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Shooter-platformer Rive heading to PS4, Xbox One, Wii U
When Two Tribes announced Rive in July, it revealed the 2D shooter for PC and unspecified consoles. The developer pulled the curtain back on Rive's destined systems today on Twitter, announcing its development for PS4, Xbox One and Wii U in addition to Steam. The "metal wrecking, robot hacking simulator" has players altering their enemies' behavior using hacks, leaping across levels and firing in 360 degrees. The game is the first from the studio since its January reboot, in which its staff was cut down to two, now three for the development of Rive. Two Tribes will handle the Rive's PC and Wii U development in-house and will work "closely with a porting partner for PS4 and Xbox One." The Toki Tori developer "did 90 percent of the PlayStation 4 technology late last year when we were porting Toki 2 to it," and will let its partner studio of choice "finish it." Rive is expected to launch in early 2015. [Image: Two Tribes]
Wii U indie eShop sale offers buy one, get others 60 percent off deal
Waiting on Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for a fresh reason to turn your Wii U on? We hear you, but several indie studios have banded together to offer the Super Indie Connection Sale, a deal on eShop titles you might have missed from the past year. From now until February 13, anyone that owns Spin The bottle: Bumpie's Party, Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dream, Toki Tori 2 or Mighty Switch Force! may purchase any of the other titles for 60 percent off. It's generally a good deal to get 60 percent off of anything, but buying Spin the Bottle would be especially smart given that its price will gradually rise as more content is added. Toki Tori 2 developer Two Tribes also cited the game's low sales among reasons to recently cease development efforts, so this sale is a chance to reward their efforts for cheap. On a more general note, with Mario Kart 8 planned for May, the Super Indie Connection Sale is a great way to plan for March and April. [Image: WayForward]
Toki Tori 2 stomps on plans for iOS port
Two Tribes will not release Toki Tori 2 on iOS. In response to a fan question on Twitter, Two Tribes said there will be no iOS port, stating "the game would not work well enough with touch controls." The IOS port is something Two Tribes had initially planned since last year. Toki Tori 2, a charming platform-adventure game about a whistling, stomping chick of inescapable cuteness, is a sequel over a decade in the planning. In our review, we said that while "the occasional frustration may grate," Toki Tori 2 has a "charming simplicity that will always pull you back in." [Thanks, Wes]
Toki Tori 2+ Wii U level editor canned, developer offering Steam keys to say sorry
Back in February, Two Tribes planned to bring a level editor to the Wii U version of Toki Tori 2 in its free "plus" update. However, the developer recently announced the Wii U won't be receiving the game's level editor feature after all, citing poor sales for the game on the platform as the biggest reason for the change in plans. Two Tribes also noted technical issues and "missing features" in the console's Miiverse system, creating more challenges for developing the level editor it wanted for Toki Tori 2+. "We obviously wanted to use Miiverse for level sharing as everybody has access to it," the developer said. Among the problems with Miiverse, it said that "it wasn't possible to start the game from a level posted in Miiverse," though "something like this might be possible in the future." The developer considered using its own servers as well, but that solution wound up being "way out of scope." Additionally, Two Tribes said that while Steam integration on Wii U would at least allow Wii U players to play custom levels created by those on Steam, after talking with both Valve and Nintendo it found the idea to be a "dead end" as well. To make up for it, the developer said it will now give away free keys to the Steam version of the game to Wii U players. All players need to do is head to either of the related European or US-based Miiverse posts for Toki Tori 2+, post a message with their Steam ID and then email tokitori2@twotribes.com with their Steam ID and a link to the post. Two Tribes will manually message players with a Steam key, doing so "as long as we feel is necessary."
Toki Tori 2+ delayed to July 11 on Steam
Toki Tori 2+ will launch on Steam on July 11, a week later than its original release date, Two Tribes recently announced on its blog. The expanded port will cost $14.99 and €14.99 in the US and Europe, respectively, while UK players will pay £12.99 for it. Two Tribes also noted that the game will be discounted on launch day, and that players that own one or more games by the developer on Steam will receive a loyalty coupon that further discounts the game.
