacked Out]
Castle Crashers invades PSN on August 31
Congratulations, PlayStation fans, you can pencil in a date for the end to all the anguish. That's right, the PSN version of Castle Crashers finally has a release date and it's very soon. On August 31, just under two weeks away, the game will launch on PSN for $15. We suggest you skip a few fast food meals and save the money for some sweet castle crashing action. It's worth it. Promise.
PSN Castle Crashers set at $15, Behemoth heads to PAX
The Behemoth has posted a quick update on the status of the long-awaited PSN port of Castle Crashers. While there aren't many concrete details, the dev states it is "right in the thick of the submission process" and has cemented the price. Just like its Xbox Live Arcade counterpart, Castle Crashers will arrive on PSN at $15 (packing some new features, don't forget). The Behemoth also detailed its plans for PAX, set to go down in Seattle early next month. The studio is bringing along the latest build of Battleblock Theater and Behemoth merchandise. The company will also be toting along a custom, 4-player Castle Crashers arcade cabinet ... which we will be stealing.