Toki Tori 2 patch in submission, introduces more hints
Toki Tori 2, the feathered Wii U puzzler that got us chirping, is patching in more hints following critical and community feedback. While Two Tribes feels it provided enough of a helping hand the first time round, the developer says it "noticed a number of people completely missed those hints and got stuck."The patch, which is surfacing within two weeks' time by Two Tribes' watch, also introduces a new secret area, as well as a number of fixes and tweaks. Two Tribes also has a second, "more involving" patch in the works, but that'll take a while longer to leave the nest.
Toki Tori 2 review: Not for birdbrains
Despite the decade plus between the first and second Toki Tori games, Two Tribes's Wii U (and soon PC) evolution of the Game Boy Color game is striking. The 2001 puzzle-platformer was neat, charming, and challenging. Its compact levels and tool-contextual actions evoked Lemmings, albeit with the micromanagement filtered out. You controlled a dopey-looking bird in blocky 2D platform levels, making him manipulate his environment to open up paths to progress. This simplicity, however, was negated by some very specific solutions. It was, and still is, a likable little puzzler. What's clever about Toki Tori 2 is how it doesn't deviate from that ethos, and yet it feels like a completely different game. If anything, its evolution of the first game's principles is to make them simpler, yet the result is something much more complex. It's weird, because there's a pungent minimalism about Toki Tori 2, but it's this minimalism that branches out in so many ways through the environment, and the result is distinct and, more than anything, clever. The reason it all works is because Toki Tori 2, with all its environmental nuances, makes you want to be as intelligent as it is.%Gallery-181528%
New Nintendo eShop releases: Toki Tori 2, Castlevania
Two Tribes has let its baby bird leave the nest; Toki Tori 2, the subject of a sudden delay last year, will be available today on the Wii U eShop.Meanwhile on 3DS, the biggest release is a game from 1987, the original Castlevania. It's out on the eShop just in time to be a few weeks late to promote Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate. A couple of former retail games, including the adorable Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove, are also available, as is some DLC for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity.
Toki Tori 2 whistles at Wii U April 4
It's been a long and arduous journey, but developer Two Tribes has finally finished Toki Tori 2 and will launch it on Wii U next month, April 4.The Wii U version was originally planned for December 20, though Two Tribes instituted a last-minute delay to polish up the game. Since the developer is self-publishing, it wasn't required to meet the deadline without first meeting the studio's own internal quality threshold.PC and Mac versions of Toki Tori 2 are due on Steam this year, though Two Tribes had to focus a lot of its efforts on the Wii U version once the developer had settled on supporting that platform. We've contacted Two Tribes to find out if the developer has any idea on when Steam users should expect to be serenaded by Toki Tori 2.
Why Toki Tori 2 was delayed
Two Tribes co-founder Collin van Ginkel revealed the motivations behind the last-minute delay of Toki Tori 2 today, also showing off a bit of the results in the form of before-and-after graphics (above). The team realized that with no publisher to worry about, there was no external pressure to get the game out by Christmas."Now we only had to let the others know," van Ginkel said, "and inform Nintendo that one of their Christmas games would not meet its deadline. Nintendo was amazing and said: 'That's tough for you guys, let us know when it's good enough!'"The improvements Two Tribes identified include graphics, performance, more testing time, and most importantly, flow. The game was designed with an open level structure allowing players to choose their own course between levels. "Sounds great, and it certainly has its benefits," van Ginkel said, "but it turned out to be a design nightmare. We had to find a way to accommodate novice players, as well as experienced puzzle game players. In the end it resulted in many question marks above the heads of our testers." Amusingly, the structure remains open in the final version, "but we don't advertise it as much anymore."
Two Tribes: Toki Tori 2 taking its time
Ornithological puzzle platformer Toki Tori 2 will not be ready for its December 20 debut on Wii U, developer Two Tribes announced today in an apologetic statement. "Toki Tori 2's a personal project for us," the statement notes. "It's the first game we've made without being tied to a license or publisher, it's something we're putting a lot of love in, and it's something that's just not good enough to be released yet."The developer is working to "fix the game's current weak spots, in all categories ranging from gameplay to graphics to technology." The new release date was not yet specified, but Two Tribes expects to release Toki Tori 2 "early in the new year."
Toki Tori 2 hits Wii U eShop on December 20, Steam later
Toki Tori 2 will come to the Wii U eShop on December 20, Two Tribes announced today. This puts it clearly within the Wii U launch window, which extends from November 18, 2012 to March 2013.Toki Tori 2 was first announced for PC and Mac via Steam, but once Two Tribes got involved with Wii U development and realized it could be a launch title for the console, it focused production solely on Wii U. Two Tribes discusses this shift for the first time:"Since we're a relatively small indie studio, a lot is riding on the success of Toki Tori 2 for us. We have spent well over a year with everyone at Two Tribes on this single project, which means Toki Tori 2 will be the only source of income for a while to come. When Nintendo announced their plans for the Wii U, we decided early on that the game needed to be on that platform, but it wasn't until we noticed that our completion date and the Wii U launch date aligned that we made the call."After Toki Tori 2 launches on Wii U, Two Tribes plans to "work full force on the Steam version" for PC and Mac.%Gallery-170802%
Toki Tori 2's Wii U 'Tokidex' detailed
Toki Tori 2 was officially announced for Wii U today, and will be available on the console and Steam "soon-ish." Developer Two Tribes stated back in February that it planned to bring the chick-fil-adventure to the Wii U's eShop, but set its intentions in stone today on the company's site.Two Tribes also discussed the Tokidex feature for the Wii U version, which will allow players to use the WiiPad as a virtual camera with a viewfinder. "Any creatures photographed will be added to the Tokidex." Heel, Nintendo lawyers! Sit!
Toki Tori 2 media is here, chick it out
It's been over ten years since the first Toki Tori came out (though it has been remade and ported in the interim). We're guessing, then, that longtime fans of Two Tribes' birdy puzzle platformer are really ready to get a look at Toki Tori 2. The readiest. Please enjoy the above trailer immediately, in that case.Two Tribes plans to release Toki Tori 2 first on Steam, later in 2012. Versions for iOS and Wii U will follow, suggesting the company had a good experience on the original Wii -- Toki Tori was one of the first WiiWare releases, back in 2008.%Gallery-150438%
Wii U getting Toki Tori 2 digitally, says Two Tribes
You may not have played Toki Tori on the Nintendo Wii when it helped launch the WiiWare digital distribution service back in 2008, but Two Tribes is hoping you'll give its sequel a shot when it arrives on Wii U. The studio announced intentions to bring the sequel to Nintendo's next console in a blog post this morning, citing the recent information dump on the Wii U's internet connectivity as its reason for signing on -- Two Tribes is dedicated to releasing Toki Tori 2 digitally, it would seem!"The 3DS eShop has been a big step in the right direction compared to the Wii and DSi online shops, and it would be strange if they did not at least match it's functionality on Wii U. Since Toki Tori 2 is designed to be a downloadable title, these things are vital to making the correct choice of which platforms to develop for," the post reads. And though Two Tribes has ideas for how best to use the WiiPad beyond its bevy of buttons and triggers, the concept sounds very early in the production stages (if even there).The company does promise to offer a WiiPad-only option for playing the game, should you be simply unable to stop playing during sojourns to the water closet. It also outlined hopes for a level editor. All of this is of course highly nebulous considering that the Wii U has yet to receive even a release date, so don't go getting your hopes too high just yet.
Two Tribes announces Toki Tori 2, offers limited free development version
Two Tribes is working on a sequel to its adorable Game Boy Color (and later WiiWare, PC, iPhone, etc.) puzzle platformer, Toki Tori, ten years after the first game. Toki Tori 2 is scheduled to be released on PC and Mac in spring of 2012, with "subsequent releases on downloadable stores from Apple, Nintendo and more" to follow. If you're interested in playing the game before that release window (and before it's done), you can write to tokitori2[at]twotribes.com for a chance to get one of 200 copies of the "Steam development version." If you don't make it into that group, you'll just have to follow the development blog or (appropriately) Twitter for your baby chick updates.%Gallery-136975%
